Tips for a Beginner

[wildman]

OK, so I've been playing piano for four months and I think my progress has gone quite rapid (this is the usual thing for beginners, right?).

Anyway, I currently treat playing as an alternative to internet surfing. The summer is hot and I've recently enrolled for piano lessons. Most of my pieces come from my mother. OK, now it's time to describe myself:

My teacher tells me I'm quite good, but there's some problem with my fingering. I've actually learned a few pieces before learning several techniques and finger exercises which I consider a very important thing. More or less I think I play quite fair.

Anyway, here are my pieces that I've learned, arranged from oldest to newest (the newest ones aren't fully mastered, though:
- Baby Elephant Walk from the movie "Hatari" (two versions: Rock and Jazz and three types of improvisations)
- J.S. Bach Minuet in G Major
- Fur Elise
- Well You Needn't by Thelonius Monk
- Spider-Man (self-taught, and is quite easy simply applying the left hand of Baby Elephant Walk)
- An Alexis by Johann Hummel (about the same level as Fur Elise)
- The Entertainer by Scott Joplin
- Arietta in C Major by Clementi
- Minuet in C Major by W. A. Mozart (currently practicing)

So, in your opinion,how am I going and what should I do next (further questions can also be considered)?

[stevebob]

OK, so I've been playing piano for four months and I think my progress has gone quite rapid (this is the usual thing for beginners, right?)....

Actually, I don't think that "quite rapid" progress is the norm for beginners.  Most students just four months into the journey are probably wrestling with the rudiments rather than playing the kind of repertoire you list.

You haven't mentioned anything about the structure of your practice routine or duration of the sessions, and there's no way of knowing how much time or effort you spent learning each piece, how well you play it, or even if it's in its original form or an arrangement.  I don't think it's possible to assess how you're doing based on such limited information, but wish you continued progress in any case.

[alessandro]

The way you state your question, gives me the opportunity to give a obvious answer.   What does "fully mastered" mean for you.   I agree with Stevebob, this is an impressive list for four months of playing.   I play piano for let's say eight years, half an hour a day, and "The Entertainer" is one of the pieces I like to play, but I still don't "master" it, and I'm almost never (but that's maybe due to my character) satisfied, I'm kind of sure that I would never say that I" master" a piece.  So, if there's one piece of advice that I would give to you right now is stretch you're repertoire, and try to listen carefully to what you're doing.   Try to play these pieces with spirit, maybe record what you're doing and listen carefully.   I'm sure you're quite good but I do think that you're very good, but please be prudent.  The piano can be unforgiven, and the satisfactory joy you're having now can quickly change in violent disappointment.   I should say, stick on with you're technique and you're enthousiasm, but dig way deeper into what you're doing, for example 'fingering'...   Good luck and kind greetings.

[scottmcc]

based on the context of the original post, I would surmise that the arrangement of the entertainer in question is one of the many simplified ones found in beginner books, as the original joplin score is a bit challenging--certainly not his hardest work, but not beginner territory either.

judging one's progress on the piano is always difficult.  but for a beginner, I think the main focus should be identifying one's goals.  are you going to make a career of music?  play for a few bucks on the side?  play for friends and family?  never play except in solitude?  clearly your approach will be different for each situation.

of course, if you really want people to judge your progress, you could always record every one of your practice sessions and post them here on the board, but I don't think I would recommend that.  most people are only looking for pro-quality recordings here, even if they say otherwise.