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Frosini Palmer-Hughes Edition

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Does anyone know whether the Frosini Highlights book by Palmer Hughes contains the full versions or are they simplified?
They are the exact same as the single sheet music that was originally printed in the 30’s and 40’s. It’s a bargain!
 
Thanks, Zevy. In that case I've probably bitten off more than I can chew.
You can do it, Jack! My teacher believed in giving the student music above their level instead of on, or below their level. Reach for the stars!
 
You can do it, Jack! My teacher believed in giving the student music above their level instead of on, or below their level. Reach for the stars!

It can be a double-edged sword, though, Zevy. When I was learning to play the piano I found that attempting pieces beyond my ability was a huge discouragement and made me doubt my ability to play. I think it all depends on the temperament of the student: some will find it an incentive; others (like me), a discouragement.

Chris
 
It can be a double-edged sword, though, Zevy. When I was learning to play the piano I found that attempting pieces beyond my ability was a huge discouragement and made me doubt my ability to play. I think it all depends on the temperament of the student: some will find it an incentive; others (like me), a discouragement.

Chris
Point well taken, Chris. In my case, I really wanted to play the stuff, and eventually I was able to do it.
 
I agree with Zevy. If you take the original version you can always simplify it yourself and once you can play your simplified version work on what's left. i.e. You miss out the bits you can't play ( and there may be some that you never will be able to play! ). This is better than starting with a simplified version and trying to "jazz it up" yourself.
 
It can be a double-edged sword, though, Zevy. When I was learning to play the piano I found that attempting pieces beyond my ability was a huge discouragement and made me doubt my ability to play. I think it all depends on the temperament of the student: some will find it an incentive; others (like me), a discouragement.
Point well taken, Chris. In my case, I really wanted to play the stuff, and eventually I was able to do it.

I wonder if part of this is whether or not the student approaches the particular task with a "fixed" vs. "growth" mindset?

From Wikipedia:
Those with a "fixed mindset" believe that abilities are mostly innate and interpret failure as the lack of necessary basic abilities, while those with a "growth mindset" believe that they can acquire any given ability provided they invest effort or study. In particular, an individual's mindset impacts how they face and cope with challenges

This could probably be an entire thread of its own. :)

But basically, if you have the sense that something like "talent" is a built-in factory option that you either have or don't have, then struggling with a piece can be a very uncomfortable exercise, sending the message that you do not have the necessary talent. It's a reflection of an inherent, unfixable shortcoming in who you are. So it's understandable that frustration and discouragement often follows!

On the other hand, if you view "talent" as the end result of work and practice, obtainable in some degree by pretty much anyone willing to slog through the effort and time required, then struggling with a piece can be embraced (even enjoyed) as an opportunity. Failure is not a reflection of who you are, but rather of the amount and quality of work you've put in so far. It's seen as a teacher, telling you what to fix in order to move on.

You do, as Zevy points out, have to have the passion that drives the whole process. Faith that a goal is obtainable with work only helps if you think the goal is worth all that work in the first place!
 
I agree with you, Jeff, but with the caveat that the struggle has to have a realistic chance of success in order to drive the student forward. Good method books (and teachers) present the student with a gradually more demanding set of challenges, where each new piece adds a little, but not too much, to the student's previous experience. Teaching a student to play "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" with the right hand, and then presenting them with the "Moonlight Sonata" isn't going to teach them anything, because it's a completely impossible hurdle to go straight from one to the other.

Teaching them TTLS and then playing the "Moonlight" for them and saying "Practice hard, and you'll be able to play this in a couple of years", on the other hand, will inspire the student to work hard.

Cheers,

Chris
 
I agree with you, Jeff, but with the caveat that the struggle has to have a realistic chance of success in order to drive the student forward. Good method books (and teachers) present the student with a gradually more demanding set of challenges, where each new piece adds a little, but not too much, to the student's previous experience. Teaching a student to play "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" with the right hand, and then presenting them with the "Moonlight Sonata" isn't going to teach them anything, because it's a completely impossible hurdle to go straight from one to the other.

Teaching them TTLS and then playing the "Moonlight" for them and saying "Practice hard, and you'll be able to play this in a couple of years", on the other hand, will inspire the student to work hard.

Cheers,

Chris
Chris -
I draw my inspiration from hearing a piece that I would like to play. After that, I slowly work my way toward that goal. The piece "Celestial Whispering" that I recently posted took me 6 or 7 months until I mustered the courage to record myself. I am currently working on a piece of accordion music that I began years ago. I love the challenge.
All the best,
Zevy
 
I agree with you, Jeff, but with the caveat that the struggle has to have a realistic chance of success in order to drive the student forward.

Very true. There's a fertile area somewhere between "too easy to promote growth and interest" and "too hard to make any headway whatsoever".

I often recommend Daniel Coyle's Little Book of Talent to my students. He has an entire (short) chapter on this "sweet spot", where he describes it...

...as if you're stretching with all your might for a nearly unreachable goal, brushing it with your fingertips, then reaching again.

Ask yourself: If you tried your absolute hardest, what could you almost do? Mark the boundary of your current ability, and aim a little beyond it. That's your spot.

I like your example of the teacher playing "Moonlight Sonata" for a student, because it frames a beyond-the-sweet-spot piece as something that isn't necessarily discouraging, but rather is an aspirational goal. The same sort of mindset and effort one would use to learn a single piece like "Twinkle", note-by-note and measure-by-measure, can, in a sense, be "zoomed out" to become a roadmap for working on all the stepping stone pieces along the way, over a long period of time.
 
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