incorrect teaching

[pianoplayer51]

I no longer have lessons and I just play on my own at home.  I also compose music.  I do not write scores but make up tunes out of my head.  I am still in contact with my ex teacher and ran a tune past her and she said she liked what I had produced..   She runs little concerts twice aa year so I asked if i could participate in her concert and play this tune anad she said yes.   As we all know, in music scores some bars are repeated with the repeat marking.  My tune has an introduction so I decided to repeat the introduction nd ply it twice.  I was not sure whether to keep the introduction as original or do it twice so I let my teacher listen and she said it sounds lovely so I kept the introduction as twice not once. 

I then asked a friend to listen and she said she did not like the introduction being played twice because it sounded odd.  I then told my teacher and reminded the teacher that she thought it sounded lovely with the intro played twice.  I thought well my teacher is a professional musician and my friend is not so I would belive my teacher is correct and my friend is wrong.   My teacher then said to me well the introduction is quite long and you do not usually play long bars twice.   I was shocked because when I first did it and she listened to it all she said was it sounded lovely.   Surely a good teacher would have told the studet it is not correct to be played twice because you only play very short bars twice and this is too long so do not do it twice.  She then said to me if she was doing this piece she would not ply the intro more than once but if I want to play it more than once it is up to me.   I think that is very misleading because she is guiding me in the wrong way as technically you do not play long bars twice and I am not an expert pianist so I had no idea and if she is telling me to do that, she is giving me the wrong advice and I want to play it correctly.   

Why would any decent teacher misguide a student like this.   It is not up to the student to decide what is correct because the teacher is being paid to give the correct advice and clearly my teacher did not.  I then said to the teacher I will only play the introduction once because that is technically correct.

Why oh why am I being persuaded to do something that is technically wrong.    I am shocked really

[brogers70]

There's no correct or incorrect here. It's your composition, if you want to include a repeat, that's entirely up to you. Sounds like your teacher changed her mind about whether the piece sounded better with or without the piece. That's fine, too. It's all a matter of taste. There are pros and cons to repeats and they turn out differently in different situations. Does the listener need a second chance to hear something because it's complicated and you want them to get all the ideas in their mind before you move on? Is it just a nice bit of music that's fin to her more than once? Will you play the repeat differently, in terms of dynamics, articulation, ornamentation, etc? On the other hand, will the listener be bored of hearing it twice? Is there a smooth connection between the end of the introduction and the beginning of the introduction so that it flows when you repeat it? (for example in lots of Baroque pieces in binary form the A section ends on the dominant, so that when you repeat it, you are moving from the dominant back to the tonic, something that feels natural and flows well). So it's up to you.

[lelle]

Yeah there is no technically right or wrong here.

Some pieces have long sections that are repeated. Some do not. Some people like playing all the repeats in a composition. Some do not.

Neither your friend nor your teacher is right or wrong, because there is no right or wrong here. It's completely subjective.

The only "rules" that might apply are if you are trying to emulate a specific style or era of music from the past.

[liszt-and-the-galops]

Echoing everyone else when I say that your teacher wasn't leading you down the "wrong" path. Repeating sections is just as fine as not repeating sections.

[keypeg]

I think I understand the OP's position, and also the teacher's.  A teacher wants to guide without discouraging and often they fear discouraging us by criticizing.  Many of us do want to have real guidance.  If the teacher knew all along that introductions tend to be shorter; that they don't repeat if longer - and said nothing, I'd be miffed.  Actually, I'd feel insecure after that because it goes to the question of guidance.

[pianoplayer51]

I think I understand the OP's position, and also the teacher's.  A teacher wants to guide without discouraging and often they fear discouraging us by criticizing.  Many of us do want to have real guidance.  If the teacher knew all along that introductions tend to be shorter; that they don't repeat if longer - and said nothing, I'd be miffed.  Actually, I'd feel insecure after that because it goes to the question of guidance.

I was a bit miffed but not any more.  As others have said its up to me what I do and I am going to play it twice.   I am also working on another composition.  One that I started ages ago but never got round to finishing.   I must carry on with that as it would be a shame to leave it half done

[liszt-and-the-galops]

I was a bit miffed but not any more.  As others have said its up to me what I do and I am going to play it twice.   I am also working on another composition.  One that I started ages ago but never got round to finishing.   I must carry on with that as it would be a shame to leave it half done

You might want to post a recording of some of your works in the audition room.
I don't know about others, but I'm eager to hear it.

[pianoplayer51]

You might want to post a recording of some of your works in the audition room.
I don't know about others, but I'm eager to hear it.

I will try and do it

[pianoplayer51]

You might want to post a recording of some of your works in the audition room.
I don't know about others, but I'm eager to hear it.

I do not want to post my video on this site so I have put it on a private message to you.   The issue is that I made the video on wassap and converted it to youtube and it is too long to post on this forum but ok to put on a PM.   I would have to convert it into a short video and then it would be too short and bits of the tune would be missing.