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I thought this would be an easier piece and it’s really challenging for me, what gives??? 😡😡😡

My brain obviously never formed these synapses before because I feel like an idiot trying to learn this piece. Maybe I’m brain damaged? 😂

This is ridiculous. 🤷‍♀️

Play slow and loud.

There is nothing wrong with you.

You just lost your "awai".

I hate you all. 😂😂😂😂😂😂

OK, I've given up and commenced drinking instead. 👍👍

I've also renamed this piece FFS and I'm fine with that. 😂😂😂

It’s not a hard piece for you. Hear the melody in your head and let it sing out as you play. You must be in some kind of funk. Tell yourself to pull it together.

I’m only hearing voices in my head. 🙀🤠😱🤯🤪

Yes!! Voices in your head is good. Quiet your mind and it will transfer to your fingers.

Seriously, I’m not sure why this is so slow going for me. I’ve broken it down, played the voices separate, blocked the chords, played the melody with the bass, then added each voice in. The LH/RH is just screwing me up. Hopefully it will sink in at some point.

It is a good question, and I have no answer. Some pieces should not be hard, but they are, and sometimes it is incomprehensible. Why, why, why does it take me f o r e v e r to learn these notes? S-l-o-w practice, many many times and still, I don't get it. It would be interesting to understand why.

You need this lesson

It is probably due to the fact that, as simple as the piece seems to be, there are still several things happening as the same time and it is difficult to handle all of them in the same time. Dont know what is your level, but the piece demand a good hand coordination.

I would suggest you do 2 things. First you practice with triplets with the LH until it is smooth over 4 bars (first phrase) then add in the RH but play only 1 note (does not matter which, it can G for example) on each beat. Dont use the pedal. That you should be able to do.

On the other side, now play only the melody with the RH but count the proper rythm. Keep it down to 4 bars and no pedal.

Then try to play the first 2 bars together. As slow as you need without any rythm. Just manage to get the notes in the right sequence until that clicks. There is no point trying to play in rythm, until you get the sequence locked in. After that you can try to speed up moderately to feel how it works in rythm. Still only 2 bars.

Once you pass that step with 2 bars, the rest is just a matter of work and practice. There are several finger changes and the pedal to handle, so it all requires that the basic elements are as automated as possible. The piece is rcm7 or something like that but to play it expressively, it is more than that.

You and me both Lisa. I play it almost daily, and it must be over 18 months now, 12 months since consistent practise. Since then every now and then I do a focussed practise session on it.

I love this little piece, but it is hard to play and make it sing how it should sound. I'm never satisfied with my playing it of it but I still enjoy doing so. I wish I had some words of wisdom for you. Shirley's video is good.

I already watched that a week ago, LOL! I usually search far and wide for all input, and Shirley is one of a few go-to online teachers I check with. Josh Wright was no help whatsoever, except for voicing, which I usually need less help with. Jane on YouTube is great for fingering suggestions and hearing complicated sections, like for Bach.

Anyway, Shirley is a great teacher, and I went through all these steps. That part is fine, it’s putting it together in a smooth manner that’s my problem. It’s like Bach, my brain is working but it’s taking a while, lol. I just expected this to be a really easy piece, so I was surprised that I had to work so hard! It’s a piece I always wanted to play because it’s so lovely, but I pushed it aside as I worked on more difficult pieces. So I finally said “Oh, let’s knock this off” but it didn’t work out that way. 😊👍

This morning’s practice should be easier, this finally started kicking in late last night. Thanks for the suggestions, everyone!

Thanks for all this! I’m just seeing this but it’s what I ended up doing last night, drilling 2 bars at a time until it started to get there. My brain just needed to coordinate left and right sides together. That was painful, lol!!!

I haven’t added any pedal yet, still need to get this clean and I’m only at the first repeat. I think it will go a bit quicker now because I finally have the left-right coordination! I’m generally RCM 7 & 8, though I’ve played a couple pieces at 9. I expected this to be a 5 or 6, I didn’t see it in the syllabus! 😮

Yeah, I can see this being something I polish over quite a period of time! Schumann’s pieces alway feel so awkward to play. He was a strange guy, LOL!

It's in the syllabus, RCM 6 (page 55). You'll have it down in no time

Thanks, Bb, not sure how I missed that!

I just don't get how Knight Rupert was easier than this, LOL. Like.....how? Why??? Knight Rupert is RCM 8. This makes NO SENSE.

None of Schumann's Op. 15, Scenes from Childhood, is particularly easy. I think people tend to conflate 'scenes from childhood' with 'easy pieces for children,' and they're clearly not.