Sonatas (Boredom)

[chopiabin]

I always start a sonata that I love, but once I have learned the first few pages, I start to get bored. It feels like the mystery it once held has disappeared, and I lose all motivation to continue working on it. Am I the only one who experiences this? Are there any ways to counteract this?

Chop

[dj]

yeah ur not alone, im the same way....and the only thing i can think of to counteract it is 2 have your teacher assign the piece so u have 2 finish it. good luck

[krenske]

YES!!!  
I have the answer.

Don't learn sonatas... except perhaps Mozart ones.

Another rule I have adopted is...
don't learn etudes unless you can help it [ some of them contain too much mystery ]

learn a beautiful nocturne, or some rachmaninov, or the mozart bmoll adagio, or some nice tchaikovsky, or compose a little something yourself..

[chopiabin]

I somewhat agree with you on etudes - they can get repetitive - but sometimes they are a really fun challenge. Generally I like to go with pieces whose focus is not technical difficulty (although they may have an incredible amount) but musicality.

[steveolongfingers]

Easy, learn the whole thing before you get bored of it, unless its uber hard......

[bernhard]

I can give you a solution to the boredom problem.

But you will not appreciate it if you do not explore the problem.

So ask yourself this:

1. What exactly is boredom?
2. How do you know when you are bored?
3. Were there times when you were not bored at all, and somehow boredom crept on you? If so, how did it happen?
4. Conversely were there times when you were most bored and suddenly something sparkled your interest? If so, what made the difference?

Investigate boredom in this way for a while (use the practice of your sonata to this effect), and once you have a bit more insight into the boredon phenomenon, I will suggest a solution.

By the way, you do not need to answer these questions here in the thread (but you may if you want). But you need to consider them for yourself, otherwise you will not appreciate the solution.

I will post this solution in one week's time. (One week should be enough for your investigation).

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[dgk88]

I'm the same way when it comes to Beethoven and Mozart sonatas, however you should try some of the more obscure sonatas such as, the Grieg Sonata in e minor Op. 7, or any of the prokofiev or Rachmaninoff Sonatas, plus they are great to have in your repertoire.

[eddie92099]

any of the prokofiev or Rachmaninoff Sonatas

I would not describe them as obscure, although they are certainly great pieces. A wonderful obscure sonata is Rautavaara's Second which I have played and is great fun,
Ed

[chopiabin]

Yeah, dude. Rautavaara is awesome!

[Chitch]

Sonatas are a little like Bach in the sense that you've got to search through every piece you're allowed to play for your exam/audition and ask yourself "Is this piece something I want to learn?", so that you can really give your best performance. Even if the piece you choose is overplayed, you'll give a better performance then if you played something that you just want to get over with and "delete" from your repertoire.

[bernhard]

As previously promised in this thread, here is the solution to the boredom problem in one single word: Awareness.

Where does boredom comes from?

It comes from the human mind’s habit to start imagining something completely unrelated to the activity at hand. For instance, as you are practising, your mind starts wondering what’s for dinner, or starts fantasizing about some Caribbean holiday. As a result you feel boredom in relation to the actual activity you are doing

Ultimately boredom with an activity comes from a lack of awareness of the sensations involved in that activity. The moment you become aware of what you are doing, it all becomes very fascinating and absorbing.

So this is the secret: To practise with attention and awareness.

Try it!

[marcelo]

Oh yes! I agree! Sometimes it gets boring, but only if you are not excited at all with the piece you are playing. Sometimes, I try to hear many times in my radio the same music I am playing to compare myself with what the music should sound like. This gets me challanged to play better, and so it gets more fun!  

[chopiabin]

No, I don't really think about other things, it's just that certain passages I once found amazing lose their magic. I can play long pieces as long as there isn't too much repetition, but I got really bored with the last mvmnt of the moonlight (a piece that I used to love).