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Aaaaaaaargh!

I'm so ticked off today. Just started with a new teacher, take lessons every Saturday. Had my first lesson Saturday and we did 50 mins of theory, 8 mins of scales, 2 mins of boring Moszkovsky etudes. Homework: Scales, and boring Moszkovsky etudes.

I'm 15 and I need inspiration. She says that if I do as she says (she's a student of the COnservatory of Moscow) I'll become really really good. But I want to have fun AND become good. Possible? She makes me do scales like this:

I have to come down with as much weight as possible, so she makes me spread my fingers on the jeyboard and push them as far up as possible and strike. Hard to explain, but it looks very silly and unprofessional.

I want to practice but I can't because it's soooooo boring.

What to do?

From what I have read a SUPER STRONG background and knowledge of basic techinque, scales, is just a norm and the Russian school of thought.

I am not qualified to say if you can do all of this and have fun but I m sure she is going to end up having you play scales just about every different way possible.

Personally and I am very much a novice at the piano, the Russian school of thought goes a bit overboard. Yes, scales and technique training is important but there have to be plenty of pieces of music out there that can accompany these exercises and hep you build your technique.

This is just my opinion and like I said I am a novice. I am sure some people with some real experience and talent can provide you with a better answer based on experience and not just opinion.

I get so sick of playing the same old pieces agonisingly slowly and carefully with pedantic, tedious precision that recently, I've set aside at least one night a week (Fridays usually) for 'my night'. I have a 'look' (i.e. tumble my way through the bits I like) at whatever new music I've got out the library earlier in the week (today it was Chopin's minor works, some songs from the HMS Pinafore and various easy bits and bobs). Either that, or I go over old musical repertoire, pouring every ounce of exaggerated musicality into it, while blissfully ignoring the masses of wrong notes . Basically, I do whatever I want: sometimes I'll rip through ragtime at breakneck speed, or mess around with one of my pieces, playing it in a minor key instead of major - whatever takes my fancy. It's quite enjoyable, and so refreshing that when I wake up on saturday, I'm ready to practice and it doesn't feel like such a slog. So, I think you can embrace both the 'fun' and 'work' parts in equal measure, and mix the two factors around a bit. We all have bad days, and in my opinion, the best way to get through them is to remind yourself of the reason you're really doing all that work. Have a bit of fun!

Peter

Peter, that was a great post. I can't wait to take lessons from my future Russian teacher in the fall. I'm a bit of a nut about exercises. However, to me the greatest thing about playing music is being able to enjoy it. I hope I remember your post when she gets out her whip.

I give up learning to play the piano every night when I go to bed because Im so frustarted by my lack of ability.

The next morning I cant wait to start again, after I have decided to pack it in at night I go mad at the piano and play all improvised blues rock jazz pop and get all my frustration out on the piano,then I feel better.On the pop and boogie bits I hit the piano keys real hard.

Michael D - I would say since it was just your first lesson with this new teacher- suck it up a little. Just deal with it for a while and see what happens after a couple of months. At fifteen, you aren't a baby anymore - you can develop some discipline to do what you are told. I don't like some of the things my new teacher is asking me to do. I hate working on them because it is so FRUSTRATING!! It is so hard to change teachers, even though I know the change is for the better. She does things differently. But I also know that she can only teach me to be a better pianist if I am teachable.

Develop some discipline in your practice, show you respect her opinions and her expertise by doing the very best you can at what she assigns you. If after a couple of months of really giving it the very best you have, you feel the need to change teachers again, then look for someone who is more "fun". But be very sure you know what your goal is. If university or conservatory studies are part of your plans, evaluate very carefully who will get you where you want to be.

Best of luck- and post an update later.

I have seen this, but used as an exercise in lifting the fingers with the goal of improving evenness and control as well as freeing up the range of fingers considerably. From what I have seen it actually works.

Ryan

Having read books by and about many of the great pianists, it is most clear that they played and learned in diverse ways - there is no one "method" that is obligatory. As Anton Rubinstein put it, just make the music sound right (he cared nothing for methods).

So if it's not working out for you with this Russian teacher... after a fair trial period just change to another teacher. Do not feel that the "Russian method" (whatever that is ) is the best or the only method, 'cause that's not at all the case. [Despite anything the teacher may say.]

As one of my teachers put it, the test for anyone undergoing training of any sort is, does the training make you stronger? If not, make some changes.

And as the greats advise, don't do anything that kills your musical spirit!! IMHO, if you are bored or hate the teacher's regimen, do not continue along that road.

Best of luck.

I wanted to add that any time you learn a new technique, it is pretty typical to start using it in a greatly exagerated manner and then gradually "rein it in" as you gain mastery. The finishe product will look much more "professional" and polished. Even if you don't stick with this, I guarantee you will run into another technique that starts out exagerated elsewhere, if you stay with piano.

I find nothing to be more encouraging than success. But the only way to see whether something will be successful is to give it a really good effort over a period of time and then judge it. If you only take a stab at it for a week or two, you really won't know if it would have worked for you or not.

Ryan

Ryan's advice is sensible. Any changes in physical technique take a long time. I'd be inclined to give the teacher your best shot for at least a few months. Do everything she says and see how it goes. If she's a bit dull musically then just do extra stuff yourself - no law against that - she doesn't have to know about it.

You didn't mention your level of experience, but 50 minutes of theory sounds like way too much. If you don't "mesh" with the teacher in the first few lessons it's my opinion that it's time to look for another teacher.

Man at podium announces,

"ALL TEACHERS THAT WOULD LIKE A 15 YEAR OLD STUDENT, REMAIN IN THE ROOM"

(within minutes. . . the room is empty)

========

You have received some good advice above. Read it carefully. I don't understand your explanation about the scales: if she was having you accent the first note of the scale with a heavy accent, wrist snap down to hit the front of the piano, fingers splayed up then yes - she was giving you the very basic first step of what is known as the "Russian School" of technique. If so, you will get similar work regarding chords in the near future.

Your pay will be $10,000 per week, to do everything she tells you to do, as if she were a piano god, for the next six months. You must listen carefully, and understand as best you can, and have complete faith that your teacher will turn your playing and mind of mush into something excellent. 100% devotion on your part, to master all concepts, including theory.

In 6 months, I guarantee you will learn. And at that point, as a serious young person that has "paid his dues" in hard work, you can then make an assessment on what you have learned, and whether this is the right direction for you.

If you're not willing to go the 100%, don't waste your time, your teacher's time and effort, your parent's money.

Remember, you cannot determine the validity of any subject without a considerable amount of mastery first. If it WERE possible, 15 yr. olds would never go to math class, because it would be booooring and stuuupid. . .
(the above is true for any age though, even us adults!)

Don't really know where to start...

Thanks a million for all your advice. I've read the posts carefully and I see what you're all saying. I've decided to give her a chance, and I do a lot more scales and stuff than I'd like. But I'm giving her a chance. However, now I'm only doing Moszkovsky etudes and I utterly DESPISE them. Any tips on how to make them "fun?"

I really got a lot of help from all of your posts... thank you so much. Maybe I'll become the next Horowitz!

Michael

Man the Moszkowski etudes are awesome, I am learning them right now. They are like improved Czernys. I like the C minor with the 5-plets. The A flat minor etude is one of the most beautiful pieces... err etudes ever written, IMO. I am surprised (in a good way) that a Russian school teacher would recommend them.
I thought I was the only moron to try and learn them.

Here's a tip to make them fun: Play them as fast as possible.

Dear StanSteel,
Thanks for what you said. It's really encouraging! I'm only starting the first two, do you have any advice on them?

Again, thanks- it's encouraging to know that someone likes them- perhaps I'll "get to like them" as I play them more!!!