Piano Forum
Piano Board => Student's Corner => Topic started by: clarinetist on June 04, 2016, 08:40:58 PM
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Back in the day (~5+ years ago), I was a music major (not on piano, but on clarinet). I've picked up piano lessons recently with the goal of improving my technique. I did three semesters back when I was a music major.
My piano teacher has been ridiculously helpful so far with teaching me new things, and has given me autonomy on what I can play. With this, though, comes some responsibility on my part to choose the right pieces.
I'm not a fan of Bach, unfortunately. Other than his chorales, I find his music boring to play. I don't mind listening to Bach every so often, but I wouldn't want to put in the work to learn his music. (Yeah, I know some people are not going to like this... if I get suggestions to learn some of his two-part inventions, I will learn them.)
Czerny's okay: I tried the School of Velocity back in my undergrad, but found it to be... let's say, too much like Hanon. I do like his 100 Progressive Studies without Octaves that I've tried so far.
I'm all into late-Romantic, French Impressionist music (Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Debussy, Ravel, Stravinsky) and would consider myself to be at a beginning-intermediate level. I'm currently learning two of Debussy's Preludes (Girl with the Flaxen Hair, Footprints in the Snow) and have just finished the e minor and b minor preludes by Chopin - I learned them both within a week. I've tried sightreading Bruyeres from Debussy's Preludes but have found it too difficult.
What are some good pieces that you would recommend to me, given this information, that would help me improve my technique and would interest me to play? I don't want the pieces to be too easy for me, or too hard either.
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These would be more like challenge pieces
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I don't know why people ask for repertoire advice, this is something you should ask yourself or a teacher who knows you well. No one here can give proper advice as to what wil mprove you or what you will reall enjoy it's just stabs in the dark. I've taught hundreds and hundreds of piano students and just because they play xyz doesn't mean the path is clear where to go next. Sometimes its not even repertoire that is the problem but their learning tools and organisation. You already know composers you like and therein lies years and years of work already.
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I don't know why people ask for repertoire advice, this is something you should ask yourself or a teacher who knows you well. No one here can give proper advice as to what wil mprove you or what you will reall enjoy it's just stabs in the dark. I've taught hundreds and hundreds of piano students and just because they play xyz doesn't mean the path is clear where to go next. Sometimes its not even repertoire that is the problem but their learning tools and organisation. You already know composers you like and therein lies years and years of work already.
I understand what you're saying here, but...
1) the suggestions here have been extremely helpful (lots of composers whose works I've never heard before),
2) my former piano professor is now retired and I live nowhere near him nor have any way of contacting him,
3) the stuff I would actually like to play (i.e., the composers I listed above) are such that the majority of their works are inaccessible at my level, and
4) I've only had one lesson with my current teacher and he seems to think I know the repertoire well enough to know what's too easy or too hard for me to play. I personally don't feel I do, but maybe it'll take a few months of relearning piano to realize this for myself.
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