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I thought it might be helpful to discuss things we used to find difficult but that we have since mastered, especially if we can pin down whatever it was that helped us solve the problem. I've been taking lessons for 5 years, and I am struck by how some things that used to make me pull my hair out aren't so much of a problem now.

One such thing is fingering. It used to be that if the music didn't have finger numbers, I was lost. Now fingering isn't something that troubles me -- you just develop a feel for certain patterns and combinations. Plus, my teacher has given me a few crutches (trying not to use finger 5 on black keys, using strong fingers to play accented notes and trills). Now, fingering is the least of my worries!

Now if I could just sort out these darn chords
. . .

I used to have a bad habit of not letting go of bottom notes for fear of losing my place on the keyboard. A conscious effort to know where I am at all times has helped rid me of that problem.

Everything used to be hard!!! Now only nearly everything is hard.

Quick left-hand passages used to be hard... now if I can only master long left-hand trills, but I think there is a limitation, given that I am dominantly right-handed.

I remember being totally frustrated trying to play scales with both hands together, I just could not do it. My teacher commented that most students grasp this at about one year. I began lessons about 10 months ago and I can now start to play scales with both hands together and it's not that hard.
Jon

Voicing a melody that's buried inside a chord used to drive me nuts! I could never pull out the melody line, and played all the notes at the same volume. I'm not great at it, but I've definitely improved. It's amazing how practicing something about a billion times helps.

Nina

trills, left hand especially, were barely possible, and are now managable.