Chopin's Ballade No. 1

[nightmarecinema]

How difficult is this piece? My brother just bought me a book of Chopin's ballades and he asked me to learn this piece, I'm going to attempt it at some point or another, but I'n wondering whether its worth it at this point. I'd say I'm probably alright for the year I've been playing - I can tell you what I can play if its necessary.

[happyface94]

Do so tell us what piece you can play, in my opinion the 4 ballades are not walks in the park.

[nightmarecinema]

Alright, well I can play Bach's 13th Invention, Mozart's Sonata K 545, Solfeggietto, a few other pieces, and I haven't actually really had much time to play in the past month, since I haven't been around a piano, but had I been, those and the maybe 4 other short, random pieces I play would be near perfect, but they're a bit rusty. But for all intents and purposes, lets say I can play those and of course, e.g. Fur Eloise, etc...

[jehangircama]

even i've played k545 and a bach P&F and have looked at solfeggietto. the ballades are to those as advanced calculus is to simple linear equations. we're in the same boat it seems. even i've been wanting to start the G minor ballade. but its TOUGH

[ako]

My teacher had me play a couple of etudes (5 or 6) before starting me on the g minor ballade. The pieces that I was working on at the time I played the ballade were some Mozart and Beethoven concertos, Debussy estampes, early Beethoven sonatas and Bartok suite op. 14. This is not to say that you have to play all those things before attempting the ballade but just some general idea how one particular teacher viewed its level of difficulty.

[ryan2189]

You will definitely need a few more years of playing experience before you should even think about this piece. It may mot look bad at first glance but the real challenge is keeping up to speed at certain points. This is such a beautiful piece, save it and play it as it should be played. Wait until you fine tune your abilities a little more.

[nightmarecinema]

Alright, well my brother just asked me to learn it, and as I listen now, I hear certain parts that sound pretty hard, but maybe I'll just learn what I could probably play for him, but we'll see. Any other oppinions?

[pseudopianist]

Be affraid, be very affraid.

[teresa_b]

I gotta agree... I have worked on this piece off and on for 25 years, and I STILL don't have it the way I want it.     The coda kills me. 

Teresa

[happyface94]

I hate to say this but I don't think this piece is your level.

[nightmarecinema]

That's alright, I just discovered that my brother expected it to take me a few years, so I'm not too worried anymore. Still be nice to be able to play it though.

[twinkletoesfaery]

I love Chopin's Ballades! Can't play any although I manage to have a look at Op.23 g minor

[marcus314]

Man I am playing the Ballade for my exam coming in 3 days. I am terribly nervous!!!!

[jehangircama]

Man I am playing the Ballade for my exam coming in 3 days. I am terribly nervous!!!!

u doing LRSM? and best of luck

[marcus314]

u doing LRSM? and best of luck

No I am doing RCM's ARCT Performers. I AM VERY NERVOUS HAHA!

Thank you for the "best of luck." I think I will need it.

[RealPianist]

good luck marcus314, let us know how it is happen...

[marcus314]

Has anybody played this song for exams? How can one forget about nervousness and fully concentrate of the song? (As this song requires extensive concentration, especially the coda)

[happyface94]

It is to me necessary to be a little bit nervous in order to play any pieces. Play it like any other piece, you'll be fine.

[nanabush]

Marcus what else you playing for your RCM performer's exam?  I still have no clue what I want to play, although I can play a few pieces that I will consider..

[marcus314]

These are the songs I will be playing for my exam (and also in this order):

List a : BACH - English Suite No.2 (Prelude, Sarabande, Gigue)
List b : BEETHOVEN - Moonlight Sonata (complete)
List c : CHOPIN - Ballade No. 1 in G-
List d : POULENC -   15 Improvisations Pour Le Piano (No.9,10,15)
List e : PROKOFIEV - Vision Fugitives (No.1,3,8,15)
Concert Etude : CHOPIN - Etude No.3 in E+

[jz_rach2]

well, when i first started learning it last summer, i thought it was extremely difficult for myself, who is currently working on my performer's ARCT. but after looking/analyzing closely at the piece, i found that the only really difficult parts of it would be the Coda, the 3rd page, and the 10th&11th pages. being 15pgs long it can look pretty scary but since the entire piece is based on 2 themes (theme 1 on pg 1 and theme 2 on pg 4) there really is a lot of repetition. the coda, however, does take a lot of practise - i've been playing it for a year now and still can't play it perfectly in front of people.
good luck to you. and just remember, there is only a keyword to learning this piece, or any other pieces: "PRACTISE".-_-;;;;
p.s. if you have bigger hands you might not find it as difficult. learn the Coda first and have it memorized before you start speeding it up. 

[jz_rach2]

haha also here's my AR list
List A: BACH - Partita no. 2: Sinfonia
List B: BEETHOVEN - Sonata in Eb + Op. 31 no. 3 "the Hunt" (complete)
List C: CHOPIN - Ballade No. 1 in c- op.23
List D: GRANADOS - The Maiden and the Nightingale
List E: KUZMENKO (canadian) - In Memoriam to the Victims of Chernobyl
concert etude: either LISZT - Un Sospiro from Trois Etudes de Concert
                        or CHOPIN - etude in g# - op. 25 no. 6 (the one in 3rds)
                        or CHOPIN - "revoluntionary etude"
does anyone have any suggestions on which i should pick? i have the revoluntionary and un sospiro well learned and is working on op.25no.6 now. i'm taking my AR in Jan. 06

[happyface94]

While I believe the Chopin's revolutionnary is much harder than Un Sospiro, I believe the Sospiro would be more proper for your program. And cool, I'm learning the same Goyescas as you are.

[thierry13]

If you have the technical requirements to play all the etudes, I think the revolutionary is the hardest one to make sound GOOD. ALL OF IT, not just the main chords. I find some pianist play the beginning runs so BAD... they play it clear, fast... but it just sounds wrong. To make it sound right, REALLY good, is the difficulty in this etude.

[jehangircama]

Wouldn't that a minor chopin etude op25 (no.11 or 12 or something like that) be tougher than revolutionary? I mean its as fast and its longeras well. that way eve op 10 no1 is tougher. to make it sound musical is also tough...

[fiasco]

I've been practicing the Ballade #1 for about 6-7 months now, almost exclusively, without a teacher, and it seems to be coming together nicely, except fot the presto con fuoco, due to, I guess, my small hands.  It's a challenge, but I'd say it's easier than Chopin's faster Etudes, beacuse of the dynamism.  More room for expression.  Certainly easier than the Liszt TEs or Rhapsodies, or even Beethoven's Waldstein & Hammerklav.  My problem with it is, during the coda, I can't seem to hit the 1 2-5, 1 2-5 chords at full speed without flubbing, or missing my pinky entirely.  But, when I try jumping up with my thumb, 1 1-5, 1 1-5, it sounds choppy and slower.  Should I go for the clarity of all the notes or for the overall smoothness?  I practice it differently each time, and seem to have hit a wall here.  It's one of my favorites though, and sounds awesome when done right.  I've listened to about a dozen versions, and my favorite is still the one off the Pianist soundtrack.  I'm not feeling Horowitz's version, although his speed at the coda is amazing.

[dinosaurtales]

There are many difficulties in this ballade.  Not only is it technically difficult, but musically tough to pull to gether as well (this is, in fact, where I fall short performing this piece!).  I am quite consumed with the technical aspects, and it takes my concentration away from the musical apsects.   best to wait till you can do it properly.  I will likely have to revisit this piece at some point later.