- Edited
I had meant to share this on PW a long time ago but never got around to it! My friend shared these videos by Dr. Molly Gebrian, a neuroscientist who is also a professional musician. The videos are about 45 minutes total (about 15 minutes each) and are extremely interesting and informative. They are about the physical processes that happen in your brain during the learning process and how to use that to optimize any kind of learning (surprisingly, long breaks are key!). I'm including a screencap of her ideal practice schedule from the third video.
I haven't been able to follow the schedule exactly but learning all this explains how I'm able to go a long time without practice and still somehow make progress! (I am a binge practicer, sometimes I am tired/sick/busy and don't touch the piano for weeks or even months, and sometimes I'm at it for 5-6 hours a day-- mostly when the pressure's on with a looming deadline like right now ).
From my friend:
Here are the videos from Molly Gebrian that have changed my life. It’s all about the neuroscience behind how we learn, and the third video is the pot of gold - that’s where she talks about the actual practice schedule she uses to achieve results. I have been using her ideas for a few years now, with unprecedented, amazing results! (It works for memorizing too!)
The Schedule
This is the schedule for whatever section you're working on. It doesn't mean take a break from piano, it just means take a break from that section. Be ready to mark up a calendar!
I'm very interested to hear if this helps anyone! I've been working on a major chamber music piece for 9 months and have 6 weeks until my workshop, and have mapped out a practice schedule for various sections. The piece is way too long for me to be able to practice the whole thing in one sitting anyway, so breaking it up is ideal!