Page "Arthur Rubinstein" Paragraph 26

Rubinstein believed that a foremost danger for young pianists is to practice too much.

Rubinstein regularly advised that young pianists should practice no more than three hours a day.

" I was born very, very lazy and I don't always practice very long ," he said, " but I must say, in my defense, that it is not so good, in a musical way, to overpractice.

When you do, the music seems to come out of your pocket.

If you play with a feeling of ' Oh, I know this ,' you play without that little drop of fresh blood that is necessary and the audience feels it.

" Of his own practice methods, he said, " At every concert I leave a lot to the moment.

I must have the unexpected, the unforeseen.

I want to risk, to dare.

I want to be surprised by what comes out.

I want to enjoy it more than the audience.

That way the music can bloom anew.

It's like making love.

The act is always the same, but each time it's different.