Frustrations of an Old Dog

I decided to give myself a month before making any judgment on my new round of piano lessons. Unfortunately I am suffering the same sort of frustration I usually encounter when trying to learn a sport. You know that feeling of remembering eye on the ball, full swing without picking your head up, and good follow-through. Or racquet back, step into the ball, good follow-through.

In the case of piano, it’s things like move your hand and arm, not only your fingers, to strike every note; sit on the edge of the bench; involve your shoulders, your back, and even your sitz bones when playing; play louder by a quicker attack; etc.

I had expectations of going in and wowing my new teacher with my piano ability, but instead I am constantly unhappy with what I hear as I play for her, wondering why I could play a piece so beautifully at home and then so abysmally for her. Or was it just my imagination that it was better at home?

I have learned a ton of music theory in 4 weeks, but have not mastered two pages of the Beethoven Pathetique sonata in that time period. I consider that totally unacceptably sucky!

I have always been able with practice on my part to incorporate the suggestions of teachers in most everything non-athletic. And I do practice at least an hour every day. But it never seems to show when I go in to play for this new teacher.

I can’t figure out how to get beyond my current frustration – whether to ask her to suggest music I am more likely to succeed at playing, whether to just put my nose to the grindstone and get it right this time, or whether to revert back to my teacherless, oblivious-to-my-mistakes, status.

I always intended for music to be a source of pleasure and not one of frustration. I keep hoping that I can get beyond whatever barrier I seem to be up against and see just a little progress. That’s all it would take to encourage me to keep going!

Is there a time beyond which teaching an old dog new tricks is impossible?