How should I learn?

[dancook]

Sorry for the mental dump.. it might help me figure out what I want to say....

For background - I see a teacher for an hour every two weeks, and so far I've had two lessons.

She's given me some things to practice,
- a walking and running piece from the book "A Dozen a Day"
- some simple tunes using both hands

I wouldn't say I've mastered any of these tasks, I still make mistakes.
One problem with the simple tunes, is that they are not overly enjoyable to listen to - so it sometimes feels I'm just 'pressing keys' instead of playing a tune.

I've an inquisitive mind, so I've already been looking into the circle of fifths and the logic behind working out scales. I have an awareness of how some chords are built, but not haven't spent any time learning them. I don't recognise chords on sight.

I also spend my time on the piano looking at playing more complicated pieces. I played the first 4? bars of the moonlight sonata (c#m), I was pleased with how recognisable it was - but going onto the next set of bars, I was starting to feel a little overwhelmed.

I have also been looking at final fantasy scores, and have memorised a little of them by reading the sheet music. Nothing too complicated, perhaps 4 bars containing a melody and four different chords for "Cloud's Theme" (c#m i think)

I try to use intervals when playing notes, however if I get a bit lost - it can take me a few moments++ to work out which note to play, particularly in bass clef or when the notes are far off the basic stave.


So I've been working on basics whilst looking far ahead with no solid of idea of how I will get there. I understand that my teacher/lessons will take me through this - but I'm eager to get started.

Any suggestions on how I should mix up my basic practice, so that I can build a solid foundation? I've seen the term 'easy piano' to find more simplified sheet music - but i'm not sure if I'm getting too far ahead of myself still.

[chopinlover01]

Before you do ANYTHING, drop the moonlight sonata. There's a ton of underlying challenge that leads to beginners completely butchering it. You have to voice the top melody while letting the triplets in the left hand fade, except the third and bottom voice, it's much harder than people think.
The best way to start recognizing chords, is to play a lot of those basics. Having a goal in mind is great, but you need to do those things you're teacher is giving you. What is helpful, is to ask around and find out what the challenges are for the pieces you want to play, then ask your teacher if you two could make challenges to help with that.. Mostly, ask your teachers how to make practicing more fun. He or she likely (if they are an experienced teacher) has dealt with this problem before. But before you do, put a lot of meaningful practice into those 2 boring pieces of music, and she'll be impressed, likely giving you more complex work. Those kinds of things tend to show through

[dancook]

Before you do ANYTHING, drop the moonlight sonata. There's a ton of underlying challenge that leads to beginners completely butchering it. You have to voice the top melody while letting the triplets in the left hand fade, except the third and bottom voice, it's much harder than people think.
The best way to start recognizing chords, is to play a lot of those basics. Having a goal in mind is great, but you need to do those things you're teacher is giving you. What is helpful, is to ask around and find out what the challenges are for the pieces you want to play, then ask your teacher if you two could make challenges to help with that.. Mostly, ask your teachers how to make practicing more fun. He or she likely (if they are an experienced teacher) has dealt with this problem before. But before you do, put a lot of meaningful practice into those 2 boring pieces of music, and she'll be impressed, likely giving you more complex work. Those kinds of things tend to show through

Thanks, I'll get back to my basics

[chopinlover01]

"Rubinstein regularly advised that young pianists should practice no more than three hours a day"
Take this to heart. The reason being, you don't want to overpractice. While 3 hours a day may not always apply (depending on your repertoire), 1 hour for you is a good benchmark, unless you're having severe troubles with an advanced piece. That said, some Bach could help you, try his famous Minuet in G once you've completed a book or two. It might prove to be a bit too much though.

[quantum]

I think what you need is a balance between structure and adventure.  The structure being your scales, chords, dozen a day, etc.  You need to lean your vocabulary and grammar before you start reading Shakespeare.  The adventure part, is to be inquisitive to music within your current abilities. 

Tell your teacher about the pieces you are interested in playing.  Ask for similar challenges that are within your capabilities.