I've reached a plateau in piano and I'm very upset.

[emmascriver]

To give this a bit of context, I am doing my grade 8 in February 2012, LCM board. I am going to play Presto by Handel, Adagio in G by Schubert, and Maple Leaf Rag by Joplin.
I love piano, and I started in 2006. I progressed very quickly and a few months ago was quite ready to do grade 8. I haven't done grade 7, but I learnt the Maple Leaf Rag and my teacher said I could skip to grade 8. It's not like I've been half-hearted about it, either; I used to practice for two or three hours a day when I could, and I've had distinctions in grades 2, 3, 4 and 6, and high merits in grades 1 and 5.
       However, I have recently reached a plateau in my playing. I find the Presto extremely dull, and practicing is no longer fun. I never sit down happily like I used to, and I struggle to even make myself do an hour. It seems like a chore, and I don't understand why. No one who's got to grade 8 gives up, do they? And yet there is no longer any joy for me in playing. I almost wish I could just give up grades, but then my teacher would be very upset I expect.
       I have just finished my GCSE's, and then a week of work experience, and then three weeks away. I've been home for two days and still feel fairly jetlagged. So is my lack of interest due to not being able to play for so long?
       The sad thing is, I really do want to play. I just can't bring back the love for it I once had. Please help! I'm confused and I don't know what to do.

[nyiregyhazi]

To give this a bit of context, I am doing my grade 8 in February 2012, LCM board. I am going to play Presto by Handel, Adagio in G by Schubert, and Maple Leaf Rag by Joplin.
I love piano, and I started in 2006. I progressed very quickly and a few months ago was quite ready to do grade 8. I haven't done grade 7, but I learnt the Maple Leaf Rag and my teacher said I could skip to grade 8. It's not like I've been half-hearted about it, either; I used to practice for two or three hours a day when I could, and I've had distinctions in grades 2, 3, 4 and 6, and high merits in grades 1 and 5.
       However, I have recently reached a plateau in my playing. I find the Presto extremely dull, and practicing is no longer fun. I never sit down happily like I used to, and I struggle to even make myself do an hour. It seems like a chore, and I don't understand why. No one who's got to grade 8 gives up, do they? And yet there is no longer any joy for me in playing. I almost wish I could just give up grades, but then my teacher would be very upset I expect.
       I have just finished my GCSE's, and then a week of work experience, and then three weeks away. I've been home for two days and still feel fairly jetlagged. So is my lack of interest due to not being able to play for so long?
       The sad thing is, I really do want to play. I just can't bring back the love for it I once had. Please help! I'm confused and I don't know what to do.

Are you losing interest because you're not improving, or are you not improving because you're losing interest? It can be more effort at first, rather than more pleasurable- but you need to know how to practise properly. This can take more effort at first, but the results become more pleasurable and it starts to feel worthwhile. Many people simply rely on repetition for early grades, but find they don't get anywhere later on. Whne it gets harder, you have to know exactly how you're building towards making things work. If you simply play through over and over again, it can easily end up going nowhere.

[coffee_guy]

my suggestion is to take a few weeks off and reflect on the past few years and ask yourself what are your goals as a musician (if you even have any).

I also suggest (after stepping away for a few weeks) to learn a new style of music such as jazz or something you really enjoy that you have not spend a lot of time with.

But seriously, musicians peak, it's a fact of life... maybe you have reached it maybe you have not... it's not the end of the world if you did.

[aintgotnorhythm]

I would consider dropping the Presto - six months of playing a piece you find extremely dull is not going to help. Is there an alternative piece on the Grade 8 list you could choose instead?

If you do decide to stay with the Presto, however, I would restrict your practice to only those bars you find technically challenging. The rest you can do nearer the exam.

I lost interest at a similar stage and looking back it was mainly due to not enjoying the music I was learning. I agree with the suggestion to try out other styles of music. Also discuss the issue with your teacher.

[coldness]

Just out of curiosity, how old are you? Going from Grade 1 to Grade 8 in 5 years must be very fast, I would assume.

And to nyiregyhazi, can you elaborate on what you mean when you say that those who rely on repetition for earlier grades won't get anywhere later on? How should someone practice then, to gain full benefit?

[callaeie]

Try and figure out what it was that made you like piano so much in the first place. It might NOT be the same thing now, since you might be growing as a person, but it's likely that you've lost/don't have/forgotten that element of what makes you enjoy piano. For me, I really need pieces that I love-- ones that make me want to finish them-- I feel impatient to be able to play them, and that is what motivates me to learn them patiently, or maybe a little impatiently, and ultimately make progress with them and get better piano skill overall.

But music is about EMOTION, really (my opinion) so if you're bored or not having fun, I say you either need to push through the boring stuff to obtain better skills, OR play something you actually want to learn, OR do both, using the pieces you WANT to learn as motivation. Pieces that motivate me are famous ones I've heard before, like Bach or Rachmaninoff, and ones that I've heard in Japanese Anime or any regular movies that I can find in sheet music. I don't always LIKE the boring stuff that improves your skills but isn't fun........

Also, there's nothing wrong with taking a break to clear your head. Most people's lives include other things than music, after all, music expresses life, life doesn't express music. At least I think it would be better that way. So if you let life push along your music progress, you won't get bogged down by boredom, you'll find a way to make music connect to real life. Haha I bet that doesn't make any sense...

[bleicher]

A couple of things strike me reading your post.

One is that you've just had the pressure of GCSEs and you're taking a well-earned break. It's pretty impressive how quickly you've got to grade 8 level, managing to do 2-3 hours practice on top of your school work. It often takes a while to get back in the swing of things after such an intensive period of work and everyone needs a rest. You're still in the summer vacation and you may well feel differently in September when school starts up again.

Another is that it seems you're already playing your grade 8 pieces although the exam isn't until February 2012. I'm not your teacher, but it seems that it's far too early to be focussing on exam repertoire just yet. If you've learnt the notes already, just work on other repertoire for the time being and come back to your exam pieces maybe in December. Especially while you're still in the summer vacation you could treat now as holiday time just by focussing on something completely different - maybe find an instrumentalist or singer and bash through some accompaniments, or have a go at other styles of music as aintgotnorhythm suggests.

[dblomd]

Try to make it fun. I have found offering yourself a reward is a good way to enjoy it again. I practice 15 hours a week here at college and find it hard to be motivated. Usually saying that I can go do something fun afterward or maybe getting to hang out with people is a good reward.