V.com weekend vote: How long was your longest practicing streak?

October 4, 2013 at 08:43 PM · 3 or 4 days, perhaps? But then it depends how one defines "practice". In fact I play the violin every day, except when away on holiday, but not all that playing is necessarily "practice" in the strict sense.

In orchestral rehearsals, which occupy me for 8-9 hours a week, there are occasions when I pay special attention to some aspect of technique while I'm playing; so is that classed as practice? And what about my fortnightly lessons?

Under these circumstances I don't think I can fairly vote.

October 4, 2013 at 10:41 PM · practising the violin every day is easy, try doing science everyday that's difficult.

October 5, 2013 at 01:17 AM · I haven't counted in decades!

a 100-day challenge sounds cool. I'll start 21 Oct. when I return from a business trip (no way to practice in that venue, not even w/ practice mute). I'm curious to see if I can do it...

October 5, 2013 at 01:24 AM · I have got in the habit of practising for an hour per day. It is a daily ritual like shaving ! I feel that the day has been wasted or is incomplete unless I do some violin practise. I am off to Shanghai next week and the violin (plus mute) will be going with me again.

October 5, 2013 at 09:41 AM · Had another think about "practice", coming to the conclusion that my playing always involves assessing and monitoring what I'm doing, and if something's not right then it gets corrected at the time or flagged for attention later, implying there is a pervasive element of "practice" in my playing - with the possible exception of performances (but even that's doubtful).

I've therefore cast my vote - for 6 months, which takes care of any holiday absence from the violin.

October 5, 2013 at 12:09 PM · About a year... When I travel up to Interlochen, I don't practice on my travel days, but that is about it. Only very very recently did I take a week off from practice while I was figuring out what was going on with my finger.

October 5, 2013 at 12:12 PM · I did it for about 6 months once, while living in Germany. At the time I was quite "into" violin, had a great teacher, but most importantly, didn't have that much else to do. I was in a foreign country with limited language skills, and was taking a year off between high school and college.

I have mixed feelings about that time overall. There was a sense in which I was using violin practice as a retreat from the hard work of trying to socialize in a foreign land and language. There was a sense in which I was using it as an escape to mask loneliness.

It also fed my perfectionist streak, one that I don't often give rein to, but when I do, the results are usually not good for me psychologically.

In the many years since, I have never been able to make practicing every day work again, and have stopped trying. My attempts have generally resulted in feelings of guilt and overwhelm and wanting to quit playing altogether.

Having given up on that goal of practicing every day made it possible for me to play at all.

October 5, 2013 at 04:26 PM · I did daily practice for a few years during my early teenage period. I did it because it was more rewarding than anything else there was for me to do at the most politically termoil time in mordern Chinese history.

Looking back, practicing time was meditation and praying time for me s well as time to express and play safely and freely when other forms of expression would be either forbidden or dangerous.

Now I have to make sure that I listen to my body carefully or I could easily injure myself if I strictly stick to the routine of practicing everyday. Practice is more like a workout than brushing teeth now since having experienced some injury from repetitive overuse certain part of my body.

October 6, 2013 at 12:32 PM · Mark wrote: "practising the violin every day is easy, try doing science everyday that's difficult."

I do both every day! :)

I think the question would be better phrased as 'play' rather than practise since those on here who are professionals may not feel like practise on a day with 8 hours of playing!

But as a humble amateur I not only practise every day - and have done so for not one but now many years - but I also keep a minute-by-minute (as far as possible) log of playing and practise. This works for me both as an inspiration and its own reward - and also means that I can check on whether I am meeting personal goals (e.g. actually playing scales). Interestingly, not one of my teachers has expressed any interest in this log - although they do appreciate the outcome.

October 10, 2013 at 10:37 AM · I have trophies for my students for "days in a row" of practice. It really works and there is no competition for that. It is about how you practice and not how good you are.

When I was at Indiana University I never missed a day of practice...even on my birthday or Christmas. I may have been a little ocd, but I am glad I was dedicated.