Question from a begginer in piano about progress

[riouds]

Hello guys, first of all, this is my first of what i expect to be one of the many posts i'll be doing here from now on . This forum seems to be really nice filled with really nice people . I have 18 years old and i started learning piano in early june (although i have had some contact with music theory before even getting in touch with a piano or keyboard , i wanted to have at least basic knowledge about stuff, so i used the allmighty internet to get those info)
My first 2 pieces that my teacher asked me to practice was the  bach minuet XV from anna magdalena's book and the other , from the same root, the minuet in G minor.
 
After those two he came to me with the chopin valse no. 1 op 69 and its the one i'm working on right now  ( plus some Czerny exercises and stuff like that) . The thing is  i dont have any parameter of progress( i mean if i'm doing ok , fine, average, below average and stuff like that) and i feel kinda bad for it , and tend to overpractice sometimes . Altough i know that things like that are kinda way too subjective, but i'd like to know what you guys think that would be the difficulty gap from ballade 1 to the valse i quoted earlier( i know its huge, but its one of the many i want to be learning entirely in the future, atm i can only play the first page of the ballade, sometimes i just try for fun )
Thanks!

[josh93248]

Hi there Riouds, welcome to the forum!

I think, if you've only been learning for several months, that you are doing really well to be playing such pieces. Of course, it really matters HOW you play far more than WHAT you play so it's difficult to judge by repertoire alone.

As for the difficulty of the Ballade... Well, AJ Long is the one to talk to about that being our resident expert on it haha. But You have to understand that it's not only technical difficulties but musical ones and a certain high level of expressive maturity is required. I would suggest hunting for more medium term ideal pieces rather than getting too fixated on the Ballade. Try looking at some of the Chopin Preludes for example or you can give us an idea of your preferred kinds of pieces and we could suggest some.

[glennross]

Hi there Riouds, welcome to the forum!

I think, if you've only been learning for several months, that you are doing really well to be playing such pieces. Of course, it really matters HOW you play far more than WHAT you play so it's difficult to judge by repertoire alone.

As for the difficulty of the Ballade... Well, AJ Long is the one to talk to about that being our resident expert on it haha. But You have to understand that it's not only technical difficulties but musical ones and a certain high level of expressive maturity is required. I would suggest hunting for more medium term ideal pieces rather than getting too fixated on the Ballade. Try looking at some of the Chopin Preludes for example or you can give us an idea of your preferred kinds of pieces and we could suggest some.

I agree with Josh, to a certain extent, getting too fixated in the beginning on a piece that is, I think, long away from your current level, can cause demotivation, or motivation too. I think the pieces you are playing are fine for the time you've played now. You should also always take into consideration your age. A lot of pianists begin playing in their (very) early years and the childish brain can pick things up easier.

Once your brain grows older, learning new things will get harder and harder. Mind you, this is not a demotivation in any kind. I mean for your age in combination with the time you've played now, you're at a fine level. Keep it going and listen to year teacher well, or not of it isn't a good one.

BW,
Glenn

[outin]

I think the pieces you are playing are fine for the time you've played now.

You really think so...? Can you remember what you played after 3 months into learning?

The Bach is ok, but the Chopin I don't think so. I think it's much better to learn good basic technique and musicality with Baroque or classical or easy romantic stuff before starting to play Chopin pieces...There's a huge risk of getting used to second rate playing just to get through the pieces and spending a lot of time with one piece instead of getting ahead in several skill sets. That's only my opinion of course. The teacher may think different or just want to make sure the student feels happy...

Riouds, the pieces you work on say little about your progress I'm afraid. Progress comes from learning skills and playing what you play better. It's the difference between you playing those pieces now and you playing the same pieces in 3 years. There should be a considerable improvement

[riouds]

thanks guys for the replies ! regarding how those pieces are played , i think both of them are in a quite acceptable level ( it would be something i'd play for someone as i tend to be somewhat perfectionist sometimes) . the valse, on the other hand, isnt something i'd play for someone yet , that would be how i could divide them haha . But for now, i dont think that the valse is a very hard piece , comparing to other chopin pieces i've seen for now and even comparing to the other two, not saying that it isnt way harder than the others , but not even close to comparing it to the ballade in my opinion