Instrument Players - Come and chat (Part III)

[CoteDAzur]

We continue our musical journey on the 3rd thread for amateur adult instrument players

Here is our 1st thread and
here's the 2nd one.

Hello, can I join?

I played piano, flute and violin as a kid. I rarely practiced and was not very good! I quit piano at about 15 after failing my grade 5,

30 or so years later I’ve just started trying to learn the double bass and I’m playing a bit of piano for fun. Am loving it - especially the bass.

I can’t really justify the expense of lessons (plus I don’t think double bass teachers are easy to find) so I’m just amusing myself really - do you all have lessons?

Fluke i think you are so brave doing your grading, fingers crossed for you.

Thanks everyone for your kind comments. Cote yes it happens when I record myself too.

Courderoy yes I have piano lessons. I love my teacher, he's become a real friend. It's so different having lessons as an adult. I'd like flute lessons too (I got grade 8 twenty years ago) but I can't really afford both. I bet strongly recommend having lessons - apart from anything else it motivates you to practise (not that that's a problem for me, I'm a bit obsessed with my piano...) and a good teacher will make a huge difference to your progress.

Very strongly...

Thanks Tintini, I’m slowly getting the hang of mixing tracks. Been taking part in a monthly forum competition for about 6 months now. It’s just for fun, but it’s been good for me. I feel like my playing and singing have improved and I’m more confident about tackling new songs.

Sorry the exam nerves got to you Fluke, it might not have been as bad as you think though. I thought I’d made a major fault and failed my driving test about 5 minutes in and oddly enough it made me relax for the rest of it and I ended up passing with a couple of minor faults.

Good news, I passed the theory exam.

On to grade 5 playing now, by way of a few Christmas pieces.
@LooseAtTheSeams did your ds get on ok in the exam?

@CoteDAzur did you see the article in the Times yesterday, Bake Off's Henry writing about playing the organ, especially at Christmas. Sorry, don't know how to share...

Congratulations amiga! After I passed grade 5 theory I promptly avoided all theory because I couldn't see the point of it. I would strongly recommend not doing this! I missed out hugely.

Congratulations amiga No, I didn't see that article (and I have no idea who "Bake Off's Henry" might be).

Well, to my amazement I got a merit! Genuinely shocked by that, I played so badly! Very pleased though.

Well done Amiga

Well done Fluke - just goes to show how hard it is to tell!

Gershwin does have some long stretches, but don't forget that ...

This made me smile...

TheMaestro that's hilarious! 😂

I love that video.

Well done Amiga & Fluke!

Congratulations Amiga and Fluke on your exam results! What are people's music related new year's resolutions?

I'd like to return to the piano (having got grade 8 nineteen years ago but not really played since). I have posted before with rather optimistic notions, but having struggled at playing carols at my in laws this Christmas, have to admit it's a case of use it or lose it and I've definitely nearly completely lost it! I have a toddler, a job and a digital piano. What would be a sensible use of time with say practising four or five times a week for half an hour? I'm thinking scales, perhaps Bach and choose some short piece and force myself to learn in detail rather than just hack through. How often do people attend lessons? Xx

I have lessons about once a month. Practise maybe 4-5 days a week, 10-20 minutes a go. I pick only what I like... No scales ... I've picked quite a few pieces that I never knew before, just from radio 3 and classic fm. I stick to them until I'm sick of them, then look for new ones.

Never Ever I like your method of choosing pieces! - I guess that's the joy of playing as an adult - I remember my teachers would never let me move onto the next piece even though I was long sick of it. Monthly lessons sound good. I will see how this new year's resolution goes and possibly look for a teacher in a few months...

Belated congratulations on the exam successes! Was very busy and not very well for the couple of weeks before Christmas so minimal piano playing occurred but feeling a lot better for two weeks off and I've managed to do some practice most days. Determined to get a bit done every day this month especially as lessons start again tomorrow!

I have a 30 min piano lesson once a fortnight which feels not very much time to be formally taught that much. I feel like I actually learn more from playing around myself and other resources. But it works well for me more as useful contact with a professional musician - to have someone to show what I've been doing, add some suggestions, check I'm not missing anything or doing anything really 'wrong' etc. I would still play without them and learn new things, but they are helpful and nice.

I'm also taking some musicianship lessons at the moment and they are completely different - very structured and the teacher is frequently surprising me with new things that I don't think I could have worked out for myself.

Both are very different to the lessons I had as a child / teenager though, which I remember as just pieces, scales, exams.

If you have lessons, how do they go? There seem to be lots of ways.

I have a 30 minute lesson once a week in term time. I would love to have longer lessons, they really aren't long enough but logistically that's the only time my teacher and I can be in the same place at the same time. I love my lessons and have learned so much. I could figure out how to bash the notes out myself, but when it comes to expression and technique a teacher's guidance is invaluable. And it's just lovely to talk to someone knowledgeable about the music I'm playing.

My lesson usually goes like this:

Me : "Why can't I make this sound like how I want it to sound? < wail>"
Teacher: "You could try this."
Me: "Oooo! "

I have a one hour lesson every fortnight, which works out well. When I first started (all of 11 months ago) I had weekly lessons but it's 3 hours each time with travel.

I've been very remiss over Christmas and New Year and haven't practiced nearly as much as I should have. I'm not being too hard on myself though, it is, after all, supposed to be enjoyable.

Back to lessons at the end of the month. I'm really looking forward to a bit of routine, I've missed it.

How's everyone doing?

Happy new year, everyone I have lessons once a week and my lessons go like this:

Me: Look, I worked on this Bach fugue in 4 voices for hours every day for a week, and I can now get through all 5 pages of it

Teacher: Yeah, OK, but you must play with Baroque nuances and articulations, join notes in 2s, mirror right hand's rhythm in the left hand, mark cadences more.... (goes on)

Me:

Can I join, please? My resolution is to practise my piano regularly and nail memorising, which I have always struggled with. Does anyone have any tips?