do you thinkit will ever be possible for me to....

[Chris_Rossoni]

play really hard music like some beethovan sonatas.  I started playing when i was 14 and now im 16, and im basically a begginer and maybe a lower level intermediate.   It just seems so far away right now that im not sure if it is possible for me to get that good in time.  I really want to be advanced before i hit college but i don't know if it is possible..  My questions is do you think it is possible?  Have you ever seen a student get real good in as little as 4 years?   thanks!

[Mandy]

Sure you will be able to play that music....it all depends on how bad you want to!  Not many students start from scratch that late-I too started when I was 13, and went to college to do a music degree.  Now I'm 22 and doing my masters. If you want it bad enough you can do it-but it will take an incredible amount of practice and drive!

Are you hoping t go to college for music?  What kind of music are you playing right now?  How about your technique?

There is also no big rush to get to playing advanced rep. you can continue taking lessons in college!

[Chris_Rossoni]

im currently learning rondo alla turca by mozart and its pretty easy.   I just had to play hands separatefor a while to get it down.   yes i plan to go to college for music, and  i don't really know if my technique is any good.  i don't really have a standard  to putit up against.  i have played canon in d,  by pachabel or however you spell it, and i played the harder version

[88keys]

Mandy really summed it up nicely:

It all a matter of how badly you want it.

If you want to get a perfomance degree in college, you'll have to practice alot.

But I suspect that the amount of time you'll have to practice before college will still need to be less than the time you'll have to partice during college: College pianists usually practice something like 6 hours a day before recitals - if you are willing to handle that, there should be no problem for you to get to the appropriate level of performance before that.

[thomas_williams]

Hey, Chris_Rossoni!

Your case sounds similar to mine.  Although I started learning piano when I was just six years old, I pretty much stopped advancing at about the age of ten and have been without a teacher ever since.  Now I am 17, trying to become more advanced and looking for a teacher.  I am at about the same level as you and I certainly hope we can learn more and become really excellent musicians!

[Diabolos]

Well, you guys will become good musicians, be assured - when you're willing to.

Of course, starting that late does bring problems with it, because it'll take years to reach a certain degree of technical finesse, since you cannot make progress with all the different techniques that simple and quickly; and besides, technique's maybe one quarter, maybe even less, of good piano playing.
Nobody cares if you hit a wrong note - as long as you're interpreting that piece in a understandable and touching way.

Therefore, and that should push you and give you hope alike, it is all a matter of your soul - if you feel music, and if you are willing to fill your life with it, willing to deal with it everyday and to practise even if you don't want to, then you're going to be a fine pianist, no matter if it takes you two years more or less to get the technique right.

And 88keys is right, practising will be a big deal when going to college. I'm still a highschool student, but before recitals I usually hit the 8 hours of practice a day deadline - and you might have to hit about 4 hours a day in college, so be prepared for that.

What you should remember, too, is that you might have relearn many pieces (and that very often), since as you'll get deeper into music you'll also understand it better - take it as a quest.

And if you feel ready for the challenge, and it looks like you do so, just go for it. And you should remember one thing: It doesn't matter whether you play Rachmaninoff at the age of 21 or 29 - it's just important that you feel ready for it when it comes to that moment.

So, good luck to you! And, be assured, you're going to play Beethoven. But don't try hard - wait until you're ready to. That's not only a sign for patience, but also for growing musically. And this is what it all comes down to. Not a record deal with emi or so - just playing music, and not only playing it, but playing it good, if not awesome.

Regards,

[tosca1]

Try the more technically approachable Beethoven sonatas first. They are lovely and would be good intermediate level work I would suggest the the opus 49 sonatas 1 and 2 in G minor and  G major respectively.  Some of the Beethoven sonatas are formidably difficult and although it is fun and challenging to want to play them, build confidence and technique with the less difficult ones initially.  The opus 79 G major sonata is also a possibility but certainly more difficult than the other two I have mentioned.

All these works are treasures and all the  best for your discovery of them.
Robert.