Been itching to pick up the piano once again. It's been a while since I've seriously sat down and played for an extended stretch of time. Since I don't care enough to find a teacher to teach me, I figure I'd take a stab at asking TL for some suggestions.
I'm basically in search for anything that would be relatively easy for me to pick up while still being somewhat enjoyable. Don't feel I have the finger dexterity to churn away at more technical pieces as it has been a while since I've played. I think I can still read sheets relatively easily. Only issue I have is that I can't play piece that has chords over an octave reach. And from prior experiences, the more complicated the piece, the more of those types of those chords are included.
Just really looking for suggestions for classical pieces if anyone has any. Anything easy to listen to, relaxing to play.
Its a french movie and that song is amazing and everytime my friend plays it on the piano I get the chills. However I don't know if you'll be able to play it, but might as well suggest
Meh, Yiruma's stuff is pretty easy. No real challenge in that honestly. Most of the chord progressions on left hand repeat themselves and the right hand isn't all that challenging.
I'm looking for something that'll take more than just a day or two to sit down and learn. Something more technical, but not overwhelmingly challenging I guess.
Some of Chopin's shorter waltzes are very elegant and would be directly up your alley.
Also try some of Scriabin's easier preludes in his op. 16 and 17. set. I really like op. 16 no. 3, and is simple enough to immediately sight-read. Op. 16 no. 4 (or is it 17 no. 4?) is charming as well. The prelude from op. 2 no. 3 is a great first piece to come back to: it's a page long and takes about 50 seconds to play. Reminds me a bit of melodic Debussy pieces (check out his Children's Corner while you're at it).
For something slightly more challenging technically, you can look at selections from Bach's French Suites or keyboard partitas. The slower pieces in particular would work quite well. Some of his preludes from the WTCs are also fun short pieces to learn.
I'm sure you can find some easier Mozart and Haydn sonatas also.
I think everything I suggested has an octave as the largest stretch.
If you can record yourself playing this for me, I'd be eternally grateful and very appreciative. I've always admired piano players.
Oh God, this nocturne :/
Please don't ._. (for that matter, please don't play the Op. 9 no. 2, either).
Some suggestions instead:
Op. 9 No. 3 (trio section might be too difficult for you, watch out) Op. 32 No. 2 (a lot of critics don't like this piece, but I happen to be very partial to it)
Actually now that I think about it, many of Chopin's nocturnes might be too difficult for you to learn in a short time period.
Claire De Lune is one of those pieces I didn't instantly like, but over time it grew on me. It's also probably the difficulty you're looking for. If you like I'll link but you are probably quite familiar with it (by Claude Debussy for anyone wondering) .
Nothing wrong with Chopin, it's just the fact that that Nocturne's played by everyone and their cat, especially because of that one Adrian Brody movie.
As for Beethoven sonatas, skip the Pathetique for now and play his first sonata. The fast movement is a personal favorite.
I'm going to recommend his other D flat major waltz (Op. 70 No. 3, I think it's posthumous, don't remember) over the minute waltz.
It's not played as often because it's not as flashy, but it has a very uhh...Parisian main theme (with a very charming passage in the right hand with the alternating double notes. You'll know what I mean when you hear it) and very graceful secondary themes as well.
Beethoven's fourth piano sonata, "Grand." Not terribly overplayed like his other ones, and a personal favorite of mine.
edit: Missed the part about the chords. Not necessarily a lot of chords with over an octave, but a lot of chords that are around the one octave range...Is that a hindrance?
On June 27 2011 16:03 Torte de Lini wrote: I'm clearly outleagued here. Damn you know your stuff .__.
On June 27 2011 16:10 Carnivorous Sheep wrote: Beethoven's fourth piano sonata, "Grand." Not terribly overplayed like his other ones, and a personal favorite of mine.
edit: Missed the part about the chords. Not necessarily a lot of chords with over an octave, but a lot of chords that are around the one octave range...Is that a hindrance?
On June 27 2011 16:03 Torte de Lini wrote: I'm clearly outleagued here. Damn you know your stuff .__.
Cause this is totally a competition.
Well I enjoyed what he thought and felt he knew a lot more about classical music than I did. Not really a question of competition. Just more of a: "I've run out of ideas and I feel Empyrean knows more and can suggest better".
No need to escalate. I just felt more respectable towards what Empyrean thinks, but that's fine if you construe it as something else.
I'm not deriding songs because they're overplayed, I was just giving suggestions in case the OP wanted to play some pieces that many pianists don't discover until later.
Both of those suggestions seem like they're too difficult for the OP to play as well.
On June 27 2011 20:19 Empyrean wrote: I'm not deriding songs because they're overplayed, I was just giving suggestions in case the OP wanted to play some pieces that many pianists don't discover until later.
Both of those suggestions seem like they're too difficult for the OP to play as well.
The first one isn't that bad technically, and is kind of cute. The second is pretty gosu though...it's just awesome though.
For another random cute song, try Beethoven's Bagetelle op.33 #3...I think. At work, so I can't youtube it.
If you feel adventurous you might try some of Bartok's Mikrokosmos. For some other suggestions, you could look at Rachmaninov's Preludes Op.23 such as No. I in f#, or IV in D (I'd stay away from preludes II, V, and some others as to their difficulty). Also Ravel has some really nice works, two suggestions might be Prélude, and À la manière de Borodine.
Haha, I remember playing this. Can still play the first portion.
Did you play it in school or anything? I'm trying to learn it on my own, and getting the right hand runs down smoothly is a major pain in the rear for my perfectionist self. Any tips that you can remember for getting it to sound light and smooth? I have the notes down perfectly, but when i play it it's so choppy. I've practiced it really slowly and sped up, etc, etc, the normal tips for fast runs like this, but its the "chord transition" that kill me, aka the switches from thumb to 3/4/whatever you start with. I hope you know what I'm talking about lol.
On June 27 2011 16:10 Carnivorous Sheep wrote: Beethoven's fourth piano sonata, "Grand." Not terribly overplayed like his other ones, and a personal favorite of mine.
edit: Missed the part about the chords. Not necessarily a lot of chords with over an octave, but a lot of chords that are around the one octave range...Is that a hindrance?
On June 27 2011 16:03 Torte de Lini wrote: I'm clearly outleagued here. Damn you know your stuff .__.
Cause this is totally a competition.
I haven't tried it before, but isn't making the Op. 7 sound good really difficult? I can't imagine the first movement being anything other than a nightmare.
WTC Book 1's 1st Prelude (C Major). Fairly easy piece, I can sight read through it albeit with some difficulty if I'm brain dead. Fugue is a little harder though.
That's a very easy and pretty piece. I also like Golliwog's Cakewalk if you can handle the constant chord jumping in the left hand:
That's all I can really think of for now that fits your criteria. I was in your same boat about 2-3 years ago, but I've since started practicing again sporadically. I've been trying to learn the Schumann concerto for the past few months, and I'm about halfway through the first movement, haha. I don't think I ever had fun playing piano until I stopped taking lessons and started just learning whatever I want.
On June 28 2011 02:51 matjlav wrote: I don't think I ever had fun playing piano until I stopped taking lessons and started just learning whatever I want.
On June 28 2011 02:51 matjlav wrote: I don't think I ever had fun playing piano until I stopped taking lessons and started just learning whatever I want.
Quoted for truth.
on the contrary, I've always found playing piano fun, lesson or not. I am willing to admit that this may not be true if you have a shoddy teacher.
Also, I think that I will be looking through some of these pieces when I practice today. I need something new to practice during my "I'm-tired-of-the-Schumann" breaks
EPT
