Manda Adult Beginner

Off to a flying start
Completed fruitlines again 21 mins this time (almost fast enough! ) score 2074. Slightly lower score although I played it better overall the last frame of base staff nearly had me. Sigh.

So this month I am "always up for a challenge"
So I have decided to play at least half the songs in favourite classics 1 with both hands this month (my lazy brain needs some rewiring between my left and right hands somewhere!) realistically its a big challenge time wise but I have a few right hand sorted so I just need to get started on the rest. I still intend to play right hand until its "sorted" first then add left.
If I manage that then I will look for a harder piece to play around with.

Then I need to find some time to get the kiddies and me up to scratch for the recital..and figure out how to video myself...
Game of the month? Base clef? Its about time I learnt that!

Some interesting observations.
So I had a few days off from playing piano. No reason just didn't get to it.
( I may blame it on the endless pile of washing! )
What i have noticed lately is that it doesn't seem to matter if I have a few days off, when I return to the piano I still make improvements each time I play. I am not forgetting what I have learnt. I can play a piece I havnt played for a few weeks or a few days and after each little break, I improve on my accuracy and improve my speed. Most intesting is that while I play it I am thinking gee this is a bit slow..then I check back over my previous scores and am blown away, over and over again! My advice...ALWAYS record your scores, even if you only play it once. The ability to instantly see improvements is very motivating.
Playing pieces that you are quite familiar with on presentation 2,4,5,6 helps with learning to sight read. Yes even though you know the piece, if you are visually looking at the notes ( hopefully while singing!) as you play, The brain is making the connections. Just something I noticed when I decided it was time to memorize a few more pieces and stop taking it easy. I switched to presentation 4 (I like the pretty colour OK! ) to play the pieces I was familiar. Afterwards I sight read piano encounters album with 100% accuracy by the second attempt. Last attempt had me doing each piece three times to get to 1 or 2 mistakes per piece. Oh more importantly I had no troubles sight reading my left hand Yipeee! Finally!

Mandabplus3 wrote: Some interesting observations.
So I had a few days off from playing piano. No reason just didn't get to it.
( I may blame it on the endless pile of washing! )
What i have noticed lately is that it doesn't seem to matter if I have a few days off, when I return to the piano I still make improvements each time I play. I am not forgetting what I have learnt. I can play a piece I havnt played for a few weeks or a few days and after each little break, I improve on my accuracy and improve my speed. Most intesting is that while I play it I am thinking gee this is a bit slow..then I check back over my previous scores and am blown away, over and over again!

Manda, I just 'created' an interesting terminology for 2 different ways of learning things. First I would post it here, after that will check Google (if someone developed the same theory with different words).
When a teaching approach is based on 3/1 rule, where you already adapted 3 quarters of information about the new subject. These 3 quarters work as a ‘rout’ for a 1 part of ‘brand new’ information. The best example is ABC with pictures. I have some video about the concept.
Most of the skills and solid knowledge for life have been grown from ‘routs’ that been already established in your mind. If to speak about Soft Mozart, it applies to one’s established ability to hear some sounds, to distinguish some colors, to be able to press at least one key with at least on finger and to be able to talk at least in baby’s gibberish language… The rest we grow out using out tools.
Another approach in learning I would call ‘inserting’. It mostly based on cramming. Cramming, on another hand, is a way of making the soil loosens with a spade to insert unfamiliar ‘routs’. The results of ‘inserting’ learning are usually unpredictable.
What you had just described is a consequence of ‘from rout’ learning and usually the growing happening all the time even subconsciously.

My advice...ALWAYS record your scores, even if you only play it once. The ability to instantly see improvements is very motivating.

Yes, keeping the track of the progress in precise numbers is very important!

Playing pieces that you are quite familiar with on presentation 2,4,5,6 helps with learning to sight read. Yes even though you know the piece, if you are visually looking at the notes ( hopefully while singing!) as you play, The brain is making the connections. Just something I noticed when I decided it was time to memorize a few more pieces and stop taking it easy. I switched to presentation 4 (I like the pretty colour OK! ) to play the pieces I was familiar. Afterwards I sight read piano encounters album with 100% accuracy by the second attempt. Last attempt had me doing each piece three times to get to 1 or 2 mistakes per piece. Oh more importantly I had no troubles sight reading my left hand Yipeee! Finally!

Great! For the future reference: I give 4th presentation for reading even to my advanced students sometimes – especially when they have to deal with a lots of sharps and flats on the way.

So I got quite sick of playing Largo for now so I started playing Polevetzian Dance by Borodin (favourite classis 1). Its part of my challenge to play half that album this month...it was at the top of the list of songs
I quite like this piece. The right hand alone is pretty, and easy to stick with until you have it memorised. The left hand adds a chalenge as the notes are timed differently and you need to move your left hand to play it. Perfect for my lazy left hand!
I got the right hand good enough in one sitting and after three days I have both hands at 116/119 plus t35 (it took me only t71 the first time I did both hands this time )
I have also been memorising The Laughing Song by Strauss, slowly getting there, today was the first day in ages I felt like I made some progress with this song. I seemed to be stuck with it, so I employed my usual technique...shelf it til later! LOL
I decided (did you notice?) to write the composers of each piece down when I take my scores from now on, I was thinking I am learning all this beautiful music and coulnt tell anyone who wrote it. Figured my kids would show me up (with little musician) in no time if I didnt start trying to remember them! Try it, it works!
I have a few tips that I use quite regularly when my speed gets stuck and I stop making improvements. I thought I would jot them down to remind me and anyone else who may find them useful
MUSIC BLOCK TIPS
listen to the piece (press s)
change views up a level so you can read the notes further ahead on the screen
play something harder, when you go back to it it WILL be easy!
Sing it in solfege (in key optional but prefeable for all listening )
wait 2-3 days and try again
play it with unlabeled notes view 2,4,5,6, when you go back to labeled notes it will look easy!
play Fruit Lines instead (yes, give up for a while!)

Mandabplus3 wrote: So I got quite sick of playing Largo for now so I started playing Polevetzian Dance by Borodin (favourite classis 1). Its part of my challenge to play half that album this month...it was at the top of the list of songs
I quite like this piece. The right hand alone is pretty, and easy to stick with until you have it memorised. The left hand adds a chalenge as the notes are timed differently and you need to move your left hand to play it. Perfect for my lazy left hand!
I got the right hand good enough in one sitting and after three days I have both hands at 116/119 plus t35 (it took me only t71 the first time I did both hands this time )
I have also been memorising The Laughing Song by Strauss, slowly getting there, today was the first day in ages I felt like I made some progress with this song. I seemed to be stuck with it, so I employed my usual technique...shelf it til later! LOL
I decided (did you notice?) to write the composers of each piece down when I take my scores from now on, I was thinking I am learning all this beautiful music and coulnt tell anyone who wrote it. Figured my kids would show me up (with little musician) in no time if I didnt start trying to remember them! Try it, it works!
I have a few tips that I use quite regularly when my speed gets stuck and I stop making improvements. I thought I would jot them down to remind me and anyone else who may find them useful
MUSIC BLOCK TIPS
listen to the piece (press s)
change views up a level so you can read the notes further ahead on the screen
play something harder, when you go back to it it WILL be easy!
Sing it in solfege (in key optional but prefeable for all listening )
wait 2-3 days and try again
play it with unlabeled notes view 2,4,5,6, when you go back to labeled notes it will look easy!
play Fruit Lines instead (yes, give up for a while!)

Great tips, Amanda! Add them to the FAQ section for all of us!

I found some videos for you that you can find helpful:

Wow Diage ( how do you spell that name?) learnt a lot in two months, he must be much more dedicated to his practice than I am great to see someone else playing them. Thanks.
So up next..I need to bring out my inner cowboy hey