Practice level vs playing level

[figaro]

I’ve been taking private lessons for about a year after being away from piano for some time.  Currently I’m learning Chopin Nocturne in E Minor Op72 and an Etude by Loescchorn. Both pieces are advanced which I enjoy in the challenge and the music. Before this I was taught Bach English Suite No3, Allemande, another etude by Czerny, and Mozart sonata k545.

It taken me a few months with both Chopin and the Loescchorn etude. I’m assuming my teacher wouldn’t have chosen these if she didn’t think it was right for me at this time.

For piano pieces of my own choosing, I find that I’m able to quickly learn, and also sight read and play pieces labeled Grade 2,3,4 while pieces above these will take some time to learn.

 I recently spent  a month learning 3 separate waltzes in the Grade 3 and 4 categories for performance and was told I need to learn pieces faster.

So I’m wondering what is going on, is it my actual skill level and experience with piano or is my learning speed similar to others?

[brogers70]

How's your sight reading? It's possible that working on that would help you learn pieces faster.

[anacrusis]

Pieces that are at a level where you truly have mastered everything can take as little as a day to learn up to maybe 1-2 weeks if it's more complex. I don't think there is anything wrong with a piece taking a month to learn, it just means it's stretching your skills which is probably good because it means you're probably learning and developing. It's good to learn a mix of pieces you can  and master fast, and pieces that take longer and push you.

[figaro]

Thanks for the comments. I didn’t think a month to learn 3 waltzes was that bad but it was for a dance class and the dance instructor was expecting it at performance level a lot sooner. I think each piece took me about 1-2 weeks to learn the notes. But to polish it took some more time (and understanding the instructor who doesn’t read music).

[lelle]

Thanks for the comments. I didn’t think a month to learn 3 waltzes was that bad but it was for a dance class and the dance instructor was expecting it at performance level a lot sooner. I think each piece took me about 1-2 weeks to learn the notes. But to polish it took some more time (and understanding the instructor who doesn’t read music).

The dance teacher either expected you to be a conservatorie trained professional musician, for whom that would be doable, or is simply unaware of how much it takes to learn a piece properly for the typical person who takes private lessons for fun. Don't sweat it 3 waltzes in a month is fine.

[figaro]

The dance teacher either expected you to be a conservatorie trained professional musician, for whom that would be doable, or is simply unaware of how much it takes to learn a piece properly for the typical person who takes private lessons for fun. Don't sweat it 3 waltzes in a month is fine.

I appreciate your comments.  I suppose it's hard for people who haven't learned piano to know how much work it would be to learn a piece.  At the same time, I just wanted to add that while I didn't have the option to study at a conservatory and train at a professional level,  I've taken my private lessons seriously.  And I'm sure other people who have only received private lessons also do the same. 

[quantum]

Thanks for the comments. I didn’t think a month to learn 3 waltzes was that bad but it was for a dance class and the dance instructor was expecting it at performance level a lot sooner. I think each piece took me about 1-2 weeks to learn the notes. But to polish it took some more time (and understanding the instructor who doesn’t read music).

Keep in mind a dance teacher will have different goals for the music, than what a musician may want to focus on.  Things like hesitancy and command of tempo could get in the way of the dancers learning their lesson, on the other hand a piano teacher may recognize these points are at acceptable levels considering the difficulty of the music and amount of time you have dedicated to learning the piece, and that they will improve with time and practice.

A month to learn three waltzes is fine, don't worry too much about that.