That has always been my philosophy with special music pieces: practice the song till you're one step away from hating it. Thankfully, I've never gotten to the point of hating a piece because of practicing it too much... but, I've gotten close. :-) When I was still taking piano lessons, nothing would throw me off more than having to play at a recital after not getting enough practice time to feel fully prepared for the big performance. My stomach would twist, my palms would sweat, and my heart would beat like a drum... even though the audience usually consisted of ten or so families who would never remember how well I played the songs!
