Adequate progress < 1 year for 25year old Adult beginner

[ditz81]

Hi all,
I'm an adult beginner, with no musical background (no prior instrument practice, no choir singing...etc.).

I started taking lessons on October 2006, when I was 25 years old, so it's 9months from now.

I take 1 hour a week with my teacher and try to practice on the piano 1 to 2 hours daily.
My question is if my progress is adequate for my age and dedication. I am quite dexterous with my hands as I used to do and still do some card magic tricks.

As in private lessons you have no "peer-group" to compare with I would like to know what is stardard or expected. Apart of the "songs" of the  Book we followed.
I play the Bach's Minuet in G (some months ago),  Enya's Watermark and Yann Tiersen's La Dispute.

La Dispute:

Watermark:

My sight reading skills are quite basic, I know where the notes are and can locate them on the keyboard.
As I can't "read while playing", I memorize everything we play (apart from the book songs).
Regarding technical aspects, I usually don't incorporate them into my practice routine.

So my questions are:
1.Should I start introducing some technical routine to the practice (scales, arpeggios) or stick with the pieces I do with my teacher and treat technical aspects as they arise?

2.Is my progress adequate? My teacher is quite satisfied with me, but I would like to hear some 2nd opinion.

3.Regarding Sight Reading, how long does it take to "play & read"?

I know learning an instrument  is no science and no standards can be set, everyone is different and goes at his own pace, but I am just curious if I am doing fine.

Thank you very much for your responses (this forum is awesome)

[slobone]

As for question #1, by all means follow your teacher's advice. Most people do some types of scales and exercises, but there are other approaches.

And don't get in the habit of figuring out ways to avoid learning how to read music. You'll really regret that later on. Try to put in at least a little time improving your sight-reading skills every day. Again, ask your teacher for the best way to do it.

[ditz81]

Thanks for the sight reading advice. I used to analise music sheets away from the piano, writing down the names of the notes in an extra sheet of paper. I will skip that, using only the musichsheet with annotations as guideline.

[allthumbs]

Greetings ditz81

I think you've made excellent progress so far, keep up the good work. 

My only suggestion at this point is to watch your hand position/shape. In the first piece you've listed, your hands are a little flat.

The second piece that you recorded, your hand position was much better. 

Also watch that the last knuckle of your fingers don't collapse (bend the opposite way). I noticed this with the second finger of your right hand in particular, although it as difficult to see what was happening with the other fingers all the time from the camera angle.

Hope that helps.


Cheers

allthumbs

[knabe31]

Hi, Bravo, nice job. You have definitely come a long way in a short time. I too am an adult student, although considerably older than you. Probably my best advice based on your comments is to work on the sight reading and playing while reading the music and not looking down at the hands or keyboard. Something I am still working on! If you are pleased with your progress then that is the most important thing. It sounds like you are. Keep up the good work and continue to post  your progress.

[pianistimo]

i also think you are doing well for finishing your first year only.  it helps that you have a good memory!  and, you have good piano fingers.  only a slight knuckle weakness in the first joint of your first finger - but i'm sure that will disappear as you continue to play. 

there are many advices on here.  some - to do a lot of technical exercises.  some to use only repertoire.  what does your teacher suggest?  if she/he is not into technique so much - just do a little for yourself every day - but don't make it a priority.  your teacher might be showing you bits and pieces with the types of music she/he is choosing.  i thought the choices so far were very good for you!

about sightreading.  this is what i've heard.  pick pieces that are one or two years below your level and MAKE yourself take a measure or two at a time.  continue this until you can play three measures without stopping.  the goal is to read one or two chords and look ahead to the next chord without stopping.  you can have a friend or fellow student hold an index card and cover up the remaining notes of the line (after two-three chords) until you can play a series of up to ten or more consecutive chords (at which point - you'll basically be sightreading - yayyy) without stopping.  the goal is sort of like beginning reading.  to start putting 'inflection' into important words/notes - and give meaning to things while you are reading it.  to do this - a second year sightreader will SCAN.  you scan the entire page.  think about what key it is in (so you don't hit wrong notes), what you are going to do musically, and how you will avoid bungles (if there is a large jump, etc).  sometimes the way to avoid bungles is to leave out a few notes.  shhh. don't tell anyone i said this.

try 'a dozen a day' if you want some fairly easy and sightreadable exercises.  or, bernhard and others have a list of some good technique composers and books.  czerny is always a good choice, too - although somewhat trite for our day and age.  perhaps someone needs to go and write some medley's that are somewhat on the easy side - so one can have fun at the same time as exercising.

ps   i believe someone else mentioned that a good part of sighreading was learning hand placements with chords.  you could also take this approach and simply start learning how to connect chords (appropriate fingering included) so that you can smoothly transition and know what fingers are best to use.  i bought a book entitled 'patterns in jazz' and love it.  they are repetitive patterns that can be linked together with other patterns and you practice moving up by 1/2 steps or modulating to another place on the keyboard and doing something else.

[ditz81]

Thank you so much for your comments. Regarding the finger weakness I know it and my teacher corrects it while be are playing. Some fingers just bend the wrong way. I guess it's a matter of time...until that gets "fixed".

I have big hands, I don't know if that is good or bad...I read, small hands are easier to coordinate, don't know.

Looks like I will have to start sight reading on a daily basis...practice practice and more practice looks to be the only valid method.

I will also start learning some music theory, as it looks like knowing all the major & minor scales helps a lot when sight reading.

I guess I will start with the easy songs of the Book we followed (Play Piano Today, The ultimate self-teaching method) training different songs every minute, so there is no risk of memorizing.