How much repertoire do you normally cover and learn in a year and in a lesson?

[chopinrabbitthing]

I'm aiming this question towards Conservatory students and advanced young pianists (e.g. international competitors etc.) around 14-17 y/o.
What would be considered the normal workload for someone at their stage?
Would mine (down in the signature) be considered a lot less than what they would have?

Also, how much do people here normally get covered in one lesson? I'm talking about in numbers of pieces? I think a huge problem is that I can only cover a certain amount (normally one or one and a half pieces) in a lesson, and that's really pulling me back in terms of what full-time piano students my age (e.g in Russia) are doing.

Thanks

[awesom_o]

Also, how much do people here normally get covered in one lesson?

This would depend on the teacher, the student, and the repertoire.

Your question of "What would be considered the normal workload" is not easily answered.

There are no normal pianists. When I was in conservatoire, everyone had different workloads, and worked at different rates of efficiency, based on their individual level of experience and work ethic.

If I were you, I wouldn't worry about quantity. What matters more is quality! If you cover one and a half pieces at every single lesson, and play all of those pieces to an exceptional standard, you are doing well. If you can't play to an exceptional standard, then it doesn't matter how many pieces you cover at each lesson!

[schwartzer]

I'm 17, played since I was 4, influenced by my parents, both extremely good amateur pianists. Usually we cover 1 major work throughout a few lessons and some side works. For example, my last MAJOR work was Beethoven's 23rd Sonata. Me and my teacher have 45-55 minutes lessons (should be 45, but sometimes we enjoy the lesson so much that we keep going). We usually had 30 minutes to play the Appassionata, and I was given tips and he corrected some wrong notes. The last 15-20 minutes would be about us playing Chopin's Nocturne in D flat major.

It really depends, but I'd say it's much easier for a beginner to cover a lot of pieces in one lesson, since they are usually very simple. I believe the number of pieces covered in lessons tend to decrease as your skill level gets higher.

[chopinrabbitthing]

This would depend on the teacher, the student, and the repertoire.

Your question of "What would be considered the normal workload" is not easily answered.

There are no normal pianists. When I was in conservatoire, everyone had different workloads, and worked at different rates of efficiency, based on their individual level of experience and work ethic.

If I were you, I wouldn't worry about quantity. What matters more is quality! If you cover one and a half pieces at every single lesson, and play all of those pieces to an exceptional standard, you are doing well. If you can't play to an exceptional standard, then it doesn't matter how many pieces you cover at each lesson!

You're right haha, it was a poor question to ask.

I do try my best not to worry about quantity, but it is almost impossible for me, especially seeing kids my ages playing much more than me on Youtube. Quality is the number one priority for me, but sometimes I just can't help but compare myself to others
 I was a bit curious because I thought everyone would cover multiple pieces per lesson.

[chopinrabbitthing]

I'm 17, played since I was 4, influenced by my parents, both extremely good amateur pianists. Usually we cover 1 major work throughout a few lessons and some side works. For example, my last MAJOR work was Beethoven's 23rd Sonata. Me and my teacher have 45-55 minutes lessons (should be 45, but sometimes we enjoy the lesson so much that we keep going). We usually had 30 minutes to play the Appassionata, and I was given tips and he corrected some wrong notes. The last 15-20 minutes would be about us playing Chopin's Nocturne in D flat major.

It really depends, but I'd say it's much easier for a beginner to cover a lot of pieces in one lesson, since they are usually very simple. I believe the number of pieces covered in lessons tend to decrease as your skill level gets higher.

It sometimes takes us a whole lesson just to get half of a longer piece done, e.g. a Chopin Ballade

[senanserat]

It sometimes takes us a whole lesson just to get half of a longer piece done, e.g. a Chopin Ballade

I am jelly... I have been working on my first piece since I began (quite high level at that time and still high 1 and half year later) and so far I only have:

1.Bach Minuet in G No.1 (THE minuet).
2.Bach Minuet in Gminor No.2
3.Bach Minuet in G No.3
4.Bach Polonaise in G No.4
5.Bach Minuet in G No.6
6.Bach Minuet in Gm No.7
7.Chopin Polonaise in Gm (Posthumous)
8.La donna e Mobile
9.Adoro (obscure romantic piece)
10.Death Waltz (the first peice, full text 70% tempo)
And almost done with Bach Invention No.8 and Minuet No.8 (inversión of the No.7)

I guess I will have to work extra, extra hard from now on.

[kevin69]

It really depends, but I'd say it's much easier for a beginner to cover a lot of pieces in one lesson, since they are usually very simple. I believe the number of pieces covered in lessons tend to decrease as your skill level gets higher.

As a novice myself, i'd disagree with this: I think its hard for me to work on more than two or three pieces at a time, no matter how simple they are.

However, at my level the lifespan of any particular piece tends to be pretty short: perhaps one or two weeks for the majority. So while i might only be playing two pieces at a time, i've probably worked on 40 or 50 pieces in the last year. I can't really imagine only working on 10 pieces in 18 months at this stage in my development as a pianist

[senanserat]

I've probably worked on 40 or 50 pieces in the last year. I can't really imagine only working on 10 pieces in 18 months at this stage in my development as a pianist

Holy sh*t dude.

[kevin69]

Holy sh*t dude.

It's more the design of the method books (alfred all-in-one in my case) than any great ability on my part. The pieces are all fairly short (usually one page of A4) and tend to have one new thing in them at a time. You play the piece for a couple of weeks, learn to deal with the new thing, and then move on to the next piece.

The good things are that you get to try out lots of different styles, and if you don't like something you'll soon move on to something else. The less good is that you don't often polish pieces very much, you get them to OK then move on.

I'm now balancing this approach with Beginning Jazz Keyboard by Noah Baerman. The pieces here are probably technically easier, but because you're expected to improvise over them i'm finding i have to understand the music much more than with the alfred books, which in comparison emphasise technique over understanding.

Heres an inspiring and/or scary quote from
https://www.michaelzilber.com/page/10-questions-every-aspiring-jazz-musician

"Do you have the heads and changes memorized to the most common jazz tunes and standards? There are at least 1000 tunes that make up the common language. You should know a minimum of 500 to memory. You should have a goal of learning 2-3 new tunes a week, INCLUDING changes and IN TIME. "

[kriatina]

I am a late beginner and I started from scratch without teacher...
I never think about the time it takes to learn a new piece,
because some pieces don't take any time and some other pieces take much longer.
For example, I have been working on a Scarlatti Sonata for a considerable time,
because it comes with repetitions and I try many different variations of the repeat,
but so far I am not happy about any variation yet... so I shall continue and learn more ...
... Other pieces I play straight away without any difficulty...
...Time does not come into my perception of piano playing or learning a new piece.
 I am too happy to be able to learn and I am only interested in learning as much as possible
whilst I can and have lots of fun and enjoyment ...
... whilst learning how to play the piano as a favourite hobby...