A few thoughts

Hi Archi! I don't know your age or ambition still I can't refrain from a comment. If you ask me (which you don't!) you should separate your practise in categories. To progress in pianoplaying you need to practise pieces "under" your level and learn them in every detail beeing able to play them with 100% comfort any time anywhere.This work involves listening to intervals experimenting with phrasing beeing able to play the composition in your head etc etc. It involves very slow playing very fast playing and finding a safetymarginal where you are 100% sure not fail.And also practise for failure beeing capable of loosing it and at the same time having the comfort of a quick recovery.Watch eg Rubinsteins Moscow Conservatory DVD he is completeley lost in Chopin "2 sonata.The recovery capability is what makes the difference.Pianoplaying is to some degree the ability to recover.It's a kind of work you can't escape from if you have some ambitions.There are no shortcuts in pianoplaying. Another side of practising is the complete opposite.Study and learn as many compositions you can above yor level because your memory won't be so great in older age this will benefit your sightreading skills and develop the ability to learn something fast as well as a good knowledge of styles and harmony.The great danger with this practise is that you start to get tense and loose yourself in a dead end with stress bad selfconfidence and frustration. So this kind of practise has to be without pretention and stiffness.You are perfectly allowed to play in a slow tempo and to completely adopt your interpretations to your capacity.Trying to play something above your level as Horowitz is a disaster. Many masters sometimes prefers ridiculuos tempi but who cares nobody knows the real intention of the composer anyway. So what I'm saying do the "competition" but don't let it interfere or destroy your real longterm work. Take the sheets with you if you wish and choose tempi that allows you to relax. Look at is as fun and as a learning experience (you always learn from your competitors).This is part of the "other" side of your practice.A jury will reject you right away if you choose "above" level and play "above" level but might be positive if you choose "above" level and play "within" level. As for teachers that's a problem we have had all. In the end you have to find your own technique sometimes you're lucky to find a teacher who can "fix" everything but I guess it's rare. But it is also of great importance that at least the first ten years you have a teacher you trust and that you stick with him or her, or change teacher. All this stuff on internet might benefit you but you should discuss these matters with your teacher, you shouldn't do the opposite discuss your teacher with people on the internet. Good luck Eric

Hi Archi! I don't know your age or ambition still I can't refrain from a comment. If you ask me (which you don't!) you should separate your practise in categories. To progress in pianoplaying you need to practise pieces "under" your level and learn them in every detail beeing able to play them with 100% comfort any time anywhere.This work involves listening to intervals experimenting with phrasing beeing able to play the composition in your head etc etc. It involves very slow playing very fast playing and finding a safetymarginal where you are 100% sure not fail.And also practise for failure beeing capable of loosing it and at the same time having the comfort of a quick recovery.Watch eg Rubinsteins Moscow Conservatory DVD he is completeley lost in Chopin "2 sonata.The recovery capability is what makes the difference.Pianoplaying is to some degree the ability to recover.It's a kind of work you can't escape from if you have some ambitions.There are no shortcuts in pianoplaying. Another side of practising is the complete opposite.Study and learn as many compositions you can above yor level because your memory won't be so great in older age this will benefit your sightreading skills and develop the ability to learn something fast as well as a good knowledge of styles and harmony.The great danger with this practise is that you start to get tense and loose yourself in a dead end with stress bad selfconfidence and frustration. So this kind of practise has to be without pretention and stiffness.You are perfectly allowed to play in a slow tempo and to completely adopt your interpretations to your capacity.Trying to play something above your level as Horowitz is a disaster. Many masters sometimes prefers ridiculuos tempi but who cares nobody knows the real intention of the composer anyway. So what I'm saying do the "competition" but don't let it interfere or destroy your real longterm work. Take the sheets with you if you wish and choose tempi that allows you to relax. Look at is as fun and as a learning experience (you always learn from your competitors).This is part of the "other" side of your practice.A jury will reject you right away if you choose "above" level and play "above" level but might be positive if you choose "above" level and play "within" level. As for teachers that's a problem we have had all. In the end you have to find your own technique sometimes you're lucky to find a teacher who can "fix" everything but I guess it's rare. But it is also of great importance that at least the first ten years you have a teacher you trust and that you stick with him or her, or change teacher. All this stuff on internet might benefit you but you should discuss these matters with your teacher, you shouldn't do the opposite discuss your teacher with people on the internet. Good luck Eric Thank you for your feedback. I am worried about the conclusion to which I came after experiencing some progress at piano playing. Before being able to play as I can play now I thought: so let's see...I have this passage with 8th notes at 120 bpm and I can only play 8th notes at 80. This means 40 practice days - increasing 1 by 1 each day. These kind of predictions proved to be untrue. Progress cannot be predicted. It's the same here. No one can predict whether I'll be able to play an entrance exam repertoire in 1,2 or 3 years. After meeting Alan in 2010 I only practiced piano when I had the mood...that meant 1 hour a day but not daily. I cannot say (exactly as I couldn't with the 8th notes) that if I'm 5 years behind and a student practices 2 hours a day I'm going to catch up in 1 year if I study 5 times his ammount of time (meaning 10 hours a day). Music is not maths. Nor musical progress.

Well I wouldn't put it that way. Your math method has taken you a long way so far. Yes? In a way you CAN predict progress to play reasonably good piano is definitely possible for most people and with reasonable I mean a nice clean professional performance with a well-choosen repertoir. That's why I made a comment because I know by experience that it's also possible to predict failure. So don't give up the maths-it's great. Just leave some room for feedback and the possibility to constantly change the maths. It's a passion it's addiction or whatever and it's above all a lifelong learning process.It's not getting frustrated loosing selfconfidence or winning a competition.It's very mental great cool is required.Remember Horowitz took lessons when everybody looked upon him as a god.He went to see Cortot. And he went to see an expert when he started with Scarlatti and never hesitated to ask for advice when he needed one.That's the spirit.Recording all you do including practise sessions on occasions can be a good starting point.Lot's of musiscians do just that.

Well I wouldn't put it that way. Your math method has taken you a long way so far. Yes? In a way you CAN predict progress to play reasonably good piano is definitely possible for most people and with reasonable I mean a nice clean professional performance with a well-choosen repertoir. That's why I made a comment because I know by experience that it's also possible to predict failure. So don't give up the maths-it's great. Just leave some room for feedback and the possibility to constantly change the maths. It's a passion it's addiction or whatever and it's above all a lifelong learning process.It's not getting frustrated loosing selfconfidence or winning a competition.It's very mental great cool is required.Remember Horowitz took lessons when everybody looked upon him as a god.He went to see Cortot. And he went to see an expert when he started with Scarlatti and never hesitated to ask for advice when he needed one.That's the spirit.Recording all you do including practise sessions on occasions can be a good starting point.Lot's of musiscians do just that. Well...what would you predict in my case? And speaking of maths...I played the electric guitar in highschool and dropped it for a couple of years. I restarted september 2011...so one year and a couple of months and I already play the scale at 100 bpm with 16th notes. Of course playing piano and classical music is completely another level but with passion and practice I can sort things out. It's just a matter of reaching a level where you're comfortable in your playing...the rest comes by itself. That's what I'm searching for here...

Hi Archi I watched some YT of yours and realize that most of what I wrote you already know. Sorry.You're doing just fine and continue like that it's rare to see someone that disciplined. I can guarantee you good results give it a few years. You seem to be well aware of the "disciplined part" so developing the other part, the "above level" and having some fun letting it all go would be benefitial.As I said have trust in your teacher. If you don't have one and depend on internet Alan is probably the best net-alternative especially if you have the possibility to see him at occasions. I think he has some online-possibilities to.There are some individual lessons videotaped on his blog and they are just great.

I have five or more different students whom I teach regularly on Skype... I didn't think it could work but actually it works surprisingly well... When I can't rely on touch, I actually have to things better, which is a Good Thing... AFF