Playing pieces that you DON'T like

[counterpoint]

These days I found out something very interesting 

I have the habit to learn especially pieces I don't like. It's very strange, but if there is a piece, that I can't make any sense of it, there is the desire at the same time to get an understanding of what the piece is about. When teaching, I make the opposite experience: people see or hear a piece, then they instantly say "I don't like it" and they don't even try the least bit to find out, what the piece is about. Only pieces that are attractive from the first impression are interesting to learn. I'm curious how other people here think about that 

[invictious]

Music is an art, it is normal for people to love or hate a piece.
Personally I would just totally ignore the piece, and not play it. I might also throw the score out or something.

[bachapprentice]

There is always going to be a piece that you don't like.  You will play a lot better if you play a piece you enjoy.  There are so many pieces to choose from beginner to advanced. 

[term]

I know what you mean.
The only reason why i don't really learn such pieces is because of the time and effort needed to get the technique so that i can just work on interpretation. If i learn such a piece (did happen some time ago), there are two possibilities: i caricature the music through ridiculous accents and a kind of sarcasm in my interpretation, or i suddenly find out about the beauty of it.
Music you don't like can also be seen as music you don't understand (as Menuhin, a violinist, said: If you want to learn something, learn it from someone who loves it because he understands it). I think that's always good to keep in mind. But i don't have the desire to truly "understand" every music...it's ok if i like a number of composers and that's absolutely ok.
btw i never liked mozart, but i've been told that in my thirties or fourties, i will start to like him 

[thalberg]

These days I found out something very interesting 

I have the habit to learn especially pieces I don't like. It's very strange, but if there is a piece, that I can't make any sense of it, there is the desire at the same time to get an understanding of what the piece is about. When teaching, I make the opposite experience: people see or hear a piece, then they instantly say "I don't like it" and they don't even try the least bit to find out, what the piece is about. Only pieces that are attractive from the first impression are interesting to learn. I'm curious how other people here think about that 

I am the same way--if I cannot make sense of a piece, I want to learn it to see what it is about.  It's a desire to grow and learn.

However, if I can make sense of a piece, if I understand it perfectly well and I simply dislike it a great deal, then I will ignore it.  I normally like everything.  The only pieces I must say that I dislike are Ravel's Alborada del grazioso and Tchaikovsky Bb concerto.  I dislike the Ravel for what I call "associative" reasons.  The first time I ever heard it, the pianist was rather strange and played  the piece like he was having an anxiety attack.  Now for some reason I just can't like the piece because I cannot forget that performance.  The Tchaikovsky I dislike because it has a beautiful opening theme and then the rest is rubbish.  I'm getting ready for people to throw tomatoes at me. 

[counterpoint]

I am the same way--if I cannot make sense of a piece, I want to learn it to see what it is about.  It's a desire to grow and learn.

Yes, often the piece doesn't sound good because we don't have the adequate technique to play it as it should be. So that's exactly the pieces we need to learn.

However, if I can make sense of a piece, if I understand it perfectly well and I simply dislike it a great deal, then I will ignore it. 

Yeah, one cannot play every piece that one doesn't like.There are way too many of them   

And some pieces are really bad (or uninteresting, or overplayed).

I'm getting ready for people to throw tomatoes at me. 

Not from me - your aversion for the Alborada is well explained - and the aversion for the Tschaikowsky doesn't need an explanation 

[richard black]

As an accompanist I get to play music I don't like from time to time. Sometimes it grows on me, sometimes it grates from start to finish. Can be interesting, though. I recommend it as an occasional experiment - do some real hard work on a piece you don't like, and _then_ see how you feel.

[invictious]

As an accompanist I get to play music I don't like from time to time. Sometimes it grows on me, sometimes it grates from start to finish. Can be interesting, though. I recommend it as an occasional experiment - do some real hard work on a piece you don't like, and _then_ see how you feel.

Heck, I play pieces I don't like all the time when accompanying someone. It sure makes up to have a beautiful female though.

[richard black]

Heck, I play pieces I don't like all the time when accompanying someone. It sure makes up to have a beautiful female though.

 

[thalbergmad]

I don't have enough time to play the pieces i do like, so i see no point in wasting time in playing pieces i don't like.

Thal