I'm going to start piano lessons - finally!

[violinist]

Well, I signed up at our local community college for piano lessons.  I'll get 30 minutes every two weeks.  I think I should fire up some Hanon? 

Hi everyone!  I've been swamped with work, but I decided I needed to jump in and get some formal training.

My story:  short version.  I played piano from age 5 to age 9.  I focused mainly violin since then completely stopped piano until about 2 years ago when my wife decided to buy a piece of furniture - a piano!!  So I thought I'd give it a try...  And I kept enjoying playing the thing and now.... I'm going to take lessons again.  I hope to improve tremendously and perhaps even surpass my violin skills.....?

[berrt]

hi violinist!
nice to have you back again! 

B.

[quantum]

until about 2 years ago when my wife decided to buy a piece of furniture - a piano!! 

As I remember your piano is a little more fancy than a piece of furniture 

[swim4ever_22]

I think I should fire up some Hanon? 

Refer to the thread: "Hanon vs. Liszt" in the Student Section for more advice.

[gerryjay]

 hey violinist!
 good luck and good practice!
 hope you enjoy your piano time.

[violinist]

Yup,
I'm here. 

Here's me on youtube (playing piano) for the first time:

You guys have a good memory.  I thought I would have been forgotten.

As for Hanon.  I have trouble reading bass clef so Hanon is good, I just have to read the treble, and Voila! (not Viola), I have finger exercises instantly!

[tsagari]

Hi Violinist
I liked you playing in Utube. How long did you practice for this sonata to play  at that tempo?
Keep on practice 

[violinist]

Hi Violinist
I liked you playing in Utube. How long did you practice for this sonata to play  at that tempo?
Keep on practice 

Hello Tsagari,

The more I listen/watch my youtube attempt the more I dislike it.   The tempo to me seems too fast.  I worked today with my metronome which broke!! (how can a mentronome break?).  I was working on getting it slower and trying to not rush to easily.

I started out playing the piece as fast as possible, I tend to try being a speed demon with everything, and I actually thought I was playing it slower than it was...

I guess I haven't answered your question:  How long I practiced to get it to that speed....  I don't usually need to practice to get to a certain speed.  Speed had never been a problem for me in terms of manual dexterity.  I type pretty fast (about 120-160 wpm), I try all sorts of fast runs on the violin.   Thus, when I work a piece, I'm not concerned about speed, I'm more concerned about how smooth and musical it sounds, and that takes me a while.  To get to that speed, it took me about 3 weeks.  But I've been practicing (and still am) and working on this piece on my own for about 4 months.  I don't get to practice a whole bunch, but I try to touch a few notes almost every day now.   

I have a pretty strong musical background with music all my life with the violin and I've had many opportunities to play with well known violinists/musicians.  I'm also friends with several music professors who have recently been somewhat supportive of my desire to play piano.  Before, they thought it was a passing phase and was worried I would destroy my wife's piano.

So, Tsagari, I read your thread about being an adult piano student.  It's a struggle because I think we lack some learning talent that would would have otherwise had as a child.  However, I think we have other advantages, such as greater motivation, discipline, and critical thinking.  So we have those three things going for us.  I have every reason to believe that you and I will continue to improve.  I also believe that our main teacher is ourselves, and any teacher we hire would mainly be there to advise, coach, and encourge us.  Because I like to be my own teacher, I try to rely on recordings of myself (sound) and now video - which I made my first one (the one you saw).  I've watched it a few times and listened to it carefully, and made many mental notes to myself on what I want changed.

Sorry this was so long... we'll talk more!

[tsagari]

Hi Violinist,
Thanks for your responce. Well I distroyed my metronome too so I bought a digital one and I am very happy with this. I also like to play in high speed - I type fast too - but my teacher says that I have to play slow if I want to play fast. So I am trying very hard to play slow. I have realise the use of it when I studing the Cherny exercises. I have seen how effective it is to practice a piece slow at the very beginning and keep it there as long as you have all the elements of interpreation put in place. The problem with well known pieces like Mozart is that I want for example to lisent to the piece as I know it from recordings so I try at a hight speed but then the interpetation is no right. Sometimes I am thinking to put a piece of paper infront of the piano and write "Play slooow".
And a general comment for your Mozart Sonata, is try to make it sound as if you have an orchestra playing. This is what I am trying with the one I am studing now K283. Imagine different passages as played by different instruments that gives color in music.
I agree with you that as adults motivation, discipline critical thinking as well as experience, musical background - which I have myself -  is our strong elements and my hasband keeps telling me that as adults we are the main teachers of ourself. My only problem is that I feel like a minority here, noboby outside the walls of myhouse - even there - cares about what I am doing, not to mention the hostility I have experience by jelous relatives which they can not live with the idea that at the age of fourty I'ved moved further from where they have stoped at their early twenties. Last night I was thinking if it is worth playing this sonata for a small concert that my teacher is preparing because I do not feel like playing for an audience cosisted of parents of young children who laught at me everytime they see me and say "You still taking piano lessons?" and they are completely music illiterate. The only reason to say yes to that challenge is that I need to be exposed to  the audience so as not to collapse when I have to pass an exam this June. And do not advice to change music school because in my country adult learning in general is a very know concept and for the majority of people believe that learning  and children only goes together which in not true but if does matter if me and few people know this.
Thanks for lisening to this long post too.

[violinist]

Tsagari,

Go for that concert!  I too need to look for opportunities to play in front of people.  Playing in front of a camera or tape recorder helps, because it makes me a bit nervous and self conscious.  I think people would admire you for playing in front of a bunch of kids.

I played in a masterclass for fun (one of those free ones - at steinway stores), most of the other participants were under age 15.  At the end the parents congratulated me not for my playing but for my bravery.  All the kids under age 15 played better than I did, but.... oh well.   It was fun, and it's fun to keep learning - it keeps us young!

Thanks for your input and advice.  I managed to run straight to the piano right after work today and played piano for 20 minutes straight and it felt great!

[slobone]

Based on the Youtube video, I think you would be wasting your time in a group class (for 1/2 hr every 2 weeks!). You're way beyond that level already. Get a real teacher pronto if you can afford the expense and the practice time.

I posted a comment on youtube but let me just add here that you need to bring more of your violin experience to bear. Concentrate on phrasing, even with a straightforward peppy piece like the Mozart. Imagine how you'd play a phrase on the violin, and then try to get the same general sound on the piano.

And yes, you're occasionally uneven at that tempo, but I wouldn't worry about that too much. I've heard worse even from famous pianists! The quick fix is to play it slightly slower until the problem goes away. The video camera is a great help in showing you how it really sounds as opposed to how you thought it did.

But frankly, I wouldn't make bringing pieces up to a zippy tempo your top practice priority at the moment. Focus on phrasing and dynamics, it will pay off better in the long run. And for that a good teacher is extremely helpful (emphasis on "good".)

[rc]

Good to hear you're still progressing violinist!

I understand the compulsion to race   I think it's a part of the physicality of playing, it feels good to play fast, and just some natural desire to push the limits.

Most student recitals are full of kids, and I'm typically one of the two or three oldest in the group but it doesn't bug me.  I look at it as performance experience.  If I play well, perhaps the kids will be inspired.  If I play badly, they can feel good about being better than someone twice their age   I also like just listening to the different pieces of music people will play. 

What really irks me are some people who will listen when their kid is playing but talk while everyone else is playing, they shouldn't even be in the audience.  On a related note, I once saw an overzealous parent who took dozens of pictures of his kid with a loud camera and totally screwed up the poor kids performance.  It was painful to watch, I could only shake my head.

[tsagari]

Violinist,
Thanks for the advice about play at the concert, I will go for it. You know I've noticed that the more I am exposed to the audiece the more I learn to control my play. Yesterday at the end of my lesson a six year old  arrive as usuall with her mam for her lesson. Usually by the moment they enter the room  I could not play a single note. However yesterday I manage to control myself and I thought "why do not you try to impress them?" and it works. Of course part my behaviour had do to with the fact that my teacher was very happy with the Mozart Sonata and she told me that I am almost there. Who knows?
Any way I also agree with "slobone" about your phrasing, tempo should not be your concern. This is what my teacher keeps saying all the time and every time I read through this forum genarlly I think that most people agree with this. Also I agree that you need a good teacher at this level.
So Keep the good work and have fun.