Is Clair de Lune too hard for me?
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@mark
Mark, thanks, yes the discipline to play each through daily is one thing for me to take on.
Getting a good teacher is another ideal, if as is likely, I continue learning certain classical pieces. A lesson every fortnight would do.The first two Chopin you play, I remember attempting (not very successfully) as a teenager because my elder sister played them, leaving her music open on the music stand tempting me to dabble with (she attained all 8 grades before going to University and I'm 5 years younger so was always catching up, before musically going our different ways). They are beautiful works.
The third Chopin is new to me and shall find it on youtube.For whatever reason, daily practice and consistency (like returning to daily practice if I miss a day) is the one thing I’m really, really good at. Of course, partly that’s because I worked really hard early on to make consistent practice a routine, and I read all the things online about how to do that.
Another reason surely has to do with the fact that I started as an adult and was (still am?) a little bit obsessed with piano. And then the few times I’ve had serious challenges to my ability to stick with piano (grad school, big moves, career changes) I’ve used daily practice (or at least daily playing) as a way to keep me connected to piano even when I wasn’t practicing enough to progress or improve.
Getting a good teacher is another ideal, if as is likely, I continue learning certain classical pieces. A lesson every fortnight would do.
I am a huge proponent of taking lessons, and I personally prefer in-person, real time lessons. But there are lots of good online options as well (both real time or self-paced). Have you considered something like Tonebase? I believe it’s fairly well-regarded. And if you’re playing classical pieces, it seems like a good model.
If fitting real-time lessons into your schedule is challenging, perhaps you could start with something like that?
@kluurs are/were you a member of Tonebase?
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For whatever reason, daily practice and consistency (like returning to daily practice if I miss a day) is the one thing I’m really, really good at. Of course, partly that’s because I worked really hard early on to make consistent practice a routine, and I read all the things online about how to do that.
Another reason surely has to do with the fact that I started as an adult and was (still am?) a little bit obsessed with piano. And then the few times I’ve had serious challenges to my ability to stick with piano (grad school, big moves, career changes) I’ve used daily practice (or at least daily playing) as a way to keep me connected to piano even when I wasn’t practicing enough to progress or improve.
Getting a good teacher is another ideal, if as is likely, I continue learning certain classical pieces. A lesson every fortnight would do.
I am a huge proponent of taking lessons, and I personally prefer in-person, real time lessons. But there are lots of good online options as well (both real time or self-paced). Have you considered something like Tonebase? I believe it’s fairly well-regarded. And if you’re playing classical pieces, it seems like a good model.
If fitting real-time lessons into your schedule is challenging, perhaps you could start with something like that?
@kluurs are/were you a member of Tonebase?
For whatever reason, daily practice and consistency (like returning to daily practice if I miss a day) is the one thing I’m really, really good at.
If fitting real-time lessons into your schedule is challenging, perhaps you could start with something like that?
@kluurs are/were you a member of Tonebase?
I was listening to a podcast with one of the top personal trainers in the country. It was interesting that when he was asked where he focused with a first time client - and his answer was schedule. That is if a person can't keep a schedule for working out, it would fail. So, that's where he started and focused a lot of his energy. They spoke for almost 3 hours - and consistency came up time and again. At one point, the interviewer asked what was the best time of day to realize the most gains - and the trainer side stepped and said, "whatever time of the day the person can consistently focus their time."
For me, that's typically late in the day. I went a few years when I don't think I played 10 hours on the piano in the entire year - as work and ancillary activities of life took up all my time.
Now that I'm retired I can be a bit more consistent. I still have no talent for music - can't sight read, memorize or count effectively, fumble over notes, and terrified of public performance - but I'm still hacking away at the poor piano and enjoying every moment more than ever.
I joked with Mik a long while back, that if I dedicated myself to playing several hours a day and with proper instruction, I might rise from a bad player to mediocre - but such a lofty goal is unlikely. Doesn't matter - hopefully, in my next life, I jump in line for musical talent as soon as the doors open.
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For whatever reason, daily practice and consistency (like returning to daily practice if I miss a day) is the one thing I’m really, really good at.
If fitting real-time lessons into your schedule is challenging, perhaps you could start with something like that?
@kluurs are/were you a member of Tonebase?
I was listening to a podcast with one of the top personal trainers in the country. It was interesting that when he was asked where he focused with a first time client - and his answer was schedule. That is if a person can't keep a schedule for working out, it would fail. So, that's where he started and focused a lot of his energy. They spoke for almost 3 hours - and consistency came up time and again. At one point, the interviewer asked what was the best time of day to realize the most gains - and the trainer side stepped and said, "whatever time of the day the person can consistently focus their time."
For me, that's typically late in the day. I went a few years when I don't think I played 10 hours on the piano in the entire year - as work and ancillary activities of life took up all my time.
Now that I'm retired I can be a bit more consistent. I still have no talent for music - can't sight read, memorize or count effectively, fumble over notes, and terrified of public performance - but I'm still hacking away at the poor piano and enjoying every moment more than ever.
I joked with Mik a long while back, that if I dedicated myself to playing several hours a day and with proper instruction, I might rise from a bad player to mediocre - but such a lofty goal is unlikely. Doesn't matter - hopefully, in my next life, I jump in line for musical talent as soon as the doors open.
"whatever time of the day the person can consistently focus their time."
Yep. My preference would be to practice in the morning, but it's just not possible. So it's usually night time, but even if I can only put in a little bit of time, I do. And then when i have a bigger chunk of time, I benefit from that more because I've been at the piano consistently.
if I dedicated myself to playing several hours a day and with proper instruction, I might rise from a bad player to mediocre
That's pretty much me. As you say, it doesn't matter. It gives me great joy. (And somehow, miraculously, doesn't drive my husband crazy).
So I keep playing.
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For whatever reason, daily practice and consistency (like returning to daily practice if I miss a day) is the one thing I’m really, really good at.
If fitting real-time lessons into your schedule is challenging, perhaps you could start with something like that?
@kluurs are/were you a member of Tonebase?
I was listening to a podcast with one of the top personal trainers in the country. It was interesting that when he was asked where he focused with a first time client - and his answer was schedule. That is if a person can't keep a schedule for working out, it would fail. So, that's where he started and focused a lot of his energy. They spoke for almost 3 hours - and consistency came up time and again. At one point, the interviewer asked what was the best time of day to realize the most gains - and the trainer side stepped and said, "whatever time of the day the person can consistently focus their time."
For me, that's typically late in the day. I went a few years when I don't think I played 10 hours on the piano in the entire year - as work and ancillary activities of life took up all my time.
Now that I'm retired I can be a bit more consistent. I still have no talent for music - can't sight read, memorize or count effectively, fumble over notes, and terrified of public performance - but I'm still hacking away at the poor piano and enjoying every moment more than ever.
I joked with Mik a long while back, that if I dedicated myself to playing several hours a day and with proper instruction, I might rise from a bad player to mediocre - but such a lofty goal is unlikely. Doesn't matter - hopefully, in my next life, I jump in line for musical talent as soon as the doors open.
@kluurs said:
I still have no talent for music - can't sight read, memorize or count effectively, fumble over notes, and terrified of public performance - but I'm still hacking away at the poor piano and enjoying every moment more than ever.Oh! This sounds like me. I started playing around at the piano again a few weeks ago, trying to revive pieces that I played before. I haven’t played the piano in at least a decade. It’s slow going, but I like the way the notes sound. (I remember how some of the pieces should sound, which helps me fumble my way through.)
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@kluurs said:
I still have no talent for music - can't sight read, memorize or count effectively, fumble over notes, and terrified of public performance - but I'm still hacking away at the poor piano and enjoying every moment more than ever.Oh! This sounds like me. I started playing around at the piano again a few weeks ago, trying to revive pieces that I played before. I haven’t played the piano in at least a decade. It’s slow going, but I like the way the notes sound. (I remember how some of the pieces should sound, which helps me fumble my way through.)
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@kluurs said:
I still have no talent for music - can't sight read, memorize or count effectively, fumble over notes, and terrified of public performance - but I'm still hacking away at the poor piano and enjoying every moment more than ever.Oh! This sounds like me. I started playing around at the piano again a few weeks ago, trying to revive pieces that I played before. I haven’t played the piano in at least a decade. It’s slow going, but I like the way the notes sound. (I remember how some of the pieces should sound, which helps me fumble my way through.)
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For all of us wishing to be humbled - here is 7 year old Olivia Li - who is the youngest person ever accepted to the Curtis Institute of Music (Yuja Wang's alma mater) playing the Chopin etude in thirds...
Link to video -
@ShiroKuro Honestly SK, I think it was you! Posting up about Wiosna, which I’ve played before.
It’s so nice to calm my monkey mind and be so totally immersed in something that takes all my concentration. I love the way it sounds, and the way the vibrations run through me. I don’t ever want to play publicly; I have terrible piano stage fright. I’m just doing this for me. (I can sing and play the guitar in public with no problem. Go figure.)
So thank you for the inspiration.
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