"Practice until you own the music. Practice enough so that when you make a mistake, it sounds like part of the music. You can say, 'Oh, I meant to do that . . . ' and someone might actually believe you." Loretta Pritchard
Even the great pianists had to practice. Take Arthur Rubinstein (1887-1982), for instance. He first played in public when he was age 7 and performed with his first symphony, the Berlin Symphony, when he was just 11 years old. But as a young pianist, he never practiced. Because playing the piano came so naturally to him, he took it for granted and was not a serious student. He said, “When I was young, I was lazy. I had talent, but there were many things in life more important than practicing." Although Rubinstein was a great success, his lack of practice caused him to be a sloppy performer who sometimes missed a third of the notes in a piece!
One day, composer Paul Dukas told Rubinstein that he should “grow up before it was too late.” Also being inspired by the playing of Vladimir Horowitz, Rubinstein, at age 40, finally started to seriously fine-tune his skills on the piano. He began to practice 12 to 16 hours a day, which, in my opinion, was going to the other extreme, but it caused him to excel and become one of the most successful and beloved pianists in the world! He ended up having one of the longest careers in history, playing farewell concerts in London and New York at the age of 89. It was often said that he played in every country with the exception of Tibet.
So you see, practice is essential to being truly successful on the piano or any instrument, for that matter. Just as a fine diamond has to be polished, so do the skills of a musician at any level before he or she can really blossom as a performer.
If you are a young musician just getting started on your instrument, don’t wait until you are 40 to discover the benefits of focused practice. And if you are an older musician, it is never to late to get started developing your skills to their full potential. Practice is a good thing and is something you can grow to appreciate and even look forward to. Practice time is a chance to escape to another world and do something positive just for yourself. You don't have to practice 12 to 16 hours a day as Rubinstein did; simply develop a regular routine that fits comfortably into your schedule. You won't regret it! As you’ve heard it said many times, “Practice makes perfect!” And it really does – the proof is in the playing.
Sit back and listen to the proof of Arthur Rubinstein's long days of practice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9QLiefnoDE&t=65s