How many pieces do you work on/learn at once?

[nataliethepianist]

Hello. Out of curiosity, how many pieces do you work on at one time? Do you learn a few harder pieces, and then a few easier ones? How many pieces do you think a student should learn at once depending on their level? I have heard some say 5 (!) (maybe not that many).

[musicluvr49]

Hi.
Well I've only every worked on three at a time, but if I had more time I could probably work on more. I think it depends on how much time a student has to practice. You don't want to stretch them too thin.

[thinkgreenlovepiano]

I've always wondered this, and whether it is more effective to learn 1 piece at a time, or several, over the same period of time.

I think it depends on the person though, and their learning style, some people are really fast learners and pick up pieces fast. Me, I take forever just to read through my pieces accurately... 

Sometimes I wonder if I'm juggling more pieces than I can handle. There is no way I can get through everything in a day. If I only practise a piece for a few minutes to squeeze in all my repertoire, I don't really make much progress. I'm working on a prelude and fugue, a sonata, 2 nocturnes, and 2 other pieces... I also have 2 short (3 page) studies. And a few other pieces that are "just for fun"... They are all more or less around the same level.
Is that considered a lot? I do plan to spend over a year learning all this.
 

[becky8898]

Hi Nat. there are a lot of variables . How much time do you have to practice. How quick a study are you. How fast do you get bored. but here is a something that my teacher always did with me. We divided the music I did into several categories.  Ill list them for you.

1. Very easy  - quite short and  really more for training purposes than anything else.  

2. Medium  - longer piece  - technically more challenging .

3. difficult  - may be long or short piece but its at a level that pushes your technique hard.  

4. Very Difficult - not really for playing yet. Maybe to get a feel for the music , or break its harmony down or even memorize it and comp back later to it.

I usually have one of these going on all the time.  OF course I change category one very ofen. Category 2 requires work, but still not that long on it.  Category three may take a long time to get thru and in fact you may be on it for months and months. Category four depending on how fast a study you are can go very quickly. Example on that for me is the Brahms first Piano concerto. I dont play it or have never tried to , but its memorized and Harmonically understood for when my teacher thinks im ready for it.

Hope that give you a little answer.  

Cheers, Becky

[jimbo320]

Everybody's different on this subject. I myself practice one piece at a time. I always finish off with a run through my list but for learning new pieces I don't push it. Because I'm a bit of a perfectionist I take longer with harder pieces but that's because I try to be smooth and articulate in my playing. I do one thing at a time, do it well then move on...

Musically, Jimbo

[nataliethepianist]

Delete

[any87]

4. Very Difficult - not really for playing yet. Maybe to get a feel for the music , or break its harmony down or even memorize it and comp back later to it.

This is interesting, I myself had an idea, since I can't play some pieces, I should at least read them and familiarize myself with the notes and then try to put them together now and then but with awareness that I'm not ready to play it just yet! Only to introduce myself to problematic harmonies and begin to feel comfortable with it...

As for the topic, in music school I usually had this repertoire:
1. scales, arpeggios, etc trainig exercises
2. etude
3. Bach
4. sonata
5. sometimes one more piece

It was a little too much for me though, I never managed to have it all prepared perfectly for the class. But that's normal for students. Now I try to juggle 5-6 pieces going for me, but only when I focus on one, I really get it down.

[seanramon]

It's good to work on about 3 at a time, one "main" piece which is challenging to your level, one medium which is at level you already mastered, and one easy peasy. It a balanced musical 'diet', and when you get a little frustrated with the hard piece you can have some fun with the easy one, and when you get bored with the easy one you can get back to wrok  harder on the difficult one.

[bachbyte]

I always work on more than 1 fairly difficult ones at once because it helps me do focussed practice on each of them, and appreciate the ways they are different. Normally I would do 3 or 4, depending on how much time I have to practise, and what the pieces are! I generally don't spend too long on pieces though, unless they are for an exam or concert.