Thankyou for your responses. Outin, I noticed you are working on Chopin Nocturne 72 no.1. I myself am slowly chipping away at that piece. Out of interest, would you consider that piece "physically" demanding for someone who has been playing for about 5 years, such as myself? My teacher is also happy with my selections, so I guess Im putting trust in her opinions. Thanks for your help. iancollett6
Well, there is one risk, and two cautions:The risk is that you will try and play pieces that demand a certain technique or even a range of techniques if you are to play them without injuring yourself. This is not to be taken lightly as such injuries are very real and can seriously impact on not only your future ability to play but also other aspects of your life.
[...]it's very hard for me to imagine injuring myself at the piano. [...] I'm working on Chopin Op. 10/1 and 10/12 - they are at the upper limit of my technique, but practicing them doesn't hurt at all. [...]
Outin, I noticed you are working on Chopin Nocturne 72 no.1. I myself am slowly chipping away at that piece. Out of interest, would you consider that piece "physically" demanding for someone who has been playing for about 5 years, such as myself? My teacher is also happy with my selections, so I guess Im putting trust in her opinions. Thanks for your help.
Yes, I'm sure the Chopin Etudes seemed quite diabolical when first published (though, in fact the two I've been working on seem, if anything, more comfortable to play than other pieces which sound less difficult). I think my point about injuring yourself by practicing is that it seems to me that to do real damage to yourself you must have:1. A very clear, distinct, and even dogmatic idea about the mechanics of piano playing that you should use.2. Such commitment to that idea that you are willing to disregard the plain evidence coming from your suffering body.3. Enough determination and dedication to persist in spite of the increasing pain.Without those traits, it's hard for me to see how you can hurt yourself.
I think my point about injuring yourself by practicing is that it seems to me that to do real damage to yourself you must have:1. A very clear, distinct, and even dogmatic idea about the mechanics of piano playing that you should use.2. Such commitment to that idea that you are willing to disregard the plain evidence coming from your suffering body.3. Enough determination and dedication to persist in spite of the increasing pain.Without those traits, it's hard for me to see how you can hurt yourself.
it seems to me that to do real damage to yourself you must have:1. A very clear, distinct, and even dogmatic idea about the mechanics of piano playing that you should use.2. Such commitment to that idea that you are willing to disregard the plain evidence coming from your suffering body.3. Enough determination and dedication to persist in spite of the increasing pain.Without those traits, it's hard for me to see how you can hurt yourself.
Sometimes people don't have 1, and they may not even have 2 and 3 before it's too late. They may just think that they have to stretch their hands to the maximum, or they may think they have to play legato where no legato is required, etc. Or they push heavily into the key with their arms. They may also be phrasing against Chopin's instructions and not understand what they're doing in general. While you could maybe do that in other pieces, Chopin will punish you for that. Something like 15/20 minutes (even without any hints at pain or discomfort while doing it) can be enough to get up the next the day and be forced to consult a therapist/retrainer to stay with him/her for years.Paul
I've heard many people say this sort of thing. Maybe I'm just not maniacal enough about the piano, but it's very hard for me to imagine injuring myself at the piano. If something is uncomfortable for more than a few minutes, I just stop and try another approach. I can imagine getting mighty frustrated trying to play the Hammerklavier, but I just can't see hurting myself trying. I'm working on Chopin Op. 10/1 and 10/12 - they are at the upper limit of my technique, but practicing them doesn't hurt at all. Maybe you have to really believe in "no pain, no gain" and push through a lot of pain in order to do real damage to yourself.
Looking at your signature I think we might not be talking about the same piece? Mine is the posthumous one in e-minor...I will up date my signature, Im playing both 72 #1 and 27 #1, thanks for your help mate.
I've been practicing pieces out of my league for a long time, they're not so out of my league now because I practiced pieces out of my league
By investing time into it, you develop the skills needed. Worse that can happen is that you play it half the tempo after 6 years of practice lol but time isn't wasted as work is always converted into long term pianistic skills. Czerny etudes are fine but you know...
Nonsense.Six years of misplaced practice can be worse even than six years spent doing nothing. There can be injury. There can be the entrenching of bad habits that actually prevent progress and take time to unlearn and correct.There is no automatic conversion into "pianistic skills" just by putting in the hours. What and how you practice is what is important, not just time.