Piano changed my life - learning chopin

[bustthewave]

Hey guys. I listed myself as beginner to intermediate, but I'm not sure if I would be more or less advanced than that. Here's my story - I've been playing piano my entire life. I took lessons, teachers tried to get me to read sheet music, but I would never practice (I would practice my own stuff), and still can't read sheet music. I know chord progressions, I can improv with the best of em, I've played keyboard for a lot of bands. I play mostly by ear, but if I'm playing with other people, I can play to whatever key they are in and fallow their chord progressions.

I've always played just to play, it's been more of a hobby for me than a passion (which is sad, and I regret this). But about six months ago, I came to this realization that everything in my life had to change, after I dealt with some serious things. I decided to quit smoking, I started exercising, I changed what I ate, I stopped hanging out with a lot of my bad influence friends... it's been a really tough transition, and I'm not through it yet. As I've been losing friends, and becoming more isolated (which is what happens when you begin change), the piano has become my greatest joy and passion. When I play now, nothing else matters. I don't need a cig, I don't feel down on myself exc... when I'm done playing, I either feel like I'm being torn away from it, or like I'm rejuvinated.

For the first time in my life I get lost in it. I just play... and if I'm not careful I can play for hours on end. So now I'm trying to learn to read sheet music, and I'm trying to challenge myself to play to my fullest potential. So my first bit of sheet music I've ever really sat down and started playing, as of this week, is Chopin's prelude number 15, "Raindrop."

I have almost perfected the first 8 measures. I'm struggling with the timing of it, and also deconstructing it.Not to mention, Chopin must have had some crazy huge hands to be able to play a c natural, G flat, and E flat with one hand. That's almost a foot span... I'm not sure my fingers can stretch that far, what should I do?

Also I want to learn some warm-up exercises. What's good for that? And as I'm learning Chopin, I'm wandering if it would be alright to post a recording of my playing it (no matter how badly) to get feedback?

But anyway, here is a link to my work I've done in the past few months... I know it's clumsy right now but I'm wondering if anyone can tell me where I'm at musically, and how I'm doing?
https://www.bandmix.com/bustthewave/

[m1469]

Hi busty, haha, I couldn't help it, sorry  .  Thanks so much for sharing your story!  There are many things with which I can relate.  I think there are a number of people in the world for whom piano IS their life, but it's not all that often to have the privilege of learning how piano has actually changed somebody's life.  I also followed your link and listened to your music, it's nice to hear you enjoying what you do .

As for your questions, I don't feel I can really answer that for you, so either some others who enjoy answering those questions will come along, or you may want to consider getting a teacher to help you make those decisions .  Welcome to the forum.

[keyboardclass]

Post a vid and I'll gladly comment on your technique.  I too some time ago gave up smoking and drinking.  In the process you loose the friends you smoked and drank with but the health gains make up for it.

[bustthewave]

Hi busty, haha, I couldn't help it, sorry  .  Thanks so much for sharing your story!  There are many things with which I can relate.  I think there are a number of people in the world for whom piano IS their life, but it's not all that often to have the privilege of learning how piano has actually changed somebody's life.  I also followed your link and listened to your music, it's nice to hear you enjoying what you do .

As for your questions, I don't feel I can really answer that for you, so either some others who enjoy answering those questions will come along, or you may want to consider getting a teacher to help you make those decisions .  Welcome to the forum.

Thanks a lot . And I actually went on youtube to find people playing this Chopin piece, and then I found other sheet music... the sheet music I'm playing has my right hand doing most of the chording, which ends up being these insane 10 note stretches, but other sheet music has your left hand playing the bottoms of the chords, freeing up a lot of your right hand. On youtube, I'm noticing a lot of people will only hit one note with their right, and the rest with their left. Is there a proper way to do this? I'm hitting the full chord with my right as much as my hand will allow to try and develop some dexterity.

Post a vid and I'll gladly comment on your technique.  I too some time ago gave up smoking and drinking.  In the process you loose the friends you smoked and drank with but the health gains make up for it.

Thanks! I have no way to video myself playing yet, but I should get an I-Phone here really soon (my bro is giving it to me for free, and apparently the plan I can get down to like $15 a month... totally worth it!) and I will surely do it then. It's funny... I've never even considered technique in all my years playing for fun. I can do a lot of runs, I can play fast, I can hit octives... but I bet my technique is terrible! I'm going through Litsz' technical exercises, and this is the first time I have ever heard of "quiet hands." talk about learning how to re-invent the wheel and going back to square one!