How can I self-train myself to play very hard pieces (like Gaspard de la Nuit, Islamey)?

Question

This is just a follow-up question to my last. I just want to know how to train myself to play difficult piano pieces. I did have a very short time of formal piano training when I was 9 (about 6 months). I just self-practiced after that. Now I'm 15. My skills are good enough to play pieces with difficulty like Fur Elise. But comparing it to the pieces that I want to play I think I don't have that skill yet. What should I do? How can I self train myself such that I can play the pieces stated above? What learning materials do I need to have? Techniques to learn? Also I can say that I can only give up 1 hour every day to practice the piano. Please help.

Answer 1

Keep practicing, use a metronome, and don't play it up to speed until you can.  In other words, play it slow until you get used to the song, then speed it up.

Answer 2

Getting a teacher will really help but if you can't do that right now then you will have to discipline yourself as if you were your teacher.  Some techniques my old piano teacher used with me were concentrating on spots that I repeatedly had difficulty with.  She would put brackets around the measures that I needed to work on and I would do repetitions of the brackets.  Also she would have me do something "10 correct times" or whatever number and I would only be able to count it if absolutely everything was correct.  Learn a page at a time (or even less) and start by learning them hands separately (a metronome will help immensely here).  It also helps me a lot to keep a box of colored pencils on the piano and I will circle notes that I miss, the bright colors make them harder to miss the next time around! Concentrate on one piece at a time, but don't push yourself to finish learning a piece if you aren't feeling it anymore.  Since you are just doing it for your own enjoyment (I assume) then it will be a lot easier if you are doing pieces you really love.

Answer 3

Hours and hours a day if that is what you really want to play, you will have to pratice more seeing you have had no formal training.. Good luck hope one day you can play it..

Answer 4

Okay! I am a wiz at the piano! If you've ever heared pieces frum Evanescence i can play those:) So....

1) Play at least 20 mins a day.

2) Make sure your fingering is right.

3) Play the same thing over and over till you get it right.

4) Play untill you play the song without stopping.

5) Ask help from people you know that are good at the piano.