When do I stop practicing and play???

[slane]

Hi,

  I'm experiencing a bit of existential angst today .. ok .. not existential, but angst.
I've been practicing and practicing some easy pieces and I'm getting quite proficient at them (if only I could concentrate!) but I'm wondering, apart from the academic exercise, what's the point??? When do I get to play these pieces and to whom?? If I'm never going to be a concert pianist, when does the practicing stop and the music making start???

  Any food for thought would be welcome.

-s

[edubia]

Hi,

  I'm experiencing a bit of existential angst today .. ok .. not existential, but angst.
I've been practicing and practicing some easy pieces and I'm getting quite proficient at them (if only I could concentrate!) but I'm wondering, apart from the academic exercise, what's the point??? When do I get to play these pieces and to whom?? If I'm never going to be a concert pianist, when does the practicing stop and the music making start???

  Any food for thought would be welcome.

-s

You'll be able to tell when you're "making music" because you will feel it inside you and you will no longer be reading notes off the paper.

[go12_3]

I think practicing is a life long pursuit no matter what we do as pianists, teachers, and
concert pianists.  It takes practice to become perfectly in tune with what our mind and heart
wants to listen...the notes or the interpretation of the music before us? 
Practicing should not have to be an ordeal anyhow because it is the essence of what makes
a true musician, no matter what instrument we play.

[silph]

hello, slane.

i can understand your starting this new thread, if you're anything like me! myself, i find it encouraging and helpful to express my own experiences/feelings (especially ones of uncertainty and frusteration!), and if i get empathic or enlightening responses, i feel a lot better ... somehow the frusteration feels less large and i feel like i have possibilities for solutions or change within me.. .

haha, you talk of "existential angst", and then undid the word 'existential' because perhaps it sounded too dramatic to you, eh? lol, but i understand the kind of doubtful feeling that arises when you're trying to learn something, but feel vaguely dissatisfied, as if you're "spinning your wheels" or as if it isn't really capturing some excitement within you.

i am going through something slightly related, myself. at this point in my learning piano (ie a week and a half into it!), i'm still searching for a "method" or a strategy of learning .. that i can stay motivated to be within. it's been a little tough because i'm having to take a hard look at what motivates me ... and realizing that it may take a little effort and strain to find that motivation! ... but hopefully members in this forum can be part of what keeps me encouraged to persevere.

i related this about my own current experiences with you, because it sounds like you may be also having trouble with motivation. (am i correct about this, or am i off base?)


myself, i always like to have my practicing to be, in itself, interesting to me. it may be because i have low tolerance for doing "work" before i get to the "play", but i personally always crave to see *myself* in what i do. if i'm doing simple pieces to "practice" (like you're doing), i personally would want to feel either a) assured that this really, truly is leading up to really fun stuff, and that these simple pieces really are truly necessary, or b) actually find personal interest in these simple exercises.

` so that's me. i'm curious about your experiences with these simple pieces. were they assigned to you? what's the kind of layout or "plan" or "steps" or "pathway to learning" of the method that you're using (if you're using one), and how do you feel about the plan or steps you're taking? [in particular, it sounds like you're not too happy doing these "simple pieces".. or maybe you're bored of them... or perhaps something else?]

[slane]

Thanks everyone. I guess I am having a bit of an crisis in general at moment. Lots of things happening ... non of them good and I've been questioning what the heck is the point of me and I guess I have come to depend on others to validate what I am doing. I had to give up learning Japanese lately and realised that, although I enjoy learning the language and the language is pretty cool, I really like sucking up to the teacher! And getting "A"s.
But piano it seems is a solitary pursuit, unless you get very good at it and so the justification must simply be from within. Also doing well at high school subjects for someone with my experience is pretty lame .. its not a grown up challenge. Similarly the music I play is very easy, 3rd grade stuff. Some 4 year olds can play this stuff!

I never used to need my actions validated by others. I was a very lazy student at high school. Much too cool to worry about what the teachers thought. There is probably some middle ground that is healthier than my current state, or my teenage state. I could pay a teacher to pat me on the head and put me through exams but I think today that doing something for its own sake, for my own pleasure may be a good goal in itself and I may discover something about music that I'm missing that way.

So thankyou everyone and I will see how this new zen philosophy goes.

[slane]

` so that's me. i'm curious about your experiences with these simple pieces. were they assigned to you? what's the kind of layout or "plan" or "steps" or "pathway to learning" of the method that you're using (if you're using one), and how do you feel about the plan or steps you're taking? [in particular, it sounds like you're not too happy doing these "simple pieces".. or maybe you're bored of them... or perhaps something else?]

I assigned the pieces to myself. I decided that i needed to go back and lay a stronger foundation for my playing by developing a repertoire of easy pieces. I have an old AMEB syllabus and I went through the 3rd grade syllabus picking pieces that I could hear online, that appealed to me, and that I could get the music from IMSLP for.
I also decided (after reading chang's e-book) that I needed to memorise them all.
I'm also doing the technical work in the syllabus, something I was very naughty about as a teenager.
The plan is to be playing 5th grade pieces by early next year which will bring me back to where I was 30 years ago at the end of 2012. Then lets see if I can break through and play 6th grade pieces with elan.
I like playing the pieces. They are all interesting but I get frustrated that I can't play them reliably. One day I can play them all without a mistake and the next day I'm all over the place! And I wonder why I am putting so much effort into something that I will never share. Isn't music supposed to be shared?

[keyboardclass]

In case you're not aware 'angst' is best translated as anguish.  All study involves tackling it - it surfaces when you have to turn off the world and put your nose to the grind stone.  At that moment there is only you, realistically not even a purpose, but it passes.

[slane]

Yes but KBC .. what is the point of putting my nose to the grindstone, which I don't have a problem with.  Studying Japanese had a point, since we will almost certainly be visiting Japan next year, but if I never perform, why am I studying the piano??

[keyboardclass]

The point of angst is that there is no point.

[slane]

Oh I see! LOL!

[keyboardclass]

For me playing the piano is a sensual thing - how still can you be, how tiny your movements (and how sensitive can you be to them).  You travel across time and engage in thoughts with geniuses!

[john90]

I like playing the pieces. They are all interesting but I get frustrated that I can't play them reliably. One day I can play them all without a mistake and the next day I'm all over the place! And I wonder why I am putting so much effort into something that I will never share. Isn't music supposed to be shared?

Why not video them and put them on Youtube. Once you manage to play each one end to end on video, treat that as a baseline and move on. You don't need to make them searchable to start with. Simply starting something difficult and new that pushes you up a level psychologically can make you more consistent on easier pieces.

[keyboardclass]

Yeh, I find uploading stuff a minor goal.  (Just added my youtube channel below)

[mussels_with_nutella]

The point of angst is that there is no point.

That's it, Slane. Life is feeling. When I think of myself in the future, I may dream having a great salary to earn a lot of many... what's the point? To buy lots of things. What's the point? At the end, everything converges on feelings. happiness.
When I began playing piano I liked the songs and I had enough means to learn them (simple right hand tunes hahaha), but a few years later I began playing hard, me myself. The purpose I discovered was to play Rachmaninoff piano concerto with a real orchestra.
It will take me five years to polish that work, and I may have to "suck up" the theathre staff hahaha, but that's my purpose... for what? what's the point with that purpose if I'll never be famous/be rich with that? Life is feeling: There is no reason, there is sense.

For me playing the piano is a sensual thing - how still can you be, how tiny your movements (and how sensitive can you be to them).  You travel across time and engage in thoughts with geniuses!

[keyboardclass]

mussels, I don't agree with you on much but here I must concur - what use is wealth if the feeling of wealth is enough?  Now that's existential.

[slane]

So mussels and KBC agree that its a sensual experience and the experience is enough. That's great, I can work with that.
But then mussels, you went on to say "my aim is to play the rach. 2" .. so you do crave the "playing" as well as the performing. That's you answer to my question "In 5 years time when I can convince an orchestra to play with me."
I'm wondering now if I should aim to do a diploma. Is hard work sufficient to achieve that or do you have to be talented. Is it like running a marathon or winning marathon? The first anyone can do with sufficient determination, the second requires both determination and physical aptitude.

Well thankyou again to everyone for helping me with my midlife crisis. It has really helped with my playing already.

[floydcramerfan]

Performance doesn't necessarily mean that it has to be in a concert.  There's a great deal of satisfaction in playing for your friends and family or even on Youtube.  I'm sure that if you want to share your music, you could find people who would love to hear it.  And see my sig, lol.

[mcdiddy1]

Music making should start the minute you touch the piano. Even the simple piece can have very sophisticated elements in how they are executed. That being said you may find me crazy but I believe you learn to play advance pieces, by actually learning how to play them. I believe if you have a goal you should play things that work towards your goal and the advance piece you have been wanting to play you should go ahead a start learning it once you have the basic concepts down. Of course you have to consider the gap of difficulty ( like from Twinkle Twinkle to Rachmaninoff's 3 piano concerto) and decide if it's an appropriate. You may want to get a piece that is in the middle as far as difficulty level. My point is if you can play it correctly, unless you are memorizing and playing to play it for a performance you should move on to a more challenging piece in order to keep your interest up and your brain challenged to learn your goal piece or pieces.

It sounds like you need a goal to motivate you. You could sign up with a piano studio in order to play recitals. You could go to piano stores and play and if you play well enough people will come and compliment you on you're playing. I do that for fun sometimes. I just go to a piano and play Rhapsody in Blue or something and it gives me great pleasure to have a compliment on my playing, or to have someone sit and listen and enjoy, or a little kid get inspired to take piano lessons. For me I find happiness in changing someone else mood or giving someone motivation to learn music. You could also perform for family and friends or at parties and things like that. Music should not be just a solitary event but a social one as well. Sometimes I play for myself to calm myself down or to relax or believe it or not JUST FOR FUN! When you do it enough, playing the piano is something you just do and does not require work, concentration and discipline. I am sure others can relate , when you reach a certain level you do not think about curving fingers, rhythms, notes, phrasing, and dynamics. You just do it because that is how it goes and not you just do it automatically. I could play a Beethoven Sonata and have a conversation with someone if I know it well enough. My point is find what motivates you and all your hard work in the beginning is so you can have gift of music where ever you go.

[sharmayelverton]

Play to people whenever you get a chance. Remember playing is what its all about. Play to yourself even when no ones around. If you fancy it, make a video and put it on youtube. If you fancy learning some popular styles, find some musicians and jam with them, it doesn't matter how simple a part you take, there's nothing like taking part. Even for classical find some easy duets and a friend who plays another instrument. There's plenty of music written for piano and solo instrument. Music is all about playing. It's why we do it and it's what we love. Also performing and/or playing with other musicians is fantastic for you playing. It's an area of improvement that lots of people leave far too long to get started on.

[mrvladimirhorowitz]

You practice at home.
You play in concert.
The art of being an engaging concert artist is playing a piece thousands of times, and knowing it intricately... and in a performance making it sound fresh, like you have never played it before and you are exploring the contours and dynamics... I hope I have helped.