i dont have any anger in any other part of my life, just with the piano. When i learn tricky pieces and i cant do it i get angry and therefore after about 5 minutes of playing im shouting abuse at my piano. i do love playing the piano but im not learning any new pieces. anyway i have 2 questions:

1.Does anyone have this problem
2.How can i stop it. (im quite stressed anyway because i have exams in 2 days)

Sounds like all your stress is coming out when you play piano - do you have any other way of 'letting go'? If you have exams going on, perhaps you would be better off playing some easier fun music on the piano, so you can relax and enjoy it, instead of feeling so frustrated.

Love your piano!

Alternatively, learn some fabulous big crashy chords and practice those when you are feeling cross, it can be very therapeutic!

Edit : reading subsequent post has made me realise you were probably talking about a piano exam, doh, rather than other types of exam. Sorry, being a bit dim today...ignore me...

Vivo, reading your post reminded me that I used to suffer from this a lot, but now I don't get angry at the piano much at all. I don't know how old you are, but I think the reason for my improvement has a lot to do with ageing - I'm no longer a souped up hormonal teenager/20-something, I've had a lot of life experiences that have put "playing the wrong note" in perspective, and I've mellowed with age. I realise this doesn't help you now - particularly not if you turn out to be an old age pensioner!

My family used to tell me they only knew I'd played a wrong note because of all the cursing and growling which followed! All I can suggest is playing the difficult sections hands separately and slowly when you have the patience to do so, and walking away to calm down when you don't. Sorry I can't be more helpful.

If you're feeling tense about your exam pieces, taking a break from playing them "perfectly" and just playing hands separately may help: It will be easier, so less mistakes likely, and might remind you of any fingering/dynamics which have slipped when playing hands together. I didn't play my G7 exam pieces for 2 days before the exam due to ill health, and I think I was better off and more relaxed for it.

Hope this advice doesn't make you angrier - please ignore it if it does - or print it out so you can rip it into tiny pieces!

Good luck in your exam! Which one is it?

I can't help with the getting angry when you can't get a piece right, but I do have an angry piece which I play when i'm wound up. Unfortunately it's the 3rd mvt of the Appassionata Sonata by Beethoven and it's really not meant to be played that way !!!

Good luck with the exams

Im 15 and i have my french oral exam thanks for the posts

You're only angry cause you want to play it right which is good, but I guess getting angry won't help you to improve. The best thing to do would be to calm yourself down and work on the bit that bothers you the most so that you won't have to get angry the next time.

I know how fustrating it can be, especially as you don't need the stress right now.

I have that, but I don't shout abuse...I press on nearly all the keys hard, but then I take a deep breath and start playng again...Don't worry your not alone!!!!

DITTO!!! That's exactly what I do... It usually sounds horrible and if anyone's listening they ask me what I'm doing lol! I don't shout abuse either... It's not the piano's fault!!
And yeah, don't worry vivo, you're definitely not the only one - and since you say you love playing, keep at it and you'll get there in the end! It is a lot of hard work, playing the piano, but the rewards are well worth it.

My daughter is a very calm child who never loses her temper ... except when she is practising the cello. Sometimes I worry a bit that she might damage the cello but most of the time I think it is probably a good thing as I'm sure she vents all her frustrations on her cello (and not just the cello-linked ones) and practising becomes a way of getting them out of her system.

I have just recorded that piece for a new CD by Richard Meyrick - wonderful piece, really.






The important thing is to relax and play - in fact - PEREFORM.

If you get wound up because you can't get the notes right I would suggest you relax, take a deep breath and just play MUSIC. Get into the feeling of the music rather than the technicalities of the notes - just relax and play for the sheer pleasure of music.

Then - when you have calmed down and realised what music is all about - then go back and try and get the technicalities right.

Well - that's my €uro's worth, anyway.

John

Jus take deep breaths!

Frustration is pretty normal...I get annoyed when I can't play the music the way I want it to sound. But I agree with the comments above: don't yell abuse at the piano!

Playing piano requires patience and hard work. Sometimes it will be incredibly frustrating, but do whatever you can to get through: slow practice, practicing small parts, etc. I'm sure you'll find that the end is worth it.

One suggestion that you might like: play some easier pieces, these will be less frustrating as they're more comfortably within your reach . Then you'll be able to enjoy being able to play them with hopefully less anger; hopefully leaving you with something you enjoy doing, rather than something frustrating . That's the wonderful thing about the piano: there's plenty of nice repertoire around at every level .

^Ok, that is really scaring me!!

Just don't attempt to throw the piano when it annoys you. I used to always chuck my flute onto my bed when it annoyed me, except one day I missed and did quite an expensive amount of damage to it!! Luckily I've managed to avoid trying it with the piano yet!!

Best smilie ever!

I thought that was ?

Oh well, I guess we could combine the two...