Peter's Practice Diary (Beginner level)

Peter William said:
Now I hear from Dustin all the time that one needs a teacher alongside to learn an instrument. I am going to disregard that advice completely as it is neither feasible nor achievable.

I don't necessarily think a person needs a teacher but I have given you some fairly specific practice advice when you have asked (some of it specific to the concerto!) and you tend to reframe it back into what you are already doing or to fit your current outlook. This suggests you are entrenched in your approaches and would really benefit from someone that you might feel more accountable to. 

You also often refer to resources that are really meant for someone that has a teacher. If a teacher is not feasible or achievable, I would really suggest moving away from traditional materials and approaches that are really intended for teacher oversight!

Since you have self-stated that you are a beginner and are still learning fundamentals, it is not really worthwhile to worry about things like the "Russian school of playing" or what great historical pedagogues and performers have to say about playing quickly etc. -- at least in terms of trying to help your own playing. They are not speaking to someone building their fundamentals. Many of them knew nothing of that level of the process. Students always came to them with a high degree of skill and they were working on elevating those already advanced abilities. They were coaches more than they were teachers. Many of them really default to personal axioms over practical advice for learners struggling to navigate a piece technically.

So the holy grail you are looking for is not historical treatises for other professionals and contextless exercises. You would gain considerably more prowess just by watching the short videos of someone like yourpianobestie on instagram/tiktok/YouTube. I don't mean this facetiously; she is excellent. She explains and models key concepts like rotation, octaves, arpeggios, scales etc. in short bites. These are all absolutely necessary abilities for playing classical works like Mozart concertos! You can work on these skills dozens of different ways but you have to understand what work you are trying to do or you will just spin your wheels for years. If you are going to work without a teacher, it is practical sources like this that will be useful. 

Finally, I would suggest you decide what you really are aiming for. You have mentioned several times that you do not have specific goals and you are content with your capabilities but then you ask very pointed questions and say that you want to learn to play masterworks like Mozart concerti and Beethoven sonatas. This contradiction in your posts makes it hard to know what kind of answer to give you (and is another reason I have suggested a teacher).

I genuinely wish you well in your playing and goals! You are certainly entitled to pick and choose what advice you want to take, but if you tag a person repeatedly asking for advice it is perhaps best to just quietly disregard what you don't find especially useful since they gave their personal time to respond to you! Just an observation!

All the best =)