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

CebuKid, welcome back! I've dropped out before, so I know how wonderful it can be to return to the bench with energy and excitement.

PaperClip, congratulations on completing your cookery school program — and welcome back to PW! Your teacher sounds wonderful.

FarmGirl, great to hear of your continued progress.

Cas, fantastic to hear that your lessons with your new teacher are going so well. The right person can be so motivating!

My accomplishment this week is mostly mental. It comes down to focusing on the details of timing and dynamics during my practice *and* while playing during my lessons. After some rather sloppy playing in front of my teacher yesterday, I realized how much I'm impeding my own progress. So I'll be working on focus and consistency over the next two weeks at home and through my next lesson. We'll see how it goes.

Greetings everyone... it's been a long time since I've posted. It's good to come back and read how you are all doing...

I've been practicing less the last few months (because of... life), and dropped lessons altogether since my teacher's health went bad and is off in a care facility, probably for good. But, I never stopped practicing (nearly daily, even if for only 15 minutes)... I've managed to polish Schumann's "Happy Farmer Returning from Work" and learn and almost polish his "Wild Horseman". (Note: by "polish" I mean "can play through at speed with few errors but probably lacking a lot in the finer points".

Now I'm working on Fur Elise, which I can finally play through with some (serious) hiccups, but I've got it all memorized and roughly under the fingers... It's really fun to work on, but I'm sure it'll be months before it's fluid.

These were all things that my teacher had started me on, given me the fingering for... soon I'll be starting off into the unknown and begin a piece without "supervision". I think this is healthy for me, and that I'll be happy without lessons for a while, which is why I haven't tried to find a new teacher. Not having that weekly session both motivating practice and giving rapid feedback certainly has made my progress slower... but I don't feel it's made the journey less enjoyable, yet.

And FarmGirl, I'm jealous of the Arizonian's who get to go to your piano party - sounds like a blast!

Cad and Pianodeb
Thank you for the kind words

Bessel - I was wondering what happened to you. Glad you are back.

My piano party update - it will be in Jan 2013. I wanted have in Nov but was advised to avoid year-end social seasons. I have 4 piano world forum members including myself and my teacher who has DMA & teaches at a comm college. I also have two friend who play the piano. So that'll be 7 pianists:). I'm very happy about it. If you are going to come to AZ for sun, let me know. We still have some room. It will be a great night for music, food, drinks and conversation. I will put a formal post as soon as I confirm the date.

It is nice to see you back on track, C. I have a feeling you are really going to flourish with this new teacher.


Meanwhile, I've had a few frustrating weeks where I can't seem to get much done despite putting in the normal hours. I was beating myself up a bit till I realized that I've got three pieces going that are all at least somewhat above what I would call "my level" (whatever that is). Anyway, I'm trying to be kinder and gentler with myself this week, as well as narrowing the focus of my practice each day. Seems to be working so far.

I was finally able to finish learning "Words Left Unsaid" by David Nevue. I'm self-taught and only have a little over a year under my belt, first 6 months of which I hardly played at all.

I remember listening to this song a few weeks ago and thinking it'd be ages before I learned it. It ain't perfect yet, but it's getting there.
Now to move on to trying to finish learning "Monday" by Ludovico >_<

It's been too long since I've checked in here! Work has been very busy, and my daughter just made a big move to Austin, TX. *sob* I've managed to keep up with practicing every day, but haven't been able to keep up with PW. So it's so nice to see everyone's accomplishments again.

FarmGirl, a piano party sounds like so much fun. I thought that if Arizona were close to Texas, I could fit in a trip to your party while visiting my daughter. But I just looked at a map. The Southwest is a pretty big area, isn't it? You'll love Chopin 10/3! I worked on that last year, and I remember thinking that it was the most difficult but most interesting piece I had ever played.

PaperClip, congratulation on finishing up school! It must feel great to have accomplished that. And now you can get back to piano again!

Cas, I'm so happy for you, that having a new teacher is building your enthusiasm. It's good to hear your excitement again. Did you say he is a conductor too? That must provide an additional dimension to his teaching, which perhaps you are noticing.

Bessel, maybe we should have an Ohio piano party! BTW, if you ever go back to wanting a teacher, I have a recommendation for a great one in the Cleveland area.

I have a couple achievements from this past week. I wrapped up the Bach 3-part invention that I had been working on, and we've picked out another to start on. I'm actually enthusiastic about learning more Bach now. Fur Elise is memorized without much sweat and tears, so maybe I'm starting to get the hang of this memorization stuff. Still working on expression with this one, and trying to "play outside the box". My teacher and I have had a few interesting discussions about this process along the way. The Chopin Waltz (C# minor) is coming along slowly (literally). The goal for this week is to work on bringing the tempo up. I continue to enjoy it all.

Awesome!!

I couldn't get on that well on my own- I really value having a teacher. What's a fake book? Heard the term but don't know what it means.

JimF, I think that's a great point about being kinder to ourselves. It's been a terribly busy week for me with my mom visiting from Florida, restarting choir and singing lessons, working full time, and trying to get some piano in. (I have managed to continue practicing daily but I've had a couple of literal 5 minute practice sessions.)

I either need less sleep or more hours in the day.

Oh not yet FarmGirl- I am nowhere near grade one as yet! But one day...

I am rather excited because I was listening to Rule The World by Take That but the version by Jonathan and Charlotte (operatic duo) sung in Italian and I suddenly "saw" my piano's keys and saw B and B major. I had a look online for the chords and keys (only could see guitar...) and I was right. Not even anywhere near my Piano cos I'm in bed on my netbook!
I might have a go learning the chords on Piano.
Normally I'd have to try the keys out on my Piano to find the notes/chords and now it seems I can find it in my head...

I am so excited..I went for 40 odd years not being much musical, but always loved music and longing to learn Piano and I feel as though something is bursting out of me which had been trapped inside, yearning for expression. Sounds mad I know!

MaryBee, Happy birthday! I thought of you when I started planning for the party. Too bad we are so far apart. I still want to do the mozart duet someday with you. Do you have a wonderful bike trail in OH, then my husband may want to visit OH with me. Biking (bicycle) is his passion. It's funny you and me keep doing similar pieces! Interestingly, I struggle more with romantic pieces than Bach. How about you? I think I will have lots of struggle with Chopin 10-3. Again, I am so glad that I don't need to try Ballade #1. It would have been suicidal.

Bessel - I think Piano party in OH is a great idea.

Edwardian - Excellent discovery. You seem to have good ear. My awakening to music was late in my life as well. I was forced to take piano and violin lessons when I was young. Never appreciated it until I was close to 30. It was Chopin's music (cannot remember the name) that did it. I marvel at young people who seem to understand classical music at early age. Anyway, we have to start somewhere. I am glad I have music in my life now too.

Ah Chopin...dear Chopin- I disliked (most) classical music til I heard his music, then one day whilst volunteering at an art gallery, attending the art history training lectures, the lecturer was talking about art periods and music and mentioned Chopin's nocturnes.I was intrigued and went on you tube and...was blown away. What had I been missing all my life? It was like seeing in colour after a lifetime of seeing in black and white.
I listened spell bound and then started listening to other composers and went right off pop music with the exception of Sigur Ros who I adore. I don't mind the odd song like Rule The World but that is more for chord practise!
I even like opera now and used to hate that.

How cool! Is it Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, or Debussy's Clair de Lune? Or is there yet another Moonlight piece?

Sounds like fun - and it even sounds like we could get FarmGirl here if we did it during biking season.

On the teacher front, even though I probably won't pursue it just yet I'd be quite happy to hear any recommendations... and not just for me but also potentially for my young boys. Please PM me with any names/evaluations!

Add me to the list of people who realized they liked classical music late in life. Well, for me it's because there's a lot of classical music I don't like, but there's some that strikes really deeply. I had to run into that stuff, and frankly start playing piano, before I fell for it. I wonder if this is a common experience for adult piano starters or re-starters...

Possibly Bessel! Wonder how many of us go off pop music and into Classical. Having said that started listening to some of it aain for chord study and practise.

~MaryBee

By "Moonlight" I was refering to Beethoven's Piano Sonata no. 14. I should have specified which piece I was playing.

A couple of weeks ago I played Elegie for my teacher and it was just one of those bad nights, and it truly was awful. To the point that he started talking about putting it on hold and starting an easier piece!
Well last night I played it for him again and it was good enough that he told me to start learning the next page.
I also played Clair de Lune for him last night, he hasn't heard that one for about six weeks now, due to circumstances, and was still under the impression that I was still learning it.
I've had it memorized for most of that time and have been trying to put as much polish on it as possible and he was very pleased.
He only recommended a handful of things to give it that little bit more polish.

It was a good night.

On a sadder note though, he also told me he was applying to four music schools back east, I only recognized Julliard, but I have no doubt he will be able to pick which school he wants to go to.
I'm happy for him, but that means next fall i'm losing my teacher.

Dave T.

Well done Dave. Sorry to hear you may need a new teacher though.

My achievement this week was that I practiced an additional piece on my own and managed to play it reasonably in my lesson. I went on to the next book, which has now introduced some new things, so I am a bit like "oh my god there's an A?!" and the horror of different fingers playing different keys to what they did before. It's most unsettling, haha.