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Twice this week things turned my day upside down due to scheduling changes. That got me thinking.
What if we did other things upside down?
Like practicing, for instance.
What would that look like?
We could:
vary the time of day
start at the end
learn the left hand first
learn difficult left hand passages with right hand first (up an octave), then play the same thing with both hands together
practice a program out of order
practice movements of a piece or songs of a cycle out of order
Fitness trainers sometimes advise their clients to reverse their machine circuit once in a while. This wakes up your body, as your muscles no longer know the routine, resulting in a better workout.
What would the results be?
Some possibilities:
some musical passages would seem more difficult, so I’d learn them better
surprises in the way I’m hearing things ~ new insights
less “take it for granted” sightreading
heightened awareness of dynamics
a better grasp of tempo changes
Some questions:
Do you normally follow a routine?
Practice at the same time most days?
Keep your program in the same order?
How do you handle a day when things happen backwards?
Do you find it helpful to mix things up? In what way?
Have you tried practicing backwards?
One day a seven-year-old student arrived for her lesson, announcing “This is backwards day!” We had SO much fun! She made terrific progress, and we both had a great time, too.
Rafael Nadal likes keeping a routine on match days. If you’ve been watching tennis, you may have noticed that he always has two water bottles. He drinks a little from each bottle, then places them on the ground in front of his chair. The labels have to be facing his side of the court.
Of course, every tennis match is different, and the venues are constantly changing as well. Perhaps having a routine calms Nadal down, enabling him to deal with the unexpected.
What Do You Think?
How do you feel when you have to alter your plans unexpectedly? Do you find a way to make progress that day or throw in the towel?
Please leave a comment below, and tell me what you think.
Happy Independence Day! Try doing something backwards!
Gretchen Saathoff 
Jane Hallowell said:
In yoga teacher training, it was suggested that we do various body movements, starting with the opposite side: for example, alternating starting a pose on the left or right side, or, during daily life, when you climb up some steps, notice which foot you always start with, and then, start with the opposite foot. It makes us more coordinated, and, perhaps, even flexible in our thinking.
With respect to suddenly changing the daily schedule…I enjoy doing this much more than in years past. This morning I was going to go food shopping until I realized that the women’s Wimbleton finals were on t.v. I enjoyed the tennis and bagged the food shopping till later. As I get older, I’m so much more willing to “carpe diem” and let things flow…even the little things. Life’s too short.
As always, I enjoy reading your blog.
🙂 Jane
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GretchensPianos said:
Thanks, Jane!
A friend recently participated in a movement study @ UMass. Among other things, she was asked to walk forward a few steps several times. Then the study assistant asked her to start on the “other” foot.
She says she started thinking about it, and had trouble.
An intern @ my doctor’s office once asked me whether I was right or left-eye dominant. I had no idea, but he could tell in 2 seconds.
Also, when my detached retina was repaired, the dominant eye changed from side to side for about 3 years, depending on what was going on with the healing process. Interesting, to say the least….
Shaking up the order when practicing makes a huge difference for me. I always end up learning things much better that way.
Gretchen
GretchensPianos said:
Thanks very much, Jillian!
nancycurteman said:
Usually I’m very uncomfortable when my plans are derailed. However, my most productive time is in the evening. I wouldn’t mind turning my day upside down so I could accomplish more with less fatigue.
GretchensPianos said:
Hi Nancy,
Having plans derailed bothers me, too. But it happens so often, I thought it was important to get something out of the day regardless.
Thanks for your comment!
Gretchen