Its been over a year since I had a piano lesson and many many months since I even touched my piano but I've finally decided, I'm going to give it another go, albeit with another teacher.

I passed grade 2 with Distinction but as I am now I couldn't even do my grade 1 and pass with 100. I've backslidden so much, and such a lot has fizzled into the haze of a 41 year old and his cocktails of anticonvulsants/antidepressants. I can only just remember how to play a Cmaj/Amin scale with both hands and the Z-Cars theme!!!

My problem is confidence. But the whole sphere of learning the piano became boring after a few years as I didn't look upon it as a joyful pursuit but a chore. I have never thought of listening to classical piano, or watching videos of Kempf, Argerich and LangLang a chore, so why should learning piano, something I have always wanted to do since shildhood but was denied the opportunity several times, a chore?

Has anyone else ever been in the same boat??

You're obviously musical but perhaps it's just not your instrument. I had the same lack of enthusiasm for practicing the oboe. I've no problem at all spending hours at the piano though. Have you thought of playing something else (as well or instead)? Perhaps something which which will get you into a band or orchestra.

Hello Alicia.

The piano definately is my instrument, I've known it since primary school (where I had the task of helping to push the piano from classroom to classroom to hall because of my size! and sitting in Assembly staring at Miss Taylor's hands gliding over the keyboard so effortlessly, and wishing I could do that too!!)

Studying the piano has helped me to concentrate on things easier, musical and non-musical. But, I think I may have been going about it the wrong way. Classical and a bit of jazz has always been my thing but shortly after last Christmas I had a guy round who plays Gospel and R and B, and is also the music topguy in his church (pentecostal). He had me playing 'Hero' by Mariah Carey in half an hour!!! So there is something there but it's finding the right teacher with the right method, piano exams and licentuates/diplomas, or otherwise. And who has experience of teaching adults rather than primary school kids.

Luckily here in Birmingham there's oodles and oodles of former Conservatoire graduates who now teach.

Maybe it's been a combination of the right teacher, the right sort of music and possibly a teeny bit of being an adult and expecting too much too quickly?
Your experience with the Gospel player suggests that maybe you'd be happier with more of a learn by rote approach than having to go through all the stages of learning to read the music and build technique?

Every teacher has a different approach, and as I've only ever had one, and it didn't work with me, a new approach would do me good. But second time around I know what particular aspects of learning to avoid, and I think pressurising myself into doing piano exams, getting anxious about sight reading (after doing hour after hour of futile practise) etc etc are two of those aspects. Being able to sit at the piano and play a classical piece (simple, not LangLang style) and ENJOY the experience would be cool. And then, if I want to take a graded exam, I can take it or leave it.

My wife says the reason I gave up was that my previous teacher pushed me too hard, well that may have been a small contributory factor as to why I threw in the towel, but there were other factors as well, as I explained.

Are there any piano teachers in the southern suburbs of Birmingham reading this????

That is EXACTLY the approach I am taking. I went through the exam sausage machine when i was little. I don't want to do that any more. I want to "get good" because I will then be able to play "all the fun stuff". It will be fun because I enjoy the fact that I can deliver a musical performance by actually physically doing it - it isn't about just churning out something nice to listen to because I could do that by playing a CD.

All the best with your piano journey!

Just my thoughts on this - I am a very late bloomer on the saxophone and have had two very different teachers, the first made learning a complete chore for lots of reasons. The second is fab. I have yet to work through a book with him, he simply says what do you like listening to (blues and jazz) and works his lessons around that! I have been with him over a year and although he does mention learning the theory he never pushes - the effect is that I want to learn and love my lessons.

In my opinion it really is down to finding the right teacher.

Good luck clare

hiya good luck with getting back with your lessons i'm in the same boat as you i myself have had to take a long break form paracticing my instrument (the Clarinet) due to ilness but i am slowly heading in the right direction. i've been making time to do a small amount of regular practice weekly and the not getting wound up over the hours i am or arent able to put in, or exams or rushing things and who's better than me etc i'm just spending time getting back to loving my instrument and loving practicing. its time for me to go back to lessons i think, as i'm loosing focus and need the guidance and skill of a teacher to make any improvements but i'll need to have a chat with my teacher about taking things easy for a little while. i dont want to rush straight in to trying to hammer out pieces or be penalised for not putting in the practice hours i just cant find the stamina for at the moment. so i'm wishing you every success in getting back to enjoying your piano and its back to lessong for the both of us in the new year i look forward to hearing about your prgress in future threads

I think this is essential. If you are not playing stuff you enjoy then what's the point? If you are going to do exams then you may often end up with pieces that are not really to your liking, but where possible still choose pieces you like. In anything with exams there will always be parts you don't like, but you grit your teeth and slog through it.

I have a student who wants to learn to play pop pieces (Rihanna etc) which are not to my tastes, but I am not going to force him to learn Mozart if that is not his thing. I WILL make him do scales and a proper hand shape because that's just normal, proper teaching... I think!

Also, I think you've gotta love your instrument. I love playing piano, and no matter how much I practice I will never be as good as I want to be. That's good for the long term motivation!

In receipt of a total of ?50 for Christmas/birthday. The search for a piano teacher begins when the tree comes down! This one looks goody:

http://pianodebbie.co.uk

Its now the 27th and Debbie has emailed me and asked me to buzz her at the end of this week. Her charges are very reasonable too considering she's a grade eighter.
We're motoring at last!!!