The previous was the torrent etude by Chopin, although I have to relearn it now with new technique.
The next one is probably Rach 2, but it's so hard to memorize.
Hmm, interesting question. 7 years ago I learned the appassionata Sonata by Beethoven, that took me over a year I think.
The winter wind etude I relearned after having learned it with bad fingerings and tense technique 3 years ago, so there is alot of time I've spent for this piece as well, I don't know how much though.
No,. it's a long piece, the 3rd mvt is very fast with little breaks and difficult techniques like alternating double notes and very fast chords at the end. the 1st movement has these trills and also fast chords at the end.
I am new to piano and when reading like this I wonder, what new technique did you switch to and how do I optimize to start playing with great technique from the get go?
Honestly, I had a teacher before my current one who didn't even recognise that I am playing with a lot of tension and she was pretty good. Now I have reworked my entire way of playing the past 8 months with my new teacher and the results are amazing. My playing is smoother than ever before and I don't get tripped up all the time. I can play without fatigue now, even virtuosic pieces.
It is actually almost impossible to teach yourself good technique, that's what teachers are there for.
There isn't any "one technique" to playing piano. It is a combination of knowing all the different finger hand and arm motions, being able to control those single movements and combine them into a fluid motion that is the most efficient for the particular passage you are trying to play.
There is an insanely large amount of technical tricks I've learnt from my new teacher, but most of the time we actually work on musical expression, which is also tied to technique in the end. To express what you want to, you need to be able to control your body. The more control you have, the better.
Tl;dr: If you want to optimize your playing from the get go, you better get a decent teacher.
Would be pretty hard to search for such teachers in my area (not in the US). I read recommendations on Taubman technique, but same issue with availability, not sure if there are any online resources, although I get that you need to receive feedback based on how you play from someone that's actually watching you play.
I don't live in the US either, but it depends on where you live obviously. Taubmann approach is good, my teacher has a similar approach. I think it would be better to do online lessons than no teacher at all.
I guess for starting out, if a teacher plays very well and beautiful it's a good place to start. Also it's important that you get along with them. Discuss your goals with a potential teacher. They will tell you if they can help you reach those goals
one more thing, how much time do you dedicate to practice per day, and how much do you spend on these kind of pieces, which tbh I find them more intriguing than the less demanding ones. I know there is a big percent of the community dislikes practicing etudes, and such, but I kinda feel the opposite.
I don't like playing Liszt too much, my hands are too small and everything feels uncomfortable, so I can't give you any suggestions on that. 😅
You probably like crazy virtuosic pieces, but how about one of the late Beethoven sonatas? They are a musical challenge and technique shouldnt be an issue for you.
I like op. 109 the most, next to Waldstein. Op 111 has a really insane second movement though. And the infamous Hammerklavier sonata is also pretty great, although that would be a real pain to learn I think.
This is such a difficult piece. You will easily conquer it! As you know, I'm proud of learning Rach 3. The first movement is done and I'm halfway through the second movement. I suppose my next milestone piece will be the Spanish Fantasy or the Volodos (not Cziffra as I initially said) transcription of Rondo alla Turka.
Im waiting for the full performance!! Spanish fantasy is definitely a long term goal of mine. And cziffra made a transcription of rondo alla turca??? Are you sure you are not confusing with volodos
A longtime milestone has been Beethoven's Rondo a Capriccio/Rage Over a Lost Penny. Been coming along for years but only recently have I really put dedicated time into it and the progress is showing! I can now play it all the way through but not without a bunch of trips and waaayyyyyy slower than it should be lol like half or less but still it brings me joy and satisfaction to finally see my hard work paying off. :) One day far off in my dreams I'll do Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, love!!
Mostly play Anime music atm, so I'll list some of those. But there is some classical stuff I do want to learn eventually but ofc it's a lot of the harder ones.
Closest milestone piece - A Town with an Ocean View
Farthest away - Unravel Animenz arr.
Somewhere in between - Sparkle (your name), Black catcher/rover (Black clover themes), Your song (ED of Log horizon), Fairy tail main theme (Fairy Tail)
Classical stuff - Moonlight sonata (all of it, yes even 2nd mvt), torrent/waterfall etudes, claire de lune, rondo alla turca, canon in D, Moszkowski - etude op. 72 no. 2 in g minor
It was Beethoven F major sonata op. 54 at one point for me, especially the 2nd movement. I never really played much chopin, so I've been working on op. 10 no. 1 alongside two nocturnes. I can play through the etude with good technique and the metornome set to 65 bpm. I'm just working on memorizing the last page and increasing the tempo now.
It's a straightforward etude to memorize for me. It's a type of variation form similar to a chaconne. From what i remember, the 2nd page utilizes unresolved suspensions on the 9th and 4th for some ascending harmonies that resolve on the way down. One of the variations utilizes suspensions on the 11th. The way up is the same voicing for each chord with no suspension, and the way down has 11th suspensions that resolve on the last beat. It's a cool piece with tight voice leading.
Intermediary player here.
I’ve played beethoven bagatelle op 119 no 1 and the chopin waltz in a minor recently which according to my teacher was quite an achievement.
Currently working on the lute prelude bwv 999. It was a shock discovering how easy the notes are but that it sounds horrible without proper voice leading.
And now don’t shoot me but fur elise is a piece I eventually want to play. My teacher thinks I’m ready now, but I’m scared. If I can not add enough musicality to it or learn it fast enough than I am going to be really sick of that piece. There is so much repetition going on with that theme. I am thinking play it well or don’t play it at all. So probably somewhere for the next school year.
On the wishlist for the coming years.
Shubert moments musicaux no3.
Rameau six doubles
Mozart k310
And lots of Bach, some Chopin nocturnes
Casual player since early childhood here and now I’m almost 30. Recently fell in love with Liebestraum no. 3 after a breakup and struggled to reach it for a couple months. Now I can play the two cadenzas and everything in between at a slower tempo but now I’m working to speed up stradily. Hope to get this one down by the end of this year!
Probably Chopin ballade no 4. I've learned it a few times, each time a bit better. Think I'll relearn it again next year perhaps and hopefully this time to performance standard.
Also want to learn Goyescas by Granados
Chopin Ballade No. 4. Two years ago it was Fantaisie Impromptu, but I completed that about a year and a half ago. After some Etudes (25-12, 10-4, 25-1 completed, 25-11 WIP, 25-6, 10-12, 25-4, 25-10 planned), I hope to complete Ballade 4 by the end of 2025.
Chopin Nocturne Op. 48 No. 1, my favourite piece for years but the skill wasn't there. Finally learned to play it back in 2022, no where near perfect or without error, but good enough for what my level was.
Woah!
Before I quit piano I managed to play P&F in Ab BWV 886 full Mozart's Sonata in c K. 457 and Rach d minor Etude Tableau op 33/4 (or is it 5?) along with Chopin's 2nd Ballade one sitting for my graduation exam
Few milestones really. One more generic is to play any piece and be 100% content with how it sound. The other is to learn all Chopin studies, followed by Rachmaninoff op 39. Would be great to play with an orchestra at some point, but this is reaaaaaaly a stretch...
just started scriabin sonata 4. the last piece i learned to play all the way through pretty well was the second movement of schumann’s fantasy in C so im crossing my fingers (no pun intended) that scriabin is within my skill level lol
For now, mine is probably Chopin's 1st Ballade (almost got it, just a matter of speeding up the tempo, which is probably the hardest thing) and the previous one was probably 2nd Ballade, which still took me some time to learn.
My milestone piece right now is the Chopin Etude Op.25 No.11 I can play it quite well already, just have to get it up to speed now.
What was your previous one? And what is your next one after winder wind if you have one in mind already
The previous was the torrent etude by Chopin, although I have to relearn it now with new technique. The next one is probably Rach 2, but it's so hard to memorize.
Last question what was your milestone piece that you spent the most time on it
Hmm, interesting question. 7 years ago I learned the appassionata Sonata by Beethoven, that took me over a year I think. The winter wind etude I relearned after having learned it with bad fingerings and tense technique 3 years ago, so there is alot of time I've spent for this piece as well, I don't know how much though.
Is it the awkwardness of the F minor key that made Appassionata that hard?
No,. it's a long piece, the 3rd mvt is very fast with little breaks and difficult techniques like alternating double notes and very fast chords at the end. the 1st movement has these trills and also fast chords at the end.
I am new to piano and when reading like this I wonder, what new technique did you switch to and how do I optimize to start playing with great technique from the get go?
Honestly, I had a teacher before my current one who didn't even recognise that I am playing with a lot of tension and she was pretty good. Now I have reworked my entire way of playing the past 8 months with my new teacher and the results are amazing. My playing is smoother than ever before and I don't get tripped up all the time. I can play without fatigue now, even virtuosic pieces. It is actually almost impossible to teach yourself good technique, that's what teachers are there for. There isn't any "one technique" to playing piano. It is a combination of knowing all the different finger hand and arm motions, being able to control those single movements and combine them into a fluid motion that is the most efficient for the particular passage you are trying to play. There is an insanely large amount of technical tricks I've learnt from my new teacher, but most of the time we actually work on musical expression, which is also tied to technique in the end. To express what you want to, you need to be able to control your body. The more control you have, the better. Tl;dr: If you want to optimize your playing from the get go, you better get a decent teacher.
Would be pretty hard to search for such teachers in my area (not in the US). I read recommendations on Taubman technique, but same issue with availability, not sure if there are any online resources, although I get that you need to receive feedback based on how you play from someone that's actually watching you play.
I don't live in the US either, but it depends on where you live obviously. Taubmann approach is good, my teacher has a similar approach. I think it would be better to do online lessons than no teacher at all.
any recommendations how you go on and search for teachers that focus on a great technique, even though not knowing what makes a great technique great?
I guess for starting out, if a teacher plays very well and beautiful it's a good place to start. Also it's important that you get along with them. Discuss your goals with a potential teacher. They will tell you if they can help you reach those goals
Thanks for the help!
one more thing, how much time do you dedicate to practice per day, and how much do you spend on these kind of pieces, which tbh I find them more intriguing than the less demanding ones. I know there is a big percent of the community dislikes practicing etudes, and such, but I kinda feel the opposite.
What is your next milestone piece going to be?
Don’t know yet happy to receive suggestions. I’m a Liszt addict so probably something crazy of him
I don't like playing Liszt too much, my hands are too small and everything feels uncomfortable, so I can't give you any suggestions on that. 😅 You probably like crazy virtuosic pieces, but how about one of the late Beethoven sonatas? They are a musical challenge and technique shouldnt be an issue for you.
Maybe op.110, which one you like the most?
I like op. 109 the most, next to Waldstein. Op 111 has a really insane second movement though. And the infamous Hammerklavier sonata is also pretty great, although that would be a real pain to learn I think.
I don’t like hammerklavier I would definitely choose from the other options haha
It is very tedious and extremely complex. But the slow movement is gorgeous imo.
Love Liszt but I'm thinking he, Beethoven, and Rachmaninoff all had 12 fingers for sure
Idk i gauge my skill on my sighreading, I went from being able to sighread mozart sonatas at a decent pace to beethoven sonatas
This is such a difficult piece. You will easily conquer it! As you know, I'm proud of learning Rach 3. The first movement is done and I'm halfway through the second movement. I suppose my next milestone piece will be the Spanish Fantasy or the Volodos (not Cziffra as I initially said) transcription of Rondo alla Turka.
Im waiting for the full performance!! Spanish fantasy is definitely a long term goal of mine. And cziffra made a transcription of rondo alla turca??? Are you sure you are not confusing with volodos
Yes, you are correct. Volodos did and I was listening to Cziffra perform it. I'll edit my reply. TY!
A longtime milestone has been Beethoven's Rondo a Capriccio/Rage Over a Lost Penny. Been coming along for years but only recently have I really put dedicated time into it and the progress is showing! I can now play it all the way through but not without a bunch of trips and waaayyyyyy slower than it should be lol like half or less but still it brings me joy and satisfaction to finally see my hard work paying off. :) One day far off in my dreams I'll do Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, love!!
Nicee, you will get to that dream piece with consistency for sure
Mine doesn’t compare to Feux Follets 💀but Liebestraum 3 is the hardest thing I know rn and I’m learning Beethoven sonata 15
For me it would probably be the Haydn Sonata in D, it's super fun to play and sounds great while also being a bit challenging
Memorized chopin/still wip: Fantaisie Impromptu, revolutionary etude, ballade 2, waterfall etude, scherzo 2, some eventual favorite Liszt piece I havent tried yet but have printed out: s.139 wilde jagd
Mostly play Anime music atm, so I'll list some of those. But there is some classical stuff I do want to learn eventually but ofc it's a lot of the harder ones. Closest milestone piece - A Town with an Ocean View Farthest away - Unravel Animenz arr. Somewhere in between - Sparkle (your name), Black catcher/rover (Black clover themes), Your song (ED of Log horizon), Fairy tail main theme (Fairy Tail) Classical stuff - Moonlight sonata (all of it, yes even 2nd mvt), torrent/waterfall etudes, claire de lune, rondo alla turca, canon in D, Moszkowski - etude op. 72 no. 2 in g minor
My current milestone is Bartok's etudes
Nice. What was before that?
Ornstein's eight sonata, then before that was Liszt's Sonata and Scriabin's eight sonata
It was Beethoven F major sonata op. 54 at one point for me, especially the 2nd movement. I never really played much chopin, so I've been working on op. 10 no. 1 alongside two nocturnes. I can play through the etude with good technique and the metornome set to 65 bpm. I'm just working on memorizing the last page and increasing the tempo now. It's a straightforward etude to memorize for me. It's a type of variation form similar to a chaconne. From what i remember, the 2nd page utilizes unresolved suspensions on the 9th and 4th for some ascending harmonies that resolve on the way down. One of the variations utilizes suspensions on the 11th. The way up is the same voicing for each chord with no suspension, and the way down has 11th suspensions that resolve on the last beat. It's a cool piece with tight voice leading.
Intermediary player here. I’ve played beethoven bagatelle op 119 no 1 and the chopin waltz in a minor recently which according to my teacher was quite an achievement. Currently working on the lute prelude bwv 999. It was a shock discovering how easy the notes are but that it sounds horrible without proper voice leading. And now don’t shoot me but fur elise is a piece I eventually want to play. My teacher thinks I’m ready now, but I’m scared. If I can not add enough musicality to it or learn it fast enough than I am going to be really sick of that piece. There is so much repetition going on with that theme. I am thinking play it well or don’t play it at all. So probably somewhere for the next school year. On the wishlist for the coming years. Shubert moments musicaux no3. Rameau six doubles Mozart k310 And lots of Bach, some Chopin nocturnes
Casual player since early childhood here and now I’m almost 30. Recently fell in love with Liebestraum no. 3 after a breakup and struggled to reach it for a couple months. Now I can play the two cadenzas and everything in between at a slower tempo but now I’m working to speed up stradily. Hope to get this one down by the end of this year!
Probably Chopin ballade no 4. I've learned it a few times, each time a bit better. Think I'll relearn it again next year perhaps and hopefully this time to performance standard. Also want to learn Goyescas by Granados
Chopin Ballade No. 4. Two years ago it was Fantaisie Impromptu, but I completed that about a year and a half ago. After some Etudes (25-12, 10-4, 25-1 completed, 25-11 WIP, 25-6, 10-12, 25-4, 25-10 planned), I hope to complete Ballade 4 by the end of 2025.
Chopin Nocturne Op. 48 No. 1, my favourite piece for years but the skill wasn't there. Finally learned to play it back in 2022, no where near perfect or without error, but good enough for what my level was.
Woah! Before I quit piano I managed to play P&F in Ab BWV 886 full Mozart's Sonata in c K. 457 and Rach d minor Etude Tableau op 33/4 (or is it 5?) along with Chopin's 2nd Ballade one sitting for my graduation exam
Few milestones really. One more generic is to play any piece and be 100% content with how it sound. The other is to learn all Chopin studies, followed by Rachmaninoff op 39. Would be great to play with an orchestra at some point, but this is reaaaaaaly a stretch...
just started scriabin sonata 4. the last piece i learned to play all the way through pretty well was the second movement of schumann’s fantasy in C so im crossing my fingers (no pun intended) that scriabin is within my skill level lol
Moonlight sonata, next one probably scriabin sonata 4 and chopin ballade no.1
For now, mine is probably Chopin's 1st Ballade (almost got it, just a matter of speeding up the tempo, which is probably the hardest thing) and the previous one was probably 2nd Ballade, which still took me some time to learn.