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I started using dynamics after a few weeks of lessons ... I used a high liter to mark them so that I wouldn't ignore them ... using the pedal took a few months to incorporate into practice ... I'm on my tenth month of lessons now ...

Best Wishes

MaryAnn - Everyone goes through the same learning curve. BTW, i think you would love pedaling. Nothing like late night piano with good pedaling after a few glasses of wine.

My teacher tried to get me to use the right pedal during an early lesson, and I balked. I couldn't get my brain to tell two hands what to do, much less two hands and a foot. haha

Wow, KeysAngler. Were you an absolute beginner? I feel like I'm way behind now!

(I'm in my 10th month of lessons, too)

My "achievement" this week is kinda sad. I sold my Yamaha CP300 today, and the guys (there were three) wanted to hear me play some Chopin during the pre-sale visit. I automatically got pretty nervous, but I played and it wasn't too bad.

However, I found that certain pieces I have not been playing enough are starting to fade from muscle memory (Nocturne in C sharp minor and the middle section of Fantaisie Impromptu). I realized also that these parts were memorized almost completely with muscle memory, which is the reason I failed when I tried to play them. The good news is that recently my reading has been improving to the point that I can kinda-sorta "read" phrases instead of sounding out each letter (note). So it won't be too difficult to go back and do what I have to do, which is memorize the score and not just the motions for those parts that I'm forgetting. I realized that all the sections that I was able to play well are the ones which I have a visual image in my mind of either the score or the keys on the piano that need to be played (or both).

Yes, absolute beginner. I practice two or three hours daily. In twenty to forty minute segments.

As long as you're having fun learning that's what really matters. Unless you have plans to perform for $$$$

Best Wishes

SwissMS, I can picture what you're doing, and can imagine the look on your husband's face
I've had (and to some extent still have!) the same problem with not reading ahead and not moving my hands into position quickly enough. I've seen a big change over the past couple of months, but I know I've still got lots of room for improvement. This is going to become more and more important as pieces get more and more interesting/complicated!

Sand Tiger, are you doing any PT for your hands? Have you had any feedback on what you might be doing that could be causing the pain? Wearing the gloves might help with the symptoms but doesn't get to the root of the problem. You're very early in your piano journey, this would be the time to be sure you're not creating long-term problems for yourself. (Sorry, I don't want to sound like I'm lecturing - I just know from experience that not getting to the root of the matter leads to not being able to play much and is very lowering when all you want to do is be making progress).

FarmGirl - how wonderful you are going to get in touch with your former teacher - I bet she will be delighted to catch up with your news, and to see how much progress you've made. I'm also glad you're playing something you are more comfortable with !!! After the angst of playing the Rach, it seems something more approachable is just the ticket!
(I have no feedback on your doggie situation - I know next to nothing about dogs, except that sometimes they do chew furniture. My sister sprayed her furniture with something the dog didn't like to stop it from chewing, that seemed to work).

MaryAnn - I think (based on my own experience ) that it isn't surprising you haven't really noticed the dynamics. I had a history of reading music, so I certainly know what I'm seeing , but I have found that yes, indeed, I was totally oblivious to dynamics for a long time. Until very recently I would learn the piece and then say "Ah....maybe I should look at these indications now". At this point in my piano journey I'm trying to play the dynamics as I learn the pieces. It is also very very common to find that as soon as you add in ANY new dimension to your playing, it all falls apart. You'll find that as time goes by that will happen less and less - don't let it discourage you.

I had terrible resistance to using the pedal. My teacher tried from about the start of our 3rd month of lessons to get me to use the pedal and I resisted. She didn't insist. Then when I'd been playing about 10 months I got my acoustic and it took me a long time to get used to the change from the dp to the acoustic - and not only did I continue to resist the pedal, I couldn't bring myself to play much more than mp !
It wasn't until this February, when I started working on the Chopin AmWaltz (posthumous) that I started using the pedal and now I can't seem to stop! lol..... We all have different "schedules" and we're ready to try things at different times. Don't let yourself feel you are "behind" other Adult beginners - that's just a waste of energy.
(Ok, sometimes I feel that way too,but I try to kick myself in the pants and get over it asap! )


KeysAngler, I practice in segments like that too. I find that if I work in a very focussed way for 15 minutes then I may even stop at that point and come back after a short break. Sometimes on the weekend I will play for longer, but that is "playing" not "practicing" and if I'm not studying I find I can just have fun and play for about an hour at a time sometimes more. Then my hands are tired and I have to stop

Sam - sounds like you've made a breakthrough with understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your learning style. How are you working on your reading? I know what you love to play ,but to facilitate your improvement you could work at reading lots and lots of much easier material.

I was given a couple of huge books - over 200 pages each, with "Easy Piano" --- one is a mix of many genres, the other is favourite classics (by which I mean what is usually classified as "classical" even though it might be from the baroque, classic or romantic periods). When I started piano, I could read treble clef quite well, no problems there - but I did have trouble with the bass clef as I'd never used it before - I also had some difficulties with the ledger notes (for those who don't know this term, they are the individual notes that go above or below the five-lined staff). I could read the lower ledger notes in the treble clef easily because I had played bass clarinet in highschool and most of my notes were down there! but the higher ones were tricky, and working above or below the bass clef made my brain hurt!

When I got the books I found it a bit tricky to read both treble and bass - now I find I can do fairly well, much less hesitation, much smoother (and it isn't as though I've "learned" the pieces- there are hundreds of them and I look at them as sight-reading practice, (even if they are not true "prima vista" they are close enough for my purposes).

Oh, I'm rattling on a lot today!
My ATOW last week was a) to not get too upset when my teacher had to cancel and b) to finish memorizing my Papa Mozart piece. I played with my eyes shut and it was very interesting both for working out hand positions and for truly hearing my weak areas and errors.

Let's see what this week brings!

I did buy some sight reading exercise books, but I admit to barely ever using them

Mainly the improvement has just come from working on my pieces. Once in a rare while I'd open up my Chopin Ballades book and just try playing (veeerryyy slooooowly) with one hand. I think given the amount of progress I've made studying reading the wrong way, I'll make very significant progress with it if I study it the right way (namely reading simple material, both hands together, as much as possible).

What is the name of the book you've been using? I'd like to buy some books like that when I go home and have the grand piano to practice on. I also need to start learning theory so I have an easier time reading chords and other patterns off the page.

I really want to shoot for the Ballade next recital, but I'm afraid I won't have enough time, and I'd rather make it really good then just kind of get through it. If it doesn't work out, maybe I'll do another movie theme, or a surprise Chopin piece which isn't so hard (but I'm not telling you what it is!)

Hi Sam,
the books I was given are
1 Easiest Book Of Piano Classics, Amsco Publications ISBN 0.8256.1596.8
the UK has a different ISBN. It has 150 piece - some of them are simplified pieces some are original but very simple.

2. Easiest book of Piano Favourites Amsco Publications ISBN 0.8256.1761.8 - it has 125 pieces, likewise some are simplified some are just simple

I'm looking forward to hearing your Ballade, and I understand that you won't present it til you are satisfied you can play it well. That's how I feel about my Chopin Waltz ....I'm hoping that it will be presentable for November - I know it won't be up to the standard I'm aiming for in August (expecially since I'll have to record early as I'll be travelling in August!).

I'm curious about your surprise, but that's ok... I like surprises and will wait and see

Thanks so much for your thoughtful response, casinitaly! I know in my head i shouldn't worry too much--my teacher just introduced the dynamics now which probably means she just now thinks I'm ready. I try not to let others' journeys worry me, but instead inspire me. But I start letting expectations creep in...

We have so much to look forward to in the next recital or two! I still haven't listened to all of the last one!

I also don't know about dog troubles. Getting my kitties spayed stopped them from yowling so much. They still find plenty of trouble to get into (like knocking over and smashing a full bottle of red wine in the middle of the night a few weeks ago)!

I'm jealous of all you folks that are reluctant to use the pedal ... my damper pedal seldom leaves the floor!

OK, so that's a slight exaggeration, but my teacher's number one or two or three, can't remember , comment is "less pedal" - ironic because she uses it is massive doses but it always sounds fantastic. She probably doesn't mean less, just better!!

FarmGirl - I don't know if neutering will cure your doggy chewing problem. I have raised several high energy dogs (dobermanns) and it wasn't a hormone problem so much as excess energy and a teething problem. Neither the males nor the females stopped chewing until they were two years old! I used a spray product called bitter apple that taught them what was chewable and what was not. Before that, I lost banister railings, chair legs, and lots of shoes! I became very good at sanding down and repainting. Sorry to hear about your piano bench!

That's not encouraging... Geez 1 year and 3 months more! He is barely 7 months old. I guess I have to keep them in the confinement when I practice. His sister Emma (also Golden) has been a very good girl and did not chew anything else except chew bones.

FarmGirl,

Sorry to hear about your mangled piano bench. I feel your pain.

I have had four lab retrievers and all four went through the destructive chewing-stuff phase. The current pair just turned three years old and have not chewed anything (significant) for at least a year. Before that, however, was a different story.... victims included 3 cherry dining chairs, a wooden rocker that no longer rocks, assorted mouldings, baseboard, and even drywall.

We tried just about everything in terms of the commercial products and stuff you read about. None worked. The only thing that really took hold was catching them doing something and then giving them a really good tongue-lashing followed by putting the offender somewhere separate where they couldn't be with the rest of the "pack" for a while. As you probably know, this kind of timeout is very effective discipline, moreso when you have multiple animals. We also keep a very full box of chewy, squeaky toys around at all times.

When I got my piano I didn't wait for a chew-event to happen. As soon as one so much as looked at the piano I went off on him to set an example. They've never touched the piano or bench and now seem to have outgrown that phase all together.

You were way ahead of me, MaryAnn. This is embarrassing to admit, but I think it took me about 40 years to see them! Self-teaching, I learned to read notes and use the pedal, but I had never even thought about incorporating dynamics into my playing. Then I finally started lessons, and a week or two later, my teacher pointed out the dynamic markings, suggesting that I try to observe them. How could I have been blind to them all that time?!

I finally started getting to grips with a short Frescobaldi (early Baroque) piece. Hmm, looks so easy, feels so difficult, or rather odd. And I was wondering why that was. Perhaps because the sequences of notes sometimes feel alien. The sequences of chords too. Not many bar lines, which seem to come in at varying intervals...

Then I went away and listened to some recordings and found that what people play is not quite what is on the page. Rather, the sheet music is an idea for what might be played. Which felt kind of liberating.

For some reasons I got composition bug and composed a short one. It's called welcome to the forum. Unfortunately I could not find way to put words to it. Words goes like: "Welcome to the forum, you come to the right place, tell us about you, your music, piano, I know you have, music deep in your heart. let us welcome you, welcome you, let the music begin"

http://www.noteflight.com/scores/view/ed379f3cb2026e226b3563893850dcd16251c375

I also did not bother to add so much of left hand. I thought it sounded better on my piano. but yes, the computer plays it for you. It's a free software. I still have to figure out how to print it.

He is in a caged area now when I am playing. The problem is that he is so cute. He looked like moping all night. so I forgave him. I will just have to be careful, I guess. Thank you for your advice. It calmed me down.

Darn, it's asking me to sign in. Do I have to get an account to hear it?

That's too bad. I made it sharable to everyone... I will try to take a screen shot..

I made it through my Guild exam with high marks, nice praise, and a useful discussion on memorization with the judge. Second year of that . . . tough go to memorize four pieces (Scarlatti Dm Sonata, Beethoven G Sonata No2, Satie Gnossienne No3, Lennon/McCartney Norwegian Wood). but well worth the effort!

John Dickinson