TheBigBluePotato t1_j7wgsqg wrote on February 9, 2023 at 10:01 PM

Hi Ray! I’m wondering about how much practice in a day is too much. I’m on my first year of my BM in Viola Performance and my workload has gotten very large to the point where 4 hours isn’t covering everything I’m working on. My professor recommends me to start doing 5-7 hours/day in order to cover everything. I understand quality is greater than quantity but do you think that 5-7 hours/day is too much for someone in my position?

raychenviolin OP t1_j7wk34f wrote on February 9, 2023 at 10:23 PM

I've had a varied relationship with practice. When I was younger, I practiced a lot more because I had yet to develop my own practice frameworks and methods. These days I've gotten to know myself better and so when faced with that question I often reply with "I practice as much as necessary".

I will say, the most I practiced in a day was 10 hours. Definitely not advisable over a long period of time and also dependant on your instrument. This was a special few weeks when I was competing at the Queen Elisabeth competition. I was also 20 years old - pretty sure if I attempted this now my neck would break.