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The 10-15 years is what my teacher said, and to tell the truth, I actually don't think about that. As soon as she said it, I try to forget about it. Even if I'm young enough to learn something really advance in next decade or two, I don't have any music I really want to or need to learn. I just like practicing, anything.

In my last piano lesson, my teacher said, "I don't want any notes to be the same as the next one." And here's another, "don't play like a piano student!" Oh, another one, "they are not random notes!" My teacher is getting more and more demanding. I put in a lot of work these last few years, and it is definitely getting harder for me not easier. My children tell me it's getting easier for them from levels 5 to 8, not harder. They say the hardest level was level 5, then it's kind of all downhill from there. For me it's the exact opposite. After level 3, it's all been seriously uphill. However, I must point out that my teacher also shared with me recently that she doesn't teach her other adults the way she teaches me. She teaches me more like her kids. Occasionally I feel like asking her to teach me like her adults, but I know I would regret it as soon as I ask.

I may not want to work this hard when I turn 60 or 65. I have a good 10 years to get to wherever I get to, and my feeling is, by then I may not have the capacity to work this hard at the piano. I feel like I'm permanently stuck at level 3 mentally. Of course I don't know. I know there are lots of folks in their 60's here, and they are working away, so maybe I'll feel differently when I get there.

I know exactly how you sometimes feel. My teacher will go 'you already learned that, so this will be easy'... I look at the sheet and go 'are you (sensored) kidding me???' But, if we weren't stretching, we wouldn't learn.

I'd take my teacher being 'demanding' as a compliment. Being your teacher she should know what you are capable of achieving. And didn't you know, 60 is the new 50s you'll be surprised how much you can and will want to do when you get there.

Each difficult piece assigned or complicated correction given is an expression of faith. "I believe your skills are up to this if you work hard at it."

I have to keep reminding myself of this! We adults are ofter very self-critical, and when our teachers point out our short comings, it is easy to feel like we are failing. My teacher and I had a conversation about this Monday. Because she actually thinks I am doing well, sometimes it seems all the feedback I hear is "Try harder!" So I end up feeling like I progress slower than normal, or am just too dumb to get it. She been rather hard on me the last year, because she cares and wants me to reach my goals. So it is good sometimes to check and see how your teacher really thinks you are doing.

I am the original poster. Thank you all so much for your helpful insight into this. Your experiences and advice are all very helpful. I think much of the frustration I have is age-related and that whole short-term memory issue, but I'm not certain if I am where I'm supposed to be or not after 2 years of weekly hour-long lessons and 3 hours daily practice. I am more or less self-taught on the guitar and accomplished much with that, even cut a single that was played on the radio (as part of a contest). I never thought twice about picking up the guitar and playing for anyone who would listen. But the piano is a whole different animal. I could NEVER play for strangers because even in the piano store, whenever I try to play I get lost, whereas at home I can at least on occasion get far enough without any non-recoverable mistakes. I think it's about brain processing speed as relates to hand-eye coordination, remembering fingering, preparing for the next measure, paying attention to the myriad of musical notations on the sheet music. I counted once and for every note, there are perhaps 10 things that need to be considered to get it perfect. If I learn and practice a song perhaps 100 times between lessons and can at least get though all the notes, paying attention to what the teacher usually dings me on, she finds a new thing that I didn't consider. Too much pedal, holding a single dotted eight note too long, not releasing notes, too loud accompaniment, too soft melody, not enough hand rotation, speeding up (which I do to get it over with!), etc. I rarely make it more than a minute into a song before she stops me and starts correcting and then the frustration sets in, I get flustered and then the rest of the lesson goes down hill. And yet, I am paying to learn so she is correct in correcting me. Sometimes I think to myself that it is just beyond my physical and mental capability to get it right. I completed the Alfred Level 1 & 2 books for adults in the first two years, along with 5 exercise books, but now stuck on 12 & 13 in Schaum's Level 4 finger power. Just starting on Alfred's Level 3. Teacher also gives me music from classical, rag, blues, pop, books, up to level 4. Problem is although I can play the songs, I can never assume I won't get stuck and feel like a deer caught in the headlights while I am playing. And that is a terrible feeling if you are playing for people!

Yes, yes, and yes. Totally agree. I find all you wrote to be completely true. At the same time, our mental capacity is able to increase to deal with more complexity over time, but lots of patience is needed.

There is no such thing as where you're suppose to be after 2 years. Just throw that idea away now. There is no such thing as an average adult piano student to measure your progress against, especially when the ages run from 18 to 88 and everything from hardly any available time to retired with lots of time to practice. Progress will vary vastly.

Might help to discuss this with your teacher. Perhaps you could agree on some stopping point other than right when the mistake is made--the end of a phrase, a double bar between measures, the end of the page, etc.

*Not* getting flustered and *not* letting frustration set in during a lesson is a skill, for many of us, that is learned only slowly. For me, it boils down to putting my pride away and trying very much to be in the moment, i.e., focus on the immediate bit of instruction my teacher is trying to pass along.

Exactly and this all takes time. Your brain needs to learn to be quicker (but still reliable) than your hands and fingers and this is diffcult. The thing is you just cannot hurry it, but advance in difficulty slowly enough to let the brain adjust. And do a lot of slow practice.

But I can encourage you: I have actually noticed significant progress in this area, but only after about 3 years. I now manage to think more ahead about what I am doing while playing, even though I have a very limited working memory capasity due to my NLD.

Guitar is somewhat different to piano in what it requires from the brain. I found it a lot easier to handle.

I think for as long as I keep learning new things and enjoying the journey I will have formal lessons indefinitely. Having found a GOOD teacher has helped me shake off that feeling of apathy I was starting to develop during my ~one year hiatus from formal structured lessons. Also to refine some techniques I had ignored due to that apathy. It's the best way for me. FWIW, a good teacher is a treasure to be sure and not always easy to define or to find.

Forever!