Need Advice!! - am i learning ineffectively?

[jdmz]

I have played piano for about 2 years now (not continuously).  The way I play is I read sheet music and I figure out the best way I can strike the keys. It has worked well for a lot of songs.

My question is... do you guys think I should restart from the beginning and learn the proper way to play piano?  That is hand positioning, chords, etc. The reason why I stopped learning the proper way how to play is because it takes much longer to learn. I was in a piano class and got tired of learning beginner songs. This is when I just started to read sheet music and tackle some more intermediate songs. 

I have never really understood why it's important to learn chords. And about hand positioning.. is it always necessary to position your hand in a certain scale before playing that scale? As of now, I just hit whatever keys I see in the sheet music.

I really love playing piano and have always been bothered by this.

Thank you

[sucom]

The very fact that you have said that you have always been bothered by this suggests that something inside you is niggling at you to learn the 'best' way you can, especially if you love to play the piano.  This could be your intuition speaking to you and if it is, then you should perhaps listen to that little voice because it could, and will, help you in the long term.

If you have been learning in a piano class it is very easy to understand why you got fed up with the beginner songs and wished to create some 'real' music. 

I have to say that if you really do like the idea of being able to play the piano and to be able to have the ability to express yourself in the best way you are able, then it goes without saying that private lessons are going to be the best move for you.

One of the problems is having the desire to run before you can walk, especially for the adult beginner but you know, getting a solid technical foundation under your belt is really quite important in order to allow inner creativity outer expression.  In reality, there are no quick routes, no short cuts. 

One reason why we learn certain fingerings for scales is that we learn to recognise a pattern of fingering which we will remember and utilise in other pieces.  So every piece and every scale gradually builds up a whole set of patterns which will come in useful later on.  It is actually much harder to have to relearn fingerings for recurring patterns which could have been learnt in one swoop.

I agree, it does seem a long process but remember, the feeling you have while practising 'now' is the same feeling you will have in the 'now' of next year.  Have you ever seen Ground Hog Day?  This is similar to the 'now' I'm talking about.  Today, in this 'now', you may not be able to play something, but if you keep persisting and practising, you will be playing a great deal in the 'now' of a few years time.  If you use method in your practice today, you will reap the results at some point in the future and at the same time, will feel good and more confident that you are learning in a way that is going to benefit you in the future.

[jdmz]

Thanks for your reply.

I've read piano books through before, but I never understood how fingerings work.  When I watch a person play, their hands jump around alot on some songs... Is there a systematic way they are doing this?  And sometimes one hand has to reach notes that are higher than 1 octave up.. I am just wondering if there's a "correct" way that everyone is supposed to do this.  And if so, what is this called?

I don't know if that all made sense.

[sucom]

When you are learning a piece of music, or practising a scale for instance, there can be a tendency to believe that it's not really necessary to use the fingering suggested on the music because you perhaps find it easy, in that particular piece, to use certain random fingering.  And this may be the case!  Why bother to change this random fingering if it serves your purpose on this particular piece or scale?

However, what you are actually doing, when you learn certain fingering for scales and so on, is building up a mental library of patterns which will be there for you, automatically, when you learn a new piece of music.  The more you practice similar fingerings in similar musical passages, the more patterns you have at your disposal, coming to your mind quickly and easily while playing. 

If you are playing music with no suggested fingering, then I agree, it can be difficult to understand 'why' certain fingerings would be more helpful to you.  But if you have no teacher to offer suggested fingering patterns, then perhaps one way forward would be to use printed scale books and music that includes suggested fingerings and follow them as accurately as possible.  I'm not saying that ALL fingering in ALL music is the RIGHT fingering, these numbers are just suggestions or possibilities but there is a strong possibility that they will be following the generally accepted fingering for standard positions which may allow you to build up your own mental library of patterns.

Unfortunately, the dreaded printed scale books are a good starting point    I think the only people who might enjoy scales are those who have already learnt them and committed them to memory, lol. Learning them can be a real PAIN but hey, I never said learning an instrument was easy!  It requires self disciplined dedication. 

[dcstudio]

 
 if you want to learn to play...you will find your way there.  truth is everyone has their own way and their own path.  How far do you wish to go?  What kind of music to you want to learn? how do you remember what you play now? would you say you use your ear to guide you or do you rely on your fingers moreso?

learning chords--or to be more specific theory makes it possible for me to know and remember what I am playing and also allows for easy communication with other musicians.  I work as a pianist, accompanist, jazz pianist--whatever they pay me to play--I play.  I am not a concert pianist--lol--but I earn a living...
NEVER GIVE UP!!! 

[jdmz]

Thanks, I am taking note of what scale I am playing in now. I realized the piece I was learning stays in the same scale the whole time!  A flat major

[rachmaninoff_forever]

Looks like J Menz and Ajs finally developed a third personality.

[sucom]

Looks like J Menz and Ajs finally developed a third personality.

That would be such a pity.