How long does it take for one piece?

[road2pianist]

I saw people commenting on a video. It's on Chopin etude. Someone said I want to play this how long does it will take to play it. People replied it took me 2-3 months. I saw this on others complicate piece as well. So, I wonder how it take you guys to play ATCL or above pieces.

I have been playing Fantasie Impromptu about a year already, and still could not play it like a professional pianist. Can someone give me an advice on how to play the fast part faster.



Sorry for bad English. English isn't my first language.

[eduardom]

I have been playing the piano for quite a while now, and i can say learning a chopin etude takes  a lot of time (for me  playing the piano is a hobby, not a full-time dedication). For example it took almost 6 months to learn the chopin revolutionary etude, but i have been improving it for one year more. I guess that if you dedicate to the piano profesionally and you can invest a lot of hours per day in learning a piece, it will take less time.

Anyway you are the only one that can decide whether a piece is already learnt or not.

About playing as a professional pianist... I dont think I will ever be able to play a piece like they do... thats why they are paid for it, they are better than the rest!

[verqueue]

The rule is easy - the more pieces you learn the faster you learn the next ones. When you try to learn piece above your level you need more time than to learn piece at your level. (Of course to improve you have to learn pieces from the level above.) The same is with pieces from FCTL level, if it's your level it's a normal thing to learn this kind of pieces in a few months. There are people who are above it and can learn these pieces in days...

[toomuchpolitics]

How long it takes to learn a piece depends very much upon you practice habits.  Here's a short video I made on my mum's little out of tune piano talking about a particular method of pacticing Bach Prelude in D major from the WTC Book 1.  This strategy works extremely well on the A section of the Fantasy Impromptu.  If you employ this strategy, working one section at a time, you will be amazed at how quickly you can improve.  All the best.

[Bob]

I was going to say about six months.  Depends on the challenge.  At least a month if it's workable for a performance.  Six months if it's more challenging.  Never finishing it if it's a monster piece.

[j_menz]

What on earth is "a piece"?  You all seem to have some sort of standard in mind, but what it is escapes me.

[road2pianist]

Thx for all of the replied

[diomedes]

The rule is easy - the more pieces you learn the faster you learn the next ones. When you try to learn piece above your level you need more time than to learn piece at your level. (Of course to improve you have to learn pieces from the level above.) The same is with pieces from ACTL level, if it's your level it's a normal thing to learn this kind of pieces in a few months. There are people who are above it and can learn these pieces in days...

Yup, i have little to add to that. My personal experience is, i tend to be extremely methodical and in the past years I have developed my method to the point that learning anything is effortless. But that took years of dedication and will to improve learning methods. So i'd say work + time. And even those without adequate raw talent like me can compensate to an alarming degree. It helps if you have no life, just saying.

[thalbergmad]

I have been trying to learn the Tchaikovsky/Pabst Sleeping Beauty for 8 years and still not finished.

Thal

[stevensk]

"Can someone give me an advice on how to play the fast part faster."

-Start whith everything of Czerny, Clementi and Scarlatti, all Mozart and Beethoven sonatas, Brahms exercises and Bach WTC book 1 and book 2, almost everything of Schumann and Schubert. After that, Chopin nocturnes and then some of the etudes.

[j_menz]

"Can someone give me an advice on how to play the fast part faster."

-Start whith everything of Czerny, Clementi and Scarlatti, all Mozart and Beethoven sonatas, Brahms exercises and Bach WTC book 1 and book 2, almost everything of Schumann and Schubert. After that, Chopin nocturnes and then some of the etudes.

I do hope you got a money back refund on that lobotomy.

Everything by Clementi and Czerny and  FI would be sightreadable.

(My spellcheck recognises Czerny, but not Clementi - Apparently technology is no match for philistinism)

[wrongnotes]

2-3 months seems about right for an average level Chopin etude. At least getting the notes right and being able to fluently play from head to toe at an acceptable tempo. (and memorised but that depends on your style of learning)

Perfecting/performing it is another different story though.

Back then when I was preparing for my ATCL, Chopin's FI took me about a month or so. I don't think that's long considering it's a short piece and has many repeats throughout. (somewhat).

ATCL and above is a very broad range. The difference of an ATCL piece vs LTCL/FTCL is very large. ATCL pieces are usually much shorter (excluding complete sonatas or partitas or whatever). For an average romantic period ATCL piece of about 4-7 mins (say Liszt,Chopin,Schubert). I'd say it'll take not more than 2 months at most. A complete Beethoven sonata will probably take 4-6 months. Something like a Nocturne can be learned in < 1 month.

But then again it's just me. I think I have average-ish learning speed. Not fast, not slow. I learn one piece at time, (at most 2, while practicing,maintaining other learned pieces). I know of one guy who went from AT -> LT in 4 months while being an amateur and majoring in something else in Uni. Now that's sick repertoire learning speed.

I think if you're working on a piece for more than 6 months with some dedication and it's not anywhere close to being near to sounding decent (meaning you can safely play it in exams without much problems), it's probably time to give up and find something easier until you get good enough to retackle it. (I probably need to give up on winter wind soon).

[stevensk]

I do hope you got a money back refund on that lobotomy.

Everything by Clementi and Czerny and  FI would be sightreadable.

(My spellcheck recognises Czerny, but not Clementi - Apparently technology is no match for philistinism)

-Oh thanks J_Menz! people are soo kind on the internet!
-Actually my first post was just a joke. I strongely recommend Chopins etudes as a starter kit for all piano players