He doesn't want me to play the piece anymore :(

[bonjing]

So I was working the Sonata op. 10 by Beethoven the second movement which is the Adagio. I started learning it like 2 weeks ago. I was doing well with the notes but the only problem that I had was the rhythm. I suck at rhythm always. But I practiced that piece you know however I didn't have an interest to play because it is boring and I don't feel like playing it. But I always play and practice it anyways. So this morning I had my piano lesson and I was struggling with the notes and rhythm so bad. So while I was playing the piece he went to his desk and grabbed the Beethoven sonata book. He stopped me at the end of the first page. He said, "I think you're still having trouble with the rhythm and I don't think we still have time for this piece. It will take you a long time to practice it. But i'm not saying you're a slow learner. So how about if we'll skip this piece and work on the last movement. I think you will like it for sure because the rhythm is not that complicated and it is a fast one."

Is my piano teacher mad at me? I mean I always play whatever he wants me to play. I never had any complains at all. But this is the first time he told me to stopped working on a piece because I didn't do so well. I feel bad.

[richard black]

I've no idea whether he's mad at you, but fair enough, if you're struggling with basic notes and rhythm you're wasting the lesson. After the first few months the teacher's job is not to teach you the basic stuff but to suggest how you can play each piece more fluently, more efficiently and more musically. In other words, it's up to you to come with the piece ready at least to play mostly accurately.

[chopin1993]

I don't think he's mad at you.
To me it sounds more like he wants you to wait with the second movement so you can focus on the last one. You can always work on the second movement yourself.. You should prove him you can do it.
I understand how you feel, but you'll get over it.. Teachers don't go easy on you, they tell you what they think and they're honest, cause that's where you learn from and that's why you take lessons. 

[dss62467]

No, of course he's not "mad" at you.  Some pieces you click (clique?) with, and others no.  My teacher tried to get me to learn a few different pieces that I've tried out and then given back saying I just don't feel them.   I skip movements in sonatas ALL the time.  There's one movement in Mozart's K331 right before Alla Turca, my instructor let me struggle with it for a week and then said it was time to move on. 

As far as him saying you don't have time to learn it, I don't understand what that means.  Are you in a rush to get somewhere with your playing?   Don't take it personally and don't frown.... you may be happier moving on to something else, but you also may want to stick with the Beethovan.   I HATED the Haydn sonata I was just learning because I was having difficulty getting the rhythm, but now it's my absolute favorite piece.  I only do the first movement, because the next one is above my level.... for now.   

What I always do when I get a new piece, whether it's one I've heard before or not, is go to iTunes and download a recording of it.  If there's a passage that is not getting past the neurons in my brain, I just listen to someone who knows it well play it.   Sometimes I play along with it - which is horrible to hear because their piano is so nicely tuned and mine... well...   Not only is this a good reference, it helps build your classical library.  I'm making the assumption that you have an mp3 player, of course, but if you don't.... you should.  It's so much easier than running to the store to buy a CD everytime you want to learn a piece, and cheaper since you can just buy the movement you want for $1

I say that if you don't hate the piece, then keep working on it.  If he's moving you along to the next movement, then go back to this one in a couple weeks.  I learn them out of order too.   Play to a level just higher than where you think you are, you'll be surprised what you can actually play.  And wow... what a feeling of accomplishment that is!

[peterjmathis]

Nah, don't worry about it. Piano teachers know that sometimes a piece just isn't right for a particular student at the moment. This just means your teacher is paying attention to your progress, and knows enough to switch things up when necessary. Be glad you have a teacher who's attuned to how well you're learning and don't worry about making them mad

[go12_3]

I am well aware how I remove a piece while a student plays after a few weeks of
trying to learn it.  Then I realize at that moment, it's time for my student to move on to
another piece because then later, he can return to the piece he was struggling on later.
It depends upon the readiness of the student and how much technique is required in
a piece, whether it would be demanding or not.  Some pieces do click within a student's
mind and through the fingertips.  Then I straight away have my student learn that piece.

[orangesodaking]

In my experience with Beethoven (which isn't much with playing, but listening and score studying), some of his middle movements are fairly complex and harder to wrap your head around than the outer movements. He's not mad at you, and he's not saying you're a slow learner... It's just that if you haven't made much progress on the piece, you should work on something else and not waste your time! He just wants you to work on other music and over time, it will build you up to be able to play a piece like this.

That's just my guess.