thoughts on improvement

[lazlo]

I was just curious where I sort of "fit". I am 19, and I have been playing piano for six months, (started last march), and absolutely love it. Currently my repetoire is nothing like that of many on this site but I can play:

Bartoks pieces for children, 1, 3, 8, 11
and kabelevsky toccatina, and novelette.

If anyone can think back that far, am I in a good place at this point? Obviously you haven't heard me play, and I don't want you to tell me if I'm good or bad without hearing me. I think I can play all of these pretty well. I just want to know what you were playing at six months...

[canardroti]

It's very hard to say how one stands in his progress because unfortunately it's very hard to make piano progress linear thinking that you'll get the same result you can get in 6 months for the rest of your life.

After 6 months of piano , I was able to play:
Beethoven : moonlight sonata 1st mvment
Kuhlau : Sonatina Op 55 1 and op 55.3
Yann Tiersen : La valse d'Amelie , Comptine d'un autre ete.

Back then I had much more interest in hitting the right notes rather than even thinking of the music.
The more I study piano, the more and more I learn that there's so much to do! And so much work to be done.
I thought i started good, but then after a year I felt that I've reached a plateau and then  I got worse, and Then better..and then worse..and now better.

All pianists acquire bad habits somehow and spend countless hours tryign to get rid of them. If you're able to avoid getting bad habits, that is when your progress will be linear.


One piece of advice, Read Chang's book, and Read Bernhard's posts.
Good luck

[rc]

After six months I had the first few bars of a dozen different pieces and nothing completed.

What's your destination?

[ccnokes]

I think I was playing a Clementi Sonatina and Bach Minuet in G.

[gilad]

canardroti's post is exactly where I was at. So well put. I was trying to hit the right notes.
I could play moonlight 1st and fur elise, a few other little bits of pieces.
Truth is i sucked and my moonlight sounded real bad. I actually plateaued for ten months until now.
Whats humbling is going back to easier pieces after labouring for so long at a "hard" piece.
But thats what i have done, back to some minuets and small little easy pieces.
Now that I pay attention to the music, and not hitting the right notes, it is far more gratifying.
Also my technique was non existant, i can now see thats why i had a hard time playing music above my level. I just kept on practicing incorrect technique all the time.
You sound like you're in a good place for six months!

[debussy symbolism]

Greetings.

My opinion holds that it is a fallacy to indulge in such notions as to ponder upon the question of where one might stand in the "how am I doing for a given time peiod" question. Just practice and play, then you will bear most productivity despite of the general consensus that you should practice whenever someone else is practicing, a consensus that is partially true, but shouldn't be exploited for the sole purpose of comparison.

My advice is to not to worry about your standing in so far, because you will improve. Worrying about not being competent enough will only hinder you and possibly vitiate your confidence. Of course I am in no way suggesting that you shouldn't motivate yourself by seeing others play. I am in total support of this notion, because I instantly start to practice when I see someone else play. All in all, don't be hindered by portentuous or otherwise contumelious alike, for it brings nought but misguidance and a bad temper.

[quasimodo]

Greetings.

My opinion holds that it is a fallacy to indulge in such notions as to ponder upon the question of where one might stand in the "how am I doing for a given time peiod" question. Just practice and play, then you will bear most productivity despite of the general consensus that you should practice whenever someone else is practicing, a consensus that is partially true, but shouldn't be exploited for the sole purpose of comparison.

My advice is to not to worry about your standing in so far, because you will improve. Worrying about not being competent enough will only hinder you and possibly vitiate your confidence. Of course I am in no way suggesting that you shouldn't motivate yourself by seeing others play. I am in total support of this notion, because I instantly start to practice when I see someone else play. All in all, don't be hindered by portentuous or otherwise contemelious alike, for it brings nought but misguidance and a bad temper.

Deb, I have more and more trouble understanding your writings.

[loops]

Is the real question,"do you have talent enough to warrant investing significant time and resources
into piano for whatever reason?" ?.  There are several answers depending on what fantasy and/or goals you have. (If you just want to think you are talented at something, then you don't need the opinion of people who maybe fortunately can't hear you play.) If you are thinking of a career, then you need to play for a much longer time before deciding. As you ear "opens", your sense of how well you play changes...from brilliant to crap to average to ....

I heard this brilliant sentence from Susan Sarandon. She said that she never knew if a scene she was in would ever make it into the movie or end up on the cutting room floor. So, she had to get out of every scene she acted in, something for her immediate self and not worry about the rest. I feel its the same with life: get out of what you do right now, something important for you.

To do that, you have to ask yourself, what do you really want? (This is tricky because the real reason you want something may not be the obvious reason. )

[lazlo]

Yes, I tend to agree with the responses. I regret asking the question to begin with, it was rather pointless. Just for background purposes though (and an awkward introduction), I'm a violinist of 12 years, who is considering switching to piano because I enjoy it so much more. It's a big step, and I'm sort of approaching it cautiously.

[loops]

Yes, I tend to agree with the responses. I regret asking the question to begin with, it was rather pointless. Just for background purposes though (and an awkward introduction), I'm a violinist of 12 years, who is considering switching to piano because I enjoy it so much more. It's a big step, and I'm sort of approaching it cautiously.

well, if you enjoy it so much more, then go right ahead and enjoy it!   
I've lived long enough to know that 1) nothing is ever wasted (the 12 years of violin
will come in handy for something)  2) knowing what you really want is important
e.g.
Maybe you are at a plateau with your violin while you can make immediate progress with
piano, and so you enjoy it more. But plateau's can be deceptive (I say this as an educator),
it can look as though nothing is happening and improving and then suddenly, the whole
thing coalesces in your mind and suddenly you are through some barrier, which you
could not have passed through without the long gestation period. But only you can know
if such remarks apply to you or not.

Good luck!

[debussy symbolism]

Deb, I have more and more trouble understanding your writings.

What didn't you undestand? I am sorry if I arose confusion. Just tell me what is of my paragraph that I need to clarify.

[maestoso]

the more i practice pieces i just get lost in them and can't wait to be able to play the next thing. so i don't care where i'm at i know i will achieve what i want and then there will be something next to do. that's what makes it addicting, unlike a lot of things it will not run out if it does then it will be a sad day.

[lostinidlewonder]

If in 6 months you learn 6 small pieces that is a pretty good learning rate to start off with, one a month. Of course you want to be able to increase the rate at which you learn and constantly challenge yourself with new experiences (this can be hard to do yourself unless you are nautrally musical). You should try to play your violin music on your piano, that would boost your learning curve imo without much effort.

Learn something from Bach and Czerny. Since you are on Bartok try his famous 6 Roumanian Folk Dances, learn the melodic lines and play them with the correct articulation. The 2nd one easily could be learnt entirely. Bartok's Train Journey is good to initially develop ostianato. Try Kabalevsky's Clowns.

If you plateau in your musical development you have to question what the heck are you doing wrong. Sure we can get uninspired to learn that is a natural lazy human response (and physics, a body that is at rest wants to stay at rest ), but we must always realise we are always improving and getting better, if not then you need a teacher to prove this point to you and make you study music in an effective way. Your personal excitement in the investigation of sound with your instrument should be the inertia that makes you move on in your music not get bored with your musical production.

Try not to compare yourself with anyone when it comes to music. This sets you up for depression or a false sense of superiority. Of all my students that I teach and teachers I associate with, some very very good pianists, none of them study as much as me, or know as much music. Does that make me feel confident and happy and good about myself? Hardly. I know there are other people who know a great deal more than me! And I know there are people who might not know as much as me, but have specialist knowledge in areas I haven't even touched! But all this doesn't matter. The world is pretty big for all of us, no one will overshadow your musical career, it is not like a monopoly of only 4 master pianists conquering the world. The music world is much more diverse and SHARING.

[quasimodo]

What didn't you undestand? I am sorry if I arose confusion. Just tell me what is of my paragraph that I need to clarify.

Well, it's your vocabulary in general. Too hard form my poor neurone.

[danieln]

after 6 months, i got down the powers rangers theme on the right hand only, and only 1/4 the way through ...

[nanabush]

After six months, I was still playin one handed twinkle little star, and mary had a little lamb... simplified 

Starting at 19, the progression is probably much faster, but also frustrating... I started at 7, and I wasn't aware of all the great music out there, so I didn't try to get ahead too quickly... Ur doin well, just dont get too ahead of urself, pace urself.

[debussy symbolism]

Instead of comparing, lets focus on practicing.

[lazlo]

^{Instead of comparing, lets focus on practicing.}

Im not sure if your trying to be helpful at this point, or just being a jerk... If you had read above, you would know that I admitted earlier that it was a pointless topic to start, and I don't understand why its even still going on...

[debussy symbolism]

I was supporting. Sorry for any misunderstanding.