considering banging head against wall

[starlady]

I spent the week working on a Bach Prelude measure by measure, 7X20, over and over. I had it dialed in.  Then comes the lesson today: an hour of the teacher pointing out all the places where I was doing something just plain wrong--wrong note value or something like that.  SO I spent serious time and effort getting really solid--on mistakes.  The thought of which makes me want to hit my head on the wall a few times!!  Maybe a few conks will erase the muscle memory and make it easier to relearn the right way? 

Disgustedly, s.   

[nocturneop2]

That's such a terrible feeling when you feel like you've got it down and then it ends up not being as good as you thought.

Do you record yourself playing? I can see that helping a lot when it comes to recognizing what you're doing wrong.

[sephethus]

If you've got an Apple nearby, there's a program called transcribe that slows down music. Get an mp3 of the song played by someone really good like Fredrich Gulda or Glen Gould, and listen to them play it.  Mark the spot where you're having trouble, and when you pause and unpause it, it plays that spot over and over.

Like the guy above said, record yourself too, with video too if possible.

[starlady]

Hmm.. hadn't thought of recording.  That would be input on a different level than the visual, i.e. just reading or mis-reading the notes.  Good ideas! Thanks!

--s.

[keyboardclass]

Sounds like you haven't learned to tap your foot.  It's the key to reading, especially sight reading, correctly.  Not something you do in performance though.

[richard black]

If you've got an Apple nearby, there's a program called transcribe that slows down music.

And if you've got a PC there's program called 'Amazing Slow Downer'. It's quite a good idea, that, listening to much slowed-down recordings.

[gerryjay]

apple...pc...any linux software?

starlady girl: it happens, and it teaches us. if you have practiced a piece and ended up with mistakes, it simply means that you don't know the piece yet, and then you shouldn't be playing it around. go listen to recordings until you can sing each voice backwards while banging your head to the wall...

seriously, never attempt to play a music that you wouldn't be able to play by heart, BEFORE start reading the score. bach is actually a good composer to work that way, because there are tons of recordings of each piece. and don't mind if they are good or crap, just listen and listen until you really know the work.

this way, it's impossible to make any mistake and, furthermore, it's the only way to learn how to read a score properly.

best regards.

[starlady]

seriously, never attempt to play a music that you wouldn't be able to play by heart, BEFORE start reading the score. bach is actually a good composer to work that way, because there are tons of recordings of each piece. and don't mind if they are good or crap, just listen and listen until you really know the work.

You are all giving me great, eye- and ear-opening advice.  This approach must be natural and obvious to you, but I am returning to piano after 40 (or 400?) years away and have to learn these things.  When I last played, there were no mp3s and if you wanted to hear the piece either the teacher played it for you once, or you went to a store, payed money, and took home a large round piece of plastic. (Also dinosaurs roamed the earth). 

Seriously,  I am very enthusiastic about these ideas and you have helped a lot.

Many thanks, s.
 

[gerryjay]

dear lady,
i am not that young either, and i remember struggling to get ONE record of ONE piece of my repertory... back then, things were actually limited: either you had a great teacher, or you were doomed. i did experience both!

the interesting part is that kids and teens seem astonished when i tell them about the pre-www era. there was no msn, teacher? there was no cell phone? how life was possible?

best!

[sharmayelverton]

Don't let it get you down. These things happen. Bach is always a challenge, often in the most un-obvious ways. For the same reason it is also so beneficial to learn. Bach is also a great place to practice memorizing as you learn. I found C.C.Changs chapter on learning and memorizing Bach preludes really interesting.  You might too. https://www.pianofundamentals.com/book/en/1.III.6.12

[bleicher]

Starlady, my sympathy. Sometimes it just feels as if everything's going wrong it's easy to feel as though you're never going to be able to do it. Make sure you're not too hard on yourself when it's all difficult, and trust that there will be times when it's easier.