Adult Beginner would like feedback.

[verosk]

Hello everyone this is my very first post and this seemed like the best piano forum to be a part of after lurking as a guest for a few weeks

A bit about myself:  I am 22 years old and was in need of a new hobby so I decided to pick up piano after playing the guitar recreationally.  I have been playing for roughly 9 weeks with the first 2 weeks on a keyboard and the rest on a digital piano (no room for an acoustic and I like the midi capabilities.)

I have not taken any lessons and don't plan to unless I find myself not progressing at a pace I'm happy with or have hit a brick wall as I am sceptical of the benefits as I am already practicing ALOT and I feel like my motivation alone will be enough (this opinion may change after a few months haha)

A few weeks into playing I decided that I wanted to play classical after hearing Valentina Lisitsa playing Moonlight Sonata mvt 3 and it sounded incredible.  Now I find myself listening to classical music just for pleasure which I have never done in the past.  My ultimate piano goals are to be able to play the entire moonlight sonata and Hungarian Rhapsody no.2 (ambitious I know but I am the type of person that obsesses over their hobby.)

So anyway the first classical piece I learned was fur elise and I know it's not recommended for a beginner but it gave me the motivation to practice hard because I love the song.  I have been playing it for around 7 weeks and have linked the file in this post.

I would really appreciate any feedback as it's not too easy to judge yourself.  There is a few note mistakes in there as it was the first time I recorded and was nervous but I think it is a fair representation of what my average performance of it goes like.  I notice that in the second part of the song where it changes into a more 'upbeat happy' melody that my legato is not perfect.  I think this is a bad habit of me relying on the pedal too much and I don't even notice it when I am playing so I am going to work hard to correct this.

Also in the final fast section that leads back into the 'well known' part of the song I played it a bit too fast and skipped notes.  Otherwise I would love to hear what you thought of it and I apologise for the static I think my cable is bad but its not too distracting!

Verosk

[j_menz]

For 9 weeks in, it's very good.

That said, there is quite a bit wrong with it. Apart from what you have identified, the tempo generally is quite unsteady. There are also things which are important and which are hard to judge from a recording alone.

The pieces you aspire to play, particularly HR2, require that a lot of things be learnt, and be learnt well.  It is not simply a question of putting in a lot of practice, but practicing the right things in the right way.  To that end, I would seriously recommend you get a suitable teacher - one with experience in dealing with adult pupils who have a background in another instrument. You may not see the advantage now, but such a teacher will be enormously beneficial in getting to your goal pieces, and more quickly than you could do on your own.

Practice alone reinforces both good and bad habits alike, so it is important to nip mistakes or weaknesses as soon as possible.