Where do you go when you have learned most of your favorite music?

[lelle]

I have a really weird first world problem. I have, at this point, probably played most of the pieces I really love, that are my favorites. Maybe I'll discover new pieces to love and learn in the future, but right now I'm not sure what to focus on in my practicing. I'm so used to always having more pieces I dream of learning to pursue but I don't have many left now, it's really strange. It does not mean that they're all well learned or performance ready, but I have dabbled in and either finished or half-finished many of them. Do I just pick up old pieces and polish them up from now on, and till the end of days?

I know you guys can't give me the answer to this question as this is something I'll have to figure out for myself, but I still thought it would be an interesting topic to see people's opinions on 

[dogperson]

I don’t think I’ll ever run out of music I want to learn — I think I have a list of over 200 now that are on my ‘to do” list—- and most are not warhorses.  Whenever I need another suggestion, I just read Visitor’s  posts here and find something ‘new to me’ to add to the list..  or listen to a lot of music. . I’m fairly confident that, even if I learn all 200, I’ll hear something new I want to play.  I honestly can’t imagine that I will ever not have a list.

[brogers70]

Go to Youtube (or whatever source you have for performances) and listen to lots of music you haven't listened to before. Go to concerts where they don't just play the old warhorses and hear composers you weren't familiar with. There's so much great music out there and so much of it is difficult, that I cannot imagine getting to the point of having played everything I want to play.

[compline]

I have a really weird first world problem. I have, at this point, probably played most of the pieces I really love, that are my favorites. Maybe I'll discover new pieces to love and learn in the future, but right now I'm not sure what to focus on in my practicing. I'm so used to always having more pieces I dream of learning to pursue but I don't have many left now, it's really strange. It does not mean that they're all well learned or performance ready, but I have dabbled in and either finished or half-finished many of them. Do I just pick up old pieces and polish them up from now on, and till the end of days?

I know you guys can't give me the answer to this question as this is something I'll have to figure out for myself, but I still thought it would be an interesting topic to see people's opinions on 

lelle, this may be included in your repertoire ,  but if it isn't It is a beautiful , lilting ballad piece, maybe you would like to try it out, played Moderato.   One of my favourite pieces. 
 Called.  Farewell to Stromness, by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies.
 I  have had the score for a while, but have only tackled  it up to bar 15.     Not easy for me.

[lelle]

Thanks for the recommendation, compline!

Go to Youtube (or whatever source you have for performances) and listen to lots of music you haven't listened to before. Go to concerts where they don't just play the old warhorses and hear composers you weren't familiar with. There's so much great music out there and so much of it is difficult, that I cannot imagine getting to the point of having played everything I want to play.

Yeah it's weird. I absolutely have not played every piece I'm interested in, it's just my top favourite pieces I was the most passionate growing up have now pretty much all been played. So there is stuff I can learn, I'm just as excited about it as I was about my favourite pieces growing up. Really feels like a first world problem, but hey, there it is

[quantum]

Consider those favourite pieces of yours and think about what made you fall in love with them.  If you were to take away the name of the composer, the name of the piece, the collective opinions of scholars on why this piece is the best whatever..., if you were to take all that away and only be left with music, music without any preconceived notion, music for the sake of music, what do you love about it?  When you have identified those aspects you love about your favourite music, go look for those same things in new music. 

***

When I am tired of practising current repertoire, or can't decide what to learn next, one thing I'll do is switch to playing another instrument, as I do play more than just the piano.  Another thing is to do some improvising. 

[lelle]

Consider those favourite pieces of yours and think about what made you fall in love with them.  If you were to take away the name of the composer, the name of the piece, the collective opinions of scholars on why this piece is the best whatever..., if you were to take all that away and only be left with music, music without any preconceived notion, music for the sake of music, what do you love about it?  When you have identified those aspects you love about your favourite music, go look for those same things in new music. 

***

When I am tired of practising current repertoire, or can't decide what to learn next, one thing I'll do is switch to playing another instrument, as I do play more than just the piano.  Another thing is to do some improvising.

I have often ended up taking a break when I'm in a slump, after which I'll often feel more inspired again. It's kinda scary though, what if I never want to play again if I take a break?? It has not happened yet, but you never know

[quantum]

Taking a break is always a good idea.  Too much routine is not always good for one and ones creativity.  One can also take a break by doing related things, or even unrelated things that inform the main activity.  Beethoven loved to go on walks, and such experience in nature made its way into his music.  Messiaen love to transcribe birdsong, and so on...

Go take a break, do some painting, or gardening, or whatever your thing is. 

I wouldn't be too worried about returning to piano.  After all you may desire to take a break from your break, then what would you do? 

[j_tour]

I have often ended up taking a break when I'm in a slump, after which I'll often feel more inspired again. It's kinda scary though, what if I never want to play again if I take a break?? It has not happened yet, but you never know

Yes, I know just what you mean.  I have barely touched the piano keyboard in weeks or possibly months.  Not with any serious intent, anyway.

I think I'll just hang loose with it for a while, only listening to music on the jukebox at bars, until the "inner urge" starts to become unbearable and then there's no choice, really.

Not even my new guitar:  I've tuned it up and fooled around with some bebop-style chords on the upper strings, a few scales/modes, but that's it.

Not even much desire to read scores away from the keyboard.

I figure it's something like a physical injury:  something inside my mind is communicating that "now is not the time, you fool!"  Perhaps I remember the very real risk of burning oneself out to the point of mental exhaustion and stress.

[ted]

"Where do I go when I have learned most of my favourite music ?" I create my own, of course, as I have done for decades, and I can never possibly reach the end of that wonderful quest.

[volcanoadam]

I don't think ten lifetimes would be enough for me to learn all music I want 

I'd suggest you could listen different genres of music, you'll certainly find something you love. There's plenty of great staff in jazz and prog rock but also various ethnic music.

If that's still not there's only your own music left for you. Start improvising and composition and find your best pieces for yourself.

[mjames]

Performance milestones? Like Chopin? Learn all of his etudes, preludes, ballades, and scherzi to the point you're able to play them from memory on command! Like Schubert? Learn all of his sonatas. Like Scriabin? Learn all of his sonatas, preludes etc. And so on.

Change genres, expose yourself to new music. Learn jazz and learn to improvise. Start participating in chamber recitals. Learn how to compose. Lots to do in music outside of learning music from sheet music! 

[kc_gracie]

I don't think I have exactly the problem you describe, but I definitely go through phases. There are times when the only thing I can think about is playing the piano or pieces that I want to learn and making lists of things I will work on in order and so forth. There are also times when I think of everything but piano, like work, working out, other hobbies, video games, nothing, etc. However, I always try to play a little even when I am in a slump or have no specific 'goal' in mind. So, I can go a month where I practice ample each day for a month to go straight into the following month and barely practice an hour a week.

However, as of the couple of years or so, I have found myself exploring composers I haven't listened to as much as others. For example, growing up, I always heard my dad play albums of Beethoven, Chopin, and Bach (mainly). There was some Rachmaninoff and Schubert thrown in from time to time, but those were the big staples. So I had a very fond relationship with famous or great works by these composers, like the Moonlight sonata and the Waldstein sonata and the Chopin Ballades. But, even as a kid, I started to explore Liszt and others (although, at this point in time, it was mostly those albums that were just a weird collection by random players), but I didn't really find those best works by these composers. It wasn't until later in life that I started to go down these rabbit holes with other composers, like listening to the complete Harmonies or Annees of Liszt or the complete works of Prokofiev that I started to find new things I latched onto. Those pieces that I listened to on repeat ended up inspiring me to learn some of them.

So, now that I'm older and have learned most of the pieces I want to by Beethoven, Bach, and Chopin, I'm finding myself getting excited by other composers like Godowsky, Szymanowski, Janacek, Prokofiev, Scriabin, Franck, and Faure (and the less played works of Liszt). That personally keeps me interested, but I guess each of us has a different response to these type of things. This also grow my list of pieces that I absolutely must learn eventually.

I agree, breaks are also good. It can certainly free your mind and allow you to come back with more vigor than before.

Don't know if this helps. Just an interesting problem to have. I am both sad for your current situation and jealous.

-KC