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I just got back from my lesson. One of the method pieces I worked on for the past two weeks is Amazing Grace. At home, I had it down fairly well. Not perfect, put passable. So I start playing it for my teacher. I screw up the first line, so I start over. Get to the third line, screw up, start over. This time, I make it to the second page and just lose it. I'm staring at the music like it's the first time I saw it. In fact, I probably sight read it better the first time I saw it. I just drew a total blank. So we moved on and came back to it later and played it better--not very well, but much better. Mucho frustrating.

On another lesson-related topic: When I play method pieces, they sound like method pieces. When my teacher plays the same method pieces, they sound like, well, real music. If I sounded like my teacher does, I'd impress myself and others, I'm sure. And I'm just talking about level 3 of the Faber books.

To play like your teacher might take some time and technical development as well as a more comprehensive musicianship background. Don't forget that your teacher probably played no better at this stage of the game than you do. On the other hand, if the teacher was somewhat precocious, then more rapid progress MIGHT have been made. Review your practice method to see if you're fairly methodical in learning pieces or whether you simply sit down and say, "Lord, I hope I can do this." There is no substitute for some sort of plan in approaching practice as there is a BIG difference between practice and playing. Practice is the 'dirty work' like cleaning the kitchen; playing is the result after the work has been done. It sounds to me like you got a little frazzled at your lesson or otherwise it would have gone better. Think back and see if you had some minor thing that sort of 'put you off.' Don't neglect the technical aspect of practice as that is what makes the fluency you desire available.

Hi Varcon,

I will never play as well as my teacher, and I don't expect to. My goals are really less lofty than those of a lot of others here, but it was just annoying to not play the piece not anywhere near the way I could play it during practice. I mean, I couldn't even play it. That's the first time I've screwed up that badly in my lesson, but I'll get over it!

My point about how the method pieces sound when I play them versus when my teacher does was really just an observation of how even simple music can sound so professional and beautiful when played by a skilled pianist. In fact, it sort of restores my faith in method pieces despite how some people sort of disregard them in order to play "real" music.

I have been following the Michael Aaron Course grade 1 and I play my exercises well, but when it comes to playing them in front of my teacher ...well thats another thing, I make a right hash of it, go music dyslexic and end up being taking back to the first few pages by my teacher !
I Get back home and play them perfect !!

Yes Mark it KILLs me that I can't do that either. Play the notes correctly, check; timing, check; everything textbook right, yo wait a minute, where's the music? It is the most challenging aspect of learning, to me and I spend 2 times more on musicality and technique than anything else. I think its that flat sounding, dynamicless Kimball, that's what it is! Oh I wish it were so.

I think "lesson anxiety," or whatever we want to call it, is fairly typical (I believe we actually had a thread on it a while back.) I've just never booted it so badly.

Awwwww . . .

Maybe you should boot your lessons more frequently so you get used to the feeling.

Actually, I remember having that feeling after a few lessons. I think part of the disappointment occurs when you take lessons every other week. If you have a miserable lesson, you have to wait two whole weeks to redeem yourself.

So buck up, li'l soldier. You'll do better next time!

Hey markb,

Your "Amazing Grace" comments brought a huge smile of recollection to my face. I, too, endured this piece...for an entire MONTH. I learned it out of Alfred's Level 4 Recital Book back in 1997. I am attaching a scan of part of page 1 -- I thought you'd relate to the comments I wrote at the top of the page that were directed to my teacher during the final week of practice!

Plays, that is classic! I, too, am currently suffering thru this method piece. If you look at my practice log in the database, you'll see I've been with it for several weeks. The hardest part is that I'm self-taught, so I have to not only play the piece, but I have to get up the motivation to force myself to do it.

Mark, if you knew how many students have come to lessons and after botching the assignment turned to me and said, "But I played it perfectly at home. I really did!!" And I've had that experience myself. I think most students have a degree of nervousness at a lesson, the piano is different, the ambience is different and that can often affect the student. I'm sure you can play the arrangement in the book but you just need to build confidence in yourself so that you are not discombobulated at a lesson. Having a 'critical' ear listening to you is sometimes quite disconcerting. As is often said by mentors, thorough preparation is the best antidote for performing butterflies. Just keep at it. You'll get there and wow your instructor!

Another thing to think about with lesson-performance is what you do before you play the piece at the lesson, as opposed to what you do before you play the piece at home. I always warm up with Czerny at home, so I always warm up with Czerny at my lesson (well, actually, at the lesson, it's not warming up, it's me giving my teacher a chance to tell me I'm playing too slowly). And I tend to work on the pieces in the same order at the lesson as I do at home, this seems to help.

If I've been working on a piece in sections at home, but then at the lesson try to play it from start to finish on the first go, it doesn't go very well. When I remember, I start with the sections and then play through. That allows me to play it closer to my actual ability, which enables my teacher to focus on my real playing level as opposed to my "lesson-playing" level.

If during the lesson, you can mimic as much of your "at home playing style" you might have better results.

I think I'm going to start going to my lessons in my PJs...

Plays, that's really funny! I never threatened to do myself bodily harm for having to practice Amazing Grace more, but I'm pretty friggin' tired of it since I also played it in the Alfred method about 9 years ago and this time in the Faber method.

[B]I play my exercises well, but when it comes to playing them in front of my teacher ...well thats another thing, I make a right hash of it, go music dyslexic and end up being taking back to the first few pages by my teacher ! I Get back home and play them perfect ![B]

I've been battling this problem for over 2 years! It's getting a little better but not a whole lot. I'm now in Michael Aaron book 4 tackling Moonlight Sonata. We've (he) decided that I don't need to play the whole piece at a lesson just focus on the trick(ier) parts (probably to save my teacher's sanity!). I've come to accept this nervousness and reading this thread is very reassuring!! I've also over the past year taped myself and have about 20 little peices that I'm kind of proud of. I asked my teacher to listen to it and he was impressed. For me it was "See it DOES go much better at home!" (although I think he already believed me)

If this were the Coffee Room, we would now begin to discuss who does and does not wear pajamas. . .

Doug