Is this normal? (Listening to the same piece over & over & over…)

[matthew from florida]

Sometimes when I discover, or re-discover, a new piece, it somehow gets stuck in my head and I listen to it over and over, hundreds or perhaps even thousands of times for a period of many weeks. I memorize the whole thing and mentally play it back to myself when I don’t have access to a media player. I look it up on Wikipedia and learn what I can about the piece. I go through You Tube and listen to different performances and pick out a favorite which usually becomes the only one I listen to. I download the music sheet and read along as the music is played. I imagine myself playing it.

Unfortunately all of these pieces are far, far beyond any piano skill I could hope to achieve, so I never have a chance of playing them, though I may pick out some easy sections to mess around with just for the fun of it.

Just yesterday I got hooked on a new one: Liszt Transcendental Etude #4. I’ve already picked out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93SToONMyk0[/youtube]"]this recording by Berezovksy as a favorite.

Before this one I was hooked on the Alkan Sonata Op. 33 and Hamelin’s performances. Before that it was both https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prnW7UA-K8E[/youtube]"]Lizst’s Mephisto Waltz no. 1 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEnfZjqMSy0[/youtube]"]la campanella. Before that it was Chopins opus 38 and then opus 39 before that. Before that Lizst Mephisto Waltz 1 (again). I think the Chopin Etudes (esp. 1, 4, & 12) before that. On and on…

Does anyone else experience this… or am I a bit crazy? I’ll stay hooked on each piece for weeks, or in the most recent case of the Mephisto Waltz, it lasted some 3-4 months.

[j_menz]

or am I a bit crazy?

No, just a bit obsessive. I do something similar, but usually with groups of pieces, and not for as long, and I tend to listen to different performances of the piece not just the one.

Oh, and picking the Berezovsky Mazeppa pushes you much closer to crazy. 

[matthew from florida]

I might have slightly overstated how obsessive I am... don't want to make it sound like I listen to nothing else at one time, but almost 

If there is a different must see performance of the Mazeppa btw let me know

[bronnestam]

I sincerely believe that if you can keep a piece so totally in your head, you can also learn to play it. After all, the technical issues are just a small part of it - what really matters is that you have a clear idea in your head on how to play this piece. And you already have that, right?  Take your time and work with very small sections at a time. The feeling when you start to create this piece with your own hands is incredible. So what if it takes years. All these pieces are written for human beings.

I can also get slightly obsessed from time to time    and I love that feeling. 

[lloyd_cdb]

I might have slightly overstated how obsessive I am... don't want to make it sound like I listen to nothing else at one time, but almost 

I do the exact same thing. No shame in it. I've tried making bigger playlists so I don't listen to the same song. I end up just hitting repeat 30 times in a row.