Gauging the Appropriate Difficulty For Me

[njordan]

I am in my mid 30s and self-teaching, although I did have several years of lessons as a young child.  My skill level is in the late-beginner, early-intermeadiate range (working on pieces ranked level 3-4 by this site, such as Celmenti Op 36-1 & 3, Kuhlau Op 55-1).  I consider sight-reading one of the weak points.  I am typically able to play a new piece HS reasonably well the first time, but HT takes several hours per page. 

I find that well before I am able to play a piece, it is memorized.  Does this suggest that I am working on pieces that are too difficult?  Should I concentrate more on pieces that are easy enough to master before memorization occurs? 

Any advice would be appreciated.

[alessandro]

You sound - though your post is very short - as if you have enthusiasm (which is one of the most important things), and that you are 'normal' in the sense that you consider in your 'self-teaching' modus sight-reading as your "weak" point.   It can be a uninevitable obstacle, reading the score.  It would be so nice to have a new score in front of oneself and playing it 'on the go', isn't it.   Though there are people who are more talented for sight-reading as others, I am a mediocre sight-reader, but that's it.  No more, no less.  Then comes the technique.  Playing things over and over again, hundreds of times, and still not getting them right.   You shouldn't worry too much about sight reading.  From my experience, it goes better and better, the more you sight-read, simple.   I'm talking for the mainstream, romantic and baroque repertoire.  I never had a Messiaen or a Sorabji-score in front of me.   So, just practice a lot, reading will become easier.
  
But I think that you need to be a little more precise when you say "HT takes several hours per page".   What kind of page are you talking about ? And why have all of your pieces memorized before you play it.  I don't see the sense of that.   Of course, if it's easier for you, why not ?, but I'm not an adept of having the piece 'fully' memorized before I tackle it, frankly.

Kindly.

Kindly.