How Do I Learn?

[gregp]

My question is: is there a formal syllabus for piano instruction that can be worked through in a fairly linear fashion? Can I start at the beginning and work through to the end and expect to be able to improve as I go along?

Now for the whinge.

After 30 years of playing guitar and dabbling in the piano I decided to get serious and have formal lessons.

The intention was to go through the exam system and get the certificates so at the end I would be a "proper" musician. I wanted to end up a well rounded musician with solid skills, as opposed to being a fairly impressive living room dabbler.

My expectation is that I would follow a formal syllabus and work my way through the pieces and exercises. Each piece would be slightly more complex than the previous and I would gain skills and knowledge progressively.

After 4 years of lessons, hundreds of hours of practice and thousands of dollars on buying instruments, equipment, books, etc I feel I am less skillful than I was 10 years ago.

We start a new piece. I make some progress on it in a few weeks. We get to a sticking point ... and several months later we are still working on the same piece and I am still falling over on the same sticking point.

I want to learn simpler pieces faster. I want the sticking points to be smaller and surmountable. I want to progress.

The odd thing is that I did grade 3 pieces and did not really succeed with those. I informally did the grade 3 exam with my teacher and she said I would have passed, just! I have done some grade 4 pieces and had a lot more success with those. I find them overall to be much easier to play than the grade 3 pieces.

[Bob]

I got sick of hitting a wall with pieces, always playing up to the same level -- Ok, but still mistakes.  I felt like I hit a wall.  Some progress, but slow.

So.... I worked on technique.  Built up more technique and then could do more with the pieces.  I see it as "carving" out technique -- more ability.  Tedious work, but it has it's rewards -- the solid feeling of really being able to do it -- being able to knock the snot of something that was challenging before.

But technical work is a nasty trap.  I don't work on pieces so much anymore.  There's always more that can be achieved in Technique Land.

But that broke the plateau for me anyway.

[debussy symbolism]

Greetings.

Do you only work on pieces and not technique? Because technique practice makes pieces alot easier to play, given that you exercise arpeggios, scales, chords, etc.

Also, how do you practice your pieces? Do you work out them piece by piece problem by problem or just run through them in hope that they will come out? There is a big difference. Your teacher should monitor your practice habits and give you suggestions. Pick out certain problems that you are having trouble in and work on them. Figure out what is causing the problem and find out a way to practice that section. Ask your teacher for guidance. Whether it is a scale passage, or arpeggios, each must be worked in a unique way, slowly, and with full mind control. If your are playing the pieces and still come up with the same problems that means that you haven't worked on the piece specifically or thoroughly enough.

To sum it up: play through a piece, locate the problems, find out what is causing them, and excercise that section. Never rush, and always ask your teacher for guidance, and feel free to ask the forum any questions or concerns that may arise.

[maestoso]

I find things to go smoother and faster if i play rhythmically, vs musically. i am in the same boat as you i have dabbled in piano and played guitar forever, so i got serious and took some lessons. i found if you don't have the rhythm down the music is complicated and will make you mess up. whereas if  you play really slow with a metronome things fit together more, and once you get the shell you can fill in the body. it is really easy to play rhythm on guitar cause you are just using a alternate or straight motion, piano your playing notes so it makes it seem more complicated than  it needs to be. hope i helped.

[nightingale11]

read bernhard's posts???

[rc]

I think everybody learns a little differently...  It's not really linear.  For some reason, what may be hard for one person will be cakewalk for another at the same level.

I'm currently going through the grading system, although I can't really stand it, so that I can get into university.  I personally find it a nuisance and turns learning into a chore, but on the bright side it HAS helped me get through all that tedious scale-work.

So far I find the RCM to be lacking two vital aspects, improvisation and history.  I haven't seen an ounce of either.

One thing that can be said for sure is that you'll always learn faster if you genuinely like what you're learning.  The more you burn to be able to play it, the quicker and easier you'll get there.

...A possible reason that you had an easier time with grade 4 pieces than grade 3 - you enjoy them more.  Some of my best pieces are quite a bit beyond my arbitrary level, because I love them so much.

To me, it all boils down to love of the music.  Minimizing time spent on things I don't care about.