A) what is the best way of brushing up on things to get me back to speed? Anyone with similar experience?B) after I am fully fit to play again I was thinking of starting up my new teaching piano, would my Russian diploma rate at all?
A) Haven't had the same experience, but I think you should just progress naturally. Maybe the same way you learned when you were a child, with much more dedication? Progressing from easy pieces and easy studies (etudes) to more difficult ones over time. Reading piano books also helps a whole lot: the Lhevines released a very good concise book called "Basics in Pianoforte..." (something along the lines of that), and Walter Gieseking also has a book that's wonderful as well. I could link you to them if you'd like.Anyways, slow and steady is the way to go. Of course, you'll be reviewing things, but along the way you'll be mastering some things you never got down in your former years.B) Are you saying that you would like to start teaching piano again? Which diploma are you referring to, your old one in your former years learning or the one you graduated from in college?Hello Teosoleil, thank you for your reply. I hope you have a good New Year too. I could not face starting from Mary had a little lamb kind of thing, I decided to get my fingers fit for work first, so am doing lots of scales and after a few days it seems near enough effortless, well apart from a couple of tricky ones with fingering. At the same time I was also trying to play things from memory, and a few film songs, just for fun. I layed out the Fur Elise by memory too, what I could remember. I later downloaded a sheet music for it and found out that I had it done in a tone lower than it supposed to have been... well,, I didnt think of listening to it on you tube or someghing first before letting my creativity run riot lol! Playing it off the sheet heloed me with reading notes above middle c as i surely knew if I hit a wrong one. My terminology is also no good I found out but its helping that I am teaching my dauhter at the same time, so ak brushin up on things as I go along. One thing was reallybdifficult to get me head around is the way the notes are called, using latin letters! We learnt it as do, rei, me, fa, sol, etc (not sure of the spelling of those though). I am suing Watermann's oiano books for my daughter just now, but its all a new thing for me as we used Russian books in my times... I also got myself a book by j. Clough and j. Conley called scales, intervals, triads, etc, it seems to be qute good just now... i will googoe the ones you mentioned though, will I find them on amazon I wonder.....I was refferimg to my music diploma from Russia when I was talking about teaching, as I have to use all of possible ways of increasing my earnings. I am still teachimg in my original profession but I am hardly busy during winters, and where we live its not that many people anyway. I am using my daughter as a gunei pig just now ha ha ha but I agree wih you that I wasnt going to jump into wider teaching next week. There is no questiom that I can teach, I am really good at it and can find approach to different people, keep the engaged, motivated and make it real fun to learn. Its just gettin the sunject brushed up now. ))
I too had a 15 year gap in my piano playing, after majoring in piano in college. It was amazing to play after all those years. My fingers literally knew what to do before my brain engaged. What was my hand flying up there for? Oh. That's the next phrase. Reading seemed hopeless. Couldn't believe I used to play these pieces. But, over the next few weeks the reading returned and I was able to play again. Technique, however, was another story. To regain the level I was at in college I would need intensive technical work, preferably with a piano coach. I do teach now. I worked my way into that also. One student friend, then referrals one by one, then after a few years it snowballed until I had a waiting list established. But the important part is to never stop learning, reading, playing, improving. It can be done. Be patient and work your hardest.
Can't assist with B, but for A my advice is to go over some of the repertoire you used to do, starting with some easier pieces. You may be surprised to learn that not everything has been forgotten, even after all this time, and that will help you get up to some sort of speed more quickly than entirely new pieces. Then branch out, starting again at an easier level than you had.
Topic: going back into piano world 