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As some might remember, the reason why i came on this board 8 months ago was my teacher. I was unsure if she can learn me technique.

I followed your advices, and had a honest talk with her, telling her that i want to improve, and that im willing to put at least 2 hours into piano practice each day.

She was glad that i decided that way, and we start working more serious.

She gave me advices on how to practice scales, she also gave me techniqual excercises.

These did help a bit, i can play faster, control left hand more etc.
But what puzzle me, is that i still "don't use technique" in pieces. With that i mean that i just play pieces without her correcting my technique. She does tell me if i have to play with higher or lower hand position, but that's all.

I am wondering if it's normal that student beggins with scales and other excercises, and start using them in actuall pieces only after they are mastered. (Scales)

I appologise if im sounding weird, but my education on piano technique is not high...

Should i talk with her about it? The problem is that i dont know if i could express myself, since, as I said, my knowledge about technique is low.

In past months i've been working mostly on interpretation. She assigned me some easier pieces so i could play them really well, and i thinkg that my intepretation has improved.

I really like my teacher, and I respect her.
I also love her as a person, since she is always in good mood, very kind and well educated.
But this is really bugging me.

So what i would like to know is if this is the ussal way of learning technique.

Ps: Sorry for my broken english lol, im still in high school (Good excuse, isn't it?)

GreenRain

I think you've asked an excellent question. I would like to hear the teacher's replies. I suspect that different students have different objectives but just noting your repertoire I would think that technique in the form of scales, arpeggios and exercises would be very important in order for you to continue to improve and play musically.

Also the ability to interpret music would have to be based on technical ability wouldn't it? Seems to me they very related concepts.

Too much scale practice without having music to apply it to may be somewhat useless.

But trying to master pieces that demand mastery of scales (and arpeggios and other things) without adequate preparation usually will not work. If you carry that idea far enough, I would say it never works.

Here you are dealing with a chicken and egg question when it should be something different.

Isolated studies and work on repertoire go together. If you have read other threads, by now you will probably see that no two teachers agree entirely about exactly how and when to make these two areas work together, but I think we all agree that this is our goal.

You may also find out that our differences reflect that fact that all of us, in our own ways, are trying to find the best recipe to make it all come together. I tend to teach too much repertoire without enough skills rather than the other way around because I have seen too many over-trained pianists who can play a few things in a very impressive way but who can't read well enough and just don't know enough about how work things out themselves.

This is also a reflection of a bad experience I had with a student, who had an excellent technique (I built it for him) and could polish things very impressively, but never learned how to work enough on his own. I may have stunted him by over-teaching. Since then I have leaned more in the other direction, hoping that at least any student who follows my directions will end up prepared to continue without me.

That doesn't make her a good teacher. If you have doubts then she probably isn't.

GreenRain, this may be a weird question, but have you tried applying what you learn doing technique exercises in your piece without the guidance of your teacher?

Perhaps your teacher thinks you will figure this out on your own, and so when working on repertoire, she's focusing on other things?

My understanding of "having good technique" is that it's applied automatically. So maybe she is giving you these exercises hoping that it sinks into your playing through your subconscious. However, that isn't always (often?) the case, and perhaps somebody saying "use this technique here" is what you need--whether it's you saying it or she.

Perhaps your teacher isn't saying anything because there is nothing to say. At the beginning stages of learning a piece, it will always be a bit awkward, but as it gets more comfortable, then the awkwardness goes away. If at this point, however, some awkwardness remains, then it is a technical issue that needs to be addressed.

You mentioned that your teacher assigned you easier pieces to work on interpretation. Perhaps since these are easier, there aren't those technical challenges that would normally need addressing. Some people have a natural technique, and others need to be told.

however, it still could come down to communication. Are there places that are giving you technical trouble that you'd like her help on? Let her know. Sometimes a teacher can't tell something is painful or difficult. If there are not such places, then chances are that is the reason your teacher isn't saying something.

Remember, it never hurts to ask. So talk with your teacher about it when in doubt.

Impossible!

Haha! I meant about technique specifically since that is what the post is concerning. :p

For now, you should attempt to apply your techniques to the pieces you are learning. I was once similarly puzzled by a teacher I had years ago. My source of great frustration was that my scales, trills, and arpeggios weren't as crisp and dead even as his when I played the assigned pieces. I would ask him to help me every week, but all he would say was that they were fine as they were. I about finally went bezerk on him one day.

Now, after years of additional experience, and a few years of part-time teaching under my belt, I understand why he said what he did. There was absolutely nothing he could have showed me that would have evened them out as well as his. Some things just take years and years of diligent practice. Now, I can play scales, arpeggios, and trills so evenly they sound eerily mechanical. The greatest teachers of my life were guides, and sometimes Father Time is the greatest teacher of them all.

That's also true. I've flat out told some of my students that "that will come with time," when they complain that they can't do it as well as I.

Some things you really can't be taught.

Thanks for making some things clear. I beleive that its better to play with better interpretation then with good technique but without emotions.


KEYBOARDKLUTZ:

I am not doubting into her ability to teach me. I was just wondering if this is the right way to learn or if I should remind her to work more on my technique

Sal and Morodiene

Thanks for your answers. If i am having problems with some section (pain or tension) i do ask her for advice.

I thought that in order to play with good technique one does always have to be reminded how to hold your hand etc...

It looks like i have a wrong idea about technique, probaly because my first teacher (from grade 1-4) was doing this all the time.

When i changed a teacher, i didnt worked on technique anymore (since i was hardly practicing piano at all)

Thanks for posting, it's nice to read about experiences from other members.

Ps: I wish that this forum would have multiquote option.

If you "went bezerk on him", how did he respond? I've never had a student do that to me.

A good elementary piano teacher will do this, because it develops good technical habits. Once that is well established, however, there is no need for the constant reminders, because you are doing it naturally. Also remember that how you shape your hands does depends on what you're playing (Mozart vs. Chopin, for example). Once you're at this point in your development, technique is more focused on how to make difficult passages more comfortable, under control, faster, etc.

Some students think they will "catch up" with me someday. But as long as I keep progressing, that will just not be possible. there really is no substitute for time.