any musicians out there

[Peter]

Originally posted by KyleC:

oh and peter of course im working on the rest of that movement. i agree that half a movement is worthless. i wish to someday play more advanced stuff i just dont think i have the fingers for it sometimes. i have heard all of beethovens sonatas and i dont think my fingers could ever move that fast. i do hanon but what else is there to do? or will it just naturally come as i continue playing? it better or else i will be stuck doing slower songs.

Well don't rush things, don't force your technique after all you have only been learning a short time. Hanon is ok, scales and arpeggios I think essential, but more use than dry studies is music! When and if you are ready, work at Mozart sonatas, Bach preludes and fugues and eventually Chopin preludes and studies - that is the way to all round musicianship. However all this should be approached with the guidance of a fine teacher - above all remember Confucious "Do not be desirous of having things done quickly. Looking at small advantages prevents great affairs from being accomplished." Keep practising and good luck!

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'Man know thyself'

[Sorrano]

Originally posted by Peter:
Well don't rush things, don't force your technique after all you have only been learning a short time. Hanon is ok, scales and arpeggios I think essential, but more use than dry studies is music! When and if you are ready, work at Mozart sonatas, Bach preludes and fugues and eventually Chopin preludes and studies - that is the way to all round musicianship. However all this should be approached with the guidance of a fine teacher - above all remember Confucious "Do not be desirous of having things done quickly. Looking at small advantages prevents great affairs from being accomplished." Keep practising and good luck!

The Confucious quote cannot be stressed too much! Patience is your best friend in learning the music.

[Steppenwolf]

and what do u think beethoven is saying in it? or is he saying anyhting. thank u. [/B]

I think this particular sonata is most famous for its slow movement. What do I think Beethoven is 'saying' in that? Well, I don't think he is deliberately trying to communicate any particular message or idea, but it does seem to me (and this is purely my own subjective reaction) to express a tragic feeling, a feeling of lonliness. But, as so often in great art, the sadness is not one of black despair, but a strangely sweet sadness that is very beautiful.


[This message has been edited by Steppenwolf (edited 07-12-2004).]

[Vipercat]

I also play the piano, as well as clarinet and have recently started organ lessons. Like so many of u I learned the Pathetique as well and loved it!

Peter, what you said about patience in music is SO true. I made exactly that mistake initially - because I also progressed fast, I rushed into my technique, pushing it too far too quickly and that had real bad consequences. Now I am relearning how to go step by step and not skip all the important underlying fundamentals! :-)

[KyleC]

lol. patience is the hard part. im so eager to get good but i know it takes time. i never learned to read music fully so my teacher has me doing that. she is definetly a good teacher she has been teaching piano for 20 years or so. i think she might know how to do it. lol i thinmk the most important thing is practicing. when u learn arpeggios you just learn the fingers for them and stuff. that could come in handy for moonlight movement 3. . hehehehe excellent. lol. no i will not rush i promise you that. but i will want to rush. hehe

[Tegan]

Originally posted by KyleC:
wow. i never thought that there would be so many piano players here. i have another question. would u consider it "good" to be able to play about half of the first movement after only 1.5 years of playing? im just curious im seriously thinking in majoring in piano when i go to college. i want to know if i have a chance. . thanks for your quick responses. im a huge fan of beethoven and am just happy that i found such a great site filled with great information and wonderful people.

I started playing the piano when I was fifteen. By the end of my first year, I had learned the Pathetique. It was really too hard for me, but I begged my teacher to let me learn it. That's how I was able to learn Bach's 5th French Suite, too. I've only been playing three years, and I'm majoring in music at college. If you work hard enough, I don't think you'll need to worry about a late start. You WILL have to work alot, though. I have to practice at least twice as much as most people I know, but it's definitely worth it.

[KyleC]

Tegan how many hours do you practice for? i usually get about 2 hours a day. but sometimes a little more. is that sufficient?

[Sorrano]

Originally posted by Vipercat:
I also play the piano, as well as clarinet and have recently started organ lessons. Like so many of u I learned the Pathetique as well and loved it!

Peter, what you said about patience in music is SO true. I made exactly that mistake initially - because I also progressed fast, I rushed into my technique, pushing it too far too quickly and that had real bad consequences. Now I am relearning how to go step by step and not skip all the important underlying fundamentals! :-)

The more frustrated I get with a passage means the slower and more deliberately I have to work on it. If I slow down in that case I might as well stop practicing because it won't do me any good.

[spaceray]

From the memoirs of Ignaz Moschelles...
"Although but seven years old ,I actually ventured upon Beethoven's Sonate Pathetique.
Imagine if you can how I played it;imagine also the Beethoven ferver,to which I fell a victim in those days-a fever which goaded me on to mangle the other great works of the immortal author.My father put a check to this mischief by taking me one day to Dionys Weber[director of the Prague Conservatory of Music] my mother having decked me out in my Sunday best ,I played my best piece,Beethoven's Sonate Pathetique.
But what was my astonishment...when Dionys Weber finally delivered himself thus"Candidly speaking,the boy is on the wrong road,for he makes a hash of great works...The first year he must play nothing but Mozart,the second Clementi,and the third Bach;but only that-not a note as yet of Beethoven."

[~Immortal Beloved~]

Originally posted by KyleC:
hey i was just wondering how many of you guys/girls actually play an instrument. and if so what one/ones. i was just curious. i play the piano. im 15 and i have been for only 1.5 years or so but im currently working on the pathetique sonata. i was wondering what u guys thought about that sonata. do u like it? love it? and what do u think beethoven is saying in it? or is he saying anyhting. thank u.

I play the piano over here. And Loved playing Beethoven's music on the piano ever since I was 17 years old.



[This message has been edited by ~Immortal Beloved~ (edited 07-13-2004).]

[Tegan]

Originally posted by KyleC:
Tegan how many hours do you practice for? i usually get about 2 hours a day. but sometimes a little more. is that sufficient?

It depends on what you're working on, and how you practice. Everybody is different. I don't have a set ammount of time that I practice for, and I never have. I usually practice two or three hours a day, but it varies widely depending on what pieces I'm working on. Once, I needed to practice seven or eight hours a day (thankfully, I've only had to do that once; it makes my fingers swell up! ) You should be able to tell if you are practicing enough, but if you're uncertain, you could try talking to your teacher about it.

[KyleC]

well my fingers have never swollen up. i think i could practice more its just what do i practice? i get a piece from my teacher to work on and she wants me to do the left and right hand seperatly than put them together. also i have some excersizes and scales to do. but none of them amount to 3 hours which i think i should be doing. i would practice more if i had more stuff to practice. what things do u do? i need some tips or somehting.

[Sorrano]

Originally posted by spaceray:
From the memoirs of Ignaz Moschelles...
"Although but seven years old ,I actually ventured upon Beethoven's Sonate Pathetique.
Imagine if you can how I played it;imagine also the Beethoven ferver,to which I fell a victim in those days-a fever which goaded me on to mangle the other great works of the immortal author.My father put a check to this mischief by taking me one day to Dionys Weber[director of the Prague Conservatory of Music] my mother having decked me out in my Sunday best ,I played my best piece,Beethoven's Sonate Pathetique.
But what was my astonishment...when Dionys Weber finally delivered himself thus"Candidly speaking,the boy is on the wrong road,for he makes a hash of great works...The first year he must play nothing but Mozart,the second Clementi,and the third Bach;but only that-not a note as yet of Beethoven."

Good thing he had no video games to distract him! I'm glad I had none, as well, that I might get involved as much as I did in music.

[Tony John Hearne]

I am not a musician in the sense of playing an instrument but I have to say that I truly enjoy the unbridled enthusiasm and commitment of thee wonderful posts which truly enrich my listening. Many thanks

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Love from London

[Tegan]

Originally posted by KyleC:
well my fingers have never swollen up. i think i could practice more its just what do i practice? i get a piece from my teacher to work on and she wants me to do the left and right hand seperatly than put them together. also i have some excersizes and scales to do. but none of them amount to 3 hours which i think i should be doing. i would practice more if i had more stuff to practice. what things do u do? i need some tips or somehting.

If you can get enough practicing in in two hours, and your teacher is satisfied, that's probably plenty for now. It isn't necessary to overpractice. I only practiced eight hours a day because I had to learn the first movement of a Beethoven piano trio in a week...not fun.