I have been learning to play the piano for some time..I have had many discussions with my teacher about practice. I think I do all the correct things!! I am about grade 3 standard for practical, but grade 6 for theory. My hands are a bit arthritic. I am 68 yrs old

Have you wonderful piano teachers any hints or formal schedule you can share with me.
I am a model pupil ! turn up on time, do my theory, pay fees, practice daily(well nearly) Rarely cancel only if I am ill or on holiday when adequate notice is given to my teacher.

My teacher and I have a good rapport we have been doing an ITQ course together so we are "friendly" but at the lesson she is my teacher and is afforded the respect she deserves.

Oh dear! I sound too good to be true. She does have trouble with me from time to time!

What are you hoping to achieve?

Are there any particular problems with your current practice routine?

Difficult to offer helpful suggestions without more specific info!

Hi there.

It sounds like you are doing all the right things, and practicing what you have been set - the trouble my older 'slightly arthritic' student have is getting any of the pieces up to speed, but as Sue says it is difficult to offer any specific advice unless there is a specific technique you are trying to achieve.

My only main piece of advice for all of my students, but especially the adults, is think about your posture and nice relaxed wrists (otherwise it hurts and that's not good) and above all...

HAVE FUN!

Hope you keep enjoying playing....

No I don't think there is a lot wrong with my pracrice routine. But I do not seem to progress very quickly. I have 3/4 short pieces on the go. I do the scales of those pieces, I practice slowly and if difficult passage one handed until I have sorted my fingering out with my teachers help. My fingers are not too bad but some are a little bent.
I often take 6 weeks or more to master a piece. My teacher never forces me to stay with a particular piece, but is encouraging when she sees progress and we both think I can achieve a reasonable standard.
She has a problem with me wanting to look down at the notes when she says it it not neccessary !1 and I mutter if things go wrong

Don't worry about how long it takes you to master a piece.
I also feel that I'm quite slow in this way but I think that part of it comes from the bad habit of trying to measure myself against what others say they can do.
It's better if you can learn to trust where your hands are than keep on looking down but if you didn't do this from the start it may take some time to get used to now. There are times when you really do need a quick look so it's not a case of never do it.
I tend to be vocal at times when things go wrong too.

In that case you have nothing to worry about! I've been playing some classical sonatas (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven) for 35 years and I still haven''t mastered them!

Seriously though:

a good teacher, slow careful practice, and train your ear and study music alongside improving dexterity.

And that is the entire secret.

6 weeks is a very reasonable time frame to get to grips with a new piece.

Vary your practice routine so you don't get bored. I like to photocopy my piece, cut out the tricky bars and stick them all on one sheet of paper or postcard, so all the bits that need practice are isolated in one place.

Set yourself a definite goal for each session and stick to it eg I will get bar 7 absolutely right today - that way you are guaranteed to make steady progress. Otherwise it is all too easy to skim through things over and over again without really getting to grips with problems.

Aim to be able to play your piece all the way through with no mistakes at a speed that is manageable - even if it is really really slow at first - easy to speed up later - otherwise you end up learning to stop at the tricky bits!