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Wow, my own thread Thanks Dave and thanks for the email too. Now I feel REALLY special!!

I'll definitely be letting you know how I get on. I've managed to get the day off work (even though I had to do about and hours work anyway ) and will get in as much practice as I can to loosen up those sausages before my lesson which is now at 3 pm.

I'm walking to her house, so will leave plenty of time so I don't spend the whole lesson trying to get my breath back and dripping with rainwater all over her Steinway

Love to all,
Jan

Hi Nutroast!!

Good luck with your lesson today! Hope all goes well for you and you don't get amnesia when you sit down at your teacher's piano .

Oooooh!! I'm just fidgeting about in my chair at all you guys talking about your lessons . I could afford a lesson but its sooo wrong (with having no money for them) yet its sooo right! ahhrrrurrrgggg!

p.s, I like your signature about playing the violin, Thats exactly why I took up the piano because its a fixed tuned instrument, one less thing to think about when playing. Actually I much prefer the sound of a piano then the sound of a violin buzzing in my ear!

Come on, come on, you've had quarter of an hour to get home....we need to know how it went!!

By the time Nutroast replies with her news, EVEN I would have had my 1st lesson!

Almost as tense as that wait to discover who killed J.R.Ewing!

uh-oh.. does this mean that the lesson went

a) really well, so Jan is in the pub getting sloshed

or

b) really badly, so Jan is in the pub getting sloshed

or

c) went alright, and life with small children is busy so no chance to post a report yet??!

Hope it's a) or c) !!!

Linzy x

Well timed admittance, Dave. The Statute of Limitations has run out by now, I believe!

I'm sure everything has gone well.

my lesson was today as well.. we've both agreed I need to stop learning lots of new pieces, and concentrate on a few, and get them perfect! I've obviously taken this to heart (and have just dowloaded Faure's Pavane - ooops!). It's hard.. I think I've played a piece with note and timing perfect, and then I get picked up on legato, or staccato, or something Makes it hard to remember that I've only been learning since June.

L x

Your sight-reading must already be very good if your teacher is telling you to cut down on the number of pieces you are learning?!

kind of you to say so, Mark.. I don't know though. My teacher has always emphasised the importance of counting, so I just do that. And although I don't always know what the extra notation marks mean, I seem to have picked up reading the notes. Can't always get my fingers to play them though

It's been interesting reading about the Hanon exercises. Might have to investigate them. One of the pieces I'm playing really emphasises the weakness in fingers 4 and 5 in both hands.

L

There are specific exercises that address the 4th and 5th fingers. Personally, I recommend his book. Not very long - is it 12 exercises or so at the very most? But you will definitely notice the affects of it (and the pain after your first two or three goes)!

I don't think the book is that expensive anyway... A Grade 1 exams' booklet would be thicker!

pain?? ugh.. not sure about that

The other thing I have trouble with is playing songs that I know - so I automatically just try to play it how I know it, if you see what I mean, rather than how the notation says I should. That's a hard habit to break, must try harder!!

How long have you been playing?

almost 18 years...

No... sorry! Almost 17 years!

When I started to play piano at about 11, I was really just mucking around and playing a few simple pieces by ear so that's why in many of my postings, I am encouraging people to go for it properly (from a musical perspective!) cos that's what I did. I went to music lessons to start getting serious with the instrument when I was about 13. That's a little late by most trends but anyway, six months after commencing lessons, I was walking out of the exam with my distinction in Grade 1 and I have never really looked back.

17 years?? wow.. How long did it take you to get to grade 8??

Thanks for the offer, Dave, I'll definitely take you up on that one. I'm sure Natalya will excuse me looking at something new

I stopped in between exams to get GCSEs and A-levels out of the way. Including gaps, it must have been around 10 years to get to Grade 8.

wow.. I'd love to do the exams but so far natalya (my teacher) and I haven't mentioned them.. I'm pretty exam driven, so would find them pretty motivating I think

Well it's something you should definitely aim for! There are loads of people walking around today wishing they had done more with their instrument. Of course, at this point, I shoud also reiterate (before someone else does) that exams are not the main goal and that skills and experience and repertoire.... are the more important goals to be achieved. But, if you are enthusiastic and motivated, these should come along with all that anyway!

dave has very kindly lent me some old grade 1 exam pieces, so I'm working on those in between my official homework. We'll see.. I think I'm some way off yet!

I might still have my Grade 1 pieces too if you want me to send you a copy of them... that is if I can find them. 17 years is a long time ago!

That would be really kind, thank you! PM me if you find them!!

dave brum wrote:Thought: Jan will not like us, ruining her thread like this. She's obviously too kali'd to do any blogging tonight!

Well I suppose that's what she gets for keeping us all in suspense!

Seriously though, the first lesson always seems like a nightmare, but in my experience, it is always the best lesson. It tends to go downhill slightly from there - that is before rising towards the goal at the end!

Hi Folks, I survived!!

I'm sorry I kept you in suspenders and didn't reply last night, I'd shut the computer down and popped into the pub on the way home with my husband to chat about my lesson and, well, you can imagine, my brain didn't work at all after that. I did still get in a practice last night though.

The verdict is, I have good timing, but try to play at full speed when I should practice a bit slower at first, just so I can keep the notes consistent and I don't get in a pickle by going wrong. My note-reading needs practice (no surprise there), expecially the left hand stuff. Talking of my left hand, it's not relaxed enough (it was after the large glass of Pinot). My knuckles tend to be a bit raised on that hand and I need to try to work on my position so that my hands are more relaxed so I don't get tired out when I get to play more complex or longer pieces.

So, basically, she told me I am trying to do too much too soon and to take it easy and practice on the real basics so that I don't get into bad habits that will make it harder for me in the long run. I've got to practice my sight-reading, plus a set piece for next time.

I came out of there feeling very happy with things, she easily spotted my strengths and weaknesses and I'm sure she'll be able to steer me in the right direction. I'm quite fired up about the piano anyway (had you guessed?) But now, I'm excited that I know, after all these years, I'm finally going to turn into a half decent pianist if I put in the work and I'm more than prepared to do that.

Onwards and upwards

Jan
xx

PS. She told me I needed to cut my nails as well - I told my husband this and he said "Well, that's the end of the piano then!" Bloomin' cheek. They have been duly filed down.

Louttrim...it was a) and c)

I'm so glad it went well!

It sounds like you've got a really awesome teacher there! If you keep tension in your hands then you'll hit a limit to what you can do somewhere along the lines. By encouraging you to relax your hands, etc, right from the first lesson she's enabling you to eventually go on to play as difficult music as you like!! It's all so exciting

Jan

I'm so pleased it went well I've cut my nails this week too, my teacher was very pleased

I'd have put money on it being a) and c)!!!!

Linzy x

dave brum wrote:Have you done any 'shopping around' for teachers yet, Anna! There's oodles and oodles of teachers by you!

Is there Dave? Did you look on a website or something to find that out, if so what website was it? Is there any good sites for finding piano teachers about?

I have only looked in the yellow pages so far, and theres a few teachers near me...

Thats really good new Nuttyroast!!!

Hi Dave I'm ok!

Cheers, I'll have a look. But I can't touch

dave brum wrote: She's related to Ben, isn't she

Ha ha! Very good!

I managed my lesson without even the tiniest smirk and it went really well. Somehow, I managed to fluff up "Drink to me Only" which I can usually play with my eyes shut, but that's what playing in front of a teacher does to me!

She said my sight reading has improved too, which I was pleased to hear as I have worked hard on that. I do have to do some more theory work though. It's funny, I played violin for ages, but no-one ever really took the time to explain about time signatures; I know the basics, but never understood that bottom number! When she sat down at went through it, I had a real eureka moment

Love to all,
Jan
xx

Hello Dave and everyone, yes, I got to my lesson this week. Being off sick meant I was either sleeping, or practicing, so I actually did really well. My teacher said the gavotte I played couldn't be faulted (smug grin!) I've still got to do more practice on the basics with my left hand, it doesn't want to do what it's told sometimes. Also, on a newish piece, I tend to pause at the end of bars (music ones, not Wetherspoons) while I sort my fingering out. I'm going to take it easy today with lots more rest and more sessions with Rosie.

Thanks for thinking of me! I've missed you lot.

Jan
xx