Playing the same pieces over and over won't take you anywhere

[persona]

Up until very recently my policy used to be "learn a piece, master it, move on to a new one". This sounds quite logical and I belive it's what lots of amateurs/beginners do. This method is also frecuently used as an excuse not to learn new pieces, because it's a well known fact that starting from cero a certain piece means much more work than simply playing the ones you already know.
My family was getting more and more fed up with my practicing, and I totally understand them, because it's really annoying to have to listen to the same pieces day and night, and every time the same mistake in the same passage. I had got into a vicious circle of no improvement whatsoever, so finally I said "to hell with it" and took on two pieces I had had on my "waiting list" for a long time.
Here's my surprise: I found that these new pieces contained challenges that where similar to many I used to have trouble with in the old pieces. My first reaction was "well, I guess this is as far as I can get", but what do you know? I realized that having a similar problem in a different piece may actually help you fix it (you could say, it's like it helps you "see" the problem from a different perspective, in a different context). Not only was I able to figure out how to play those passages in the new pieces, but I could also correct my playing of the old ones.
So, my conclusion to all of this is: when you're stuck with a certain problem on a certain piece, it may be okay to practice it a few times more, but if you just can't work it out, moving on does not mean skipping the obstacle, but rather a good way of getting a whole new view of it that might help you solve it much better that sticking with that first piece.
What do you think about this? Am I talking nonesense?

[counterpoint]

That's not nonsense at all 

As you titled this thread "Playing the same pieces over and over won't take you anywhere" - that's absolute true. If you run against a wall and you notice, you can't get out that way - it doesn't help to do the some thing again and again 

Don't look at pieces only as obstacles - look at them as helpers in finding new playing techniques. You can learn something new from (almost) every new piece. So if you have a piece, that is not able to teach you anything new, just play a different piece 

[shingo]

Don't look at pieces only as obstacles - look at them as helpers in finding new playing techniques. You can learn something new from (almost) every new piece. So if you have a piece, that is not able to teach you anything new, just play a different piece  Smiley

I like this view, it's something I do not do enough of. The idea of pieces as 'obstacles' is a common trap and often it weighs me down mentally, when or before practicing.

[mmro]

I completely agree with that... sometimes I play pieces I used to play before and those parts I thought were challenging weren't an obstable anymore.
When you look back, it's easier.

[korsol]

I would like to try this out. I've struggled with the second page in Prelude 23 nr. 5 of Rachmaninoff. Are there any pieces that are somehow similiar with this piece?

[term]

Yes, i have experienced that very often.
I still try to find a way to be so persistent, that i don't need to take a break from the piece in order to master technical difficulties which i cannot manage..........
It still doesn't work. 

[fam600]

I find that true for myself as well. I'm new to the piano. I've been playing for less than a month. Before the piano, I was into the guitar and found that I got better at playing songs I already knew by learning new songs that required different techniques and things like that.

[persona]

Hey! It's good to see so many people agree.

[ramseytheii]

It's not nonsense.  In Anna Karenina, Tolstoy writes, in regard to the betrayed wife Dolly's domestic problems, that some problems can only be overcome by getting over it and thinking about something else!

Walter Ramsey

[naughtius-maximus]

Always have at least 3 pieces on the go.   
1 of which should be beyond your capabilities. 
1 of which should be well below your capabilities. 

This way you still feel like you are achieving something.

Try to work on pieces that are not similar.

Never get bored.

[bluepuri]

I would like to try this out. I've struggled with the second page in Prelude 23 nr. 5 of Rachmaninoff. Are there any pieces that are somehow similiar with this piece?

my teacher told me to block the chords and play them with metronome. Are you having problem with the jumping notes or the octave passages?

I completely agree with that... sometimes I play pieces I used to play before and those parts I thought were challenging weren't an obstable anymore.
When you look back, it's easier.

I agree completely too!! with this kind of way, you also encourage yourself by knowing your development.

My teacher also said that practicing is not always about physical exercise (playing the piano over and over again), but what's more important is to give time for your brain to digest what you've been practicing. well, so far I find that this is true. What do you think about it?

[teresa_b]

You've all made a lot of good points.  I agree, practicing more than one piece is helpful, to keep your mind fresh and  to develop technique in different ways, not to mention to avoid driving whomever you live with crazy!   

I like the idea of 2 pieces, one more difficult and one easier. 

I have learned a new Mozart concerto a year for, like 5 years in a row.  Since these are long and involved, I chose also to work on some short, slightly easier piece in the same key.  I find that I don't get bored despite how long it takes me to learn these pieces, and the short piece ends up being a great warm-up for the concerto.

Have fun!
Teresa

[korsol]

my teacher told me to block the chords and play them with metronome. Are you having problem with the jumping notes or the octave passages?

I have problem with the jumping notes (chords)

[bluepuri]

I used topography practice. Block each harmony and play them in steady beat (I used metronome anyway). you can start very slowly to let your hands memorize the place, then slowly raise your speed until you reach the tempo you want (it will be even better if you can surpass it and play the topography with a faster tempo).

This is the way I practice, and so far I manage to deal with the jumping chords. Hope it helps.