How do you learn a new piece?

I read in a book found elswhere on this forum, that the best way to learn a new piece is to learn each hand seperate, and first combine them when you can play them up to 150% speed hands seperate. This is known as HS technique. I have tried this, and well, I just feel like I know how to play a piece with each hand. combining them just becomes a mess, and is quite frankly very hard to do.

I have a theory that it is indeed easier to learn them hands together(atleast for me) even though the book states that HS is a supperior technique (that often takes years years to master.)

Yes, don't belive in everything you read. Ive found posts claiming that the author of the book is NOT a very skilled pianist or teacher.

What do you think?

How do you learn a new piece?

I learn hands separate, but I combine before I can play either of them 100%.... I believe in slow-practice, cause this is why I can progress so fast. If you can do both hands together at 10% today, then 20 to morrow, then 50 then 90 then 100 - Woala

Easier pieces; I learn hands together right away...

I think its interesting to do research on this, because then I can try and fail and find my own way.

As I said practicing a whole piece hands seperate has done me more bad then good. I felt slow progression, slow.

I've picked up a new piece, learning sort of similar to what you said Thomandy. Learning HS, but combining before I can play either 100%.

I believe that you should first learn the hands separate, but this "until 150%" I dont believe in.

When I have the right and left hand learned, and can play them at a decent speed, usually not the full speed,
I merge them together, then I work on getting the hands perfectly togheter, before I turn up the speed.

I learn a couple of bars, 2-4 with both hands, merge them, then another 4 bars, and merge them,
I do not learn a whole piece at one hand, then the other, because that's just dont working.

Alle er norske her jo! :p

Yeah. I really like your approach VictorCS. It is similar to what I've been doing the past hour practicing, and I feel it has better progression. Ive been doing bar by bar though.

Learn a few bars, then connect.

'Learn two-four, merge, learn more.'

See what I did there?

Jupp Vi er enige da!!!

I have also learned a whole piece RH first, then LH - This actually,



and it went okay - 3 hours to completly learn the 3 pages - almost 100 bars. But I think I could have saved some time
by doing as I usually do. Moonlight Sonata; I learnd both hads together (Easy LH though)

3 hours 3 pages 100 bars?

I do hope it gets faster as you get better.

I spent half hour on 4 bars, and its still not _that_ good. I have to think, and try out better fingering.

I already told the way how I was taught to learn, but I can share it with you. My teacher told me learn few bars from the beginning and then start to learn the piece from the end.
With this approach you learn the last bar and after the one before so when you get to the last bar you can already know how to play it. Every single time you learn a previous bar and keep playing, you enforce the already known end of the piece. Personally it did help me to learn in this manner and I will use this method because it gives more sense of success.
I agree with Victor I tried to learn hands separate and then try to put it together but it was just not working.

It all depends on what you prefer....

Well, I start at the beginning and work my way to the end.
BUT - If there is one or more things in the piece that is very hard, I learn that Right away since that needs of course more practice. That way I save lots of time especially if its close to the end..