Why aren’t I improving on piano?

One common theme amongst we amateur pianists seems to be frustration with how long things can sometimes take us.  We’ll often ask ourselves the question as to why aren’t I improving on piano.  We’re programmed to believe that if we keep practising, then we should be seeing improvements all the time.  Yet, the tough reality is that often we feel that we are plateauing for what can feel like long periods.  However, I believe that this is a phase in which we are consolidating our playing to pave the way for being able to improve later.

What happens in practice?

Let’s take a very simple example of practising scales. Given this is something most of us have done (and maybe still do) I think it gives a good illustration.

A common goal is to get scales faster.  Often, we’re advised to increase the speed using the metronome and gradually increasing the tempo. So, to put this to the test let’s see what might be involved.  I’d think that a starting tempo of 80 beats per minute (bpm) playing 4 notes per click would be manageable for most intermediate pianists.  I saw this tempo on a Josh Wright video (one of my favourite youtube resources) and it seemed a reasonable enough starting point. 

Increase by 1 beat per day

If continuous improvement was possible, then if we increase the metronome speed by 1 beat per day, then, theoretically, in 100 days we’d be able to play at 180 bpm (4 notes per click).  

To me, 180 bpm at 4 notes per click is fast.  Not impossibly fast, but definitely fast and I very much doubt that even if I practiced scales daily working on speed I’d be able to get this this speed within 3 or so months.

Increase by 1 beat per week

If we were to set ourselves a less aggressive target of say increasing by 1 bpm each week, then we should theoretically be able to do this within 2 years.  Even at this rate I very much doubt I could manage it.  Josh in one of his videos said that 180 was approaching his maximum speed and he’s a top class pianist.  I’d confidently take a bet it took him longer than 2 years to get to that tempo!

What is happening in the background?

The reason for things take longer I believe is that we need to spend a significant amount of time consolidating our playing.  So, in the case of scales, I’d argue that we need to work until our current ‘fastest’ speed feels completely effortless and we can manage it 95+% of the time without a problem.  Only then, are we really ready to go a little faster.

I don’t like comparing pianists to athletes, however in this case I’m fairly sure something similar is happening.  A lot of time and training goes into consolidating at a given level and making what they can already do feel easier.  Whilst world records might regularly be broken, not everybody is getting faster between each competition!

How does traditional teaching work?

In reality, and especially with things like scales, mainstream teaching actually fosters us spending time consolidating rather than trying to get better.  For those taking grade exams, as we progress through them, we need to increase both the complexity (e.g. one octave to two octaves etc.) and also the speed at which we play scales.  This then, has the side effect of us purposefully ‘plateauing’ at a given point as we will practice scales to that speed whilst we are preparing for that specific exam.  From what I’ve seen, it’s not uncommon to spend 6 months preparing for an exam?

Similarly, we are very often advised to avoid learning things that are ‘too difficult’ or ‘beyond our level’.  Again, this advice has the side effect of an intentional ‘plateau’ whilst we let our skills settle and our technique consolidate.

I honestly think that this is actually necessary for us.  I wrote a while ago about the fact that we all have a certain level that we can generally attain without needing to put in too much work.  We often think of this as our ‘natural talent’.  However, beyond that, gains are hard won.  Piano is a long game for the majority of us and we will continue to improve into our later years.

Piano is a long game

Therefore, when we are working on something that is ‘too difficult’ (and I’ll bet that 80% of adult amateur pianists do this), then we need to view that as a ‘long game’.  By this, I mean that we need to be prepared to go through a lot of phases where we will continue working on something not with the intention of ‘improving it’ but getting it from something that feels ‘difficult’ to something that feels ‘manageable’.  

I’ll avoid the use of the word ‘easy’ as I’m sure even the greatest pianists play repertoire they still find challenging. Kissin in the documentary the Gift of Music said that he was looking forward to the day he didn’t need to perform the Liszt Transcendental Etudes so that he wouldn’t need to practice them any more!  From the way he said it, I didn’t take it that he didn’t enjoy them.  Simply that he still found them to be hard work!

The need for speed

As a personal example, speed has always been my nemesis.  This is not just on piano, I used to be intimidated by fast passages when I played brass instruments.  Therefore, getting myself used to playing quickly is something I work on daily. 

I know many are convinced that developing technique should be done using exercises or scales and the like.  However, if I’m going to sit at the piano, I want what I’m doing to at least be musically interesting and easy on the ears.  In fact, I released a video on my YouTube channel about using the first 24 bars of Schubert’s E Flat Impromptu as great piece for building speed. 

Practising slowly to get faster?

I don’t subscribe to the view that to play quickly you need to practice slowly.  I’ve been playing ‘slow music’ my entire life and it has never made me any faster!  The approach I therefore discussed in the video was that of ‘small bits fast’.  I used the natural demarcation within the music to gradually increase both the size of those small bits and the number of them I’d chain together at any one time.  In effect, I split the learning process into 8 intermediate stages.  Only after these did I try to play the entire 24 bars confidently as written and at my chosen speed.

Consolidation in practice

Using this technique means we do need to be prepared to spend considerable time on consolidating rather than improving.  For me, the tremendous temptation was always that once I felt that I could just about ‘do’ one stage, I wanted to move on to the next.  By ‘just about do’, I mean play it ‘by the seat of my pants’ so to speak.  I had after all proved to myself that I could ‘play it correctly’ so box ticked!  However, this is a long step from my finding it ‘manageable’.  The stage where I can play it confidently and with ease.

By taking the time to let my hands and mind get accustomed to each intermediate stage, I found that results do in fact come quicker.  Just how long we need to give it I think depends on the nature of the problem we’re trying to fix.  For me, speed is one of my biggest problems and goes far beyond what my ‘natural talent’ give me for free.  Here, I need to put in the hours.

To put my own playing in context, I’ve probably done some 20 years of active practising during my lifetime.  Albeit I took a 20 year break in the middle.  I found that getting back to my ‘natural talent’ level didn’t take that long once I returned to practicing.  However, progressing beyond it is is proving far from simple.

Using repertoire

I have over the past years used many different pieces to break through my speed wall.  Some main examples are:

• Chopin’s Etude in F Minor Op. 25, No. 2
• Chopin’s Minute Waltz
• The Agitato section from Rachmaninov’s C Sharp Minor Prelude
• Schubert’s E Flat Impromptu

I’ve also used numerous other short pieces or repertoire with shorter ‘fast’ sections – Fur Elise springs to mind here.  In every case, I see that I can play longer and longer excerpts with speed and evenness.  I’m also finding that I’m much less intimidated by speed per se than I used to be. 

Let’s not get frustrated

In short, let’s not get frustrated that progress can sometimes be slow.  Let’s rather remember that with each practice session that goes past, we’re further consolidating the skills we’ve built.  This might not be immediately noticeable, yet it is preparing us for the next push forward!