Is it a good or bad idea to practice difficult songs way above you?

[lordnishka]

Like, after many weeks/months of practice on 1 song leagues above what you usually play (say for example, level 4 player playing a level 10 song). Would that improve their piano skills such as sight reading, or would it just be impractical?

Thank you.

[hfmadopter]

There isn't any harm in having the big piece around and to dabble in it a bit. However with that big a jump you won't get it down musically anyway given the level you came from. You would be far better off to work your way up to it. It's good to forge ahead a little, sometimes with a teachers help they may jump or skip a level now and then because there may be a piece they feel you can handle out of your level range that has benefit for something else they have in mind for you. There is a lot of information and technique to learn between level 4 and 10, using your analogy. Meanwhile you are putting all this energy into a piece that you physically can't handle.

[awesom_o]

It's worse than impractical. It's devastating.

The study of art is the study of how the human soul adapts to the ever-changing artistic environment.

It's very important for small children to eat a healthy balanced diet and attend kindergarten and grades 1-6 before enrolling in grade 7.

Imagine how devastating it would be to a small child who needs to go to kindergarten but instead just got dumped into grade 7? He would fail every single test and get creamed by the big kids in gym class.

Take baby steps first, that set you up for success further down the road!  Don't jump into the deep end without water wings. You could drown.

[keypeg]

There are pros and cons, and it also depends how you do it and what you do.

Some cons: If you try to play something that is far above your level, you may do it wrongly, and you may strain yourself in some way that hurts you.  You may put something in the music that will be next to impossible to get out later.

neutral or pro:  You might just play it up to your level (maybe half speed, maybe the main notes leaving out fancy extras) and then leave it.  You have a skeleton to build on later
- You may be coming into unknown territory, exploring, trying to understand, reaching for things.  Maybe you won't manage the piece very well, but you might have stretched what you know and can do.  when you work on pieces that are your level, they may suddenly seem easier

"Stretching" this way might be safer to do with a teacher who also agrees with it

If you work only on an advanced piece and it takes all your time, then you don't get to work on pieces that are at your level and that might get you there

Finally, again, it also depends on how you go about it.  Will you misteach yourself?  Will you hurt yourself?  Will you ruin the piece?

[ranniks]

Imagine how devastating it would be to a small child who needs to go to kindergarten but instead just got dumped into grade 7? He would fail every single test and get creamed by the big kids in gym class.

There are exceptions though. People with higher IQ's for example.

It would also be devestating for a child who is extremely smart and can absorb information (without losing it) to be placed in a grade he does not belong to. This could endager his potential as well.

[keypeg]

It's very important for small children to eat a healthy balanced diet and attend kindergarten and grades 1-6 before enrolling in grade 7.

Imagine how devastating it would be to a small child who needs to go to kindergarten but instead just got dumped into grade 7? He would fail every single test and get creamed by the big kids in gym class.

The underlying ideas in here are worth looking at.

You have a child in an institutional setting (school) where there is a complete and rigid program.  You have added tests (not necessary outside the program), and you are assuming a relationship of competition (getting creamed in gym class).  Those are not the only scenarios.

A child who has not learned things commonly taught in grade 1 (I don't think much is taught in kindergarten) might be interested in something taught in grade 7.  Say something in history, science, or geography.  He might grasp some of the main ideas if he has genuine interest, and they'll stick with him.  He will also realize that there are things he is missing that make it hard for him to follow.  If he can't read that books, then he needs to learn to read.  If the science involves calculations, then he has to learn his arithmetic and basic algebra (1 + b = 3, find b is taught in grade 2).  He will be motivated to go back and learn reading and arithmetic, no less for the wear.  This can't happen in an institution because they are too wieldy.

I homeschooled for 8 + 10 years (2 kids).  I taught the basics of each grade level but also gave them free reign to follow their interests - "free subject" was actually mandatory, like "options" in university.  That is when the above scenario came into play.  The child who wanted to make robots learned about electronics, the math behind it, got books from the library, and eventually got paired up with a professor since the college wouldn't take 11 year olds.  It was an open ended kind of study.    There was also a supervising guide who could say "You're stuck here, because you need this basic thing there."  Being stuck when you don't know you're missing an underlying thing can be devastating.  It can't happen in an atmosphere of competition.

[sucom]

I think it is important to practise any pieces that are around your current level and some a little more challenging and beyond for your regular practice because this will definitely allow you to gradually improve over time.

However, once you have done this, extend your playing time and have a go at as much music as you can get your hands on, even if these pieces really challenge you big time.  Go for it!  But I suggest doing this only 'after' or 'in addition to' your regular practice.  It will also help you with sight reading.

[robpina]

The implications are completely different in you are an adult student vs. a younger child. Young children learning to play the piano generally need to play music with smaller reaches and also learn more easily by steadily improving. If you give a young child a very difficult piece and they struggle with it they will likely stop practicing the piano.

However, with an adult student it's a different idea entirely. I can say this from my own experience. I took up the piano 2.5 years ago because I wanted to play the music I loved. I spent about 3-4 months playing introductory pieces before I asked my instructor to teach me what I wanted to play. She was hesitant and rightfully so. But, I assured her I knew the journey would be difficult and I was willing to stick with it.

We started with a intermediate piece (Chopin Prelude #4). Needless to say, I couldn't really sight read any of it and it took me a month just to play the left hand chords. However, I completed the piece in two months and was proud that I had learned something I really enjoyed. Next, we did a slightly more difficult intermediate piece (Bach Goldberg Aria). Again, it took me about 2-3 months to learn the piece. After that, we did a more difficult work (Beethoven Moonlight Sonata Mvt. 1). It took me nearly 8 months to get my hands on all the keys well enough to play it in what I would call a respectable manor.

Now many would say what I've done is counterintuitive... and thats because it is. In reality, if I had spent all that time learning how to play scales, sight read, and so on I would be a better pianist. However, for ME, it was important to learn the pieces I yearned to play early in my experience simply because it kept me interested and engaged with the piano. It was HARD.. really hard. But, I enjoyed the hell out of it. I spent a lot of time laughing at myself and even more time penciling in notes to remember. But, for ME, it worked. Is my phrasing perfect? No. Do I make mistakes? Sometimes. Am I going to be playing in front of a concert hall? God No. Am I proud of it? Yes.. and thats what matters most.

I must also comment that learning this way does have some benefit. Just a few weeks ago I heard Schumann's The Poet Speaks and decided I wanted to learn it. It is a pretty easy intermediate piece but certainly well above the level I began. I was able to learn the piece in one lesson and about a week.

So, take it for what it is. Jeez this was a long post.

[robpina]

There are exceptions though. People with higher IQ's for example.

It would also be devestating for a child who is extremely smart and can absorb information (without losing it) to be placed in a grade he does not belong to. This could endager his potential as well.

Thanks for posting this. It's nice to see one of the "genius" kids with a really great group of parents and teachers encouraging instead of pressuring. Now just let the kid into a damn University so he can start curing cancer.

[outin]

There's good and there's bad...

Looking backwards I did every now and then try to do things in the more traditional way instead of selecting mostly pieces that were a bit too difficult (not insanely difficult, just things that would have needed a bit more experience and flexibility on the keyboard). But it never worked, I just could not make myself practice if I didn't have the will to learn the piece. 

So now I am in a situation where I am working on some easier pieces instead of "progressing".

OTOH I don't think I could have continued lessons if my teacher made me play the kind of music that is usually given during the first few years. Concentrating only on the basic technique of playing would have turned me away from practicing. 

I think I needed to take this trip to see myself what I need and how things can be useful. Just being told so is not enough to motivate me. Right now I feel quite ok with working on some less interesting pieces, because I can judge the progress on the physical side of playing myself.