Alfred Adult All-in-One Course Level 2 and 3

Nightowl

Speed comes from working at speed so that your brain can begin to process and recognize what's going on.

Race car drivers do not practice driving slowly so that they don't bump into each other. They train to drive fast with control of the car. They push themselves and expect a little rubbing while racing.

In the same vein, you will not get faster by playing slowly and carefully. You must push the speed limit of your fingers and expect to fumble. This is how the human brain works and you will begin to correct the fumbles automatically. Eventually you will stop fumbling and can control the speed at which you play.

Just like a race car driver controls the speed at which he drives..

iternabe That's another nice gadget which I can imagine might appeal to a certain gadget loving geek who already has a large collection of timers.

Sophia, you are really zooming through book 3! I'm still moving through book 2 at snail speed, but I think this is quite common at this stage. I have been working on the Elgar piece for a few days, and have made a tentative start with Dark Eyes, but both pieces are stretching my skills as they include fiendishly tricky two part writing for the right hand. The Chopin piece is next, and I've briefly attempted RH notes, but I'm not ready to properly tackle it yet.
I really don't think I'll progress further than grade 2 or 3 - I don't think my old brain is up to the level of multi-tasking involved beyond that level. I foresee that complex pieces probably involve 2 part writing for BOTH hands - the thought is terrifying! I will play for pleasure at an intermediate[ish] level but not become a slave to piano.

We'll see, but I'm not picking things up quickly now, and I can't imagine wanting to spend 100 hours to master a grade 5 piece, which is what might be entailed at that level. The professionals make it look so easy, and so effortless, but some of them have been playing for DECADES! Not that I'm being defeatist, just keeping my expectations real.

Fair point Sophia. But I still doubt that I will progress beyond grade 3(ish) level - I'm too much of a plodder and I think my brain doesn't operate fast enough to go beyond that. I speak slower than average - it takes me a bit of time to formulate my words and thoughts. Hence my belief that I won't ever be able to play fast tempo, complex pieces, because my brain doesn't "do" speed! It works OK, just not quickly enough for that.

Nightowl

As you progress you will find that some pieces will be a bit more difficult. These will be the ones which teach harder concepts. The ones which repeat those concepts so they become ingrained will be easier.

Not to start another round of "speed kills...," but if you want to get faster you must practice for speed and not accuracy. No auctioneer was born babbling their sales nonsense, they all needed to learn how and what to say and then say it faster. And, while not everyone can sling the lingo like an auctioneer can, that doesn't mean you have to live life in the slow lane chanting at a walking cadence either.

Practice triplets. Practice full measures of 8ths and 16ths. Practice your scale and arpeggio runs. Push for speed, your fingers will fumble at first, but you will get faster. Then pull back from full throttle and concentrate on not hitting wrong keys or being out of sequence. You will be faster. Then push for more speed again and repeat the cycle.

Now play something you know and which is extremely easy. Play it as fast as you can. Again. Again. Again!

Now play it at tempo. And be amazed at how difficult it will be to slow down.

Animisha

I have had those thoughts as well, and I think I have spent years playing grade 3 pieces and etudes. But nowadays, most grade 3 pieces seem too easy to me! I don't know how it happened, but it did.

Thanks Animisha, that's good to know. It seems that while progress is slow on the surface, somehow the brain gradually builds faster neural network connections. What grade is your current playing level?

Nightowl It seems that while progress is slow on the surface, somehow the brain gradually builds faster neural network connections. What grade is your current playing level?

Quite right! Still, fast pieces are a challenge to me. I currently play pieces that are RCM 4-5.

Animisha Thanks, that gives me hope that I might also reach that level of play. Currently I'm working on 3 pieces which all contain two part writing for the right hand, so they are all stretching my skills - especially the Chopin piece. I also dip into some pieces from the Alfred hits book 1, as a change from these tricky pieces. I'm making progress but book 2 is much more challenging than book 1 (which is understandable).