[musictlk] {Spam?} Follow-Up for Mike

[Linda Mentink]

Hi Mike,

You have a lot of questions here, and I'll do my best. You 
shouldn't have to add a lot more time to your practice sessions. 
Just like learning to type, you will learn to play better if you 
don't look at the keys, and learn by touch. Practice simple 
things like five-finger positions and major and minor chords in 
all 12 keys.

Get your bearings by finding middle C, centering yourself on the 
bench and resting your right shoe toe on the far right pedal with 
your heel on the floor. Repetition is what it will take, and it 
will depend on how well your fingers do with muscle memory. Just 
be patient with yourself, and it will come.

I moved from Wisconsin in August, 2004, and live in Columbus, 
Nebraska.

Blessings,

LindaHi Linda,

Here are some follow up questions.

Are you saying that when you first start out, you feel for the
black keys to get your bearing, but then after awhile you don?
need that crutch, whereupon your mind just knows how far to jump?
I? assuming to master jumps for any particular assigned lesson
means you have to do a lot of repetition.



Second (assuming the answer to the first question is yes) how
long does it take to acquire this skill?  Are we talking weeks, 3
months, 6 months?  A couple of years?  I? assuming complete
mastery only happens after you are exposed to a very wide variety
of music over several years which require you to make a great
variety of jumps.



Third, before I acquire this skill, how much extra time (in
general) should I expect to add to my practice sessions because I
have a vision issue to contend with?  I? already practicing a
couple of hours a day.  I? assuming I? going to have to add a
lot of repetitions to practicing these jumps so they do
eventually become automatic.  And It? logical to therefore
expect longer practices.  Am I talking about adding 20% more time
to sessions, 30% more, etc??  As I say, I? already practicing a
couple of hours a day.



The questions about extra time are not because I? impatient.
I? a guitar player now (have been for the last 25 years) and
I?e figured out how to get around on the neck already.  Normally
it takes no more than a couple of weeks to master something, and
that? for something very difficult.  Usually a week is all that
is needed.  But given the piano is physical different, and it
appears I? going to HAVE to learn to play by feel (which is not
a bad thing) and I see I may have to set a different time
expectation because of this extra skill that has to be learned.
I? just trying to estimate this extra time so I can set a
reasonable expectation ..  one that I can be successful with so I
avoid frustration.

Hope this all makes sense.  I don? mind working at it.  I?e
been wanting to take piano lessons for some years, but didn?
have the time because I was working.  Now that I? retired that
opens up the time.



Finally, Linda, yes I was living in Omaha, Nebraska.  I now live
in St.  Louis, Missouri.  Due to the President Obama? policy on
coal, the coal business dried up.  The railroad I worked for lost
a lot of revenue in coal shipments and they had to reevaluate
their staffing levels.  I was let go as a result of that.  That
wasn? completely a bad thing.  We wanted to move back to St.
Louis where our families are anyway, so that gave us an excuse.
It just happened a year or two sooner than I expected.  That just
goes to show that Presidential policy DOES impact the economy.
And that? something that people need to realize in this election
year.  But not to get started on politics, I just want to say I?
no longer in Nebraska.  Out of curiosity, where do you call home?