Perceptive and motivational issues, please advise...

[gilad]

Hi teachers and others, I’m feeling very despondent, how to deal best with this?

i have a teacher, I have been learning piano for just over a year, i'm 24, and im getting agitated.
i've learned a few well known pieces eg, fur eilse. and moonlight 1, invention 1, but never managed to complete them because there were some passages that were to difficult for me.

Anyway, ive been using an easier repertoire book maybe grade 3 pieces(they are still hard for me), hoping to quickly pick up "technique" and improve, but it hasn’t worked out. The lack of positive results I got has made me practice less and less. Also the fact that the music is simple, yet still difficult for me annoys my ambitious self.

Sort of like i worked my but off to get to my current level, and now im slacking off expecting the results to simply manifest themselves and therefore getting despondent. It is a nasty trap.

Some specific questions I’d like to ask:

1. Would learning music theory help me improve or make it more interesting at this moment in time? If so what books to use?

2. Is this so called trap I described common? That being that I worked hard in the beginning, saw improvements, than reached a point at which i thought I could simply switch to autopilot and coast along. The autopilot part means less practice, less attention, and then less positive results as I can now see, which in turn reinforces in my mind that im never going to reach my desired level or even my more immediate goals. And makes me practice even less. And ultimately I might completely lose interest because it feels like an uphill battle that I am not able to win, which would be a very sad thing for me.

3. How to keep motivated in periods in which it all feels to far out of reach and impossible, at those times I’m not improving, even if I am working hard at it.

Any advice would be appreciated, what do you tell students that find themselves in this position? I am guessing at this point that it is the perseverance to continue that separates failure from success, and certainly not talent alone.

[robertp]

Several things to addrsss, gilad. And they're, I suspect, interrelated.

Those pieces after one year? If that means starting from square one -- well, in a relative vacuum it's hard to diagnose, but typically (I stress "typically") they might be considered a little advanced for that stage. You seem feel that's an issue by your decision to use easier repertoire. And if you've never managed to complete them because of difficult passages -- that seems to point to the same direction. A hard passage or two in a piece at your stage is one thing. Or even a "stretch" piece. A "stretch" piece seems a bad idea at your stage; you need enough positive feedback from a string of success so that you can keep going through the sometimes-frustration of a "stretch" piece. I recall a very long time ago Chopin 10.3 was my stretch piece. I would have recoiled after many weeks of seemingly getting no closer to playing even a page of it well, except that 1. I'd had earlier successes and knew I could do it because I had 2. a teacher whom I implicitly trusted. But if you can't complete a piece, period -- that has got to have a bad effect on the head. I don't want to diss your teacher, but these issues should have been, I would have thought, apparent to her/him. "nasty trap" -- definitely! To your specifics:

1. Knowing theory is surely useful, but I'm not sure it addresses the issues you have right now. But Walter Piston's Harmony is relatively standard.

2. In general, I think everyone, whatever the learning level, has it.  You can seem to be on a plateau forever. Then, almost for no reason, a jump forward. The reason is things are happening under the surface. That means when you hit a plateau, it's important not to coast, but to keep working.

3. My #2 addresses this. Students can supply a fair amount of self-motivation, in fact they have to. But it takes an alert teacher, especially at your stage, to supply some external extra motivation which keeps you going. Ultimately, when you've found from experience that you can work through the plateaus, you'll need to lean on your teacher less for this.

[gilad]

hi thanks robertp, yes i've been playing for one year. i was under the impression that i should have easily mastered those pieces by now. thanks for some perspective. everything you said makes sense to me. In a way i have had to rethink the whole situation. I will buckle down and get back into the habit of practising everyday. thanks again:)

[robertp]

Glad some of my thoughts were useful, Gilad!

Just one thing to stress, even though you clearly realize it. I've always found the absolute biggest obstacle to piano progress is thinking one "should" have been able to master piece X at a given point in time. At one time it hit me so bad that I came within inches of bagging the piano. Even on lesser matters, like "I should have these 8 bars memorized by now" it can really mess with the head. I've found it much better to just decide "I'm working absolutely up to capacity...success, howevermuch there will be, will follow."

This isn't to say you were wrong to wonder. On occasion, it's good. But absolutely do not keep steady company with it!

[bernhard]

Hi teachers and others, I’m feeling very despondent, how to deal best with this?

i have a teacher, I have been learning piano for just over a year, i'm 24, and im getting agitated.
i've learned a few well known pieces eg, fur eilse. and moonlight 1, invention 1, but never managed to complete them because there were some passages that were to difficult for me.

Anyway, ive been using an easier repertoire book maybe grade 3 pieces(they are still hard for me), hoping to quickly pick up "technique" and improve, but it hasn’t worked out. The lack of positive results I got has made me practice less and less. Also the fact that the music is simple, yet still difficult for me annoys my ambitious self.

Sort of like i worked my but off to get to my current level, and now im slacking off expecting the results to simply manifest themselves and therefore getting despondent. It is a nasty trap.

Some specific questions I’d like to ask:

1. Would learning music theory help me improve or make it more interesting at this moment in time? If so what books to use?

Yes. It would.

Four excellent books are:

1. Eric Taylor – The AB Theory book  (ABRSM Publishing)

Very basic theory covering mostly notation and notation conventions (useful for exams as well) and pretty much complete (so a good reference book as well):

2. Michael Miller – The complete Idiot’s guide to music theory. (Alpha).

Covers more ground than Taylor (melody, harmony, composition and arrangement) and is written in a light, enjoyable way. Does not really covers anything in much depth but it is excellent as an introduction to the subject, and as preparation for more solid stuff (e.g. Walter Piston’s “Harmony”)

3. Robert L. Jacobs –Understanding harmony (Oxford University Press).

This is one of my favourite books of all time. A very fresh approach to harmony (if you compare it with other harmony books). It answers a lot of questions that most theory books either ignore or take for granted that you already know the answer. I cannot recommend this book strongly enough. And as if this was not enough, it is also well written and accessible to complete beginners.

W. A. Mathieu – Harmonic experience: Tonal harmony from its natural origins to its modern expression (Inner Traditions).

This is an amazing book. Everyone should read it. Read some more gushing reviews of it here:

https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0892815604/002-7643341-8252845?v=glance

2. Is this so called trap I described common? That being that I worked hard in the beginning, saw improvements, than reached a point at which i thought I could simply switch to autopilot and coast along. The autopilot part means less practice, less attention, and then less positive results as I can now see, which in turn reinforces in my mind that im never going to reach my desired level or even my more immediate goals. And makes me practice even less. And ultimately I might completely lose interest because it feels like an uphill battle that I am not able to win, which would be a very sad thing for me.

Yes, it is a very common trap.

It is based on two misunderstandings.

The first is that progress in piano playing is linear. It is not. You have fast progress followed by plateaus of stagnation. However, it is exactly when you are in a plateau and seemingly going nowhere that a lot of learning is taking place – in the unconscious – so as to prepare you for the next jump. You will not feel it or see it because it is happening  on the unconscious, and therefore by definition you will not be conscious of it. The worst mistake people make at this stage is to stop practicing out of discouragement. It pays to have a zen approach here: just attend to the work at hand and have no concern for the outcome.

The second mistake is to go on autopilot too early. A lot of piano practice is geared towards programming your unconscious. Your autopilot is going to be as good as the effort you consciously put into programming it. But most people feel that this is a boring stage. They want to play right now. As a result their autopilot is loaded with a sloppy, incomplete program. In piano playing nothing short of perfection will do. So make sure you do not go into autopilot before your autopilot is ready.

In time and with experience you will learn to expect and to accept the sort of apparent setback you are experiencing as actually necessary for your growth as a pianist. You will also dicover how to correct it. Assuming of course that you do not give up.

3. How to keep motivated in periods in which it all feels to far out of reach and impossible, at those times I’m not improving, even if I am working hard at it.

Persevere!

Best wishes,

[pekko]

3. Robert L. Jacobs –Understanding harmony (Oxford University Press).

This is one of my favourite books of all time. A very fresh approach to harmony (if you compare it with other harmony books). It answers a lot of questions that most theory books either ignore or take for granted that you already know the answer. I cannot recommend this book strongly enough. And as if this was not enough, it is also well written and accessible to complete beginners.

What are the differences compared to the Mathieu book?

[chocolatedog]

The other problem you might have is not having the correct practice strategies to help you overcome the difficulties you're encountering. Can your teacher help? Does he/she give you ideas as to HOW to tackle a difficult section in practice? Using the wrong sort of practice technique is like using the wrong tool for a DIY job - like trying to fix shelves on the wall with a teaspoon.......

[bernhard]

What are the differences compared to the Mathieu book?

Jacob´s is shorter, more approachable and sticks to a narrower range of the subject.

Matthieu´s is incredibly detailed and gives a historical approach (which Jacob´s does not). It is more complete and much larger.

Both are very good, but if you know nothing of the subject, start with Jacob.

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[gilad]

thanks robert, bernhard, chocdog. thanks so very much, i have printed out this thread and will folow up on all you guys have said. very encouraging. thank you all.
 i will definitely give those books a read in progressive order of difficulty bernhard, and chocdog i think my teacher identified notation as my week point which i will work on amongst other things. thanks all.