Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Help, I'm getting worse!

Hi, I'm at my wit's end and I'd appreciate any advice or comments.

I'm 30 and have been playing piano since I was 8. I was very good early on and did my grade 8 by age 13 or 14. I stalled a bit after that, but at University I was playing the Appassionata first movement pretty well, Chopin Waltzes no problem, third movement of the Moonlight fine, etc. In my early twenties I started practicing more conscientiously and saw some improvement.

Four years ago I was having a good go at Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody 2, well on my way to the heroic Polonaise which I learned very quickly for some reason, third movement of Waldstein and Appassionata etc.

But four years after that and I'm actually getting worse despite practicing in what I believe is the 'right' way - that is, conscientiously going over tricky bits, repitition, good technique etc. Now, pieces I played when I was 16 are sounding bad - even my Turkish March is rusty, bits that I used to play well in the Heroique Polonaise are unplayable now for me.

To prove to myself that I wasn't losing my ability, I sat down for hours with the Fantasie Impromptu and practiced the opening lines which I used to be able to manage without much problem - I practiced for days on it and I still can't get the notes even, it's as if my fingers are literally less coordinated than they used to be. My Moonlight Sonata third movement is a struggle as is the Appassionata.

Has anyone experienced this? I'm actually a worse pianist than I was several years ago and practice is making it worse it seems. I don't know what's going on and I don't know what to do!

Thank you for reading and I'd value any comments or suggestions from anyone kind enough to take the time to reply.

Drake

Have you been practicing on a regular (daily) basis during the last four years?
If there was a long interruption (for example a few months due to work/other commitments etc.), you could just be a bit rusty.
If there was no interruption, you could be tired and need a short break (like a couple of weeks). Many have experienced a positive effect after having a break when they were tired.
Have you still got a teacher? What does he/she say?
A long break can make you rusty, but a short break can be beneficial if you are very tired.

It could also be the case that your ears have become better, happens to me all the time.

Yes. It's because we become more critical of ourselves.

This particular scenario has not happened to me but were it to, I would do the following :
1. put aside all those pieces I had played before and feel I can't play now
2. begin working on new pieces, never before studied, of a level of difficulty slightly below what I had achieved before
3. take time to work on practical, technical exercises
4. every two weeks, play through those pieces from 1. in a relaxed, "I don't really care if I get it right or not" manner.
5. Go back to 2.
6. Report back to us in a month or so

Regards,

Thanks everyone. I had never considered the possibility that I'm simply noticing my mistakes or imperfections more, and that may count for a part of it, but there are certain passages of the pieces that I know I used to play well and no longer can.

I've actually taken a break for the last month, so I may well try the suggestion to learn some new pieces that are at a manageable level.

Another question however - is it possible to reach a plateau beyond which no amount of practice will get you through? I'm not talking about a plateau at the level of Liszt Etudes, I mean a plateau earlier than that, at the level of mid-period Beethoven Sonatas or mid-level Chopin?

I guess that the thing that could hold you back the most is physiologically incorrect playing. Your body is your instrument as much as your piano. So if you reach a plateau it might be interesting to have a look at how to improve your posture (and it goes much farther and is much harder than just sitting straight) to free your body (many ways for that, the most common and reliable seem to be Alexander and Feldenkrais methods but there are other ways). Maybe you've become more stiff and you've begun to gain bad postural habits..


It might also be a methodological problem, a lack of knowledge in ear training/analysis/harmony/counterpoint/etc., or many other things that I can't think of (psychological problem ?).

I'm making suggestions here, but you won't lose anything in thinking about it.

The question you have posed covers a period of 22 years, from age 8 to grade 8 at age 13 and on through UNI to the present day.

A thought that occurred to me was that you probably dont have the same teacher, maybe you have had a few different teachers?

Which leads me to think when you say you are "practicing in the right way" by whos say so?

Can you be sure that you are practicing in the same "right way" as you did when you were younger ( and probably had a different teacher to watch over you)

maybe worth a thought?

Hi guys, thanks for the replies. I guess when I say I'm practicing the 'right way' all I mean is I'm not doing anything obviously incorrect like just playing the easy bits and fudging the hard bits - I will learn hands separately until I can play well, repeating hard bits dozens of times until I'm comfortable, then hands together etc.

What happens is there are bits I can play, it sounds good to me, but the more I try to practice the piece to get it better, I actually get worse. Personally I think either there is a flaw in the way I go over a piece or it's psychological - I'm getting the 'yips' at certain hard bits that I once used to be able to do but the fear of getting it wrong causes me to stutter mentally.

I'm not sure, but I certainly appreciate the advice. I've looked into Feldenkrais and I remember finding it very interesting and useful - perhaps I should look back into it. I wonder why Feldenkrais isn't more widely regarded?

cheers, wonderful, okay, fine, BUT: you're talking, not about a personal problem : but a worlwide phenomena, my humble me thinks that it is a situation that every pianist/musician/writer/artist in general has found himself in, if this incertainty wouldn't exist, one would not doubt oneself, one would be stupid and a snob, DOUBT is the very urge to get one going, so go on questioning your methodes, yourself and the results, that's what I do, all the time.

I Like Bruce D's advice. Sometimes i get so worked up on perfecting something.... i need to take a total break.. it always helps. I am so anxious to get back at it....

I have memory/mental issues that have made my playing worse. Still i can get a piece back with work. I'm going thru some of my Chopin etudes and I swear, it is so frustrating and then suddenly it is like the sun breaks thru and everything is ok.

(very poetic, no?)