giving up on a piece

[starlady]

Here's the story: I've been working on a piece for a couple of months and have hit a wall.  I put the right fingers on the right keys at the right time,  but I was missing the main--I don't know the right word so will just say---MUSIC of the piece. Practising more didn't help, if anything it made it worse. Every session just reinforced the feeling that I was missing something important, also that the composer was about to claw his way out of the grave and come after me with a broken bottle.   Yesterday my teacher, who has probably been suffering worse than me, finally suggested 'put it aside for a while, use your time and energy on something else, maybe come back to it some time in the future'.    Good, sensible advice, I can't argue with it. 

So why the sad face?  I HATE 'giving up on' anything!!  My approach has always  been 'you can do it if you drive yourself hard enough'.  I'm also stubborn as a mule.    So intellectually, rationally, it's pretty clear that I should quit the piece, but emotionally it's difficult.  So here's a frank troll for sympathy and commiseration.   Thank you in advance! And don't bother telling me I'm very neurotic, because I know that already.

--s.
   

[outin]

Think about it this way:
It's not really giving up, it's more like letting the piece mature and giving oneself the opportunity to find a fresh approach. You need to let your subconscious mind to work on it

[jesc]

The way your teacher said it to you doesn't sound like "giving up" at all.

In fact that's how I put it years(decades lol) ago when I didn't finish Chopin's 3rd Ballade, Appasionata and... uh, I think it's just those two I can remember. Now there's no question, if I'll have a second recital I'm definitely set on finishing those. 

The only difference maybe is that I'm the one who told myself to set it aside since I'm not mature enough. But think of it this way, you learned your limits, your weaknesses, and you are poised to rectify them.

[rmbarbosa]

There are two possibilities:
 1) You have no technique enouph to play that piece, you can "play" the keys but you cant achieve in terms of dynamics, etc, because you cant control well your fingers.
     In this case, if you insist playing the piece, you will be dispirited... No one can play one piece "grade 8" if he is in the level 2... So, you must wait, untill you are able.
  2) You have technique enouph and your problem is about how to "say" the piece, only. In this case, you may wish to play hands separated, trying to reproduce with your hands exactly what you "feel" in your mind and soul. Also you may wish to stop during a week or two, listening other performers and using mental playing. Hands separated and mental playing are the best way to gain technique and maturity.
  Sincereley, best wishes and dont feel sad. What you cant do just now, you`ll do soon.
  Rui. (Ah! and Merry Christmas...)

[nystul]

Sometimes we can spend a lot of time working on something without making any kind of progress, and that may be a sign that the time could be spent improving something else.  If you think about a second year student playing a simple Bach minuet vs. a concert pianist playing it for an encore, we would realize the new student does not playing it very musically at all.  But they reach a point where there is not much more for them to learn from working on it at that time in their development, and the teacher will say good job and put a check mark by it.

[caioramos]

Sometimes we can spend a lot of time working on something without making any kind of progress, and that may be a sign that the time could be spent improving something else.  If you think about a second year student playing a simple Bach minuet vs. a concert pianist playing it for an encore, we would realize the new student does not playing it very musically at all.  But they reach a point where there is not much more for them to learn from working on it at that time in their development, and the teacher will say good job and put a check mark by it.

You know that's something I have been thinking about.
When does a piece can be marked as "mastered" for a student? is it worth for the teacher and the student to keep working on a piece so much when he is still a beginner,  or even intermediate? He's not going to be able to make a brilliant interpretation like an already accomplished pianist, and maybe it would be more profiting to just move on to a new piece and let the former to the future for further polishing.

One cannot fully express all his musicality and make an honest own interpretation when technique is still to be felt. And let's be honest, even when a beginner, playing an easy piece reaches the point where he can play it note perfect and relaxed, its still not relaxed and carefree as a concert pianist. You will always be concerned about hitting the right note in some extent and making the right movements, he just don't have the second nature with the instrument yet. Of course I'm not saying interpretation and tone quality should be avoided, by no means. But I see very often people obsessed in perfecting something that it's not going to be much better at the end of the day.