musical crisis - so much to do, so little time! and other thoughts

[db05]

A lot of questions/ conflicts about studying music have been in my head lately. Methinks I should make up me mind before summer's over, and start studying seriously ASAP.

1. I don't trust my teacher, and I don't trust myself either. Now how am I supposed to discipline myself to practice if my teacher can't?

I know loads here are self-taught, but I've been under a teacher since day one. Even when I started guitar, I was learning with a good teacher who was the one who inspired me to pursue music. I've always been lacking discipline and independence but now it's become a problem just to bring myself to practice. I'd tried out different things, been studying what was required of me and never did complete anything within the week. I don't feel any sort of progress with regards to learning pieces, it's more of the length of time X number of repetitions, than any method considered. It may be that I am an extremely slow learner, teacher agrees I'm slow but isn't giving me any tips or considerations except practice, practice, practice and divide your time.

How am I supposed to even motivate myself when I'm stuck with exercises and embarrassingly easy pieces, not feeling any sort of progress from last semester?

2. exercises vs repertory

I know this has been discussed before, with the conclusion that if you can't play it, you have to practice it. Do you agree? Well not all exercises are brainless, unmusical or unchallenging. If anything, I find the technical exercises harder than any piece I've learned. Scales and arpeggios pulled my grade down in the last exam, they were really bad. If I were to practice every scale and arpeggio, it would not only eat all of my practice time, but like all exercises in the Hanon book, it hurts my hands/ arms. I really want out of Hanon, but teacher insists I must push through and learn every exercise at least once. (Not to mention Czerny Op. 599 and First Lessons in Bach, which are at least - though short - pieces.)

There's something very unnatural about these exercises, they make me more tense and they're musically uninteresting. I want out, but every teacher and student I know insists that they are important, especially since I've been having difficulty with them. Something is very wrong here, like I have to bang my head against the wall until it breaks, is there an alternative? Is there a way to get over that wall without going through it? Any music school would require scales + arpeggios at least, so I have to find a way to learn them without killing myself.

3. memorization vs sight-reading

My main method is memory, with a little bit of reading. If the piece is meant to be performed, I aim to memorize it as soon as possible. It takes a lot of time still, more than a month a piece. My first sight reading is only up to grade 1 books. My struggle is mostly with coordinating eyes + 2 hands, I can read and play one-liners pretty well. Memorizing takes forever, but sight reading is impossible. Help with either would be much appreciated. Again, consider that practice time is limited, and I have to find a way to learn both without killing myself.

4. So much to do, so little time!

That pretty much sums it up! besides piano, I'm also studying bass guitar to play with a band. We plan to be good enough to play gigs, and earn a little extra income. Then my (hopefully) last year of integrated music course starting this June... subjects include:
- solfege
- theory
- history of music
- forms and analysis
- counterpoint
- orchestration
- composition
- pedagogy
- Major instrument: PIANO

Any tips for the music subjects would be much appreciated! Just looking at the course list is overwhelming. But also, exciting. I would love to get a head start.

[Bob]

For mindless exercises, you can put your mind on something else.  I find that helps.

Daily practice helps in the long run.  A routine.  Really irons things out.  Doesn't matter if it's mindless or not.  The fingers don't know the difference. 

If something pushing you too much, back off.  Ease back.  Give the body time to heal up.  If it's really hurting you (trust you gut I think, the feeling in the hands), then you'll only start tearing yourself down if you keep pushing in that direction.  I've done that enough times.  Make sure you're getting plenty of sleep, good rest, eating well, etc.  That helps you heal up.

Scales and arps have a pay back though in so many ways.  Being able to think in larger chunks of notes.  Having the patterns down in the hands.  For solfege.  So many ways.

Maybe just take a few scales, whatever amount is right for you, and work on those for a set period of time.

For memory and sight-reading, those scales and arps will help.

You've got a lot of topics listed under #4.  I might just pick one or two.  And expect to devote some free time to them.  Ah, I see.  That's all in one course?  They can't cover all that in depth.  That's a lot. 

[go12_3]

db,  sounds like you ARE GOing to be busy with *much to do and so little time*.
I just don't understand how people can put themselves into so much pressure.  I know when I was a piano performance major, I took all those music classes and had to study, work and practice each and everyday.  It was a hard routine. 

Anyway,  about #1.  You gripe so much about your teacher, can you change to another teacher perhaps?  How will you progress with piano if you can't *trust* your teacher nor yourself....hummm....

#2.   If you feel you are going to *tense* then the exercises will not benefit at all.  Especially from your post, your teacher insists upon going through all of Hanon's exercises. The whole book?  I mean, the ones I run through are only 1 through 31.  The rest is a bunch of scales and hodge podge, in my opinion, and some DO hurt the fingers because of the unnatural way of executing those exercises.  The double 3rds, 6ths and so forth....too tedious.  And if you have to do these exercises,in which is a slow killer, only do a few for 10 minutes at a time, and then take a break.  The only thing with scales is practice them slowly, one note at a time, with each hand separately.  It is a task that all pianists have to endure and learn. There is no easy way to GO about it. 

#3.   Well, there IS no magic formula for memorizing and sight-reading other than the fact , you have to put time and effort into both.  Sight-read pieces that are a little easier than the level you are on until you can see what both your hands are doing.  Your eyes has to be trained in order to tell your fingers where to go on the keyboard.  Before you begin to play a piece(for sight-reading) look at the time signature, and key signature, then look at  the over all score.  What patterns of passages do you see?  Are there several runs, arpeggios, repetition of passages and key changes, tempo changes.  Just mentally take it in as you read the score before you begin to play it.  Just get used to reading the top hand and look downward so that you will focus on the overall passages.  Music has a way of repeating itself on many passages . I do the Czerny 15 minutes for sight-reading.
   The memorizing can be done in chunks.  Learn the RH and the LH very well and practice slowly with each fingering and note.  Make sure you practice with a purpose in mind.  Practice in 15 minute time segments on each piece you plan to work on.  Go over the 7 times on a passage your mind and fingers are stumbling upon until it is done correctly.  I have changed my practice routine this past week to 15 minute time allotments with 10+  minute breaks, and I find that my pieces and technique are coming together more effectively and quicker.
  Whatever works for you, db, is what matters.  You have to find what is comfortable with your practice schedule and not feel like you are killing yourself about it.  When you think this is *impossible* then your mind and heart will think that way and then you will not be able to progress.  It will be a stumbling block, and only you can get over it and through the *wall* of obstacles that will hinder your practicing and memorizing pieces. 

# 4.   I think too much is stressed upon the process of studying instead of enjoying the learning process.  Also, you need to ask yourself, what is making you feel fulfilled as a person and as a musician.  What are your innermost desires to do with your music? 
The classes that I took were music history, pedagogy, counterpoint, ear-training,  theory , which are usually required.  Only take the classes that are necessary to improve your musicianship.

Most important of all, take care of yourself , mentally and physically, and whatever else that needs to be taken into consideration now.

Best of luck and wishes,

go12_3

[db05]

Bob, I have yet to see a really mindless exercise. I find that I never run out of improvements to make on an exercise or piece, mistakes also.......  I'm not sure what is too much, I'd practice something that's been assigned to me and cut it out as soon as teacher decides to move on. That sounds really bad, I know, but I do review my pieces from time to time.

What's a daily practice routine supposed to look like? Lately I've been working 10 min sessions, telling myself that it's just 10 mins of pain, just do it and you're done. Sounds horrible, but it gets me through some.

Is the course a lot? Sounds like a lot, but what go12_3 mentioned isn't much different except for the ear training. _{Ugh I hate ear training, almost failed that last year.} Yeah, go, I am going to be busy, I put myself into this pressure and hope to finish the course. Just one more year. If I'm going back to college, I should at least be able to do this. It's just a part-time course, 2 or 3 days a week.

1. I'm doing the course in this school, so I have no choice of teacher. Fact is I'm working with one of the best already, can't argue on it now. I need to be able to teach myself regardless of who I'm working with. If you're self taught, how do you think and work on your piano playing? Just throwing the question out there.

2. I'm always tense with exercises. I can't say whether or not they helped. Hanon 1-31 were relatively useless, imo and I had to focus on scales and arpeggios over 4 octaves. Hanon 39-43 are scales and arpeggios. Currently on 45 - repeated notes in 2s and 53 - scales in 8ves. The octaves are a killer, but they figure in pieces often enough so I don't have an excuse. They just have to be done somehow.

3. I'm wondering whether to do more sight reading or memorizing. Reading is an obvious weakness and may be a stumbling block in the future, but memorizing is more urgent and useful. I dream of being able to read music like I read words in English. Play music like I type in English... not just memorizing by rote, but understanding music... hmmmmm. I agree that there is no magic formula for this, but learning our own languages wasn't easy either and we can communicate so fluently now! In the long run, I don't just want to learn these particular pieces, but have the skills to understand any piece of music... wow this is so ambitious... I'm rambling now.

4. Wow, so it is true that our integrated course is similar to conservatory. How were your subjects? Were they difficult? I think I have just stated my desire above.

[go12_3]

Well, db, one MORE year of killer routine and finally you will be done with it!  I was mostly self-taught and had only 2 years in college as a piano perfoamance major.  I don't know how I *think and work on piano playing* , I suppose, I love music so much and I had that innate ability to grasp the music and play piano easily.  People would tell me that I have *talent* or *gifted*, but I don't know.  It's something I was born with and played piano since I was little girl.  I wished that I had lessons though, I think I would have been a lot better than I am now, but at the present I am working on pieces that I enjoy.  That is the key ingredient of doing things, that you must enjoy the process.  I make a list of the pieces I am learning, relearning and reviewing in which I don't have all day to play, so the 15 minute a piece works better for me now, plus being focused upon the piece at a segment at a time. 

Why say that sight-reading is an *obvious weakness*?  I mean, you have already admit defeat before you even attempt to try.  Would memorizing be more *urgent and useful*?   Are you planning to do recitals in the future, if so, then the memorizing would be a priority.  But to be able to memorize and play effectively, you need to sight-read the score away from the piano and on the piano.  It is a skill that has to be acquired.  I am not a great sight-reader, but I try to be better.  I love to sight-read through a new piece and to just get the feel of it----the meody, tempo, harmonies and what I feel about it on whether I want to learn it in depth or not.

To answer about the courses I took in college.  Yes, ear training was difficult, in fact I barely made it through that course!  lol   In one course, I had to write a four part harmony piece and do compositions.  It's all a blur now but the courses did help me to understand music more and to compose and transpose whenever I want to or need to.   I was in a couple of choirs too, and took singing lessons for one semester, and I quit because I didn't like the teacher.  I stuck it out for 2 years because of the pressure on playing piano like a mechanic and my nerves got bad.

Not to discourage you, db!  Each person is different and have their journey in life to travel on.  And what I have learned about music in college has paid off in the long run.  I don't regret having had such a fine teacher that taught me so much and to play piano with feelings and a technique that I would not have acquired if it had not been for his knowledge and patience with me.  I was more of an audio learner, so what I heard, I played it.  And some students are that way, the show and hear it type of thing. 

best wishes,

go12_3

[frank_48]

Throw Hanon in the fire!

that should prove your point to your teacher

[Bob]

I don't do Hanon.  But I put together my own thing.  Hanon is just a pattern over a scale.  Just take all the different types of technique you can think of and do them in every key.  It can burn up a lot more than ten minutes.  There's no end to it though which is a problem.   I found it evened out my playing, gave me consistency, made it obvious what I really could do and what was just a fluke or was something beyond my ability, and it eventually builds up without you're having to put much effort in (except for the daily grind of having to run through a routine).  Very strong push, doing a little bit over a long amount of time.  Solid results in six months and I don't think you can get around just doing enough playing to get all the playing parts exercised. 

And the nice thing about a routine is it's at your level.  If you're tense, you can slow it down, split it into pieces, work on whatever is easy to moderately challenging for you.  No need to be tense.  Although a routine does exagerrate whatever you're doing... If you keep practicing tense, you'll feel it and stop fairly quickly.  (Although that's the time to capture that progress by 'easing' things back, relaxing, and letting things heal, while still playing so things heal up in playing form.)

But for the mindless part -- Doing things in every key gets a little dull.  Doing repetition can get dull.  It's like jogging.  The mind wanders.

Don't stress out too much over it.  If it's a course, they always look more intimidating at first.  And it's possible the teacher or organization was overzealous.  You'll come back to this stuff later on anyway, so just take whatever is the next step for now. 


For sight reading and memory, I didn't figure out any type of formal plan.  I'd like to but that's not going to happen.  Find a place with lots of music.  Find what level you can read at or what you can easily memorize.  Then notch it up from there.  But it does take lots of repetition.  Many, many pieces.  Hymnals are good for sight-reading -- very chordal.  Being aware of patterns helps.  All the theory stuff.  Instant analysis.  It's an ongoing thing.  I'm sure there are many more threads about sight-reading and memory.  I think memory is more of a personal thing.