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Topic: Adult Students: Anyone find that the more you play the less you know?  (Read 2146 times)

Offline bernadette60614

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When I was a teenager I thought I played the entirety of the Moonlight Sonata fantastically.

As a returning adult student, I find that two pages of Bach Invention after a month of work leave me feeling that it will never be quite "right".

Anyone else have similar feelings?

Thanks!
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Offline ryoutak

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When I was a teenager I thought I played the entirety of the Moonlight Sonata fantastically.

As a returning adult student, I find that two pages of Bach Invention after a month of work leave me feeling that it will never be quite "right".

Anyone else have similar feelings?

Thanks!

I read somewhere that as an adult we tend to be more critical of ourselves since we are "more intelligent" than our younger self. This is partly the reason why adult students tend to quit halfway while learning the piano because they might be too critical of themselves and think they can do better but yet unable to.

As for me, rather than "the less I know", it's more like I have higher demands for my older repertoire. As I progressed through my studies and gain more technique and knowledge, when I visited my old repertoire and played the same way as I did back then, I feel disappointed and dismay at how terrible my playing was, despite the fact that I was content with it years ago. As a result, with my new-found knowledge, I usually would "re-learn" the piece and play it with my new wisdom to make it better. Nevertheless, there are certain times that I can't help but feel that I will never be satisfied with my playing despite the fact that my teacher told me it's good enough.

I hope my shared experience and thoughts doesn't bored you. lol.

Offline visitor

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some days if I feel particularly bad about my prep for a piece for lesson I'll wear good ear plugs while playing then I dont hear all the stuff I dont like and I dont feel so bad anymore lol

Offline lostinidlewonder

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Some of the Bach inventions don't feel the most comfortable to play so don't feel too bad. They were written more for composition in mind so you may find other works of his much more "pianistic". Also sometimes revealing "what we didn't know we didn't know" can make our progress seem meagre since you have a better understanding of the larger picture. I find that overthinking a situation can sometimes however stunt ones progress or aspirations, putting mental barrier up etc.

As an adult we can be more aware of what need improving throughout the process of study where as child generally they are are just doing what currently works for them letting it evolve more organically and not being overly concerned about perfection in an adults sense. Some kids I teach are proud if they hit all the right notes with some expression here and there, that is good enough for them, we of course aim to heighten their sense of what perfection is but indeed their initial attitude can be helpful,have lower expectations as it allows more and more musical experience without being overly tied down with complete mastery.

Adults generally work well when they form a strategy to improve and work with a plan in mind. This can be quite meticulous (due to their music experience, listening, playing etc) and reveal a huge amount of work they see to play at their ideal quality. Sometimes you need to however abandon an image of perfection or at least forcing it and be satisfied with where you are. I've taught a few adults who know exactly what mastery sounds like and how it feels in the hands but they struggle to achieve it. Sometimes it is good to go back into that childlike approach, that we don't care it is not perfect and just keep moving on. Of course this doesn't mean we should condone sloppy unmusical playing, but we need to be careful not to be too perfectionist and thus limit/slow our experiences.
"The biggest risk in life is to take no risk at all."
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Offline bronnestam

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As a fiction writer I am very well familiar with the feeling of going back and forth from "I am so great" to "I must be the worst ever". It is incredible how the very same text can appear so differently between two readings.

When I read some old "sin" I can blush with embarrassment, not understanding how I could EVER consider this crap to be good. And sometimes it is the opposite: I read something I wrote years ago and I almost cry with despair as I feel that I cannot live up to that old standard anymore.

With piano playing, it is about the same. In general, I think the increasing awareness is good. It shows that we are developing. I can smile at myself when I play something I learned many years ago - I remember the ideas I had about the interpretation, and sometimes even the lack of ideas. I am happy to conclude that I know better today. 

Offline lsjshengll

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My teacher told me: Do your best to express the overall feeling of the piece, and that is fine. Don't be too hard on your technique. BTW, I's an adult student too. ^ ^ Keep it up

Offline keypeg

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When I was a teenager I thought I played the entirety of the Moonlight Sonata fantastically.

As a returning adult student, I find that two pages of Bach Invention after a month of work leave me feeling that it will never be quite "right".

Anyone else have similar feelings?

Thanks!
I began my first ever lessons on a new instrument when my own child, who started at 13, was starting his 3rd year.  Not only that, but he was admitted to an arts magnet school, and so was surrounded by fellow students at various stages.  Some had started at age 5, and were 7 or 8 years ahead of him, some a few years ahead etc.  When I was about a year in, I was getting into another stage that he already knew about.  It may be what you're facing now.

Namely:  At one stage you aren't that aware of things, and you are imagining how you are playing, more than actually hearing yourself.  But then you develop a first ear for things like timing, tuning, dynamics, and you hear for the first time where you're off.  Your subjective experience will be that you have suddenly gotten worse.  Those who are good musicians or good teachers, they have always heard where you were out of tune or had poorish timing.  As you strive to correct the things you can finally hear, those good musicians or teachers will hear your playing suddenly start improving.  But your subjective experience won't go that way.  "This is the time that students often quit, when it's exactly the time that they should keep going."  That was what my wiser-than-his-years offspring said back then.
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