Hello pianists!

Since moving house, when we somehow managed to acquire a piano, I've been attempting to teach myself a few things on it. I know those are words which are dreaded by most teachers but I did have lessons for almost a year when I was about 14, and hated it. Now, however, I'm really enjoying getting to grips with it again.

I don't really know what standard I am any more - I know when I was having lessons we had just started sight-reading some Grade 4 pieces, but they were far from polished. Having dug out a former AB Grade 3 book, I can play most of the pieces 'relatively well'. (Take from that what you will!) The other music I've found lying around is 'Dolly's Dreaming and Awakening', which I think I can now play fairly well although I've no idea what standard it is.

Apparently as part of the music course I'm hoping to take at university from September we will all have a weekly piano lesson but I'd really like to improve before then. Does anyone have any ideas of what sort of things I could work on, if anything? If I could realistically afford to have lessons from now until September then I would be somehow I don't think that's going to happen!

Thanks

I'm not sure I'll be too popular for saying this, but SCALES! Invest in an AB book of scales for grade 1-5 (if you don't already have it) and make sure you get all the fingerings correct. Playing hands separately will really help with legato and later staccato - aim to get notes even and make sure the volume is the same for all fingers. Playing hands together helps develop independence of hands and to get fingers of each hand playing at exactly the same time - pay attention to this.

Other than that, buy yourself any piano course that takes your fancy and work through the pieces - they're all chosen to help with different aspects of playing.

I hope that doesn't sound too dry and boring, but learning the mechanics of any instrument requires a lot of effort. Of course, you could just play through lots of pieces, which will improve your sightreading but perhaps not your technique - it depends on what you want to achieve. You might prefer just to improve that side of your playing and wait for proper lessons for technique.

Aim to be consistant with fingering.
If the suggested fingering on something doesn't seem to make sense to you then run it by someone more experienced if you can before you change it. There may be a good reason or they may be a better fingering that works for you.
Try to make sure that you are sitting well and that your hand position is good. You may want to get someone to look at these occasionally too.

There is a book called 'Keyboard Skills for Reluctant Pianists' subtitled 'a do-it-yourself manual for students'. It covers all sorts of useful things about keyboard geography, harmony, scales, chord sequences , accompaniments etc and is specifically written for adults who already have some musical knowledge and want to develop keyboard skills. It comes with a CD and is an aural - based method. I've only just bought it and haven't read it in detail yet, but it seems very user friendly. Might cover the sort of things you would be likely to do in your uni classes? More details here.

It's lovely to resume playing an instrument you once played and the very fact you're playing the piano again means that you love it and that sooner or later (in life) you will find the right teacher and the right approach which ensures productive, motivating and guilt-free learning ('guilt-free' is most important!).
I agree with the scales for practice though a 'balanced diet' of technique and repertoire would be best. Whatever kind of music you prefer, there's loads of literature at all levels that you can use to gradually re-acquire the skills you developed some time ago. And then, a saint's patience and dogged determination in spite of ups and downs ... this is my recipi (a 51-year old enthusiastic piano student).
Happy practising,
John

Ooh, scales! Shall look into that, thanks BerkshireMum.

Thanks for those points, sbhoa. My school music teacher is a pianist so I can run things by her as and when.

Sue, that book looks really good. *adds to growing list*

Thanks John. I've already started to notice a marked improvement, which I didn't see when I was having piano lessons before. There's certainly not a lack of determination at the moment.

Noticing progress is a breat boost to our morale, and I am sure progress occurs all the time but, for one reason or other, we don't always notice it... Remember that the wrong notes, wrong dynamics and even the grossest of mistakes are all part of the learning process and, in a way, they all mean progress.
Best,
John