Love playing piano, hate the pieces I'm learning so feel unmotived

[mum2angelalex]

Hi everyone,
My first post in the forum. I started learning piano about 6 months ago and my piano teacher is using the Adult Piano Method books by Hal Leonard.  I honestly hate most of the pieces in the book and I am just about near the end of the first one, there are a handful I enjoy playing. Because I don't enjoy the music I do not feel motivated to learn it with accuracy, it feels like a chore, some of them remind me of assemblies at school with the music teacher playing some crummy song we had to sing to on an out of tune piano, so I don't learn each piece that well and it's hit and miss whether I play it without mistakes and get on with the next one in the book.  I am eager to learn pieces to songs I love, I bought one online and have been totally motivated to practice it for hours but it is a little too difficult for me.  It's an 'easy piano' piece by Hal Leanard but I can only play one hand at a time and can't put them together, guess I'm trying to run before I can walk    Some of the pieces in the book like viva la rhumba, boogie baby and leap frog are just awful  and I keep getting frustrated and impatient. I want to play some more modern music! My piano teacher has advised me to purchase the next book (I am on book one), and I still haven't cos I know it's going to be more of the same kind of pieces.  What can I do to make learning more interesting? The only pieces I have found online are too challenging for me as I am really only just beginning.

[eldergeek]

As an (somewhat) elderly learner who experienced some of the same frustrations, maybe the solution I found might help:

I started learning piano (initially on my own but now with a very competent teacher) a while ago and hated most of the pieces I found in books similar to the one you mention. Then I discovered (a) the Mikrokosmos books by Bartok and (b) the Bartok-Reshovsky piano method.

They are modern(-ish) with some interesting stuff starting with very elementary pieces and gradually becoming mor challenging, and although they may not appeal to everyone, I found them a revelation compared to the hideous "Froggies in the Well" tunes that I found in some of the other method books.

Bartok's examples are excellent for learning technique and are mostly based on Eastern European folk tunes - with a bit of Bartokian discord thrown in. Might be worth  look, and depending on where you are, some of his stuff might be in the public domain (e.g IMSLP).

[outin]

You should do as I do: Only play pieces that you feel are worth learning. This means you need to do some work, listen to a lot of classical piano music, find the scores, figure out how difficult they are technically and whether they are suitable for study right now (your teacher can help). But it's also very rewarding and fun to look for material.

To get you started you might consider getting a book like this:
https://books.google.fi/books/about/Pianists_Guide_to_Standard_Teaching_and.html?id=2i6rycSPbtgC&redir_esc=y

It lists real music pieces from grade 1 upwards, so a lot of stuff suitable for a complete beginner as well. Much of the sheet music is out of copyright and available free of charge from the internet. You can listen to almost every piece in YT and see if they interest you.

If for some reason your teacher does not agree with the "no method book" approach, be firm and if you still don't get your way, you should find another teacher. You can get the piano skills and tools you need another way (as did many generations of pianists before method books became popular).

IMO Learning the piano as an adult cannot always be just fun and easy, but your motivation should come from the music. What's the point otherwise? Most of us learn pretty slowly, so spending several years with stuff we hate to maybe "some day" be able to play the music we like is not a good idea.

I noticed you say you want to play some modern music, but I think you might be surprised how much wonderful music was written in the past centuries and how much of it sounds quite modern

If with modern you mean non-classical, pop or jazz, then you probably need a teacher specialized on that and the approach will be quite different.

[lostinidlewonder]

You should have a mix of pieces you like and those you don't. All us pianists have learned something we don't particulary like but we all play things we do like too. Some teachers feel that it is completely their own decision making when learning pieces with students but others encourage you learn pieces you are passionate about. Bring it up with your teacher the pieces you'd like to learn, if they are too hard surely there are easier versions or your teacher can arrange it so it becomes easier for you.

[outin]

You should have a mix of pieces you like and those you don't. All us pianists have learned something we don't particulary like but we all play things we do like too.

This is of course true with someone learning from a child, but the situation is quite different with adult beginners. There is little need to put in things one does not like when there's no prospect of professional pianism. There will probably be some natural expansion of likes if one gets serious enough, but not everyone needs or wants that.

[j_menz]

This is of course true with someone learning from a child, but the situation is quite different with adult beginners. There is little need to put in things one does not like when there's no prospect of professional pianism. There will probably be some natural expansion of likes if one gets serious enough, but not everyone needs or wants that.

No. Not quite true. There are actually things one does as an adult "I only do this 'cause I like it" pupil, or player, that one does because of what one gets out of it in the more abstract sense. Being an adult, or indeed even being an advanced player, doesn't grant an exemption form this. Just, one hopes, sufficient perspective.

I'm all for deciding what one actually needs to do, making the most of it fun wise, and ignoring the standard "though shalt do" crap. But, there's some crap one has to do to get to a better place to have more fun. Being an adult student merely makes that crap more understandable, possibly more tolerable; certainly not more avoidable.

[lostinidlewonder]

This is of course true with someone learning from a child, but the situation is quite different with adult beginners.

I don't see a difference in matters such as developing reading skills for instance. Even adults will be forced into reading simple pieces they might not like all in the aim to better their reading skills.

[outin]

I don't see a difference in matters such as developing reading skills for instance. Even adults will be forced into reading simple pieces they might not like all in the aim to better their reading skills.

I don't see why one cannot select simple pieces that one likes instead, there are plenty around

I've seen enough method books to know what kind of cr*p they include and none of it is really necessary for anything.

Although I can see how those who only like music if it sounds "difficult" and is well known may have problems with this approach...

[outin]

No. Not quite true. There are actually things one does as an adult "I only do this 'cause I like it" pupil, or player, that one does because of what one gets out of it in the more abstract sense. Being an adult, or indeed even being an advanced player, doesn't grant an exemption form this. Just, one hopes, sufficient perspective.

Either I firmly disagree or we are not discussing the same thing here. I was referring to pieces that one really does dislike enough to actually hate listening to oneself or anyone else playing them so much that it will prevent you from practicing. As is the case with OP and the method book. You don't have to love everything, but you don't have to suffer through anything to learn either.

Even when using pieces one does not dislike, one has to do things that are not enjoyable, but that's a different matter.

But maybe you two missed what I wrote:
...pieces that you feel are worth learning...
That is not the same as pieces you like. The piece can be worth learning for other reasons. But simply being included in some method book cannot be reason enough IMO.

[lostinidlewonder]

I don't see why one cannot select simple pieces that one likes instead, there are plenty around

When it comes to sight reading study one approach by reading hundreds of pieces a month does not require that you like or dislike before training with a piece. You have to sight read something the first time anyway to see if you like it or not, at the end of it you have trained your reading, whether you like it or not is secondary, if you like it then remember it, either way you have to move onto the next piece.

[bernadette60614]

I"m a "rebound" student, meaning I took lessons as a child, didn't touch a keyboard for decades and then began again in a community music class.  We used Alfred's Adult Piano course.

Yes, these books do make you feel like you want to stab yourself in the head (at least I did...)  So, what I did was to get some of the Very Easy Piano Pieces of some songs I liked. After I practiced by assignment, I would go to the easy songs and just play around.  I'd chose something which I kind of sort of understood and just fool around with it.  Even if I couldn't read the entirety of a chord for example, I'd take the one note I could read and then play around till I could figure out the chord. Then, I'd play around and figure out how I could, e.g., use the notes in that chord to make the measure more interesting.

There's nothing that says you can't "go rogue" and do stuff on your own utilizing what you're learning from your teacher.

[mum2angelalex]

Thank you everyone for your advice. I guess in most cases an adult takes up learning the piano for the sheer pleasure of it, as stated I definately won't be blossoming into a concert pianist! When I am learning a piece I enjoy I will practice for hours, I literally cringe when I hear some of the pieces in the book like traffic jam and shooting hoops  I am battling ahead with leapfrog as it is the first piece I have played with an arm crossover so it's probably worth it.  I might purchase the next book and pick out pieces I like by listening to the accompanying cd and request to learn those with my teacher and as suggested find pieces online to practice on my own.  Not sure where to find stuff though, the piece I bought looked simple (they only let you view the first sheet) but I have gotten so frustrated with myself because I can't do it and I don't want to make that mistake again. I wonder whether it is me cos when I look at some pieces online described as being suitable for beginners I find it near impossible  Thank you lostinidlewonder for the link I will take a look. I will also check out Bartok.

[outin]

You have to sight read something the first time anyway to see if you like it or not,

Rarely, I'm afraid...Because i have heard too much music...

But for the OP this is not what it's about, because the way most teachers use the method books is that you try to memorize (or at least practice until you are fluent) every bl**dy piece in the book. I have no problem reading through such a book as SR practice...

[bernadette60614]

RE: Exploring new pieces.

Our son has been taking lessons for about 6 months, and what I"ll do is go onto Amazon search by easy piano scores, and then use the "take a look inside" function to take a look inside to see if those pieces are at his level.

Also, being a few years further down this journey, I can say that that feeling of "how am I'm going to do this?" has never left me.  I'm not a concert pianist, but I do take piano seriously, and every new piece for me is a puzzle that I approach with a combination of anticipation and anxiety.

[louispodesta]

I will take "Outin's" great advice a step farther.    As an adult beginner, you unlike the average child student, are paying for your own lessons.  Therefore, you are a "consumer."  And, as such, you are supposed to get what you pay for!

So, what I suggest is to ask your teacher, politely, what other pieces (with associated recordings, Youtube) that they would recommend which could accomplish the same level of development that is included in this, in my opinion, completely useless book.

If they don't want to, then you will know that they really don't know what they are doing.  Then, as previously suggested, you get another teacher.

Oh, and I forgot, you are not only paying for your lessons, you also bought the piano, with its tuning and upkeep, as well as the purchases for any future sheet music.

What all of this means is that your goal is to learn how to play this beautiful instrument, and not, instead, to go through the traditional matriculation practice of kissing your teacher's arse.

[lostinidlewonder]

Rarely, I'm afraid...Because i have heard too much music...

But for the OP this is not what it's about, because the way most teachers use the method books is that you try to memorize (or at least practice until you are fluent) every bl**dy piece in the book. I have no problem reading through such a book as SR practice...

Well we are talking in general not about your specific case. This is how it works in lessons with many students.

[outin]

Well we are talking in general not about your specific case. This is how it works in lessons with many students.

This thread was about the OP's situation as an adult beginner who is not feeling motivated. What works with many students is unlikely to help.

A large proportion of people are not at all picky about the music they listen/play. And many adults actually like to work these books. But when this is not the case, a different approach is needed.

In general I believe in my country and many others it will get harder to find students who are willing to take the "just do as you are told" approach or will devote to diligent regular practice of things that don't interest them. So there will be greater demand for teachers who can accomodate the students' different needs better. It's a skill to get positive results with all kinds of students instead of just giving up those who don't respond to one's usual approach. The idea that the student must always change and the teacher can stay the same is still quite common though.

[marikafrank]

Oh, I wrote a long answer ( to Bernadette in the neighbour thread )
and posted it here by mistake. I will try to move the answer :-)

[lostinidlewonder]

This thread was about the OP's situation as an adult beginner who is not feeling motivated. What works with many students is unlikely to help.

But he is saying he is learning his pieces most probably though memory and polishing, I am talking about sight reading study which doesn't require many hours on a single piece. It's a different situation and approach to study. I thought it was rather obvious. One should not be too insufferable when it comes to sight reading pieces they might not like, this kind of attitude towards development is rather stubborn.

[bernadette60614]

Another way to look at it...these boring instruction books are just that boring.  But, at least in the case of the one used in my community music class, it gave us a foundation in a systematic way.  Just as a dancer spends more time at the barre than on stage, sometimes you just have to accept that you need to get the core movement down (and repeat them) before you can take flight.

[plink]

Try Kenneth Baker's The Complete Piano Player. I love it, lots of good songs, ranging in difficulty through five books (all in one volume).

[leemond2008]

My approach has been to learn the pieces that my teacher asks me to and then to have one piece that I choose to learn.

My teachers choices have been great so far to be honest and I haven't come across one that I haven't enjoyed learning but she is more than open to helping me with songs of my choice as well.

It works well for me that way, I can focus on the songs that my teacher assigns me which she believes will help with my technique and things like that and then I can move onto the songs that I just purely enjoy learning.

There is nothing to say that 100% of the time you spend at a piano has to be what you go through with your teacher, a lot of the time I will learn just the first few bars of a song and then never go back to it again, it is just something to keep me occupied whilst I am taking a breather from the stuff from my lessons.

[outin]

I wonder if the OP already quite playing...

[bernadette60614]

I think something to bear in mind: These pieces aren't written to speak to the student's soul (!), they are meant as simple, basic teaching pieces. Each of them is really a way to practice a skill and to build skills.

I've played for a number of years, and I can play "big" pieces, but I skipped the whole skill building phase of my musical education.  I am not choosing to go backwards to move foward by going back to very simple pieces to build a good foundation.

What you are doing now is an investment, and like many phases of investing, it isn't exciting..but the pay off later is the freedom to play the pieces which truly speak to you well.

[bronnestam]

I totally agree with outin here. 
BUT - there is an advantage in being a stubborn adult pupil, and that is that you can have a dialogue with your teacher. If he/she advises you to play a certain piece which you find ridiculous/boring/whatever, you could just simply ask: "why?"

Maybe the teacher has a good answer. "This piece is an excellent exercise in this and that". Ok, so good then. My own teacher recently gave me another Bach piece, another prelude from Das Wohltemperierte Klavier. I understood why I got it, so I accepted it, although Bach sometimes is a real sleeping pill to me. Actually I liked it a lot once I had got "into" it. But if I had not seen the reason for doing it, I would not have started.

Just like learning the piano is a never-ending process, so is developing your music taste. It is a part of the piano adventure, actually. You learn to listen while you learn to play, and you will discover so much music on your journey that you used to dislike, or knew nothing about before.

If you have some own ideas on pieces you like to learn, then discuss them with your teacher. Maybe he/she will say "well, it is a bit beyond your skill right now, so in order to prepare for it you should first learn this and that". Or maybe your suggestion will just be accepted as a challenge. Maybe you can just make an agreement: after all you are probably working with several pieces in parallel. Some pieces should be longer projects, some should be short, some should be for developing skills and some should be "candy bar pieces". You can probably work out a mixture that will be of optimal benefit for you AND feel rewarding at the same time.   

[outin]

BUT - there is an advantage in being a stubborn adult pupil, and that is that you can have a dialogue with your teacher. If he/she advises you to play a certain piece which you find ridiculous/boring/whatever, you could just simply ask: "why?"

Yes, this we should do. But I would take it a bit further...I'll go home and do research until I find another piece that has the same things but which I like more. Then I go to my teacher and just say "Look, this one has similar thing to learn, lets do this one instead!". There's little she can do at that point

[bogbrush100]

Well, I must have found the right teacher from the word go!

I've been playing for 4 months, the first 2 on my own.  I explained to my teacher that I only want to play for my own pleasure, to enjoy the piano learning journey and have no intention of doing exams.  I choose my own pieces with her advice and she will pick out problem areas and give me excercises and practice tips.

In general, I am working through Carl Humphries' Piano Handbook and have already skipped one piece I really don't like, but my teacher is finding me something else to substitute.

Oh... and she says that as I won't be doing exams I don't need to bother with scales and arpegios but I secretly do them anyway!  She laughed when I told her, so guess what we are doing next week?

Currently working on:
Bach - Minuet in G
Wish Yourself a Very Mery Christmas (from Alfreds book 1)
Purcell - Minuet in D minor
Brunner - Andante in F