De-Motivated After Discussions With My Piano Teacher

[JamPro]

I was overjoyed to find a piano teacher in my area: finally a learned resource to answer my questions about classical pieces I am playing.  And yet, after playing and discussing some of the pieces I have previously enjoyed playing, I find myself dreading and loathing to try and play those pieces.

 

An example: I have been struggling to play Bach's 3-part Invention in Cm.  In two places, the piece requires a trill in the RH while the RH plays a melody under the trill.  I played this for my teacher, and we talked about these two difficult sections.  My teacher showed my how he developed his trilling abilities, and how that might be applied to this specific situation.  My ability to play a trill is rudimentary at best, and I fully agree my playing would benefit from the exercises he suggested, and I fully intended to work towards that goal.  I am guessing it will take me six or more months to work on his suggested exercises and put the results to use in even a simple piece.  And I am left feeling that I no longer want to play that Cm Invention because of the currently problems I have with it.  Yes, the teacher provided useful instruction, but I am a long ways away from being able to address the difficulties I have with the piece, and I'm not really interested in playing it with all my existing deficiencies.

 

A similar thing happened with two other pieces I have been working on: I play a piece for the teacher, he make suggestions, I cannot accomplish his suggestions, and then I lose interest in playing a piece of music I have previously enjoyed, because I am not seeing a way to improve the playing of that piece without a months-long period of rudimentary exercise.  We have talked about a fourth piece of music, and right now I am thinking I should break off those discussions so that I don't lose my motivation to play that fourth piece. 

 

Part of me thinks I should stop working with this teacher; part of me thinks I should continue working with this teacher but only on technical issues and avoid seeking his suggestions on specific pieces of music, and part of me thinks this is my own dysfunctional mental response to the difficulties of playing piano, and I should get over it and continue the instruction.  It is difficult to find a good teacher, and that is also effecting my decision making.

 

Your thoughts?

 

 

 

 

[RABid]

When I was taking lessons in high school I saw no use for practicing scales. They were so different from the classical pieces that I was playing I did not see the need to invest my time. Years later when playing keys in a band I realized how handy it would be to have the ability to run a scale as part of a solo. After that I was wishing that I had listened to my teacher and practiced scales. 

 

My suggestion, for now play a sustained note instead of a trill in the Bach three part, but work on your trills and when the time is right, put it back in. You will come across other songs that need a nice trills. Might as well start practicing it now. How long it takes does not matter. The ability to eventually do it does.

[Docbop]

I think you need to work on how you practice.    So something is going to take awhile to get up to speed on, but you talk like that is all you will be doing for months is working on that.   No you do that exercise or whatever it is your teach gave you ten minutes a day every day and that leave it alone and work on other things.     This is something that more and more musicians are talking about these days and how breaking their practices in to short five, ten, and at most fifteen minute on multiple topic they progress further faster.    

 

More and more musician say trying to shoot for long hours of practice everyday just doesn't work and you find yourself skipping days  or in your case getting frustrated and not wanting to work on something.    In general they say the key is daily practice even if only a few minutes.  Break practice in to multiple short segments.  Keep a practice journal nothing in detail just notes on what your did and how it went.    It's amazing once you get going and just doing something for ten minutes and forcing yourself to put it away for the day, after a few days you really to start feeling progress is being made. 

 

Another benefit of short practice on a topic you start it get good at controlling turning on and turning off focusing on something.   You get to start thinking I only have ten minutes to work on this so I have to block out everything for the next ten minutes and work.   Learning to control turning your ability to focus on and off has benefits in many aspects of life and work not just music.   

[David R]

One thing that totally broke me out of my rut re: classical music was a lesson I took with Uri Caine. TLDR: if you’re only learning classical music for your own enjoyment (not to have it recital-ready or exam-ready) then take the pressure off of yourself and enjoy the music.

 

What are you hoping to get out of studying these pieces with this teacher? If it’s to improve your technique then yeah, it’s a long thankless slog, especially the older we get. If it’s to keep you accountable for your own practice and to keep your fingers moving, take it in stride (no pun intended) and keep learning. 
 

Totally agree with Rabid & Docbop.

[ElmerJFudd]

1 hour ago, JamPro said:

I was overjoyed to find a piano teacher in my area: finally a learned resource to answer my questions about classical pieces I am playing.  And yet, after playing and discussing some of the pieces I have previously enjoyed playing, I find myself dreading and loathing to try and play those pieces.

 

An example: I have been struggling to play Bach's 3-part Invention in Cm.  In two places, the piece requires a trill in the RH while the RH plays a melody under the trill.  I played this for my teacher, and we talked about these two difficult sections.  My teacher showed my how he developed his trilling abilities, and how that might be applied to this specific situation.  My ability to play a trill is rudimentary at best, and I fully agree my playing would benefit from the exercises he suggested, and I fully intended to work towards that goal.  I am guessing it will take me six or more months to work on his suggested exercises and put the results to use in even a simple piece.  And I am left feeling that I no longer want to play that Cm Invention because of the currently problems I have with it.  Yes, the teacher provided useful instruction, but I am a long ways away from being able to address the difficulties I have with the piece, and I'm not really interested in playing it with all my existing deficiencies.

 

A similar thing happened with two other pieces I have been working on: I play a piece for the teacher, he make suggestions, I cannot accomplish his suggestions, and then I lose interest in playing a piece of music I have previously enjoyed, because I am not seeing a way to improve the playing of that piece without a months-long period of rudimentary exercise.  We have talked about a fourth piece of music, and right now I am thinking I should break off those discussions so that I don't lose my motivation to play that fourth piece. 

 

Part of me thinks I should stop working with this teacher; part of me thinks I should continue working with this teacher but only on technical issues and avoid seeking his suggestions on specific pieces of music, and part of me thinks this is my own dysfunctional mental response to the difficulties of playing piano, and I should get over it and continue the instruction.  It is difficult to find a good teacher, and that is also effecting my decision making.

 

Your thoughts?

 

 

 

 

This sounds quite internal rather than external, no?  You seem to have a desire to go up a level but not so much to put in the work to do so. Because then the fun/joy of playing becomes work, which we all have plenty of - and you prefer music to be an escape from that - as do most players - it’s one of the many beautiful things about music. 
 

I would suggest that you ask your teacher to recommend material from the vast catalog of classical music (Bach included) that is easy for you, at your level and just above your level.  3 pieces that make your sessions at the keyboard pleasant with just a bit of gradual discipline that will build your skills slowly.  Don’t beat yourself up with one to three pieces that are a bitch to play and leave you working on technique constantly rather than musicality.  
 

You may also request hannon, czerny and others who developed technique builders that can be a short part of your sessions at the piano that aren’t a part of a piece you are working on.  So you get the exercise but it’s not mucking up the lovely piece you want to play.   These will make those moments in your music easier when they arrive.  

[ProfD]

Excellent suggestions in coming up with a practice plan (training) and goal(s). 

 

The main thing is that it should never feel like a chore. Make it fun.

 

It's just like going to a gym a few times per week and having structured workouts to focus on different muscle groups for each day. 

 

Stick to the practice plan and with consistency, positive results will show up.😎

[CHarrell]

Great suggestions from everyone! I also want to highlight how important the consistency of daily efforts are...when you are growing a plant, you give it some water with faith and hope that it will at one point turn into something beautiful...you don't sit there after watering it and asking it, "Did you grow yet, did you grow!?" 😂

 

Years ago, even though I was playing professional situations, I very embarrassingly had this tendency of cheating at keyboard parts...I'd just play one of the staves with both hands! I was so nervous about screwing up during a performance I'd play it safe. It fooled most people, but certainly not myself (and for those familiar with the music or looking at the score). So as I was rehearsing for a production as pit band, I made the determination: I'm gonna at least play one bar tonight with both hands! No matter what happened, if I just played one bar with both of my hands, that'd be a victory. And wouldn't you know it, at the rehearsal I couldn't just play one bar...so then I started upping my goal, two bars a night both-handed, five bars, a page...by the time opening night came around, I was playing the whole book both-handed! 

 

Similarly, when you encounter challenges like the ones you're experiencing, set a small goal for yourself and take one step. I don't know the tune to be honest, but if it's asking you to trill for two beats, make a goal to trill for one...if that's too much, make a goal to trill for an eighth note...if that's too much, make a goal to do one "return" !( from the starting note to the trill note then back to the starting note) There's no need to be paralyzed by looking at the summit while you're at the base, just take one step forward from wherever you're at. : )

 

This tendency you're articulating and experiencing might also be a good indicator that this is something that might manifest in other aspects of your life, as well, so this could be a great opportunity to reflect and use this as a vehicle for challenging and transforming those underlying tendencies. Have fun!

[MathOfInsects]

Already this thread should be a sticky.

I hear all the time from students, "I was playing this perfectly at home," or, "Oh, it's way harder this way." The "this" is often something like accounting for all four beats in a measure, or playing an F instead of the D they thought it was. I usually joke that of COURSE it's easier to call however you are playing it right, than to learn what's supposed to happen.

For something like that trill, the good news is that your teacher wouldn't bother with something like that if he didn't think the fundamentals were there. It's like spot-cleaning. If that's what your teacher is focusing on, he's also sending the message that you're doing very many things very well. And bottom line is you weren't quite doing that part right and it would be irresponsible of him not to show what's intended there. 

 

I rarely use a single piece of music to refine an overall skill. Sometimes a piece is a good chance to send students off to practice octaves, or skills, or pinky stuff, or whatever, but I'll never hold on to that piece "until" a student masters that skill. Instead I'll use it as a little pedagogical "bookmark" and just be sure to keep giving chances to refine whatever that technique is across time.

With trills in particular, hand tension is generally a factor. In that passage in the Bach, it's also not impossible you're already tense from having to pull off that Glenn Gouldian magic trick, and it being an area of development already is compounding the problem. Just file it away as a place for potential improvement, and try to wrap a little trill work into other exercises you do--for example, at the top or bottom of a scale, or even on the way up or down. 

And try not to take it personally. The whole job of the instructor is to gauge where you are and hope to frog-in-the-water you to whatever the next level might be for you, even if that just means playing what you're already playing with a couple little bits of improvement. But you are paying the instructor, not the other way around. You can always shape the experience into whatever serves you best in the long term--with the minor caveat that you might not have the only bits of information about that, in that relationship/transactionship.

 

[ElmerJFudd]

4 minutes ago, CHarrell said:

Great suggestions from everyone! I also want to highlight how important the consistency of daily efforts are...when you are growing a plant, you give it some water with faith and hope that it will at one point turn into something beautiful...you don't sit there after watering it and asking it, "Did you grow yet, did you grow!?" 😂

 

Years ago, even though I was playing professional situations, I very embarrassingly had this tendency of cheating at keyboard parts...I'd just play one of the staves with both hands! I was so nervous about screwing up during a performance I'd play it safe. It fooled most people, but certainly not myself (and for those familiar with the music or looking at the score). So as I was rehearsing for a production as pit band, I made the determination: I'm gonna at least play one bar tonight with both hands! No matter what happened, if I just played one bar with both of my hands, that'd be a victory. And wouldn't you know it, at the rehearsal I couldn't just play one bar...so then I started upping my goal, two bars a night both-handed, five bars, a page...by the time opening night came around, I was playing the whole book both-handed! 

 

Similarly, when you encounter challenges like the ones you're experiencing, set a small goal for yourself and take one step. I don't know the tune to be honest, but if it's asking you to trill for two beats, make a goal to trill for one...if that's too much, make a goal to trill for an eighth note...if that's too much, make a goal to do one "return" !( from the starting note to the trill note then back to the starting note) There's no need to be paralyzed by looking at the summit while you're at the base, just take one step forward from wherever you're at. : )

 

This tendency you're articulating and experiencing might also be a good indicator that this is something that might manifest in other aspects of your life, as well, so this could be a great opportunity to reflect and use this as a vehicle for challenging and transforming those underlying tendencies, as well. Have fun!

Knowing what to leave out and still make it sound good is a musical skill in itself.  
 

They stick everything in the piano-conductor score - much of it is doubling.  They tend to write it in tiny notes and label it these days, which is helpful.  Of course if they don’t have the budget for a large pit that’s a challenge!  The best is when they have a full pit and there’s a Keyboard 1 or piano book where the arranger has written proper parts for the pianist.  

[Lou Gehrig Charles]

16 minutes ago, CHarrell said:

 

Years ago, even though I was playing professional situations, I very embarrassingly had this tendency of cheating at keyboard parts...I'd just play one of the staves with both hands! I was so nervous about screwing up during a performance I'd play it safe. It fooled most people, but certainly not myself (and for those familiar with the music or looking at the score). So as I was rehearsing for a production as pit band, I made the determination: I'm gonna at least play one bar tonight with both hands! No matter what happened, if I just played one bar with both of my hands, that'd be a victory. And wouldn't you know it, at the rehearsal I couldn't just play one bar...so then I started upping my goal, two bars a night both-handed, five bars, a page...by the time opening night came around, I was playing the whole book both-handed! 

 

LOL So true!

 

In my case, it was rhythm.  Taking lessons as a kid, for whatever reason we never worked on rhythm.  Never counted the beats, never used a metronome, etc.  Either I was really good at faking it, or my teacher just didn't care, or something.  I don't know.  Coming back to the piano as an adult, I was learning songs (you know, actual songs with words) and I would sing along with them in my head as I played.  And then I decided to get a teacher.....   And the first thing he had to do was correct me of my bad habits!  "No, no, the lyrics here come in on the 3 of the previous measure" etc, etc...  It was a rude awakening.  I went home from a lot of lessons really frustrated!

[CHarrell]

4 minutes ago, ElmerJFudd said:

Knowing what to leave out and still make it sound good is a musical skill in itself.  

 

Very true, but I damn well knew that I wasn't taking those shortcuts for years across multiple groups for musical consideration! 😂 For that production they blew the budget on full horns and percussion, so there wasn't enough to cover the two keyboard books with two players (much better tradeoff if you ask me!).  So for that one I ended up looking through both books and creating a Frankenstein part for myself, which was very fitting 'cause it was a production of Young Frankenstein! Being a composer and arranger--if anything you'd call those my "main gig"-- really helps build those skills of being able to adapt in performance situations. 

[ImproKeys]

1 hour ago, David R said:

What are you hoping to get out of studying these pieces with this teacher? If it’s to improve your technique then yeah, it’s a long thankless slog, especially the older we get. If it’s to keep you accountable for your own practice and to keep your fingers moving, take it in stride (no pun intended) and keep learning. 

I would not like a teacher to just tell me I play very nicely. I think it's totally ok just to play as you like for yourself. But being a teacher myself I would ask you: what are your goals? Why do you take lessons?
Sometimes teachers don't find the right words or balance between encouragement and criticism. In this case maybe just speak about this with him/her.

[ElmerJFudd]

44 minutes ago, CHarrell said:

 

Very true, but I damn well knew that I wasn't taking those shortcuts for years across multiple groups for musical consideration! 😂 For that production they blew the budget on full horns and percussion, so there wasn't enough to cover the two keyboard books with two players (much better tradeoff if you ask me!).  So for that one I ended up looking through both books and creating a Frankenstein part for myself, which was very fitting 'cause it was a production of Young Frankenstein! Being a composer and arranger--if anything you'd call those my "main gig"-- really helps build those skills of being able to adapt in performance situations. 

“ It’s pronounced ‘Fronkensteen. “ 😂😂😂

 

Everyone gets through the gig, every which way but loose or every which way you can!

 

 

[Finale]

Good answers already. Another thing is the piano répertoire is so huge, don't be afraid to give up certain pieces for new ones you might end up enjoy much more. For example, I used to play Maple Leaf Rag, Fantaisie Impromptu and others, but I almost never play them anymore. So with time, new pieces become new daily favorites to play, along with ones that you continue to play since a long time.

[Outkaster]

Classical music might not be your thing.  I stopped forcing it on myself and I am probably better off.

[timwat]

Modern theory on effective practice suggests that for practice to yield meaningful, significant results, it must:

 

1) be intentionally designed to address and correct known, identified area(s) you're looking to build / change / correct

2) build in new, repeatable activity(ies) that are later familiar, comfortable, and can establish foundation to build upon, and

3) be mentally taxing to require focus, attention, commitment in such a way that the mental engagement is exhausting long before the physical

 

Generally, this is from a large body of work covering a wide gamut of activity and domains from elite athletes like Tiger Woods and Jerry Rice, to chess grandmasters and highly effective leaders of organizations.

 

Don't know if anyone here will confirm or dispute, but I have found this generally true in my own anecdotal experience.

[PianoMan51]

Playing music, to me, is a positive feedback loop.

 

 I play something. 
 

If I like doing that, I do it again.

 

If I really have an irresistible musical goal I will do it again but try different methods to achieve that goal.

 

Else, I read about other players issues!

 

If you don’t want to spend months working on trills, don’t. Maybe it’s an opportunity to focus on Richard Tee. Or Lyle Mays. Or Question Mark (of the Mysterions).

[timwat]

58 minutes ago, PianoMan51 said:

Playing music, to me, is a positive feedback loop.

 

 I play something. 
 

If I like doing that, I do it again.

 

I think this is also what makes it difficult for adult beginning students to continue to learn when repertoire becomes boring, seemingly redundant, or not musically enjoyable. Many don't stick with it through the difficult portions when it stops becoming immediately gratifying.

 

And something approaching competence (in any domain of effort) requires hard, taxing effort when it stops becoming immediately gratifying.

[PianoMan51]

1 hour ago, timwat said:

 

I think this is also what makes it difficult for adult beginning students to continue to learn when repertoire becomes boring, seemingly redundant, or not musically enjoyable. Many don't stick with it through the difficult portions when it stops becoming immediately gratifying.

 

And something approaching competence (in any domain of effort) requires hard, taxing effort when it stops becoming immediately gratifying.

Oh, I get that completely.

 

And then there’s the way that modifies the musical goal so that the feedback loop is fun and self sustaining. 

[David Emm]

First, try not to be your own worst critic. Few of us are going to hit the Horowitz level, but there is a lot to be said for the larger realm below his powers.

 

Second, I understand your problem from a different angle. I can come up with inspiring rhythms or motifs that get me into the beginning of a composition, but I sometimes begin to waver near the middle. I have several things in progress so I can just go for one that fits my mood best. Sometimes I'm in ambient/pad mode & sometimes I have the rockin' pipe organ/e-guitar itch. Some of my best pieces took a couple of years to fully gel. The merits of measured persistence and 'sleeping on it' can't be overstated.  

 

Third, six months is a mountain with some pieces and barely a blip if you're trying to master a beast like Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu. (That one struck me before I saw KK's mention. Pulling it off gracefully is a major landmark.) You're the one who gets to decide if what you're playing is satisfying to you or not. You can aim lower than Bach and still find enjoyment in many things. Trills can be a daunting prospect, but its also a gesture you can unexpectedly master if you stop pressuring yourself to excess. Focusing too hard can be self-defeating.     

 

Finally, you gotta smack those various "parts of you" into line so you can get back to enjoying music! Mort Garson once mentioned promising students who were traumatized by rotten teachers or academic pressures that caused them to walk away. Don't fall prey to that through excessive doubt. Don't lose track of the fact that the root of "playing" is play.

[Al Quinn]

So many excellent suggestions. I’ll add that striking the proper balance of challenging and attainable is the place to be for productivity and enjoyment. If I’m not enjoying my practice session I know something’s wrong. Usually it’s a matter of honest self-policing that allows me to get back to the proper balance of challenging and attainable. 
 

Something else that’s worked well for me is to focus on the process of practicing rather than the results. I’ve learned that when I focus on optimizing the process, gain confidence in it and stick with it, my practice is efficient, effective, fun, and rewarding. And, when I’m not focused on results that little guy on my shoulder who says “you suck” or “that sounds like crap” isn’t there. That guy can really get in the way of progress 🎵

[Baldwin Funster]

Play easier stuff.

[JamPro]

Thank you all who wrote in.  This is a great discussion.

 

First off, my playing abilities are such that pretty much every idea - of what to practice, how to practice, and how not to practice - are valid and relevant to my situation.  So all these suggestions are wonderful and helpful.

 

Equally true and valid is that my time and the amount of dollars I can allocate for musical education are limited.  And my original post was not only about what inspires me to play and what discourages me about playing, but also about how best to use this (or any) teacher, and getting the most musical mileage I can with the resources I have.

 

I took lessons for a number of years with Dave Frank.  I found his teaching to be wonderfully inspiring, and I never felt around him that I shouldn't be working on a piece of music - even when I played Bach Inventions for him.  But he almost never talked (to me) about technique or the physical aspect of playing the piano.

 

In part, I am inspired by Kenny Werner's book Effortless Mastery, in which he suggests that a piano player can best grow and move forward by first clearly recognizing and accepting their deficiencies, and this will be an uncomfortable process.

 

 

[BluMunk]

20 hours ago, MathOfInsects said:

I rarely use a single piece of music to refine an overall skill. Sometimes a piece is a good chance to send students off to practice octaves, or skills, or pinky stuff, or whatever, but I'll never hold on to that piece "until" a student masters that skill. Instead I'll use it as a little pedagogical "bookmark" and just be sure to keep giving chances to refine whatever that technique is across time.

This is such a great reminder, and an easy thing to loose sight of. Particularly as adult students/musicians, we often feel like the thing has to be perfect before we can say we're done with a piece. In fact, we're done whenever we say we're done, and it's fine to struggle with something but keep playing, and then put the piece away whenever you're ready. This piece doesn't have to be the one where you get your trill skills from 0 to 100. Maybe they just go from 0 to 5, and the next piece takes them from 5 to 7, or whatever.

And, it's also ok, if you decide you never want to work on trills, to never play them. You get to set your goals as a musician (as long as no one is paying you!). However, it can be difficult sometimes to find the right balance between "this should just be fun, and practicing hard things is hard and I don't wanna" and "I will find joy in being able to play pieces X Y and Z, but it might take some un-fun focused effort to be able to play them in a way that makes me happy".

[Outkaster]

14 hours ago, David Emm said:

First, try not to be your own worst critic. Few of us are going to hit the Horowitz level, but there is a lot to be said for the larger realm below his powers.

 

Second, I understand your problem from a different angle. I can come up with inspiring rhythms or motifs that get me into the beginning of a composition, but I sometimes begin to waver near the middle. I have several things in progress so I can just go for one that fits my mood best. Sometimes I'm in ambient/pad mode & sometimes I have the rockin' pipe organ/e-guitar itch. Some of my best pieces took a couple of years to fully gel. The merits of measured persistence and 'sleeping on it' can't be overstated.  

 

Third, six months is a mountain with some pieces and barely a blip if you're trying to master a beast like Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu. (That one struck me before I saw KK's mention. Pulling it off gracefully is a major landmark.) You're the one who gets to decide if what you're playing is satisfying to you or not. You can aim lower than Bach and still find enjoyment in many things. Trills can be a daunting prospect, but its also a gesture you can unexpectedly master if you stop pressuring yourself to excess. Focusing too hard can be self-defeating.     

 

Finally, you gotta smack those various "parts of you" into line so you can get back to enjoying music! Mort Garson once mentioned promising students who were traumatized by rotten teachers or academic pressures that caused them to walk away. Don't fall prey to that through excessive doubt. Don't lose track of the fact that the root of "playing" is play.

  Excellent advice. I also think we get anxious due to being older and wanting to still achieve goals.

[Iconoclast]

I used to train Taiwanese pilots how to fly and they had a saying, "Everything is difficult before it is easy"

In other words, the challenge is part of the learning process and you've already been through this process millions of times.

What can help? Break the job down into smaller tasks and get some small victories on the way to your ultimate goal. I think this is what your teacher is trying to do for you? So find a couple milestones along the way to your ultimate goal, and make sure you recognize when you've achieved them.

Good luck! I'm currently working up some stuff...OK, it's not Bach, it's the piano solo at the end of Sweet Home Alabama, but it's got some techniques that are not part of my normal bag-o-tricks and it's trying my patience too. You'll get there.

[MathOfInsects]

I use that same line with students all the time--everything's hard if you haven't done it. There is a lot of managing "fight or flight" in the learning process. 

[stoken6]

3 hours ago, Iconoclast said:

it's the piano solo at the end of Sweet Home Alabama, but it's got some techniques that are not part of my normal bag-o-tricks and it's trying my patience too. You'll get there.

Working on it as we speak! It's sort of "one wheelhouse along" from where I normally am - which is great for my development as a musician.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[David Emm]

I'd like to correct a mistake in my lengthy previous post. I wanted to make sure I got the attribution right.

 

Mort Garson was a Canadian composer who was an early champion of electronic music. He's especially noted for his album "Mother Earth's Plantasia." Its a fine work with that grand aroma of a creative person suddenly handed a ticket to Synth World.

 

MIKE Garson is the noted American pianist who has played with David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, Duran Duran and many others. He's the one who has taken up numerous students and made the comment about those who end up on bad paths that undermined their growth.

 

I remember Mike's comments gratefully, because they represent flexible thinking. They are part of why I nudge people towards better instruments or helping their kids start on one of them. I hated a few wretched pianos & synths I encountered when younger, but that was part of why I took off each time I was able to step up another notch. The good instruments got increasingly better until I landed a proper workstation, which was like a peyote ceremony that blew all of the dirt out of my musical pipes. Helping a noob of any kind reach that point is like helping out an animal who is in distress. The Universe smiles, nods and puts another check in your "Deserves A Moog One" column.  

[Delaware Dave]

It's going to take you 6 months (or more?) to master a new trill technique? Seriously?