Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Practicing pep-talk needed

I'm learning the Clementi Sonatina in C, Op. 36 No. 1. Right now I'm working on the first movement.

My problem is I don't seem to want to practice it. I just want to either play it through (at a slow speed) or play just the easier parts (for me) fast.

All my other pieces to date I've been happy to practice them in small bits, slowly. I don't know why I'm having a hard time making myself do it on this piece. It's not a sudden hatred of practicing, because in the Schumann Hunting Song from Album for the Young that I'm currently learning, I have no problem applying incremental practice techniques.

The Clementi is just so tempting: I want to be able to roar up and down those scales and rocket through the Alberti bass sections and generally flood the piano with sound.

Any tips to get me practicing this properly will be much appreciated!

Instead of playing "just the easier parts for you" how about just practicing "just the harder parts for you" one by one till you get them under your belt... Then you should be able to add the easier parts and be able to play all of it with ease...

There is a buddhist technique that has allways intrigued me, it goes like this...::every night beofre you go to sleep, you promise yourself that you will do three things tommorrow that you do not want or wish to do...

it does not matter what they are, it could be taking the trash out or cleaning the cupboard under the sink....anything.. the main thing is they are three things that are totally attainable, the goals should not be set to high... so if you applied that technique to music it would be practice the three bits that you find you dont want to practice ( in your case the hard bits!) the whole point of the technique is that if you stick to it, soon , many things get done and accomplished, some that may have been put off for years!!! ( like the cupboard under the sink or whatever!)

Good advice Rostosky. I'm going to try that in a few areas of my life. You haven't cleaned the cupboards yet, have you?

Another thing that sometimes works is to tell yourself you only have to do a little bit, like 2 measures. I'll just sit down and play these 2 hard measures. More times than not, you'll find yourself going beyond that little bit. But even if you don't , you've at least practiced a little bit of it.

Brian, actually there is for real the under the sink cupboard that has to be done here in the Rossy household! The excercise was taught to me many years ago by someone who knew their stuff.
I had complained that I often spent too much time thinking about things rather than getting on and doing them.. sort of lack of motivation type thing but slightly different... Their suggestion certainly led to a much improved lifestyle.. 3 things a day, thats 21 a week and 84 a month...
All those niggling little things that we know we should get round to one day , but not today,all add up and when we think about them sometimes the tasks seem endless.
however, clearing 84 a month at the rate of three minor ones a day soon gets them all out of the way.
surprisingly fast, I would recommend to anyone...
the trick is to make sure they are three little things, and things that you have been putting off.

You make the promise at night just for yourself.. you promise no one except yourself. Self esteem is boosted after the first days tasks have been completed.. and just grows from there.

Thank you for the encouragement and tips, Rostosky and Brian Lucas.

In trying the hard parts as suggested, I decided I would start with the Alberti bass figure in the recapitulation (slightly easier than the same figure in the exposition). It was so close to the end that I figured I would warm up with the end. And, voila, I have discovered I can make myself practice (instead of play) this piece by starting from the end and working backwards.

So now I have made significant progress on the whole second half (working in increments), but most particularly on those pesky hand transitions into the Alberti bass. Yay!

I am working on Clementi Sonatina 36.1 also. I didn't have a problem "chunking" it to learn it, but I have a problem keeping the tempo within my experience level. It is such fun to roar up and down on the runs that I inevitably end up going to fast and then getting lost or making mistakes. So, this is one that I force the metronome on myself. I slow the the first movement down to the speed of the slowest chunk and play it at that speed. Strangely, I do not have a problem keeping the tempo within my current knowledge level for the second and third movement.

Rossy.... I really like your 3 things a day idea. I don't feel I need it for my music, but there are "cupboards" to care for, so to speak. 3 things a day.

Day 1 !

Indeed Cas, it is a helpfull life technique, make the promises to yourself at night just as you are about to drift off to sleep, maybe write them down if you have a memory issue! And make them attainable, so no having "Paint the whole of the outside of your house in one go" as one of them!!
After you have accomplished the three things a day for a few days, something strange happens, you get to feel quite happy with yourself, and also you look at things and think "done that" and "finished that one"
And everything just seems easier... its an odd one, but good.
brought to yiou by Rossy, the lama from the deli.

SwissMS, thanks for the reminder about tempo. I agree, this piece is so much fun to play fast, but then there's that pesky ability level bar. I have to remind myself of other pieces that I played SLOW for a LONG time (OK, a week or two) and the ability to play them faster then materialized on its own. This is harder than previous pieces I've played, so I need to give myself more time.

Rostosky, thank you for the 3 things a day tip too!