@Kaydia I definitely recommend piano lessons. Sometimes it takes a while to find a teacher who’s a good fit, but having a piano teacher is great, not just for piano learning and progress but also to have someone to share the piano journey with. I have now been playing piano for 25 years (yikes), but I still take lessons. I should sit down sometime and try to figure out how many years of lessons I’ve had, because there were times when I had to stop for various reasons. But I have gained so much from lessons, I’ll probably continue them forever, if I can.

ETA: I just did a back of the napkin calculation 😅 and subtracting all the times when I was without a teacher (when we moved, or the teacher moved, or I took a break from lessons for professional reasons)… I think I have had 20 years of lessons so far. Wow.

    On the topic of hobbies…

    I used to do Aikido (a Japanese martial art). When I started piano, I had been doing aikido for probably 7+ years. I had a black belt, I sometimes taught classes, and I met my husband through aikido, so we generally went to practice together etc.

    After I started learning piano, at some point, I started to notice that as we would be leaving the house to go to the dojo, what I really wanted to do was stay home and practice the piano. I worked full time (then as now) and so time is always limited. Eventually, I was skipping more and more aikido practices for piano, and I decided to “take a break” from aikido. I never went to practice again after that.

    I still work full time, so my free time is limited by that. Over the years, there have been other things I’d like to do, and other instruments I’d like to learn, but in the end, I always decide that piano takes priority and I realize I can’t pursue more than one hobby. I’m ok with that. The only thing I’ve managed to do with any consistency besides piano is make time for exercise, but I didn’t see that as a hobby so much as a health maintenance thing.

    For those of you who are retired, I’ll let you all decide whether or how you can have more than one hobby.

    But for those of us not retired, then there are many more restrictions on our time, and I think it’s ok to just pick one hobby.

    Or if you can make it work with your schedule, have more than one hobby and be ok with possibly slower progress but more activities.

    I think your heart tells you how you want to be spending your time. Mine did, and does.

      Josephine I think my dream for this year is to be able to say nice and positive things to myself more often.

      This is a lovely idea! I should do it too, not just to myself but about myself when I talk to others.

      I have a tendency to criticize my piano playing too much when I play for other people.

      We had guests over on Christmas Eve and I played for them (four pieces, my three recital pieces from November and a newer piece I’m hoping to perform in February. After I finished, one of the people, who knew that I started piano as an adult, asked how long I’ve been playing. I said something like “an embarrassingly long time.” This comment comes from what’s in my head, which is, “given how long I’ve been playing, I should be better by now.”

      My friend responded kindly, “there was nothing embarrassing about how you played for us just now.” I remember thinking what a gracious come-back that was!

      So here’s another thing to strive for: 1) to not criticize my piano playing out loud to other people, and 2) to compliment my piano playing to myself. I think it’s fine, important even, to be able to articulate areas for improvement etc., but I think we should all be complimenting ourselves, our piano playing, a lot more.

          ShiroKuro

          That's a good idea! I didn't think of that, but I have the same habit. I will try to do that as well.

            Pallas and @Josephine have you heard of the Buddhist idea of “monkey mind”? I don’t know that it’s the same as your hamsters, but probably close.

            I always use that expression (about myself) when talking with my piano teacher about how (or why) I have trouble staining focused and concentrating while performing or trying to record.

              ShiroKuro I definitely recommend piano lessons. Sometimes it takes a while to find a teacher who’s a good fit, but having a piano teacher is great, not just for piano learning and progress but also to have someone to share the piano journey with.

              I've gotten a taste for the benefit of a teacher from pairing my method books with the guy from Let's Play Piano Methods on YouTube. His channel is awesome, but like he has said himself, he can only show us so much in a video format, plus we're missing out on personal feedback. Even so, his videos are really enhancing my self-learning lessons for now.

              ShiroKuro ETA: I just did a back of the napkin calculation 😅 and subtracting all the times when I was without a teacher (when we moved, or the teacher moved, or I took a break from lessons for professional reasons)… I think I have had 20 years of lessons so far. Wow.

              Wow, indeed! That's great!

                  Kaydia The only houseplants I don't accidentally kill off seem to be succulents.

                  I once killed 17 house plants (with help from my cat at the time, who liked to dump them onto the floor). Almost the same story with container plants. A plant has to be in the ground to have a chance with me.

                      ShiroKuro But for those of us not retired, then there are many more restrictions on our time, and I think it’s ok to just pick one hobby.

                      Absolutely!

                      ShiroKuro Or if you can make it work with your schedule, have more than one hobby and be ok with possibly slower progress but more activities.

                      This was my approach when I was working full time. I've never minded slow progress in learning new things. I like learning new things and can happily research a new hobby (ie: YouTube, reddit, facebook) for hours on end. I get just as much enjoyment out of the learning phase as I do with the activities themselves.

                          • Kaydia

                          • Post #40
                          • Edited

                          lilypad I once killed 17 house plants (with help from my cat at the time, who liked to dump them onto the floor). Almost the same story with container plants. A plant has to be in the ground to have a chance with me.

                          That's what your cat was trying to tell you. 😆 If you haven't already, you may want to consider giving succulents a try. They come in small varieties, so maybe you can keep them up out of the way of any feline monsters.

                          ETA: Or a terrarium. Those can be cool. I had one of those many decades ago. So I've just given myself another hobby idea here. So much to do, so little time!

                              Pallas from the sidelines, in the movie trailer voice
                              Thusly was Brain Hamster 2,321 born...

                              Must. Not. Watch. 200 terrarium. YouTube. Videos.

                              🤣 I never knew about Brain Hamsters until this forum. So interesting. As for the video watching? I'm pretty sure it's a forgone conclusion.

                                ShiroKuro For those of you who are retired, I’ll let you all decide whether or how you can have more than one hobby.

                                I think there needs to be a "time management for retirees" class.

                                While I was working full time I used to paint, garden, sew and play classical guitar.

                                When I retired in 2004, I bought a keyboard to relearn piano, but mostly just gardened and dabbled in piano during the rainy season. Now I'm obsessed with piano and welcome the rainy season as an excuse to stay inside to practice and play piano.

                                A few years ago I finally gave away my painting supplies. Last year I gave away most of my sewing supplies.

                                    Kaydia If you haven't already, you may want to consider giving succulents a try. They come in small varieties, so maybe you can keep them up out of the way of any feline monsters.

                                    Those were my notable successes! A jade plant and a Christmas cactus. I had them on my desk at work (no cats there). I rarely remembered to water them and the Christmas cactus actually bloomed in an effort to get me to notice it and give it at least a little water.

                                      lilypad I think there needs to be a "time management for retirees" class.

                                      lilypad A few years ago I finally gave away my painting supplies. Last year I gave away most of my sewing supplies.

                                      I can relate to both of these.

                                      I've never been good with time management, and it's only gotten worse since I'm not working at the moment. A time management class for a life-long procrastinator would be nice. Assuming I ever got around to taking it. Haha.

                                      As for discontinuing hobbies, I think it's time for me to sell all my photography equipment. Not sure it has much value now since it's older stuff, and phone cameras have improved so much. But it's all been collecting dust for a long time now, and I don't see myself getting back into photography. I'm going to keep holding on to my other hobbies for now. Cuz, one day...

                                          Pallas Only 7,230,210 steps to go.

                                          Me too! 😃

                                            7 days later

                                            Good luck everybody!

                                            My piano dreams are pretty simple this year. Mainly I want to work on refining and polishing pieces and technical skills, firmly and confidently getting into intermediate repertoire.

                                            1. Things I'm on my way with
                                              a. Bach Sinfonias. I've learned two (one is polished) so far, and I hope to learn about 3 more this year to a high level.
                                              b. Scriabin Op. 11. I've polished 1 and learned 3 more to various degrees of finish. I want to learn at least two that I wouldn't have been able to play or play well three years ago when I first attempted the set. And a real emphasis in nuanced performances of the easier ones.

                                            2. New Paths
                                              a. Mozart Sonatas. A year or two ago I learned K545 but didn't play it well. This year I would like to play it to a respectable degree. If I can do this, then I'd start on another one like K332.
                                              b. Chopin repertoire. I would like to learn a set of early Mazurkas like Op. 7, which I've played through a few times last year but would've been difficult for me to play well at performance tempo. Maybe, time and progress willing, one or more of the posthumous Nocturnes, all of which seem to have one brief moment that is difficult for me.

                                            My piano dreams for 2025?

                                            I would like to graduate to be an early beginner, but I think it is more realistic to become an absolute beginner in 2025.

                                            I think my most aspirational dream would be to continue to learn and grow as much this year as I have in the previous 2 years.

                                            Which, if that goal is attained, should put me somewhere in the mid to late intermediate levels and the music should help my desire to achieve my ultimate goals. One of which is to buy a baby grand. And of course right now!!! there's this absolutely beautiful Pramberger at a piano shop in Los Angeles, for a really good price, which would make everyone I know (even quite a few members here) sooo jealous. I just don't have a place to put a piano right now.

                                            Maybe in 3 or 4 years. Until then, I'll just keep on learning and growing so that when I do eventually get that baby grand I can play music on it that's worthy of it.