Study, practice, burn-out

This "obstacle" presented itself to me during the early stages of "serious" piano study. I think that studying it in different ways is the key to never getting bored, and not just "technically" but also from the perspective of a beautiful sound. Studying it with sound in mind and therefore, merging "mechanical" technique with "sonorous" technique.

At the beginning of a piece, I usually always get the rhythm and phrasing in order, and then over time work on the sound since it is, in my opinion, the most difficult thing to do, even if improvements have been noted over time... I am still a student like you.

Happy practicing

PS: If the discomfort is also physical, "listen" to your body when you play, try to enjoy the movements while you play and find the passages where you stiffen up

Pianothor's response is beautiful. Our body must be listened to and respected. We say that conscious "repetition" confronts us with many aspects of the piece. The musical aspects are those that allow us to discover the Author's intention, and it never ceases to interest us. Boredom can arise. It is appropriate to leave the piece for some time and try others of good musical and technical level. By progressing and "going back" to reread that piece that had ended up boring us... we will discover many other interesting little things!!!! Try it to believe it!

Watch out that repetition doesn't become mechanical. If you get bored, it means you aren't studying but merely repeating. What Pianothor and Paolo are saying is absolutely right. This is why you should never study just one piece, but many things together, even from different eras, in small portions. If you walk a street in your neighborhood back and forth ten times, you will see that every time you will find a useful detail to discover (a scratch on a sidewalk, a new shop opened, another closed business, a traffic light, a dented window, etc. etc... that is how you are studying... if you pass by every day and no longer see anything... alas... that's not right!! You will only be repeating.... and..... what a bore!!

I have always divided the piece into many segments. Every day I study one part, slowly repeating what was studied the day before. I perform the total execution only the day after studying the last segment. It is useful to record oneself, listen, and take notes on what needs to be done. I am against too many repetitions; one risks automating wrong movements, flattening the piece, and no longer feeling emotions for it.

Yes indeed, even this aspect can sometimes create discomfort. Every student has their own way of learning and delivering a piece; one must be able to listen to one's own body and find one's own poetics by making learning, study method, and performance coincide, in the most natural way possible. I believe that in every piece, every student or professional performer seeks themselves. We must rediscover the atmosphere of the first communion, as Picasso used to say.

ahahah this one is beautiful! 

In my opinion, in this context, the importance of technical ability returns strongly, namely the mental and physical knowledge of those basic movements and rudiments that allow you to approach any passage with fluency. Someone who possesses good technique does not need to repeat a passage 1000 times to make it sound good; 10 times are enough for them, and that is where you never lose the desire to play and learn. I began to truly enjoy music from the moment I was 'initiated' into the Russian technique. It allowed me to prepare many important repertoire pieces in times I could never have imagined before, and it lets you do so with great confidence and ease. I recorded the entire piano and orchestra concerto K. 488 by Mozart in less than a month using this system (including recording and post-production time), playing only in the evening when I returned from work, already quite tired.

Thanks Simon, very interesting! I was trained in the, let's say, "Neapolitan" technique.. I started to have glimpses of other approaches by reading and putting into practice many things that Sandor says in his book; I would really like to be able to know and deepen my knowledge of the Russian technique, but it is not easy around here..

I recommend keeping an eye on the masterclasses of Massimiliano Ferrati, a brilliant and now famous pianist, from whom I learned this technique. He usually holds masterclasses in various parts of Italy. I have followed him even outside my region, in Ravenna at a 4-day masterclass he held a few years ago and in other masterclasses. Not only the technique but also the sound has changed since I began applying the school of technique he passed on to me. I no longer suffer from pain or muscle contractions and finally play with great fluency, fully enjoying the music, in addition to having literally slashed my learning times.

I am always of the opinion that certain things are learned from concert pianists who have tested their knowledge in the field and have been able to appreciate useful advice from those who are not. If you search on the internet and on YouTube, there are hundreds of his videos. He is now highly sought after and performs all over the world.

A surely important experience for anyone who wants to become a purebred.

Thanks Simon, great idea, I was looking for exactly something like this,

I'm following in his footsteps...!! :-)

I also believe that relaxation is the basis for the development of muscular energy, that without contractions or stiffness. It is about starting from a "zero point" which Monique Deschausser illustrates well in her small but great book "L'homme et le piano". In one of my video tutorials, I illustrate with an example how one can separate finger firmness together with the relaxation of the larger muscular apparatus (arm, forearm..). But there are many exercises. I will dwell on these concepts again in my future tutorials.