Exploring

[alzado]

I don't think this posting will apply to young persons in school,  or to persons taking a programmatic series of lessons.  Probably it would apply more to older persons who have attained some competence on the piano, and just play for enjoyment.  If you are being assigned a piece each week by your teacher, you probably do not have the freedom to explore very much.

Sometimes I do enjoy exploring the unknown, and I wonder if other persons on the forum do the same thing.

Do you ever take a collection of piano pieces that you have not heard and just sit down to play them?

For instance, Rachmaninoff's Opus 10 is a collection of shorter piano pieces, not terribly hard.  There is a Nocturne, and Waltz, and a Humoresque, and others.  Recently I just decided to sit down and play them.  This Opus 10 is -- I believe -- a collection of Rachmaninoff's earlier compositions. 

None of these pieces had I ever heard before deciding to learn to play them.  Some I learned throughout, and some of the longer pieces, I just learned in part.   

When I EXPLORE printed music for piano, I will not bother to spend any significant time on pieces unless -- [1] I like them, and [2] I believe I understand what is happening in them.  Because I do take piano lessons, I can ask my teacher about techniques or effects that I don't understand.

This "exploring" has led me through several collections of MacDowell's pieces.  I had never heard any of them played excepting perhaps for the "To a Wild Rose," which is one of my least favorites of his. 

I have "explored" in books of Scriabin's material also, although most of it is rather too hard for me to play.  Ditto for some of the less played compositions of Brahms and Schumann.

[thalbergmad]

Exploration is one of the great loves of my musical life.

I am only a keen amatuer and have about 1 lesson per year, so I happily spend hours reading through and playing through neglected pieces.

This has brought me into contact with many rarely heard composers including, Dussek, Thalberg, Pixis, Tausig, Henselt, Herz and Stradal.

To me, playing pieces that possibly nobody else does, is very exciting.

Thal

[plunkyplink]

I do the same thing! After looking at the pictures thread of most of the people on this board, I was a little shocked at how young everyone is, and felt super old. I pictured some people as being older than me, but now I realize I'm porbably old enough to be their mom! 

Back to the topic, I love exploring! That is something I rarely had time for when I was in high school and taking lessons. I'm advanced enough that I can decently sight read, and sometimes I like to just sit down and play through any music book that comes my way. My Father-in-Law sent a box full of old song books, and I love those old tunes, like "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" and "Fly me to the Moon". Exploring non-classical music was something I NEVER did before. Now that I don't care what other classical muscians think, I've tried pop music such as the Star Wars Theme (to impress my SO). Pop music is generally pretty easy, and it's fun!

In this exploration spirit I've taken up Jazz piano lessons, and it's wonderful, and it helps with the classical side of my piano lessons too, with learning all those chords. I love the idea of being able to just sit down and play the piano and make stuff up on the fly and it sounds good, rather than having to have a completely  memorized repertoire that can be tenuous depending on how nervous you are. I've started to explore improvising in jazz and classical styles, and I've written some music too, this all stuff I never really tried before. I feel like at my age, and my experience, piano and music is on a whole new level, and I have a whole new passion for it.

[penguinlover]

It's great to hear that others enjoy what I do, exploring.  I love the term too, it fits!  Anyway, I think that there are many of us "more mature" pianists out here, you are definately not alone.  I was very excited when a piano student of mine brought in an entire box of music that was far beyond her, and "would I just take a look at it" for her?   What a treat!  I think I almost kept the box until she could play some of it! 

[thalbergmad]

Maybe we should have a "mature pianists exploration thread".

Over 35's only.

Thal

[penguinlover]

That's still a bit young in my book!

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Personally, I take great pleasure in seeking out and learning pieces that are very much outside of the mainstream repertory. I am very interested in the Romantic era composers and I have moved from an adolescent interest in Chopin and Liszt (whose music I of course still enjoy playing) to exploring Alkan and Liapunov, who are on the fringes of the mainstream, and to works by Thalberg, Brassin, Pabst, Tausig and others.

As I am occasionally fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to perform in public, I strongly believe in playing some of these more obscure works, as there is much of worth which is unlikely to ever see the light of day. I also think that it is much more interesting for an audience to hear such music from time to time rather than, for example, a tepid run-through of a random Beethoven sonata.

Probably the most obscure work I have ever played publicly is Martucci's concert fantasy on Verdi's Force of Destiny. To the best of my knowledge this has never been recorded, so I am toying with posting it in the audition room.

[thalbergmad]

Thalberg, Brassin, Pabst, Tausig and others.

Probably the most obscure work I have ever played publicly is Martucci's concert fantasy on Verdi's Force of Destiny. To the best of my knowledge this has never been recorded, so I am toying with posting it in the audition room.

We have very similar tastes.

I would love to hear the Martucci. Judging by the score, it looks demanding but fun.

Thal

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Ok, I have posted the Martucci, along with a recording of the slow movement from the Alkan Symphonie. Hope you enjoy it (I had a lot of fun with the piece).

[drjames]

I also enjoy exploring.  I have many collections such as Library of Piano Classics and Library of Ragtime and Early Blues Piano and others dating back to when my mom was a teenager taking lessons.  When you don't feel like working on anything in particular and can't think of anything to play it's fun to just pick up one of these collections and flip through it to see what is there.  Sometimes I might find something that I spend some time with but most of the time I play it once and forget it existed.  There is simply too much stuff out there.  James

[merlin_emrys]

Whilst re-arranging the music room in anticipation of my new piano arriving, I discovered all sorts of material that I had completely forgotten about for almost 12 years.  What a delight!

It is almost always great fun to sightread and play through new pieces, even those by composers whose music I play regularly -- Chopin, Ravel, Debussy, Scriabin, Rachmaninoff.

And I have just ordered some new sheetmusic as well.

-merlin

[tompilk]

I don't think this posting will apply to young persons in school,  or to persons taking a programmatic series of lessons.  Probably it would apply more to older persons who have attained some competence on the piano, and just play for enjoyment.  If you are being assigned a piece each week by your teacher, you probably do not have the freedom to explore very much.

Sometimes I do enjoy exploring the unknown, and I wonder if other persons on the forum do the same thing.

Do you ever take a collection of piano pieces that you have not heard and just sit down to play them?

For instance, Rachmaninoff's Opus 10 is a collection of shorter piano pieces, not terribly hard.  There is a Nocturne, and Waltz, and a Humoresque, and others.  Recently I just decided to sit down and play them.  This Opus 10 is -- I believe -- a collection of Rachmaninoff's earlier compositions. 

None of these pieces had I ever heard before deciding to learn to play them.  Some I learned throughout, and some of the longer pieces, I just learned in part.   

When I EXPLORE printed music for piano, I will not bother to spend any significant time on pieces unless -- [1] I like them, and [2] I believe I understand what is happening in them.  Because I do take piano lessons, I can ask my teacher about techniques or effects that I don't understand.

This "exploring" has led me through several collections of MacDowell's pieces.  I had never heard any of them played excepting perhaps for the "To a Wild Rose," which is one of my least favorites of his. 

I have "explored" in books of Scriabin's material also, although most of it is rather too hard for me to play.  Ditto for some of the less played compositions of Brahms and Schumann.

i'm only 15 and have lessons but i recently bought complete Scriabin, Chopin and Rachmaninov Etudes and Preludes.
I know all the themes and melodies to all the Chopin and Rachmaninov ones but I haven't heard all of the Scriabin ones and I've been having a go at the ones I haven't heard and I'm finding it very enjoyable! Finding new music without being spoon-fed it by a recording is so much more exciing than knowing what it sounds like.
The only thing left to say is that I wish I was learning piano 200 years ago when there were no recordings! How awesome would it be to sit down and have a realisatio0n about a piece such as Alkan's Concerto for solo piano? Or even Scriabin Op 8 - 12!!!
That must truly be an experience!!!
Tom

[mikey6]

The only thing left to say is that I wish I was learning piano 200 years ago when there were no recordings! How awesome would it be to sit down and have a realisatio0n about a piece such as Alkan's Concerto for solo piano? Or even Scriabin Op 8 - 12!!!
That must truly be an experience!!!
Tom

You wouldn't be playing Alkan or Scriabin 200 years ago

[thorn]

speaking of not very well known composers, has anyone heard of Takemitsu? i played some to my old teacher, who calls it "watered down Messiaen" which i suppose is a fair assessment... but i love his music

[tompilk]

You wouldn't be playing Alkan or Scriabin 200 years ago

i knew someone would write this  i thought of this when i started to write and i was going to tag it on the end, but i forgot...
well noticed 
i think you get what i meant though...

[mikey6]

speaking of not very well known composers, has anyone heard of Takemitsu? i played some to my old teacher, who calls it "watered down Messiaen" which i suppose is a fair assessment... but i love his music

Takemitisu's not well known? Japan's most recognised classical composer.