help

[ravel]

hi friends
well well how do i start, ya well i have a fascination for the piano, i thik its the most wonderful instrument, well i learnt playing the piano over the last five years, myself without any teacher, had no formal training, and played by ear, to think i didn kno whow to read music till six months back, as it i lived in india before, so people dont listen to western classical much there, and a piano is too expensive there, so i used to play on a kepyboard, which idnt een have the fell of a piano key, still i learnt quite a lot on it,
now the thing is that i have started learning piano properly , using conservatory books, have curently started grade 2, took me three months to do grade 1, well as for hat all i can play , if one listens to me, one can get shocked because they wont ever expect a grade on1 pianist to play all what i can pay, the thing is i can play a lot, to imagnine i almost played throug claire delune by debussy, but it took me a month to get it, and my pplaying was not really very polished,
i asked some people and they told me that its absolutely necessary to have a pian teacher, do u people think so,
i mean can ti actually learn the stuff my self, i know at times i have questions but then i hope they wlill be answered here,
well please reply, as to whether a teacher is necessary or not,
ok friends

[Diabolos]

Hi there.

First: Congrats for playing claire de lune by reading, I remember that piece - it really got me..however, I think that a teacher is necessary.

Actually there are many people who try to learn playing the piano by theirselves, but there are normally a few major problems occuring:

First of all it's the technique. Only a teacher can show you the appropriate moves, the right touch, the necessary relaxion - learning by yourself always includes the danger of learning wrong moves that'll make progress impossible (after a while); if this happens (it certainly will, but that won't be your fault) it takes a lot of practise to translate wrong moves into right moves. You also should remember that it doesn't matter if but how you play a piece.

Secondly, there's the appropriate interpretation. Of course, you might have a idea of the piece, but it mostly needs a 'final hint' by someone for really getting it. And, that's the problem with interpreting, without the proper technique you won't be able to play exactly what you want.

And finally, there's the music theory. Many pieces, especially difficult ones (like Granados' Goyeskas, Mozart's Fantasies or Sonatas, Chopins Scherzi, Scriabins Preludes etc.) are based on a harmonic and formal finesse not fully capable without specific knowledge.

I don't want to critizice (or however you spell that) you - it's sounds like you're doing a good job. But talent and enthusiasm are not the only requirements for becoming a good pianist - so: get urself a teacher, it won't do no  harm.

Good luck - and have fun playing

[ravel]

thanks a lot
sorry for the delayed response
but i had forgot my passwordi know u are right about the technique part, but i have heard of pianists like walter gieseking who learnt the piano themselves, and still became great pianists, of course i am ot comparing myself to them, they probably were geniuses, which i am not,schoenberg was completely self taught in every thing,
strange but true
but in any case
i think u are right
thanks  a lot
sahir

[Diabolos]

Don't worry about responding late - I'm quite busy, too.

Well, you know, Gieseking had a teacher, too - there's a book by him explaining what methods he taught him, but I can't recall the name right now.
However, that guy was special since he learned new pieces from reading - I don't know anyone who does it in the same way.

Ok, good luck to you, I guess it'll all be fine.  

[ravel]

thanks a lot ,
i think the guy u are talkig about  is nelson or someone with a simialr name, he was the professor at the conservatory thee, and he was working on a new technique of the piano which emphasised more on arm and muscle relaxation technique, and since Gieseking learnt thngs himself he was a living example of the new techniqu, which the  nelson had discovered,
anywazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
well u seem to be a good pianist, i read ur other posts, well if u can play prokofiev u have to be damn good,
i hope one day i can play like u  
good luck t ;o u too  
ravel