learning the repertoire

[birba]

All you young kids out there (and from what I gather, most of you are in that category):  Learn as much repertoire as you can in these formative years.  Get the music into your head and hands, and move on to more and more repertoire.  The music you learn (even not completely polished) will be with you until you take it up again years later.  I have always wanted to learn the fantasy polonaise, but never did.  Just enjoyed listening to the music.  Now, at my age, I'm finding it IMPOSSIBLE to learn.  I have a substantial repertoire with big pieces, but this piece is beyond my reach at this point.  On the other hand, I had gone through the Barber sonata in my teen years, and now, taking it up again, it all comes back.  Really odd at times, the human psyche.  "Learning" becomes difficult at a certain age.

[psadagio]

How old are you?

[richard black]

I'd second Birba's advice (and before anyone asks, I'm 44) but with the rider that in some cases, including my own, the task of learning new pieces becomes easier the more stuff one has played. In fact I hope someone reading this in their 20s or 30s who feels they may have 'missed the boat' will take heart from my experience that I feel my playing has improved since I was that age simply by doing a lot of it. I may be in a minority but I'm not alone - I've met others similar.

[birba]

How old are you?
[/quoteProbably old enough to be your grandfather.

[birba]

Didn't do that right.  See what I mean?  These new-fangled devices...