Hi alzado,
The topic you raise is very interesting to me, so this will be a longer response.
I'm approaching 63, so empathize with your concerns. A brief background: In my first 10 years of study in my youth, I was fortunate to work with an excellent teacher, a graduate of New England Conservatory of Music, and student of Miklos Schwalb, David Barnett, and Albion Metcalf. I got all the fundamentals from her and a good start on repertoire. Back then I also attained the Paderewski Gold Medal, was a finalist in a regional competition, and did a senior solo recital. So I showed some promise in my early years.
But once I was at university though, aside from doing a few small recitals for friends, some accompaning, squeezing in some music courses outside of my major, and attending Tanglewood concerts in the summers, I did very little with piano during those four years. After graduation, I entered the corporate world and was in the traces there for 40 years.
My three degrees are not in music. My only music credential is a high school diploma from the National Guild of Piano Teachers. That's it. In retrospect, I wish I had attended conservatory, but I lacked confidence in myself and my capabilities as a kid, so made a more practical decision to go into something less risky and more remunerative. When I was around 30 I bought a used Steinway M (5'7"), but just played around with it in the most undiciplined manner imaginable. Piano wise, that was a wasted decade.
Then when I was around 40, I sold the 1924 Steinway, bought the new and larger Baldwin and studied for another 7 years with a wonderful artist-teacher with a Master's in Piano Performance from Boston University, and who was a long-time student of Anthony di Bonaventura. I learned many fine points from him in performance art, explored repertoire of my choosing, and had many spirited discussions on interpretation. So all of my training was through private study only. Of course, the primary purpose of piano teachers is to teach the student to teach himself, and those two wonderful teachers succeeded on that score. So now I study completely on my own. I'd probably benefit from an occasional session with a piano coach, but have not sought one out, although there are several excellent ones in my area.
Like you, I'm not the greatest with velocity, and certainly no speed demon. With me, it has nothing to do with age. As a kid, when I played fast music, it was always a battle for control and evenness for me. What I've simply done is focus instead on the lyrical side of the repertoire rather than works in very fast tempo. While I'm fairly well-rounded, I study what I wish to (for me, mostly Romantic, Impressionistic, and Neo-Romantic music mostly). Given the vastness of the piano literature, if you live to be 95, life is way too short. So if I don't play Bach anymore or modern music, it doesn't keep me awake at night.
Do I worry about aging interfering physically with my piano playing? Not too much, although I gravitate more to miniatures and character pieces now rather than "atheletic" works. I do take good care of myself--take vitimins, watch my diet, do four-mile walks in good weather, press weights in cold weather, and get routine screening tests on the medical side. Learning music during practice is also an excellent activity for keeping the brain highly engaged, which helps avoid dementia, ha-ha! I'm sure I probably have the same degree of osteoarthritis as others my age. It's no fun to get older.
Although I've never mentioned it before in these forums, I have tenosynovitis (trigger finger) in the 5th finger of my right hand--the most important finger in playing the piano. I've had two cortisone shots in the finger in the past, but don't dare to get more, as it can damage the tendon. The real solution is surgery--which I keep putting off. This makes it harder for me to voice the tops of sequential melodic chords, for example. That handicap notwithstanding, I plan on refining my pianistic art, such as it is, as long as I can.
For me it's very important to look to the future too. I just had my 1983 Baldwin L grand (6'3") partially rebuilt, and love the result--so now it should take me into my 90s as I see it. Also, I keep at hand a repertoire "to do", and chip away at that. Unfortunately, my wife of 40 years dislikes piano, practicing, and serious music, so my practice time is probably much more limited than yours. To compensate, my practice routine (when she's away doing errands) is very planned and efficient. My "warm-up" is all scales major and minor in the circle of fifths, or sometimes the arpeggios. I try to have a difficult piece paired with an easier one as a counterbalance. I avoid works over 10 pages, as I simply cannot do them justice with my limited practice time. During practice I listen carefully to everything I do, mentally comparing it with my musical intent, do intensive work with problem sections, and consciously develop my interpretation as I move forward with a piece. I seldom listen to recordings, preferring to produce my own sound and distinctive renditions on which I can put my own stamp.
alzado, if you're interested, you might go to the first page of the Audition Room here at PianoStreet. Look for the Bortkiewicz Impromptu Op. 24, No. 3, "Eros" played by RachFan (me). This is an athletic bravura piece that I posted and updated recently. From the first time I heard it, I loved it and couldn't resist learning it, which I did quickly. Will power is everything in overcoming difficulties, including those of aging. If nothing else, this performance shows that when it comes to playing piano, we seniors can still "get it together". As I say, I generally do short character pieces, but some of the members here want to hear me do a difficult piece once in a while, so this is my current effort.
I say, alzado, continue learning, practicing, and enjoying playing piano. I know it is very central to my life as an avocation and brings me unceasing joy, and I'm quite sure it is exactly the same with you. I hope some of this has been helpful.
Topic: Future of aging pianist . . .