Piano Dissatisfaction, ... an update... Options

[DawnF]

A number of you know how dissatisfied I've been with my piano playing lately. I've not been feeling that my lessons are working for me. I felt I hadn't made any or at best very little progress. I was getting into that vicious circle of feeling frustrated during and after my practise so feeling like practising less so not making the progress, hence more frustration etc....

I've wondered whether having lessons was a waste of money.....

I've wondered if I've reached as far as I can get right now....

I've wondered why I'm thrashing away at grade 7 pieces when I don't feel I could even play the grade 5 ones perfectly...

I'd lost sight of why I wanted to play piano in the first place - the reason being for use within the school teaching environment and to play some fun little things for pleasure...

And....

I felt like I couldn truly play ANYTHING well....

Basically I talked all this out with my teacher (she was glad that I did and supportive- even though she felt I was doing better than I felt I was) and the result is that next time I'm to take all my other books in and we are going to tackle this together. Probably working on more reading and perfecting some simpler pieces alongside some more technical work to build up my skills.

I'm glad I talked this out with her. I even managed to play my pieces rather well too - bizarrely - it was like a load had been lifted.

I'd been wondering whether I actually wanted to keep having lessons but when she gently gave me the chance to say so I found myself saying I DID want to keep going but just not in the same way.

I feel better for it and thought I'd update all those who have tried to support me in this through PMs. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[sbhoa]

I'm so pleased to hear that you're working out a solution to this now.
I hope you rediscover your enjoyment with the piano now.

[Mad Tom]

A number of you know how dissatisfied I've been with my piano playing lately. I've not been feeling that my lessons are working for me.

I think the timeto give up is when you ARE satisfied with your playing! It is dissatisfaction that is the spur to improvement.

I felt I hadn't made any or at best very little progress. I was getting into that vicious circle of feeling frustrated during and after my practise so feeling like practising less so not making the progress, hence more frustration etc....

Plateaus happen to everyone. You must have faith that if you persist then you'll get past them. Sometimes it just takes time for you brain to re-organize and assimilate what you are learning. You can't speed it up and you have to plod on while it happens.
But it helps if you enjoy the practice for its own sake, and love the interaction with the piano, rather than simply seeing it as a means to an end (greater skill). That way there is no motivation problem.

I've wondered why I'm thrashing away at grade 7 pieces when I don't feel I could even play the grade 5 ones perfectly...

Well I wouldn't let that bother you. I can't play Grade 5 pieces perfectly either, and I am preparing an LRSM and regularly playing in public.

I felt like I couldn't truly play ANYTHING well....

If you are a real pianist you will probably never be satisfied. As you improve you just get more critical.

But I am glad to hear you are through the crisis and feeling happier about lessons and practice.

[Chris H]

Phew! That's good. It just shows that it's best to get things out into the open.

I can empathise with the part about feeling that one is not playing anything well. I've been trying to play some songs from the musicals to help with sightreading, and I can't make them sound like anything at all. At the next forum concert I'd like to have another go at duets, and see if I can play one this time - all my efforts seem to be going into making the exam pieces sound half way decent at the moment.

[lostchord]

Glad you're loking at clear water ahead. As an adult learner I'm always analysing playing and learning and after grade 4 was very dissatisfied with my ability. I passed the exam but felt there was no 'depth' to my playing. I could not open an easy piece, sight read it and then play it. My teacher is out of circulation all summer and though I have pieces to practice I have spent the last few months sight reading and playing some easier pieces. 'A Tune A Day' - now there is an apposite title!!!!! I am enjoying the freedom and my sight reading is getting better and I am slowly developing a little bit of confidence. I think we spend too much time focussing on the pieces at the top of our ability level and trying to push the boundaries, especially if we are on the grade exam gravy train. I'm finding the Christopher Norton Microjazz book with the rhythymn exercises particulalry useful.

Hope this of interest and keep going!

[DawnF]

Glad you're loking at clear water ahead. As an adult learner I'm always analysing playing and learning and after grade 4 was very dissatisfied with my ability. I passed the exam but felt there was no 'depth' to my playing. I could not open an easy piece, sight read it and then play it. My teacher is out of circulation all summer and though I have pieces to practice I have spent the last few months sight reading and playing some easier pieces. 'A Tune A Day' - now there is an apposite title!!!!! I am enjoying the freedom and my sight reading is getting better and I am slowly developing a little bit of confidence. I think we spend too much time focussing on the pieces at the top of our ability level and trying to push the boundaries, especially if we are on the grade exam gravy train. I'm finding the Christopher Norton Microjazz book with the rhythymn exercises particulalry useful.

Hope this of interest and keep going!

Thankyou. I might look at something like the microjazz then. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

MT thanks for the response: thing is I'm NOT a natural pianist. I'm a clarinettist who also wants to be able to play piano. I think maybe i sometimes don't approach things in a pianists wayand that's part of the problem.... My view of the music for example is very note based, not on intervals, chord structure etc. and I find it hard to process the 2 lines at once until I'm familiar with the piece...

But the main thing is my teacher now knows all this and we can hopefully begin to tackle these issues together.

[sbhoa]

My view of the music for example is very note based, not on intervals, chord structure etc. and I find it hard to process the 2 lines at once until I'm familiar with the piece...

Interesting you should say that.
Being the opposite way round to you I did find that clarinet playing/reading was note based. As I've progressed I'm beginning to read the shape of the music more and have come to realise that I do need to read clarinet music with reference to intervals and chord structure as well as automatically reading things like scale patterns.
I also can feel a bit lost with only one line and sometimes need to read from the piano score to work out what's going on while I'm learning something. It feels a bit odd to only be able to see my own line. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

[Roger]

A number of you know how dissatisfied I've been with my piano playing lately. I've not been feeling that my lessons are working for me. I felt I hadn't made any or at best very little progress. I was getting into that vicious circle of feeling frustrated during and after my practise so feeling like practising less so not making the progress, hence more frustration etc....

I've wondered whether having lessons was a waste of money.....

I've wondered if I've reached as far as I can get right now....

I've wondered why I'm thrashing away at grade 7 pieces when I don't feel I could even play the grade 5 ones perfectly...

I'd lost sight of why I wanted to play piano in the first place - the reason being for use within the school teaching environment and to play some fun little things for pleasure...

And....

I felt like I couldn truly play ANYTHING well....

Basically I talked all this out with my teacher (she was glad that I did and supportive- even though she felt I was doing better than I felt I was) and the result is that next time I'm to take all my other books in and we are going to tackle this together. Probably working on more reading and perfecting some simpler pieces alongside some more technical work to build up my skills.

I'm glad I talked this out with her. I even managed to play my pieces rather well too - bizarrely - it was like a load had been lifted.

I'd been wondering whether I actually wanted to keep having lessons but when she gently gave me the chance to say so I found myself saying I DID want to keep going but just not in the same way.

I feel better for it and thought I'd update all those who have tried to support me in this through PMs. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

What you are descibing here is so typical of so many people who are going or have gone through the graded piano exams regime. I know many people who have passed G8 and gone on to diploma courses and yet still cannot play the instrument fluently and /or competently. For, me passing G8 was enough. The pure pleasure, enjoyment, fluency and repertoire building came from that point onwards. Please don't give up, though, playing the piano is so rewarding. Try this: go to the piano and just play anything that comes into your head, something made up in your mind. It doesn't matter if it sounds dissonant just work your hands and fingers over the keyboard. You will be surprised at what you can achieve with self composition, plus the reward of playing ones own work. Try recording it and then listening to it.

[DawnF]

A number of you know how dissatisfied I've been with my piano playing lately. I've not been feeling that my lessons are working for me. I felt I hadn't made any or at best very little progress. I was getting into that vicious circle of feeling frustrated during and after my practise so feeling like practising less so not making the progress, hence more frustration etc....

I've wondered whether having lessons was a waste of money.....

I've wondered if I've reached as far as I can get right now....

I've wondered why I'm thrashing away at grade 7 pieces when I don't feel I could even play the grade 5 ones perfectly...

I'd lost sight of why I wanted to play piano in the first place - the reason being for use within the school teaching environment and to play some fun little things for pleasure...

And....

I felt like I couldn truly play ANYTHING well....

Basically I talked all this out with my teacher (she was glad that I did and supportive- even though she felt I was doing better than I felt I was) and the result is that next time I'm to take all my other books in and we are going to tackle this together. Probably working on more reading and perfecting some simpler pieces alongside some more technical work to build up my skills.

I'm glad I talked this out with her. I even managed to play my pieces rather well too - bizarrely - it was like a load had been lifted.

I'd been wondering whether I actually wanted to keep having lessons but when she gently gave me the chance to say so I found myself saying I DID want to keep going but just not in the same way.

I feel better for it and thought I'd update all those who have tried to support me in this through PMs. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

What you are descibing here is so typical of so many people who are going or have gone through the graded piano exams regime. I know many people who have passed G8 and gone on to diploma courses and yet still cannot play the instrument fluently and /or competently. For, me passing G8 was enough. The pure pleasure, enjoyment, fluency and repertoire building came from that point onwards. Please don't give up, though, playing the piano is so rewarding. Try this: go to the piano and just play anything that comes into your head, something made up in your mind. It doesn't matter if it sounds dissonant just work your hands and fingers over the keyboard. You will be surprised at what you can achieve with self composition, plus the reward of playing ones own work. Try recording it and then listening to it.

A friend of mine calls this doodling.... I'm not a natural doodler but I'll give it a try. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
Incidentally I haven't actually taken any graded exams and at present have no intention of doing so on piano.

[PianissiMole]

Glad to hear your are feeling more positive, Dawn. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

As MT says We all reach these plateaux. I think we are sometimes unaware of what progress we are making. I felt recently I had hit a brick wall with progress on a piece. No matter how much practice I put in it just seemed to stay the same - full of mistakes - and not getting any better. When I checked, I found I had gone from playing it quite slow to too fast! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blush.gif) Bringing it back to the right tempo seemed to give an unbelievable amount of time to anticipate and avoid mistakes! (I still made a few, though just for old times sake (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) )