How to make playing "easier"

[davidjosepha]

So, I've been playing piano for 14 or 15 years, and I'm pretty happy with the progress I've made in that time, especially the past 3-4 years. But no matter what I'm playing, easy or hard, playing piano never feels "easy" to me. Even playing extremely easy pieces, well within my capabilities, it seems like a struggle. It's a constant problem that doesn't seem to be directly related to the difficulty of the piece I'm playing. I can learn the notes of a difficult piece or an easy piece, but when I play it, even if I get it to sound how I want, my brain can't relax or enjoy it. I'm not expecting to be able to fall asleep while playing and not concentrate at all, but when talking to many of my friends who are quite talented pianists, they don't seem to have this problem to nearly the extent I do. My teacher at my college has been working with me to make myself physically less stressed and tight when I play, and it has helped a lot with my playing, but my mental stress is still there.

Does anyone have any advice for how I can fix this? I want to be able to enjoy playing piano, but I really can't enjoy it in the way I want to.

[dcstudio]

when you play do you know the names of the chords you are playing, their function, and the progression?  Do you think about the key you are playing in... the shape of it on the keyboard...the notes that are within the key...and those that are borrowed from elsewhere?

If you analyze your pieces harmonically and understand the structure your pieces will feel easier.  If you have spent your life taking half hour lessons your theory knowledge may not be at the same level as your hands.  So your hands can play it but your brain doesn't really understand why...

study your theory... it will make a monumental difference in your abilities...

if you do know the chord progression say the chord names as they pass by...keep that brain busy.

[hardy_practice]

I know exactly what you're saying.  The secret of piano playing is to relax between the notes.  If you can relax as quickly as that playing is easy and relaxing.  If not, you need to find a teacher who can help you.  There aren't many who understand the problem or know how to fix it unfortunately.

[dcstudio]

I know exactly what you're saying.  The secret of piano playing is to relax between the notes.  If you can relax as quickly as that playing is easy and relaxing.  If not, you need to find a teacher who can help you.  There aren't many who understand the problem or know how to fix it unfortunately.

yes that is so very true... it's about efficiency.   That is a tough problem to fix.  Basically every millisecond that you are not striking a key your hands should be totally relaxed.   Students tend to hold positions and then try to move their fingers against their stiffened muscles...they create stress for themselves.

improvisational playing can do wonders for that problem.. 

[hardy_practice]

Well put.  Louis' right to smooch!

[dcstudio]

Well put.  Louis' right to smooch!

I just try to not upset him... and sometimes I fail miserably..   lol..  smooching helps.

[bernadette60614]

Speaking only for myself:  It isn't until I've learned a piece, put it away, then brushed it off and then played it that it feels "easy" for me.  I've been working on a very simple Mozart sonata since the first week of November.  For 30 long days, it felt like 30 long days.  Last night, I just played through it and it felt so "easy" to me.  I think, at least for me, there has to be a period when the piece kind of sinks into my subconscious before it becomes "easy".

[davidjosepha]

Thanks for the help everyone. I have taken theory courses, although I've forgotten a lot of it, and while I'm quite confident I /could/ analyze a piece and figure out the chord structure, I haven't actually done that with any large piece I've played. I think you're probably right that that's something I should work on so that notes don't feel "random". I do always think about the notes in the key I'm playing in, though. I can visualize the piano with the notes in the key sorta... popping out from the piano. I find that thinking about that does help a lot.

As far as the physicality of being calm goes, that's a big struggle for me and has been the primary discussion of my lessons for the past 3 and a half years with this teacher. And I find, I'm not really playing pieces any more difficult than I played 3 years ago, but I play them much better, with less stress, with less effort, and with less time to learn them. So, I think, if I put in as much time to a piece now as I put into pieces in high school, I'd be able to play stuff at least a step more difficult than what I've currently been playing. Something really clicked last year when playing Brahms' op. 118 where things felt so much easier than they had before. But there was still some mental stress.

I think bernadette's suggestion is a great one. I have noticed that too. Actually, I've noticed that in the occasional week where I will only practice once between my lessons, I actually make a ton of progress. (Obviously, that doesn't work if I do it every week, but...) It seems like spending time away from a piece helps make it easier.

Thanks for all the suggestions, I will work on it.

David