!Crisis!

[UncleBEn210]

Hello,
 Being all talented, probably no-one on this site has experienced this ,
  waking up one day and realizing that depsite what you believed , your terrible at piano! 

Im not being foolish, I've just let myself slip........(for about six years).........

So I need to get back on that piano-stool shaped driving seat that carelessly jumped off six years ago, and I need your help!

Ive got around 5-6 hours a day for pure practice , and heres my question,                                 

  ?!!what should I be practicing!!? 

Any help would be very-appreciated , Thanks.

[anda]

well, if i were you, this is what i'd do: get some scores - works you love (love to hear would love to play) and are about the same difficulty level as the last things you worked on (before quitting), start working on these. make sure there are works from all periods (from baroque to modern period). watch out for any problems - and do some technical exercises (if you need to) esp dedicated to solving these particular problems.

(all the above, imho).

best luck

[sharon_f]

Do you have a teacher?

[rodrk352]

Hello,
 Being all talented, probably no-one on this site has experienced this ,
  waking up one day and realizing that depsite what you believed , your terrible at piano! 

    For what it's worth, I think you should pick up a book of piano pieces for Intermediate skill, like one of those books edited by Dennis Agay that teachers have been recommending for ages. And, really, don't be so hard on yourself and feel "terrible" about being a mediocre pianist. It happens in all walks of life: after starting off over-confident, you gradually realize that maybe you're not cut out for what you're doing.
    I sometimes wonder why I'm stumbling through a Chopin ballade when a "real" pianist like Horowitz or Rubinstein can barrel through it with consommate skill. Well, artistry counts for something too: not just virtuosity. So if you play something a bit more slowly and with feeling you shouldn't feel "terrible", especially if you enjoy the music you're playing, no matter what the difficulty level.
    I always preferred David Oistrakh as a violinist against Jascha Heifitz, even though Oistrakh played with less flash. (Not that Heifitz isn't great too.)

[lostinidlewonder]

Bach, bach, bach, bach.... and did i say bach? His smaller pieces first, then move to the 48 Preludes. I wouldn't sugest Fugues until you're more confident again. Next to this I would suggest practicing Czerny School of Velocity with aim to make grounds towards Chopin Etudes. Which ones to choose, well that depends on what you need to improve and what you actually do like the sound of. No use playing stuff you don't like or impartial to. But definately get a bach peice under your hand, something which has double counterpoint to start off, maybe the Prelude Bk1 no3 would be a challenge but good?

What where you playing before? What can you play? What have you tried before? That would give more insight as to where you are at.

[iumonito]

UncleBen, what do you like to play?

With 5 hours a day I actually would caution you not to spend them all in big repertoire, as you may risk injury from over-practicing.

My favorite get-back-in-shape diet includes lots of easier works by Chopin (the easier preludes, waltzes, nocturnes and marzurkas, mostly), Mozart and Haydn sonatas, the easier preludes of Debussy and the Suite Bergamasque, and some Schumann (the only truly romantic composer) particularly arabesque, kinderszenen and the first novellette.

If you can get this selection to performance level you will always have something pretty to play and the more challenging works are just around the corner.

[dinosaurtales]

I went  through the same thing, only for me it was 20 years!  I hacked away at all my old pieces that I used to be able to play, and was just frustrated that I couldn't play them anymore.  What worked for me was to find 2 or 3 totally new pieces, approximately in your level range - don't go much simpler or harder - and work VERY SLOWLY.  You wont be able to sight read like the old days, and you won't have the dexterity - but it will come back - both are much better for me than they ever were - but it took a lot of work!!!!

Remember - SLOW SLOW SLOW.  really exaggerate finger movements and theyll get back in shape.  Took me about a year.  Now I am better than ever!

[Muzakian]

Remember that even if you feel your technique has slipped back to an absolute zero (which it certainly wouldn't have), you'd still be MUCH better off than if you'd never played before. You'll relearn all your old "forgotten" skills much faster than you'd expect.

Also, I think it's worth pointing out that you probably stopped playing because of a lack of interest? That's usually the case, and is what happened to myself (I only stopped for about 6-9 months however). Your interest in the piano right now is probably far beyond what is was when you stopped playing. Perhaps you love the piano now more than ever. This can only mean you're destined to reach new heights, with greater efficiency than ever before.

When I came back to playing piano, I essentially did just what Anda recommended - I just played pieces I loved, that weren't beyond by ability to handle, and it's worked well enough for me. So that would be my recommendation, for what its worth.

[UncleBEn210]

Thanks alot everyone, Ive got all the ideas I need to get back on track,
Before I stopped I was playing some easier chopin stuff , my exam pieces, and doing lots and lots of improvisation. I was really just playing around.
But Ive got a good guideline to follow now, thanks to everyone here that is,