I genuinely need some help.

[aslanov]

Hi guys, i guess i should start from the beginning.
Alrite well, About a year and a half ago i started playing piano, out of sheer love and interest of classical music and the piano. A year into my practicing I learned rachmaninov's prelude op.3 no. 2, at which point i got a teacher because i knew it didnt sound really good. So i got a teacher, half a year ago, and she helped me a lot, i've gotten much better at piano both technically, theoretically, and sight-reading (especially). I find it very easy to learn new pieces (at my level of technical ability).  For the past few months i've been working on the first movement of beethoven's sonata op. 2 no. 1. Before my exams started a few weeks ago, I played it quite satisfyingly well. But now i find its gotten sloppy. I'm going to practice now (obviously) slowly again to get the touch just right. But i feel like, im soo...incapable of playing how I want to (this piece or anything else i've learned) Like i know what sounds i want every note to make, but i just cant do it. And to add to my problems, my piano teacher is on vacation for the summer and wont be back til late august. So i'm on my own for now (I could go to her friend, but I really just want to work on my own for a while). I have so much problem with tone production (from my point of view, maybe relative to other student's of my level/experience its good, but compared to how i want something to sound, i find it to be quite limited). What suggestions do you have for someone who wants to work on quality of touch and good tone production. I've recently started doing czerny finger dexterity studies, and I'm thinking of starting Hanon too, to work on my technique.
Please suggest away. Because the pieces I really want to learn, I know require much better control and quality of tone than I can currently produce (like beethoven's 16th sonata)

[alessandro]

Before my exams started a few weeks ago, I played it quite satisfyingly well. But now i find its gotten sloppy. I'm going to practice now (obviously) slowly again to get the touch just right.

What suggestions do you have for someone who wants to work on quality of touch and good tone production.

Dear Aslanov,
Good quality of touch and good tone production is impossible for me to explain in written posts.  You need someone (perhaps your teacher) to talk to, there are so many things to say even on one bar that it could takes thousands of words to describe how one can play this or that piece.  What helps me is listening to different interpretation, there are often ones that one likes more than others...

But what I quoted first is something that I think I recognize, and I do think I witness it a lot.   It is important that you have some kind of schedule once you decided studying.  A very simple plan is for example, I play 70 procent of my time really studying and 30 procent more for fun (playing through the piece).  In the studying part, there could be different approaches, try to focus on the sheetmusic and find out what's technically demanding, or what is the main and repeating motive, the melodic line and focus your attention to that (choose some 'loaded' bars, pay attention to fingering, and don't be too quickly satisfied with it, try really to find what's the most comfortable for you).  Don't go to quickly, stick with what is difficult until you play it - technically - perfect.   It's only when you master the piece rather well that you can start fully to work on the interpretation.  And now, to get to what could have happened to you is 'overplaying' and 'overplaying in a wrong way'.  I notice that with a lot of students (I'm not a teacher) but for example my girl she tends to play through a piece over and over again, not stopping at the difficulties, thinking, if I play this a hundred times I will master it.  Well nope.  And the more you study, the worser it gets.  One also quickly has the feeling or the impression to master technically a piece.  Even if you can play it three times one after the other without one single mistake, is not a guarantee that you master it.  But what is certain is that you have really to balance very wisely your time, very carefully.  Don't overplay, don't play too much, quality-time is important.  Give the piece also rest.  For example every two days, maybe more.  If you're getting really irritated, maybe stop playing that piece for two weeks or a month.  Could be hard, but necessary. 
Good luck.
Kind greetings.

[fenz]

Give the piece also rest.  For example every two days, maybe more.  If you're getting really irritated, maybe stop playing that piece for two weeks or a month.  Could be hard, but necessary. 
Good luck.
Kind greetings.

My teacher said that too 
But sometimes I can't be patience and play through a piece often rather than really studying it. I like to play it for fun 

[aslanov]

Thanks alessandro,
I think it may be the case with me where i overplay it before i have mastered it. I think i'll take a break from that piece for a while, and work on something else (but the proper way this time).

[scottmcc]

the process of learning is not necessarily linear.  furthermore, the more we learn, the more insight we gain into our actual abilities.  this means that it should be expected that we will progress in fits and starts, and go through periods of rapid growth followed by frustrating plateaus or even regressions in abilities.  as our insights grow, we realize that we weren't as good as we thought we were just a few short months ago.  it's natural, and all part of the process.

overtraining happens to everyone.  the best remedy is to try something completely different for a few days.  when you come back to whatever you were stuck on, in general it won't seem quite as hard.  but don't leave it for too long, or else you'll just have to start over.  also, if you notice a day where nothing seems to be going right, just stop and do something else.  go to the gym, take a hike, read a book, anything else!

I find it helps to have pieces at several different levels...ie some easy pieces, some too hard (a little struggle is good for you), some just right, some that I am almost "done" learning, and others that I'm just beginning.  I give different weight to each of them based on my mood that day and what seems to be working.  that way I get to make some progress even on "off" days.