Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Need Advice. Coordination a bit off

I've been playing for a good 3 months now. I was making decent progress I think, but as of late I'm not sure what's happening but I can't seem to do things I usually can. It's like my mind isn't communicating with my hands properly, and I feel like I'm taking steps backwards. My fingering gets messed up on scales, simple ones and IDK. IDK how to explain it and I all of a sudden feel stuck. Also, I feel like I'm not as fluent or smooth as I should be on simple pieces even. I have been a little sick, achy, tired, etc. I'm not sure if that plays a part. It's just frustrating, especially because I noticed some good progress a few weeks ago, and since, I feel like I'm not really progressing at all.

Any advice, words of wisdom, etc? Also, I really want to start ear training. What are some ideas on the best methods to do that? And how do you guys structure your practice sessions?

WhomanBeans

It is pretty normal to experience that "one-step-backwards" feeling. We all go through it. I find that sometimes it is from practicing without really thinking....without really being mindful of a concrete, achievable objective for that session, or of my tone and how my fingers, hands, arms, shoulders etc actually feel. Even for scales it helps to be very actively thinking about objectives for that day and listening closely to the sounds you produce.

Try breaking down whatever you are working on into smaller segments, even if it is just one measure or even less. Work on just that one small segment. Play it so slowly that it is almost painful. I mean really really slow, like 30 beats per minute on a metronome, or even less. When you can play that segment perfectly 8 times, move to the next segment. Tell yourself you will not even try to play any of these segments faster for a whole week, and stick to it. After you have enough segments to form a full phrase start trying to stitch them together, still slowwwwwwwwly. Be methodical and mindful. Listen closely, use you ears to tell you when your technique is good.

Another thing you can do is make sure you are having fun. Maybe mix in a song or piece you want to work on just for fun, or just play around for a while and enjoy the sounds of your piano and how it feels without worrying about progressing.

Results in piano will come if you work at it, but it may not be realistic to expect them to be linear or visible at all times. Also, much as I wish it were otherwise, real progress seems to come over periods quite a bit longer than a few months.

Have fun.

Jim

Thank you! It's comforting to know that this is indeed normal. And I will definitely take your advce. I've always wondered if, in terms of memorization, going extreeemmeelllyy slow was the most effective way to practice because it requires more focus.

Same problem here, sync sometimes goes completely off! Just keep working on it. It will get better! Actually I interpret this also be a good thing, as it kind of shows hand dependence

>And how do you guys structure your practice sessions?

I start working on/learning new places where I was left. Then I go polishing the previous parts. But that's now. Previous piece I memorized first.

WhomanBeans, I am another three-month beginner, and can identify with the feeling. Sometimes I feel like I am going backwards or stagnating.

I remind myself that different people learn at different rates, and I can't control that. I can control my effort and my attitude. With a steady effort results will come. I also remind myself that those most active on the forum, tend to be high achievers. They may be able to learn things faster, or learn in a different way than me. I can try their suggestions and see if it works for me. If it works, fine, if not, I try something else.

There is a lot of material on memorization. Again, what works well for one person may not be best for another person. There is also a lot on ear training, including computer programs or smart phone apps, and exercises. Playing with eyes closed (peek when necessary or when a mistake is made) helps with memorization, ear training and ironically enough, sight reading.

I like to structure my practice time along these lines:
20% scales and/or hands separate
20% on older pieces
40% on the new piece or new pieces
20% open, which might include more time on the above

Breaks after 15 minutes to 30 minutes, depending on how much time there is.

So keep at it. Steady effort, along with proper practice will produce results.

Thank you guys so much. It's very comforting to know that this is all indeed normal. I've been devoting my time to going over scales and arpeggios lately. Does anyone have any advice on better conditioning the mind, relaxing and such to help get the most out of the practice? Because I have a hard time concentrating.

Breathe with your music.
When you notice that your mind has wandered, gently bring it back.
Note the distraction and resume breathing.

Another thing that I think is very helpful to remember is that for most people, progress at the piano does not come in a linear fashion.

Some folks, especially beginners, expect that if they practice, they'll simply get a little bit better every day and just keep improving, like interest building up in a bank account. But it just doesn't work that way.

Instead, the way it happens is that we have ongoing struggles with certain things. We have practice sessions where we seem to be "getting it," and other sessions where we seem to be "losing it" and going backwards. Some days we're on our game and some days we're not. Sometimes something we've never had a problem with before suddenly rears it's head and becomes a struggle, and some days it's like our fingers have minds of their own and we can play seemingly above our skill level (enjoy those days... they're fun).

But throughout the ebb and flow of the struggle, whatever we're working on keeps percolating in those amazing brains of ours. Things happen... neurons fire... connections are made... and much of this happens while we are away from the keyboard, when we are alseep, etc. It's a process of internalizing it. And then one day you will simply find that you can do it... and you will wonder why it was so hard in the first place.

And then you'll move to harder material, or discover some other problem in your playing that needs fixed, and the struggle begins anew.

You need the most concentration on new material. Do that first. It has to be done slowly so there's no need to warm up.

Go slow. If you're making mistakes you're going too fast. Every time you make a mistake you're making it harder to learn the right notes. Break each phrase down into bars (and bars into beats, if you have to), and practise each hand separately then, more slowly, together. When you've got the whole phrase done move onto the next phrase but keep to no more than half speed until you've learnt the whole piece, then gently come up to tempo.

One of the hardest things for beginners to learn is how to practise slowly enough (that and how to practise effectively).

I doubt you'll get much benefit from scales and arpeggios until you've been playing longer but if you do practise them do them no more than once or twice a week. When you're beginning you'll get far greater technical development from your pieces than you will from your scales and arpeggios. Do just one key a week at weekends, maybe.

When your brain gets tired you can work your fingers more so you might add velocity work at the end of your practise session. Use fast and easy pieces or scales that you know well for velocity, like B and E majors, not new or improving scales. (Start scales with B not C).

Also, memorisation is best done slowly so that you involve more of the brain and the senses. Memorising at tempo is finger memory only - grossly unreliable!

Well said and so true! It's an eternal search for the "ah-ha" moment, no matter what level you're at.

I find that for some particularly challenging (to me) segments of what I practice, at some point suddenly it will be like my fingers have a little revelation "oh, THIS is what it feels like and where I'm going!" Then the passage is suddenly much easier.

But other times or passages, no insight will come and it will just feel like practicing the same complicated movement over and over, and it just stays complicated.

Does anyone else experience that? Any ideas for how to get the revelations more often? Or just keep practicing slowly, and there's no getting around the complexity remaining complex?

(Maybe this is the aha moment or the non-linear process Brian Lucas and Legal Beagle are talking about.)

I have those moments all the time. I think "if I can play x then why can't I play this". But, I just try not to worry to much about it because as everyone said its all a part of the process.

As far as ear training: do you have an iPhone? if so you can get the app called Relative Pitch Lite. Its kind of a neat app to help with ear training.

Also, whenever I think about ear training I think "Intervals". And there is a list of song that have examples of each interval. For example in Somewhere Over the Rainbow the Where is a perfect octave about Some. There are many other examples like that. I would post it but I can't seem to find the list right now. I just think it helps to have that reference point when working on ear training. If I find that list I will post it.

Hi WhomanBeans, like everyone else is saying, it's pretty normal. Don't worry about it, but if you happen to notice any severe changes in your health, do get it checked out by a doctor.

As for ear training, try these links:

Get Perfect Pitch: 7 Must-Do Exercises
Ear Training Exercises
Online Ear Training
Ear Training Radio

These links are from The Ultimate Guide to Playing Piano.

It's easier, I find, if there were someone to help with ear training, i.e. they would play something and you would respond. You can also do this alone by recording your own playing.