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Speaking of 4th and 5th fingers...

Unfortunately, I've had a grand total of about 10 minutes of piano time over the past week. I've been playing stenographer for my wife's final (monstrous) project for a course she is taking.

This has involved a tremendous amount of typing, during which it occurred to me that there were some aspects of typing that are quite analogous to piano. I've always thought of myself as a pretty good typist -- I taught myself to touch type as a kid, I motor along at a good pace -- but after doing some critical self-observation, I'm realizing I'm not so good at it as I had thought.

The thing that really jumped out at me was the fact that my hands were hopping around much too much. Why? It turns out that I've been favoring #2 & #3 my whole typing life, hopping my hand around the keyboard while severely underutilizing #4 & #5. So, I'm totally revamping my typing (on the fly), hoping it will improve my #4 & #5 dexterity on the piano as well.

I've been hitting the musictheory.net exercises as time allows, and can now recognize intervals (on the keyboard, not on the staff) at a glance with a decent level of accuracy. This is helping me identify chords as well, seeing them as collections of intervals. Still need to learn how to do that on the staff -- the issue there is that it is more difficult to recognize when BC and EF are in the mix at a glance. Making steady progress overall though on the theory side. I can recognize many key signatures now intuitively, i.e. without having to figure out what they are.

And... piano tuner is scheduled for 12/21... woohoo!

A few years into my working life (I'm a software engineer so it's all computer work) the young kids out of school started to make fun of my typing. It was reasonably fast - but they had been taught touch typing and I hadn't. Well, I learned with the help of a Mavis Beacon course and never looked back.

Why do I say this? Because if you have any jumping around the keyboard, you are not touch typing. Touch typing uses specific fingers for each of the letters that you type. You rest your fingers on the "home keys" (A-F and J-L) and just move the necessary finger from there.

I would suggest getting a computer program (I assume you can do that online these days) to learn that.

Apart from that, I have found that learning to relax my fingers at the piano keyboard directly translates to the computer keyboard too which is definitely a bonus!

I played in the adult recital at the piano studio yesterday. There were actually only four of us who played which was a shame. I played the first two movements of the Kuhlau sonatina very nicely - couple of minor slips and a clunker of an ending to one of the sections

Bach was less kind - I had a major memory slip and couldn't complete it. That's the trouble with Bach inventions - there aren't any good points to reset in the middle. Though I realize I need to develop some. I thought I had it pretty well memorized but recital nerves proved it wasn't so.

The other pieces played yesterday were a simplified version of Chopin's Eb Nocturne (I've told my teacher that is my next piece no arguing ... not simplified of course!), Mozarts Rondo all Turca (nicely played too) and one of the Chopin "Deux Nocturnes" (Op. 55)

I'd just like to point out that the quote on the typing has nothing to do with me, it was TallGuy's reply to me. I actually AM a good typist - probably better than average, because for a long time I earned my keep at a keyboard!
Your points on using the same fingers for all the letters is bang on though Andy--- on the other hand - no pun intended!!! I noticed that for typing I can keep my hands in a fairly "flat" "just touching the keys position, without having any flying up in the air in wasted movement. This gives me hope for improving my piano problems!

Andy how great to participate in a live recital- even if there were only 4 participants. Sorry you had such a fiasco with the Invention - but it sounds like you're coping well and not traumatized !

I wonder if we'll hear YOUR Chopin at the next ABF recital? I think it is going to be a Chopin-fest!

Ooops - I fixed the quote!


No chance for February - almost certainly the Sonatina or Invention. May - 50/50, I would expect to see it in August.

This of course assumes my teacher doesn't talk me out of it ...

Andy - don't let your teacher talk you out of it!!!!

I'm aiming for a Chopin --but at the rate I'm going it will be May or August for me. ...I don't know if I should put a smilie face (because I'll be working on it) or a sad face on that (because I'm still cranky about playing catchup and correction)...hmmm.

Well, as this is my 3,000th post, I think it should be something special - so how about a "toast" to the special old friends in this thread, who've kept it going so long and so enthusiastically - and to the wonderful newcomers who have joined in so passionately!

Thanks to everyone for all the support and encouragement!

Congratulations on getting to 3000! Long may you continue to impress us with your wisdom and kindness, and share with us your piano progress xx

Here, here, I'll drink to that!

Congrats on 3K and a gazillion reads for this thread. As for being a bit cranky on playing some piano-retrofit... I think we all have to do that from time to time. Had you flip-flopped it and started with the current teacher and moved to the first one, we might be discussing all the new things that your "new" teacher is showing you! LOL.

In general, I think teaching piano must be very difficult because every student seems to experience the instrument and the requirements it makes on us differently.

True story... a few weeks ago I was hacking through Moonlight Sonata for my teacher and had to glance at my hands. Of course I was totally lost in the score when I looked up and had to stop a few measures later. My teacher asked me why I stopped and I said I lost my place in the score. When, she asked? Like three measures ago, I said. She said, "and you just winged it for three measures, yet you were looking at the score the whole time?" Yep. I was staring at it, but not at anything in particular. Like I said, I had lost my place.

She was blown away by this exchange, particularly when I told her that sort of happens pretty often. First, she said she never knew I wasn't still reading the score. Plus, she assumed I would stop at the place where I got lost, but the fact is there is always (for me) a little bit more that is already "in my ear and fingers" even when I get lost. It is finding my place again that is the problem. So we are working on that, but never would have noted it as a particular problem had we not come across it in such a fortunate way. Poor teachers have to be mind readers sometimes.

AOTW: Teacher said I'd had a breakthrough in the "scales in bursts" that we've been on for a long time. Its all about relaxation of my hands and wrists, so I'm quite pleased to have made some noticeable improvement.

my lesson last week with Catherine Robbins A Lovely Mood and all dynamics and pedals got checked off much to my surprise. In the pops dept the teacher told me itis time to move up from Big Notes to Easy Piano books. I graduated!! All suggestions for book purchase, arrangers and vendors would be welcome.

Thanks Toastie, and Jim!

Jim, you could be right about what might be happening had I had these two teachers in reverse order, but we'll never know!

Your description of getting lost in the score sounds quite interesting. It is funny that you say teacher have to be mind readers - I fully agree. In fact I have often said that I have to listen to what my students want to say rather than what they are actually saying. (I teach English to Italians)....sometimes it works and sometimes we end up staring blankly at each other for a minute while we puzzle through what's going on!

Great success on the scales! Congrats! I'm feeling marginally less awkward - probably because I'm not working hard enough at letting go of the irritation. I'm sure that if I could let go and just get on with it it would be easier. My new objective for the week - not to play better, but to play without crankies

ManyHands! That's a lovely bit of progress. One thing to watch out for is that some books claiming to be Easy Piano aren't! I wanted to buy some Easy Piano for my niece and I went to the Hal Leonard site to check them out - there are more than you can shake a stick at! Several different genres are available - but if you like pieces from musicals they really shine in that area.

What I would really suggest though, rather than buying on line - is to go to a shop (if possible) and check out the books in person before you make your purchases.

I get most of my music from Amazon UK but I often have to check out the amazon.com site to view pages, or search on other sites to see sample pages. It can be a bit of a hassle sometimes.

Casinintaly - congratulations on your 3000+ post. And - thanks to your attention to AOTW. This thread is so interesting and helpful, and you are always so encouraging to everyone!

Andy - Good for you for getting through your adult recital with Bach refusing to cooperate. It sounds like your other pieces went very well.

TallGuy - The touch typing similarity to piano is interesting. I am still looking for the back space key on the piano though. I seem to use it a lot on the computer.

MaryBee - congratulations on getting an approval from your teacher on the Chopin Waltz in C# minor. It is quite challenging! I am still trying to get it right.

FarmGirl- Welcome Back!

This has been a steady "recovery" week for me. I have discovered a new problem. When I play faster, especially on the Bach, my 4th finger on my RH over curls and collapses. Apparently it is still a lot weaker than I thought. So, my teacher has given me a couple of etudes to work on to help the 4th and 5th fingers.

Trying to record the Chopin Waltz just proved that I am not there with it yet. Oh well. It is memorized, but is does not sound the way I want it to. My teacher had lots of critique of what needs to be done.

So it is another one step forward two steps back week!

My AOTW is that I found out I could hit a ninth--the notes A, D#, and B--with my right hand. I have to take the B on the front edge of the key with my pinky, but it works. That particular chord (A,D#,B) is probably the easiest one to do, but I'll take it anyway.

CAS, wow, 3000 posts! And they aren't gimmes, either. If you counted by total number of words, you'd be right up there on PW.

I practiced everyday for over a week straight. I finally sat down at the piano for the 1st time in months.

Feels good.

Bobby

I went to my teacher's recital last night!

I bought a digi piano after faffing around with other hobbies for years!!! I got into piano 5 years ago or so, but only played for one year and then life took over. Put down the money (significant amount for me) for a Kawai CL-36, and loving every bit of it. Did a lot of research and came out with the right deal I think. I have the opposite of buyer's regret!

This is not so much an accomplishment as just plain fun. Once a week I go to a piano store in Zürich that has soundproofed piano rooms for rent at a very reasonable price. No one was there except me yesterday morning, so I tried out all four piano rooms and played four different pianos: a yamaha 7 ft grand, a Bosendorfer upright, a Boston baby grand, and a Bechstein upright. Each has a distinctively different feel and sound. I played my three pieces on each and it was really instructive to adjust the pieces to each piano. I had a blast!

Nice! Sounds like a ton of fun, and an interesting learning experience.

I've played on half a dozen no-name pianos in varying states of deplorable repair. They were all different too.

Congrats. Sounds like a great thing for you!

Just want to check in with all of you. I haven't felt any particular "achievement" but then I have trouble keeping that concept in proportion to the micro-achievements that make up the big moves. This one is probably worth sharing however. On Dec 1 the Denver PW group had a piano party starting at one home with an 8' Bluthner and yummy food and then driving for the 2nd half to a home with a 1917 Steinway O. Between the two places I played 6 pieces most of the ones that I'm polishing for the level 5 exam (if I ever get the technical skills down). Although my hands were shaky through the Mozart I kept it moving and my encouraging audience gave me good reviews. I have been enjoying that sense of approval almost two weeks now. Praise really feels good.

Congrats Casinitaly for 3000 posts...you have been such a support to us. A shout out to all of you working on scales...I'm with you

Playing a duet of "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" with my teacher after only one week of practice.

She loves duets so now I am working on Deck the Halls for this week.