Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange
Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [skill-level]

19 questions
36
votes
7 answers

Is it recommended to learn a piece you really like, but is way above your level?

For example, I really love chopin etude op 10 no 11, but it's way above my level. So is it recommended to play a piece you really like, but is way above your level? (I have been playing for three years)
Stallmp
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11 answers

How many hours of practice total are typical for different piano grades?

Malcolm Gladwell's book, "Outliers", stated a hypothesis: becoming good at something takes about 10,000 hours of practice. I've recently been wondering how long a typical piano student has practiced by the time they complete grade 8. Obviously there…
James Tauber
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23
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4 answers

Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier Order

I have played a few pairs of pieces from this collection, however it was some time ago. I have the ambitious goal to work my way through the entire collection. It will obviously take me some time to work my way through the entire collection (both…
Rebecca Chernoff
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12
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9 answers

What's your trick to play the exact amount of repeated notes

Not sure if I am the only one, (maybe reminiscences of dyslexia?), but when I have to play repeated series of notes like in 'Schradiek, school of violin technics' I tend to under or overcount the group of notes. Let's say you have to play something…
daniel sp
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3 answers

How can one categorize himself as a Beginner or Intermediate Guitarist?

I'm a self taught guitarist(if you don't count Rocksmith 2014) who plays rhythm guitar only as a hobby. I always get tongue tied when someone asks me "are you a beginner?" because I don't know the answer to that myself. I can play an easy song and…
CVA
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8
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2 answers

How do I describe the difficulty of my song?

As part of my practice and for my mini-concerts I compose arrangements to songs, most of which so far are Simon & Garfunkel songs. I also have started giving away some sheet music to some friends of mine who like a change of style or just like my…
musicwithoutpaper
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5 answers

How to keep practicing to compose music when you're too picky to listen to yourself playing

I'm a pianist, and I also compose songs in DAWs. My main spare time occupation is to improvise on the piano, and I've been doing it for several years now. Even before I learned any instruments (when I was a kid) I always analyzed music in my head,…
Aske B.
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6
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1 answer

Typing vs. Pool Playing vs. Playing Piano

So, I have a great deal of ambidexterity that appears to be a result of being forced to be right handed when I was born naturally left. I golf left handed, eat left handed, etc. I also seem to have been born with a great deal of natural finger…
Vincezen1971
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5
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4 answers

Are ups & downs/peaks and valleys inherent in piano practice and performance?

It sounds like a weird question, but I just don't know how to describe it in words; sometimes you are really good at performing the piece, and you feel enthusiastic and more confident, other times your performance plummets, and your hands/arms are…
Andrew Norfield
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4
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6 answers

Sheet music difficulty rating

Are there any rating schemes for sheet music or music players? There are a bunch of reasons why I'd like to know this: Playing several inetruments at various skilled levels, I'd like to get a rough idea of how difficult a piece is before I buy…
WeSee
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"Easiest to sound ok" small non-reed woodwinds to learn

Of all the small woodwinds from any culture, which ones are known for having the SHORTEST learning curve (for a veteran of any common woodwind) to achieve clean, controlled tones from 90% of playable notes? Ok, that may be technically vague. I…
themirror
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1 answer

Orchestration: how to know a comfortable playable speed to low register instruments?

During the orchestration of a piano piece, sometimes there are fast passages (with long intervals) in the lower register, like that Villa-Lobos "Saudades das Selvas Brasileiras" passage: Or this passage in Debussy's "L'isle Joyeuse": However, for…
Rogério Dec
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4 answers

How difficult is it to play Beethoven's (Emperor) Piano Concerto No. 5?

At what ABRSM grade would it be sensible to attempt the piano component of this sublime piece of music?
Scott Smedley
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Music performance - finger dexterity with rest/exercise

I have recently discovered this problem where after several days of practice on keyboard, my fingers would get sore and tired and as a common sense would tell me, I would take rest. But after a few days of rest (2-3 days), my fingers do feel light,…
Sturm
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Playing guitar as naturally as singing?

Does playing guitar become natural at some level of expertise, or is that extremely uncommon? Do you always have to do mental calculations and memorize things in advance, or does a moment come when you can play what you want mostly intuitively? I…
vdanylchuk
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