Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Achievement of the week - what got you excited?

Well, it's not much an achievement but I played for the first time in 3 months yesterday. I've been away from home since early January and only returned last Sunday. I'd been putting off sitting down at the piano because I knew how dreadfully I'd play but finally made myself last night. Nothing serious, just some scales played very slowly and a few Hanon exercises.

Back at it today.

Ragdoll - I think I completely missed on both your cat or your recent events. I cannot go back to previous pages on my phone. I am intrigued. I hope you will get out of.. situation you are in if it is not a good one. Hope the best for you. I love cat too by the way. My hubby is allergic to it and I cannot have it. I grew up with animals around me. Would love to see the pic of your cat.

Greg - congrats for starting after 3 months! It takes courage to take it up again. I was there many times. Sometimes I completely stopped it. Its easy to let it go after a long absence. And yes, long absence, we experience as an adult. Life happens. Sometimes those interruptions are as merry as vacations or weddings, but work (long term assignment etc) gets in our way too. Living is as precious as playing the piano, I guess I settled down to accepting the fact that interruptions (= stall progress) do occur and live with it.

Congrats! that's like me and going to the gym. except i haven't exactly gone back! Hope to hear you play soon.

Greg - it's like riding a bicycle How great that you get to play again - there's so much joy in it, n'est ce pas?

Cathy

PaperClip: the children-only recital is intimidating for me, I know there are a couple very gifted early-teens between the students and I hope I will not too much in the wrong place...
Ah, my husband works in Noordwijk an Zee (European Space Agency).

ElleC: I'm working on the same prelude, It looks easy to learn but it's sooo difficult to play it musically. I would like it to be one of the recital pieces, but it's so famous that maybe I should not dare it in public!

SwissMS: I never thought of using physiology to solve piano problems! You have a really great teacher!

There is indeed a great deal of joy in it - that's what keeps me coming back

There are a surprising number of parallels between playing the piano and cycling:

• They can both bring a great deal of happiness.
• They're both hard work if you want to do them well.
• They both require discipline.
• They both benefit from regular practice.
• If you take an extended time off from either - it shows.

I'm fortunate that my time away from the piano is for the most part spent doing things I want to do. It's a choice I've made to do other things on a regular basis through the year even though this means I'm away from the piano for periods of a few days (no big deal) to a few months. It used to bother me a lot how much my playing regressed during the extended absences but it's a reality caused by choices I've made so I've learned to accept it.

The frequent restarting is difficult though - there's nothing worse than a remembered skill! Also, if I measure my (lack of) progress against a hypothetical "how good could I be if I focussed only on the piano" the gap is pretty wide but I console myself that my life would be less diverse and therefore less rich so I'm OK not "being all I could be".

Life's full of tradeoffs!

AOTW's:

1) I finally got into the habit of doing daily sight-reading exercises (something I'd been *saying* I wanted to do for quite a while now). I discovered that I can sight-read (and play prime vista) pretty well when it's one line at a time, whichever clef I'm trying to read. The problems start when I need to read two or more voices at a time. But I'm actually not all that bad at reading treble clef without thinking too much about it. So I've taken to singing the bass line as I play, note names and all. This helps me think about the music in terms of the actual notes it's composed of, instead of just automatically remembering the way it sounds, and going from there (never looking at the score again). Tomorrow, I'm going to go buy Alfred's level 1 for sight readoing practice.

2) I got my spark back! Playing the piano had lost some of its magic for me lately. I played 'old' pieces daily, but couldn't really motivate myself to sit down with new stuff and really work on it. Something was weighing me down. Yesterday I realized what it was. I've been playing the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata almost daily since December 22. That's nearly four months now, and they've been ... an interesting four months. I spent almost two hours before dawn this morning, writing down a list of emotionally draining things that have happened to me lately. I realized that all of those emotions are wrapped up in the Moonlight Sonata now. I need to stop playing it for a while. I almost wish May was here already. Then I could submit the thing for the ABF recital, and close that chapter for good. But even without that, I'm actually once again looking forward to playing the piano each morning before work, and each evening after I get home. It feels really good to have that back.



Congrats on the successful public performance. Building a track record of positive experiences like the one you just had seems to be the key to overcoming performance anxiety, so if that is one of your personal goals, then this recital is definitely a major AOTW!



Well, mine is still nearly 40 years away. On the flip side, that means I still have a *lot* of time to get good at piano _before_ retirement (and maybe then, I'll be able to supplement my retirement income with tips and gigs). And so do you!



This is huge. I just recently got started doing daily sight reading exercises, which made me realize that in pretty much *all* of the pieces I can play, it's all muscle memory, and no actual recollection of what's in the score. I now sing the notes, by name, as I play them, and that helps tremendously. But you are definitely getting a head start, being that aware of what you're doing from the get-go! Have a nice holiday with your parents.



W00t! This is great! And as *I*'ve already said: nobody will care, except for you, that you're the only adult. I'm willing to bet next month's pay that all reaction you get -- if any -- from people in the audience, will be positive. Half of them will be vaguely envious of you because they wish they had the courage to do what you're doing.



This is quite an achievement, indeed. What's the secret? I'm interested!



Well, let's just say, this is still an aspirational skill of mine . My hat's off to you for actually doing it. And nightly, no less! Whew.



I sympathize with the 'kind of sort of'. That's what I did for most of February and March. But still, kudos to you for finding a piano (even if it was an out of tune one) in a not-so-likely place and time, and actually making productive use of it.



Yep. I do that too, and I really think it's hindering my progress at this point. Sounds like you are getting over it. Anything special you've been doing with regards to that?



Well, I always see people going on about how the fourth and fifth fingers are really the weakest in the hand. So yay for a good workout!



I really do believe that the key to getting better at performing is building a track record of successful public performance experiences. If that means going a little below your actual level, so be it. Pat yourself on the back for a mission accomplished, instead of trying to find reasons to make it less of a big deal than it actually is!



A good teacher can make a *huge* difference. May this be the catalyst for many future AOTW's for you!



This is exactly what it looks like, I think, when a good teacher does good work. A physiology textbook as a tool for better piano teaching. Interesting thought. She's a keeper, this one! But then I think I've said that before about your teacher ... In any case, I'm happy you found some real solutions!



That must have been a great feeling. Definitely something to cherish! And, perhaps, mark as a milestone in your piano journey, too.



That's all we can ask for, right? May this week be better than the last. And at the rate you're going (I listened to your SoundCloud recordings, and they're all pretty fabulous, especially given when you started), you'll be playing circles around most of us in another six months or so.



I disagree about that not being an achievement. After that long a hiatus, it would have been easy for you to just let it slip. But you didn't. For any piano-related achievement to happen, the 'conditio sine qua non' is that you're actually playing the piano regularly. As I've written a few times before in other contexts, it is the mother of all AOTW's. So congrats!



You can say that again! But it sounds like yours is a pretty happy balance. So good for you!

Amen, brother, amen

Cathy

Saranoya, four months is a long time to work on one piece, isn't it? With all those emotions boiling up whenever you play it - and playing it for quite some time every day - just has to be draining! Moonlight isn't exactly a happy piece either, to lose yourself in and forget everything for a while. I don't suppose you can record it early and have it ready for the recital next month?

Regarding reading vs memorising, I don't think it's a problem per se. Ideally I'll be able to do both: play some favourites from memory and be able to read the rest. For that, I need to learn to read better, especially while playing (not necessarily sightreading). I was assigned that Chopin Waltz in A Minor a while ago. I can read it just fine, but the piece is too difficult for me to play without looking where I land in those left hand jumps, as well as in some right hand passages.

This week I'm working primarily on Orbits by Einaudi. It's fairly simple, but requires reading ahead because you frequently cross left hand over the right. It's slow enough that I can look where I land, then check the next part of the score, etc. the beauty of Einaudi's music is that there is a lot of repetition. In the case of Orbits, I need just one glance to see the bass and right hand chord for a measure, and another glance to see which melody to play with the left hand. It's nice practice for a week

You got that done in only two hours???


No need to wait for May! Record today and submit on Monday! It opens on the 15th of the month prior.


I'm guessing with 40 years to go before retirement you may still be at the stage of life where you look forward to work and your career developing (in whatever fashion you might dream of). At the 22 year mark of my career, I'm at the tipping point of starting to get sick of it.

casinitaly, thanks so much for your encouragement! You posted this on page 133 but I've been meaning to come back to thank you. It's definitely been a stretch and my pieces still need lots of work. But I'll submit what I have warts and all. (I'm feeling more at peace with that). Hopefully there will be more themed recitals and you will be able to join in next time. It really has been fun and a great way to get exposure to some of Mendelssohn's pieces. Hopefully it will be for those who listen as well.

Thanks for the tip! Didn't realize it was that close. Got my recording in the bag today. I even wrote the notes to go with it. If I'm not the first person to submit for this recital, well ... I'll probably be among the first five.

And that takes care of that. It is, indeed, something of a relief to know that I don't *have* to keep playing that piece now. Only if I want to ...

I have been troubled for awhile and had no desire to play and just barely practiced. I sat at the piano for a few minutes just now, hands in my lap and considered what I could do to get out of this funk!
When I finally put hands to the keys I truly felt its promise of what sort of day this would be. I went through my practice with joy and played both my pieces (the parts I've learned at least) through a few times. I feel much better now so maybe the cloud is lifting off me.
It has been a horrible 12 days for me for sure and though it may be cliché it's true that "when the mind struggles, the body reacts". Not sure who said that but the quiet in my mind has started to relieve the rest of my struggle.
My piano and I are friends again . YAY!!

+1,000,000

Yay!!!

We're all rooting for you.

Sam Rose, tuning too? That is amazing. I believe you are the only beginner on the forum that has tuned a piano.

Jim F, lead sheets are something I want to learn.

Andy Platt, good work with the choir. It is an entirely different game playing for a choir, and not an easy one.

Saranoya, by ear transcription from a Youtube? That is quite the skill. It is something I am working towards.

SwissMS, polyrhythms are a higher hill to climb.

Everyone else, I enjoy reading all the reports and the stories.

Week 57: I find a lead sheet for Fire and Rain by James Taylor. I do not get very far with it, despite some effort and finding some Youtube versions. Another new project is to transcribe the melody from Verdi Cries by Natalie Merchant. It is slow going with many inaccuracies, but it is about as close as I can get for now. I tell myself that the next time it will be better. On the ear training app, there are a few notes that I have a hard time matching. When transcribing, the same thing happens. The pitch matching section of the app is much easier because it plays one note, and an exact match is always available. A real song has voice, melody, harmony and the three sometimes diverge or overlap. If the singer is off, there may not be an exact note match.

I spend a good deal of time this week improvising in the key of D, trying to find that next original piece. I give lip service to some of the older projects: Canon in D, River Flows in You, and my other legacy works. I play The Passage of Time on my brother's Baldwin upright, which has a light action and a bright sound. With the pedal full down, the volume is too much for me.

I order the book Rise Up Singing. The book is used by my local music group, Songmakers. It has chord progressions and lyrics to hundreds of pop and folk songs. No melodies. The bigger goals are to be able to play the melody lines to the familiar songs by ear, and to improvise off the chord progressions so that it sounds good with people singing.

Have a good week everyone.

I managed to play two tricky measures of the lyrical section right before the climax of Rachmaninoff's B minor prelude op. 32 no. 10. Still needs a lot of help and work though!

My AoTW is that I wound up performing in a kids recital with a 2 hour notice after my studio class today. My teacher is a professor at a community college but she does teach talented kids. I was totally blown away. These little kids are playing stuff I'm playing right now, very musically. The reason I played there was because a couple of kids could not make it. I only played the prelude part of the Bach. Well 10 years old did the c major prelude from the WTC book I along with Clare De Lune, Chopin C# minor nocturn and 2nd movement of Pathetique. 8 year old kids did a simpler Chopin nocturne and Bach's little Prelude, cannot remember the opus. Another one played Debussy's piece (somthing.. Corner, I forgot). They are extremely talented. Many of the pieces the kids played I have played in the last few years. I still like my interpretation better though (hahaha!). I had a few memory issues but played it through and got out of the recital ok. I actually played better in the studio class preceding the recital. I played both prelude & fugue daily smoothly. My classmates and teacher told me that it was getting better & shaped well. But I need a few more weeks to memorize left hand part alone for both prelude and fugue. It's getting better but not secure enough to play on stage in front of people.

I practiced Mendelssohn piece. Yes I am cramming. I really did not have time work on this after getting the notes. I hope I can record it tomorrow.

CORRECTION: Tall Guy/ Saranoya! – the recital does not open for submissions on the 15th of the month before the recital. The call for submission is on the 1st of the month, the recital opens for listening on the 15th.
(Obviously, you can record whenever you like


Farmgirl – sounds like your business trip had at least SOME wonderful musical moments, even though they weren’t piano-playing-related!
It is nice to attend a performance with folks who understand when to clap and when not to. (If I’m not sure, I just wait - Italians seem to be very well educated about when to clap and when not to.) Good for you for jumping in and participating in the kids’ recital. What a good sport you are! I think you are really enjoying your master classes – and how wonderful to get such encouraging feedback from others who are farther along in their piano journey!

SwissMS – How neat that your teacher specifically studies the physiology of hand positioning. I suppose many teachers do that , but it isn’t always so obvious to us as students. Congrats on getting the tricky rhythm on the Arabesque working for you! I can’t wait to hear it!

Stephen300o – It is always a thrill when we have a moment of recognizing our progress! Congratulations!

PaperClip – we visited Amsterdam a few years ago and just loved it – we were there in April, on an 11 day road trip from (near) Milan to - Cologne Amsterdam, Einkhausen, Waterloo and Paris. It is funny to think that we here in Europe are probably closer to each other than many of the folks in the USA. Maybe we should all meet up in Switzerland !

ElleC – I had the same problem with the pedal on my DP. I ended up bracing it against the wall – but it was not a pleasure to use. I couldn’t get the hang of using the pedal til I started to work on Chopin’s Waltz in Amin, (Post.) --- then it all started to come together. Another reason we like Chopin eh?

Ragdoll – of course you NEED it. The need for new music – even that which is above our current playing abilities – is never ending. That’s something no one ever warns you about when you take up piano. (I had no idea there were Ragdoll cats – I had to look them up! They are really sweet!) I’m glad to hear that you had a shift in perspective and mood – and that you seem to be getting your balance back somewhat after the trouble you’ve been coping with.

BBPlayer- Greg, how great that you sat yourself down and started to get those fingers working again ! I bet you’ll get up to speed in no time! Let us know how you’re doing! I just read your second post, and I think that taking time off from piano to do other things you like is called “balance”! Today I’m wobbling…go cycling, on the first day it is actually POSSIBLE to do so this year…or play? Hmmm. A little voice is telling me I can actually manage both!

Saranoya: What you did, writing down all that has been going on to figure out what was making you feel low, sounds like it really worked for you. 4 months is a long time for any piece especially for a “beginner” (we all know that there are shades of beginner-ness). Letting go of the piece may well be a good thing for you at this time.

SandTiger – ear training, transcribing, improvising, what a full, busy week you’ve had!
I have the Rise Up book! I got it years and years ago when I was involved with Girl Guides and used it for sing-a-longs with guitar. Now you’ve prompted me to pull it out and work on it with the piano!
(edited to add--- I just looked it up on Google and see this:
Rise Up Singing is a popular folk music fake book containing chords, lyrics, and sources. There are 1200 songs in the 2004 edition.....

I had no idea I'd been using fake books for so long! lol. I never even knew the words "fake book" til I joined PW!

I'm amused.


Dwscamel --- wow, you’re working on some pretty sophisticated pieces! Congrats on nailing a troublesome set of bars!

Allard- crossovers are tricky – but fun! I love having to do them- they make me laugh.

Valencia: the “big themed recital” launches next weekend I think? I see that it will come out in batches, which is a great idea! I will be watching for yours in particular!

SamRose – I have never heard the Aeolian Harp Etude – I do hope you’ll post a recording for us!

My AOTW is fixing the timing on part of my Heller, and working on improving the coordination of my right hand as I move through a part that is arpeggios. I have to go up 1,3,5, 8, then down and up again, 3,5, 8, 1, then 5, 8, 1 3 and so on….. I have a tendency to roll my hand and lift my thumb up in the air and am fighting to control that and move into the right position after playing the first note. I hope that by Tuesday this movement will be my AOTW!

Thanks FarmGirl, most of the anguish I was troubled with is over and the circumstance can't be changed anyway, at least not by me.

If I actually had a cat I would send you one . My Jack Russell would never tolerate a cat in the house. A couple of people have mistakenly thought my nick was in reference to owning a Ragdoll cat... but not so. It's more about my physical image (plain and comfy) and my love of ragtime music.

Congratulations Sara, I can't wait to hear it. Isn't it nice to have a piece finished where one only plays it because you want to play it. That's a great AOTW.