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I would like to take an innocuous and arbitrary survey to satiate my own curiosity.

If you...

1.) Started playing music for the first time at 18+ years old.
2.) Have been playing for 4 years or more.
3.) Comfortably play grade 6-7 pieces.

... I would really appreciate if you would post in this thread.



If you don't fit these criteria, just ignore this thread; it's merely a survey.

Can you give some examples of grade 6-7 pieces? I don't play classical music and am not familiar with the grading system. I could tell you the hardest Einaudi pieces I'm able to play, but I'm not sure that would be helpful.

Welcome to the forum, by the way.

Majority of new age piano compositions fit in the range of grade 6/7, with the hardest ones occasionally in grade 8, and occasional easy ones in grade 4/5.

If the OP meant ABRSM grades, then you can see the latest syllabus for examples:

http://ca.abrsm.org/fileadmin/user_upload/syllabuses/pianoSyllabusComplete13.pdf

For RCM grades, maybe subtract a grade or two for the equivalent ABRSM grade. E.g., RCM 8 is approximately ABRSM 7.

I'm sorry Monika K. but I just saw you had accordian lessons for 7 years as a child... that kind of disqualifies you

We're probably all disqualified.

It seems to me if you have been playing for over 4 years and can play grade 6-7 pieces, you really aren't a beginner anymore?

[RESPONSE DELETED]

Every summer we have an ABF survey. While it doesn't specifically answer the poster's question, it does make for some interesting reading.

Here's the 2013 ABF survey

Sam

I see what you mean... I have changed the title to adult learner. The reason I put adult beginner is because I specifically want to hear from people who began playing music for the first time as adults.

@SamS: Thank you so much for that link! But I wish in the "how would you describe your playing" category, things were broken down by those who started playing music as adults versus those who are returning.


And people can you please keep the ancillary discussion to keystring's "what makes good progress" thread rather than in here? I am really trying to find people who fit the criteria in the OP. I realize I can't control what or where people post, but I just ask you to respect that I'm trying to take a survey.

So if you fit the criteria, please chime in!

I'm going to make some observations and then I will shut up.

Since this thread has gone up not a single person who matches the criteria has told their story (yet). There may be a reason.

Second point: This is not just a random survey out of curiosity, like wanting to know how many people own cats with brown spots. You're trying to reach things in music like all of us, and the results should be helping you in some ways.

I actually fit your criteria for the first instrument for which I had lessons. I started from scratch as an older adult, and in my first year I went from preliminary to mid-grade 4. Some of the pieces I played were designated "grade 7" and it was within that timeframe. Somewhere along the line I also learned that even high grade pieces can be played in a low grade manner, if you will. I also learned that getting at skills, approaches - at basic things - bring you much further. It seems slower, but it is faster.

In conclusion, reaching a high grade faster may not be a good thing. A lot in this experience was not good. Yes, definitely listen to stories of those who fit your criteria, but don't restrict yourself to that vision. The men and women in this forum have a wealth of different experience. We are learning from each other. Don't shut yourself out of that, regardless to what happens in this survey.

A note about disqualifying people who played other instruments. Is that necessarily an advantage? You have to perceive music in a different way, and let go of what you did before.

Finally, if someone spent any time earlier teaching themselves, or being mistaught, then this person is not ahead of beginners - he is behind. Undoing wrong things that you have entrenched is much harder than getting the right things in from the start. Every time you look at a score (if you learned to read in any fashion), every time you move to play a single note, your wrongly acquired habits pull you in the wrong way. You are even "deaf and blind" to the more helpful things, because what you have always done shouts over that. Therefore when you disqualify these people, you are also missing out on stories of people who are overcoming huge obstacles.

In case your survey is for more than curiosity, I have made these points once only. I will be reading the stories, if any come in, of people who match your criteria. We can always learn from anything.

It's just a bit hard to understand WHY you insist on these criteria, because it will limit the amount of answers you'll get a lot and it is not necessarily relevant to your quest. It is quite common for children to try out an instrument for a while, never learn much and then quit. I think that's one reason why so many of us are restarters. It's different if one has been playing a little every now and then, but I never even touched a keyboard for about 30 years. IMO it really makes little difference whether someone has played the piano a little bit some decades ago. Despite what people may say, it's not like riding a bike...And most of those who stopped early never really got very far.

For me the only advantage of studying piano long time ago was knowing a little bit of notation and music theory and being able to read a little (badly). Apart from that I was just as much a complete beginner on the piano as anyone else. Had to start on grade 1 pieces first. I've seen some complete beginners in their 20s or 30s progress much faster than me, probably because they are more physically able.

With this background I am fairly confident that after getting all the things together I will be able to play some grade 6-7 pieces quite well after 4 years. I could already play a few grade 6 pieces not so well after 2 years. So a complete beginner can certainly achieve that as well with a good teacher and enough smart practice.

I agree. And the point of this thread is to provide examples of people like this.

As I said I have seen it happen and know a couple, but unfortunately those examples are real life people, not available online

There are far better - as well as more humble - ways to go about researching said examples. For example, humbly expressing your doubts and concerns and simply inquiring for examples or prior discussions of examples could easily attract a great many more member's participation here. Your prerequisites to posting/contributing are off-putting and - presumably unintentionally - convey a certain closed-mindedness and narcissism. Many of us beginners/adult learners here have been in your same shoes with your same concerns and doubts and have put a lot of time into the same research and would happily share upon polite request.

Oh, and while you tactfully inserted the keyword "innocuous" (which doesn't go unappreciated), your corresponding precluding the solicitation of posts from a large percentage of members pretty much nullifies it.

I just found a thread on ABRSM that is very similar to this one:

http://www.abrsm.org/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t36344.html


Here is a response I found particularly relevant to my situation:


This is extremely motivating for me; I am so glad I stumbled onto that thread and I hope it can inspire some people here too.

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Sorry, but what a load of ****. Nick is looking for others in his same situation and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Nick: I hope you continue your studies and find the motivation & inspiration that you need. Don't let the overwhelming negativity and drama around here affect you.

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