Question:
I just started taking lessons a month ago. I thought it might be interesting to post my progress occasionally in this newsgroup. If anyone thinks this is a bad idea, please let me know and I'll stop posting. This will be my first posting of this type. Just so everyone knows I am 26 years old. I have also played around on the piano without lessons for about a year, so I started at a higher level.
I just had my fifth lesson today. Here is what my assignment was last week: Minuet in G major by Bach Guantanamera (in Alfred's Adult All-In-One Course for Adults - Level 2) Exercise #5 in Hannon's Exercise book. I performed them today for my teacher and I did pretty well. I am now onto exercise #6, Theme from the OVERTURE (from the opera Raymond - in Alfred's Course). I also have to work more on the second half of Bach's Minuet in G major.
Any experience to share???
Answer:
I too am a new beginner, in my late thirties. My second weekly lesson is tonight. I am in Alfred's adult piano course, book 1, but my teacher says we won't continue with book 2 but will go elsewhere. My primary interest is playing classical works, but my teacher wants to expose me to jazz too. My "piano" is a Yamaha Clavinova CLP-860. In grade school I took a piano class with about a dozen other kids and managed to fudge my way through a few pieces, even a recital, without reading music (I had a good ear, and anyway each note was conveniently marked with the finger number). I studied classical guitar for a few years in my teens and picked up music reading. My primary music making for the past 15 years or so has been steel-string "finger-style" guitar. My decision to study the piano comes from the fact that I too have a toddler and want to expose him to music playing, and I have idea that music - especially notation - makes more sense if you know the piano as your first instrument. I want to get good enough to inspire my son to want to learn when he's old enough.
