How good is good enough?

[bernadette60614]

I am never going to be a concert level pianist, but I'm wondering how do you know when you've learned something "good enough"?

Am I doing a disservice to Beethoven, e.g., by playing his sonatas as an amateur?

[awesom_o]

I suppose the answer really depends upon the individual... but I think if someone really, truly loves music, then they can simply never get enough of it.

[ajspiano]

Am I doing a disservice to Beethoven, e.g., by playing his sonatas as an amateur?

Hardly, more like doing him a service by perpetuating his art..  Just that rather than it perhaps being enjoyed as from the perspective of a listener in the exact way he intended, its enjoyed as a student by learning from it.

You're never good enough. No one is. There is always something that is only just outside your reach that there would be no point in saying "I could never do that" to.

Further, art is a creative pursuit that exists to express ones emotion. It is a pursuit to express the verbally inexpressible, but it is also usually a snapshot perspective, meaning that the same story can be told over and over from different angles, and differently as you grow with it. Being done with art is like being done with life.

You can be satisfied with you're level of learning on a piece at a particular stage in your development as musician, but that doesnt mean that you should never touch the piece again or that you won't play it any better than that down the track. They are like memories, you don't just recall them 10 times and then you're done, as if its possible to relive the memory in an ideal way. They stick with you forever..  if you let them.

[senanserat]

Hardly, more like doing him a service by perpetuating his art..  Just that rather than it perhaps being enjoyed as from the perspective of a listener in the exact way he intended, its enjoyed as a student by learning from it.

You're never good enough. No one is. There is always something that is only just outside your reach that there would be no point in saying "I could never do that" to.

Further, art is a creative pursuit that exists to express ones emotion. It is a pursuit to express the verbally inexpressible, but it is also usually a snapshot perspective, meaning that the same story can be told over and over from different angles, and differently as you grow with it. Being done with art is like being done with life.

You can be satisfied with you're level of learning on a piece at a particular stage in your development as musician, but that doesnt mean that you should never touch the piece again or that you won't play it any better than that down the track. They are like memories, you don't just recall them 10 times and then you're done, as if its possible to relive the memory in an ideal way. They stick with you forever..  if you let them.

This.

[danhuyle]

Satisfaction of your interpretation.

Pianists have a different definition of "good enough". It could mean
- Playing at a high level like the great pianists of the 20th Century
- Playing the notes
- Getting through a piece from start to finish at a manageable speed with a decent interpretation

If you feel your interpretation of a piece is "good enough", you'd have greater confidence and drive to perform the piece more times.

That's my take on this. It's a very subjective topic.

[outin]

Am I doing a disservice to Beethoven, e.g., by playing his sonatas as an amateur?

What a ridiculous idea! No offense meant

The music composed before the late 1800th century was published mainly to be played by amateurs. Some of them very skilled but still mainly playing in their small circle. The composers played their pieces to show off, but also composed the pieces for others to play and enjoy (so that they could make money from their work). I cannot see how you could make anyone a disservice by learning his pieces, only maybe yourself if you try to go too far too fast.

Things have changed since then, now music is not such an integral part of family life, something to be enjoyed together, it is something that professionals do and others listen to. The recordings of the pros have set a standard on a level that makes it seem impossible for us mortals to do anything with the compositions. What we must do is take the music back from the pros, it belongs to us all

And I guess nothing is ever good enough, but it gets better with time.

[hfmadopter]

When you gain self satisfaction from the piece. Then consider it good enough with the option to revisit it. Just as sure as you found satisfaction, later you may consider doing more with it. Perhaps you will hear someone's rendition that is appealing and you want to try and apply that or a new technique you learned. Like just about everything in life, it seems satisfaction comes in degrees or levels.

Piano and definitely music are life time ventures, allow yourself room to grow. Consider that some pieces may become a staple in your life, you play to that level of satisfaction and grow from there sometimes. Even Horowitz did that, probably Gould and a host of other famous pianists too. I look at it as, if they can/did do it I can do it at my own level. I submit, so can you !

[bronnestam]

Am I doing a disservice to Beethoven, e.g., by playing his sonatas as an amateur?

Ehhh ... No, you are not. First - Beethoven is GONE. You don't sit there with Beethoven, you sit there with the music he wrote. Mr. Beethoven is in heaven, I hope, and I'm sure he does not care at all.
Second - when you play, it is not Beethoven's music anymore. It is yours. You are free to do whatever you like with it. The ONLY thing you are not allowed to do, is taking someone else's work of art and claim you wrote it. But the interpretation is fully yours.

I agree with hfmadopter, "good enough" is when YOU feel satisfied - at the moment. Let it rest, or work more. (Actually I strongly recommend to let it rest for a while.)

[hardy_practice]

I am never going to be a concert level pianist, but I'm wondering how do you know when you've learned something "good enough"?

Am I doing a disservice to Beethoven, e.g., by playing his sonatas as an amateur?

No, you are doing a disservice to yourself.