Hope it's ok to post this here as strictly speaking it's a cross post. (sorry mods) I've just realised that i slotted it into another thread and really I'd probably get more response if I'd posted as a new topic.

So here it is:

I learnt piano as an adult after trying a little as a late teen (17 or 18 ish). I never wanted to do exams and it was just for my own enjoyment. I was lucky to make such good progress. (from beginner to playing grade 5 pieces within 18 months and now struggling over grade 6/7 pieces in another 2 years but after a 4 yr break)I never laboured over the scales etc but have done some studies (slotted in with the other pieces so i don't really realise I'm doing them). I know the finger pattern for scales but, honestly, I don't work at them. I've recently wondered if maybe I should ask to do more work on the technical side of things as I'm sure it would help with the harder pieces but it's not what I really enjoy - to me it's more like a means to an end. Any advice?

I trust that my piano techer knows what she's doing so I haven't really questioned this up to now. I think she knows how I feel about having the enjoyment factor of playing as I have a very busy life and limited practice time...(but that's another thread! )

After really enjoying playing the Les Miserables (Easy Piano version) book the other day I'm thinking of asking for something along this line for christmas. I don't really want any other musical as have Joseph as well, was thinking more along the lines of some light classical / chillout music. Don't want such a simple arrangement that it sounds boring but would like it easily achievable so I can play it rather than practice it (although of course there'll be a bit of that involved initially too) Any suggestions?

Thankyou

Slightly long shot here - have a listen to some Einaudi on you-tube and see if you like what you hear.

Not a personal recommendation since I've never tried them, but I came across quite a few "classical chillout" books in music shops recently. Have a look on musicroom web site (I'm sure they have some); they usually list out the pieces under product description so you can see whether you might fancy any.

Re the technical exercises, if you don't enjoy them, what's the point? Deal with any difficulty as it comes along; just ask for specific exercises to help with any particular issues in the pieces you're playing and just practise them as needed (rather than hours and hours of exercises just for the sake of "technique").

Thankyou. I've just heard so much on here about learning scales and "gaps in technique" that it sometimes feels like the bread and butter of playing an instrument and I did somewhere read about not doing scales and technical exercises was like putting the cart before the horse or building a house on no foundations...

It's exactly because I don't enjoy them that I've not asked for this kind of work but I wondered if I DID WORK ON THESE THINGS IF PERHAPS THE PLAYING WOULD SEEM EASIER. (OOPS sorry hit caps lock there!)

As an adult returner, my fingers were so stiff after 40 years that I really needed to do scales and exercises (Hanon and Czerny) and I found they have given me much greater facility when playing. I actually enjoy doing them!

You do learn new techniques from pieces anyway (and playing Bach, say, is much more fun than Czerny/Hanon/etc methinks) so since you have limited time, maybe it's better to concentrate on playing lots and lots of repertoire to build up your techniques? And if needed, just add as much/little extra exercises as relevant to what you're playing and as realistic to your schedule. If you find particular bars of a piece difficult, then just work on additional exercises to address that. (If you find every aspect of the whole piece difficult, then it's probably beyond your current ability...)

When you already barely have enough time to practise, I don't see the point spending, say, half your practise time on scales and other technical exercises in the hope that it might make everything easier once you master the exercises; you probably will build up really solid technical ability as a result, but you will hate practising and likely to never have enough time to play "real" pieces. (Isn't it better to have a small house you can live in now -- and add a garden when you have time or a music room when you can afford a grand piano -- than spending most of your effort on building a solid foundation for a 3-story 20-bedroom mansion you don't know when you can move in? ) Just a thought.

This is all very good advice ... but I think it is very unfair on Czerny to lump him together with Hanon. He wrote a lot of fine music. Many of the studies are worth learning because they are attractive pieces to listen to - apart from their technical value. If he'd called them "Preludes" (as Chopin did with his third set of studies) he might get better press.

I feel the same, though I sometime hope the Czerny exercises were much shorter, within 1 page, so that I can complete them faster!

Sometimes, I think doing technical exercises is analogous to the barre work and centre work a ballet dancer does, and the vocalising (is that what you call it? or vocal exercises?) a singer does every class. It's warm-up plus reinforcing of technique rolled up into one. Even the most reputable ballet dancer does barre and centre work every class, so there must be some value to it. And I don't think it is so healthy to sing a piece before proper warm up. That is how I view scales and technical work. A right mix of them makes actual pieces that come in later much easier to pick up.

Lately, I am made to treat Moonlight Sonata Mvt 1 as a technical exercise to keep my RH softer than my LH, for the sake of one exam piece (G6 B1). That was quite fun too. Hanon is a regular exercise that I do every class, and I now feel that I have more control of my LH than before. Same for scales, which have made some of my quick running passages less rocky.

Lastly, if I jump straight into pieces without first warming up with scales and technical exercises, my arms and hands might hurt from big stretches during pieces. Aha, now that's what happens for a tensed oldie

I also find I need to do scales and exercises as a warm up. I don't always do them, but when I don't, I find that it takes a little longer before things stop sounding stiff.

I've just remembered that my son once changed clarinet teachers at school and came home jubilant because the new teacher had said he 'didn't do' scales. I wasn't over the moon, but didn't take it further as I knew my son didn't intend to take any more exams and that he was playing purely for pleasure.

Try Czerny 8-bar studies. Op. 821.

To get back on topic...

I have now listened to Einaudi and I absolutely love his stuff...

Was quite impressed with the two piano stuff but that's not for me! However I've managed to get hold of a copy of una mattina and it looks doable. can you get hiis stuff loose of is there a book I should look out for? Is it all around the same standard too?

Some other kind soul sent me a pm too with quite a few suggestions. Thanks -I've sent you a PM.