Should I continue working on this?

Question

I think I should continue working on it because I have a lot of fun doing so but my friend who has been playing piano for 13 years always discourages me. Yesterday when I played for him a bit he stopped me and said it was terrible. I found it harsh but appreciated his honesty nevertheless. What I didn't appreciate was when he said something like ...and you never will be able to play it.

I agreed with him that I lacked emotion but I also pointed out that I am merely trying to learn the notes first and feel that I will be able to work on other aspects such as emotion later.

I've been playing piano for 7 months now self taught. I don't know how to read sheet music yet so I learned this from a .midi file which I know isn't a good idea but sheet music is scary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ni35Q5WiwHY It quite slow and contains many wrong notes but I'd appreciate any advice whatsoever as brutal as you want! : )

Answer 1

That is very good for self taught! I've been studying music for most of my life and that is very good! Your friend is just brutally honest. That's it. I suggest perhaps curving your fingers for i see that you usually play with straight fingers and that can cause injury. The usual hand frame is suppose to be like when you type on the keyboard properly, with fingers curved. Otherwise, it is amazing and if you want to still pursue piano, you should start getting a piano instructor or a piano tutor.

Answer 2

Ha! Playing fantasie-impromptu after 7 months, being self-taught, learning the whole song from a MIDI file? Either you're Mozart with perfect pitch and unbelieveable fingerpower, or that's the funniest joke I've heard all day.
(Well, the second funniest. The funniest is the fact that EVERY person here apparently believed that it was actually you playing on the YouTube video.)

If anything else here is true (e.g. you've been playing for 7 months now, you have a friend who puts you down, you can't read music...) I would agree with the rest of the advice given... slowly learn to read music if you can. And then read a lot of it to be able to recognize the notes without having to "match" your fingers to the note on the page. But, just like reading words begins with reading letters and progressing, reading notes takes time and practice too.

My "brutal" advice is to be proud of whatever it is that YOU do yourself, and don't take credit for someone else's hard work.

Answer 3

Get a teacher and don't be "scared" by sheet music.

Think of this -- you can speak English, and you spoke it before you learned to read it or write it. But you eventually became literate. Now, you speak music, but you need to become literate in that as well.

The midi file you used is not complete -- many notes are left out of this piece, and the rhythms in places are incorrect. If you like this piece (and it is very popular), then give it some respect and learn to play it properly.

Quite obiously, you have an inborn talent to play the piano. With proper instruction, you will be able to accomplish a great deal more. Without that instruction, you will always be bound and frustrated by limitations. Sky's the limit!!

Your friend is wrong to discourage you, by the way. If he was a true friend he would swallow his envy at your ability to play at that level without the instruction that he has had. If he was a good friend he would sit down with you and start teaching right away -- that's what I would do.

Answer 4

Don't let people say that you will never be able to play something, because the most untalented person can become the best pianist the world has ever seen if they devote enough time to it. Don't get discouraged, and don't feel intimidated by sheet music. Just take the learning process at the pace that works for you, and I promise you will see results.

On a side note, one thing I notice about experienced players talking to friends just learning is that they often discourage them because they are jealous that they are learning the same instrument and are afraid of the student surpassing the master, therefore upstaging them. I've seen people do this many a time to a promising musician, crushing their dream and ending their possible music career. I would take his harshness as a compliment, because that means he recognizes you as a good enough player to be a threat.

Just a few thoughts.

Answer 5

you've got the spirit which is nice. You are smart and talented. You started this toooooooo soon. you HAVE TO learn how to read music. Try learning more methodically. This is an absurd jump. I know how intriguing this piece is. Everybody loves it. But to play it really well and with passion, you need to have NO technical difficulties with it. It's not that hard, but you would enjoy it A LOT more when you have played at least 4 more years.

And tell that (I don't insult very often) moron YOU WILL BE ABLE TO PLAY IT. However, NOT right now for sure. You clearly have not built up any technical foundation. Your technique is terrible (being brutal here).

Try to continue with a teacher. You seem VERY VERY talented and exuberant. That's great.

GOOD LUCK!!!!

Answer 6

Get to a piano teacher immediately. First, you have some bad habits you don't want to keep practicing. Second, you are quite good for self-taught, and you need guidance andf direction.

Answer 7

possibly you'll be extra considerate of what you're doing. case in point; do not believe a driving mower close to the sting of a cliff. they could seize a bump, root, etc. and lurch over the sting by hazard. rather, use a push mower around the fringe and supply your self a protection zone close to the cliff. Have a protection physique of ideas; think of roughly how issues ought to pass incorrect and what you're able to do to circumvent them.

Answer 8

Please start to learn how to read music and get yourself a teacher because you obviously have talent. Don't let it go to waste.
This is one of my favourite pieces ; that was not a bad effort.