Great Piano Pieces to Play?
Hi, so I'm a 14 year old kid, going to be a sophomore in high school. One of my biggest passions is playing the piano. Some of the pieces I've done lately have been: Chopin - Valse Brillante Op. 34 No. 2. (28/28 on NYSSMA) Chopin - Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 (99/100 on NYSSMA) Chopin - Waltz Op. 64 No. 2 (No NYSSMA score) and am currently in the middle of learning Chopin - Polonaise in A major Op. 40 No. 1 "Military" (Most likely will be playing this piece for the upcoming NYSSMA) As you can see, I am more of a classical pianist, and am in love with Chopin's music (probably because of my Polish heritage.) Anyway, I was wondering if any of you could help me by giving a list of great piano pieces to play. Although I have only played classical pieces, you do not have to limit your answers to just those, and they obviously do not have to be all by Chopin. One of the things I absolutely LOVE in pieces is the amount of emotion or power that they have in them so please try to pick out pieces that may contain those characteristics. Thanks a lot for your answers! I really appreciate it!
How hard are the Chopin etudes?
How hard something is depends on the player. For me, the etudes are not easy, but they are hardly difficult.... Godowskys etudes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studies_on_... are to me (and I think most people!) far more difficult... and just listen to Chopins Variations on "La ci darem la mano" from Mozart's opera Don Giovanni, Op. 2, for piano and orchestra. So when you compare Chopins Etudes to that - he seems REALLY easy! But anyway.... Some of the etudes are hard, some are easier. If you are playing the Rachmaninoff prelude, then most of the etudes should be playable for you. Sure, you may have to begin at a slow tempo, but the notes and rhythms are not overly difficult. (Unless you are like me, and have small hands. There are a lot of rapid octaves that are a little trying in some of the etudes...) try some of them out... and if you cant do them, or are not confident then you can just play the nocturnes. But the "easy" ones (for me at least) are: Op. 25 No 2 Op. 10 No 9 Op.25 No 1 But none of these are "easy" Technically they are not difficult, but that just means you have to rely on interpretation more. (AND PHRASING!!!!) The revolutionary etude, looks hard... but is really one of the easier ones! Sure the left hand never stops, but really its all the same... actually the right hand is the one you should focus on. My favourite is the shortest one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Étude_Op._2...
Can you learn a Chopin etude in one week?
No no no no non nein nope nosiree no can do etc. Music is not a speed contest. You will mangle your hands if you try to do this. Approaching a new piece of music must be done in a careful, considered way. In a slow to moderate tempo, you must familiarize your hands with the notes, and your mind with the ideas in the piece, find its message, its pace, its demands and rewards. When you feel securely able to play each note quietly with a bell-like tone and complete relaxation as soon as you have played the note, then you can begin to increase the volume and pace. It takes as long as it takes.
What is your definition of popular? Chopins Ballades and Etudes are some of the most popular pieces with pianists Chopin ever wrote. If you're talking about the pieces non-pianists also know (minute march, e-flat major nocturne, c-sharp minor nocturne) then those are not played at the Chopin Competition because they are not suited for high level competition. They are not as demanding to play, and you want to show off what you can, both technically and musically. And the 'famous' pieces you probably mean aren't very difficult, at least compared to the Ballades and Etudes Chopin wrote.
Tips on Chopin's Etude Op. 10 No. 1?
Hi! I am a 16 years old classical music enthusiast. I have been listening to classical music devotedly for 10 years. I know about classical and jazz harmony, voice leading, 16c counterpoint, figured bass etc. So I'm not a complete beginner. I can confidently answer DMA Piano literature exam questions with few mistakes without examining the repertoire list, but I have been self-learning the piano for only 2 years, though I ocassionaly got disheartened and stopped practicing. I was able to memorize Bach's C major prelude and Satie's Gnosienne and Gympnopedies in two days and have been practicing lots of scales, arpeggios and fast passages of some works. I think I developed a solid technique. What I seperate with is mainly hand independence actually. A single bar of a slower Bach invention takes me about half an hour to learn, while it could have been sight-reading material if I had the technique for contrapuntal music. Last pieces I have completed were Rachmaninoff's Prelude Op. 3 No. 2 and Schubert's Andantino-A major Sonata. Schubert was sight-readable, but musicality is difficult to achieve. However, I believe I've done a decent job with it. Now I think I'm ready for a Chopin Etude. I have been thinking of No. 1. I know it's very difficult. I have been now practicing for 3 days and can play the first 6 bars at 160. Do you think it's manageable for me and how long it would take me to learn? Do you recommend anything else (maybe the revolutionary etude?) or should I go on?
What piano piece should i learn to impress a girl i like?
I love the result of playing a super advanced piano piece and many people know my for my piano skills. i am 15 yrs old and have a caring personality. i haven't every had a girlfriend and i kinda want one. I've had my eye on someone in my school for a while now but i don't know how to go about it. im not exactly attractive but im kinda smart. i want to learn a piano piece that impresses people and is fast moving. So far i have learned the whole moonlight sonata ( Beethoven ) and the Fantasie impromptu by chopin, (i got really good in a piano compitition for this piece) i learned chopin etude no.9 and a few more random pieces. im working on this Rachmaninoff prelude No. 5 in g minor, is this a good piece to impress people and impress this girl that i like? or should i learn some more stuff? what should i learn that is beautiful? i want to play some of these piano pieces for this girl but i dont know how to go about it, it's just that we are kinda immature and stuff.
I can play Chopins Ballade no. 1 all the way through with no technical difficulty after playing piano for 1 year. Is that normal?Wow! You played for a whole year! Your arms must be really tired!I wonder where you found the time to write this question, with your hands tinkling the ivories 24 hours a day.Some people might not believe you played piano for a whole year, but I do. You sound really trustworthy. I bet you play that piece really well. Probably better than Lang Lang. He probably only played for six months.Maybe try posting this question to Yahoo Answers too. I’m sure people on that site are willing to believe an honest person like you.
The previous comment was right. One should play Chopin like Chopin, Bach like Bach, and Joplin like Joplin. Also, if by “Chopin’s style” one meant playing with a long pedal, frequent use of rubato, and outward projection of feeling and drama, be aware that this is not the Chopin style, even if the sound that this kind of playing produces may ostensibly be very similar to one’s perception of Chopin.True Chopin style changes according to the harmony, uses rubato judiciously, and most importantly, projects a clear singing line on top of the harmony beneath it. But what’s more important is that the concept of Chopin’s style is only valid when you are playing the works of Chopin, and should not be treated as a separate item in isolation of his work. Basically, Chopin’s style (and the magic sound that it produces) only works in the context of Chopin.Also, unless a student is already studying with a teacher who subscribes to Chopin’s teaching philosophy, it won’t make a difference as to which scale he or she begins with.
Hi Millie Williams, thanks for the request!Hmm although a novice piano player I feel qualified to answer this question as I have done this! It took me around a year of practice to crudely play the piece. Luckily the song is shorter than it looks as there are a lot of repetitive sequences with slight variations. But the rhythm is quiet tricky and a decent amount of stamina is required to make it through the entire piece!To answer your question, I’d say a complete beginner with a strong musical background (experience with reading music) could play the full piece in a year or two with consistent practice; preferably at least an hour everyday. I personally liked to tackle a couple of measures every week and played at a slow tempo until I memorized the section by heart. Then I would play the previous section with the new section and did so until the transition between the two sections sounded seamless.So go practice! I know there are much better songs to start learning the piano but if you’re like me and have an intense appreciation for a beautiful song such as Chopin’s Fantaisie impromptu, get on a piano and start practicing! The first few weeks will be excruciatingly slow but the pace will eventually pick up. If things don’t go as quickly as you thought, don’t be disheartened; this is a long-term effort!Good luck to you.