Just give me a random piece

[emotionsickness]

i'd been playing piano for roughly 10 years before quitting lessons a few months ago, and i haven't opened my piano since.  i'm starting to feel guilty, though, and i'd really like to start up again.  so if someone could give me an awesome, not too challenging but certainly not too easy piece to try out to get back into the swing of things, i'd really appreciate it.  thanks!

[Wired]

What are some of the pieces you left off with?

[emotionsickness]

beethoven's sonatina op. 49 no. 2; ballade pour adeline........ that's all i can think of.  yeah i know, it's not too challenging, and after 10 years i shoudl've had more to show for myself, but i'm a busy girl!  plus i never took it too seriously.  and i just had a random thought--does anyone have the music for the main theme from 'the pianist'?  that sounds super easy... alrihgt well let those recommendations come!

[Wired]

Hmm.. which main theme?

Two of them that I've been working on:

Nocturne in E minor (Op. 72, no 1)
Nocturne in C# Minor (Op. 72, No 2 IIRC)

Both by Chopin. They both have their tricky spots, but in generally they aren't too complicated, especially if you have a good feeling for arpeggios in the left hand.

Perhaps another Chopin piece, Prelude in Db Major.. that's a good one.

I'm not too well versed in a lot of pieces yet. Those are the ones I'd suggest

[allchopin]

Well, I would start off with a warm-up such as the Grande Polonaise Brilliante in the Pianist, then counter it with.....

Probably not- go with Chopin's Prelude #9.  It's slow and extremely deep and emotional (but wait, are you sick of emotion?).  A faster one to delve into is Mozart's Sonata in A K. 331 mvmt. 3 (Rondo Alla Turca).

[emotionsickness]

alright well i've downloaded all of those pieces suggested & i'm going to attack chopin's prelude no. 9 first but i was wondering if someone could recommend for me some sad minor pieces as well... thanks in advance

Sophie

[Sketchee]

Well, if you want sad minor pieces you can continue on with a few more of Chopin's Preludes (The Op 28 ones).  No 4 is one I like a lot and it's pretty simple.  Also take a look at 2, 6 and 20.  Maybe Waltz his  No. 12 (Op 70 No 2)

I always like to recommend Ravel's 1913 Prelude because it's short, fairly easy and sounds nice.  Available on sheetmusicarchive.net for free too.  Satie's Gymnopedies or Gnossienne are really nice and the easiest of the ones I've mentioned.  Have fun!

[emotionsickness]

i just got finished looking @ a chopin midi website & this one: Etude in C m, Op.25 Nº.12  sounded sooooo beautiful and i was wondering if anyone here has played it and how difficult it really is?

[epsil0n]

op. 25 no. 12?  thats the ocean etude

haven't played that one...sightread bits of it only...but most will probably agree that it is very difficult

the main theme from "the pianist" is chopin's nocturne in c# op. posth. and that, however, is something i think u can handle

[jennbo]

why don't you try Chopin's waltz in a minor?  that's pretty easy.  The c# minor waltz is easy too.  Well most of his waltzes aren't that bad.  
Preludes are pretty easy too.
Etudes, I probably wouldn't go there if I were you.  
Nocturnes are pretty decent.  
If not, there's always mozart. and bach.  

[Rach3]

its considered to be among the hardest of chopin's etudes...

It's difficult, but looks easy next to some of the other etudes like toccata or thirds... there is an active topic in the repertoire board on this topic and a really long topic somewhere in the archives.

[Rach3]

In reply to the original question, there are lots of awesome, extremely ADDICTIVE and not-too hard pieces which are good for returning to piano on, I can't really provide a decent list now but some scattered thoughts are:
-Liszt Annees des Pelerinage (CHAPEL de Guilliam Tell, Petrarch sonnets, Ricordanza (I think that's the word), a bit challenging
-Chopin IMPROMPTUS!!! (esp. #2), nocturnes, preludes, polonaises (esp. A major, C# minor)
-The Bach Partitas, all, the preludes are the best! Look at B-flat and C-minor, the first two
-Brahms EVERYTHING! thats not insanely difficult, some gorgeous intermezzos and rhapsodies
-Schubert impromptus, all except for the two f-minor ones (difficult), also musical moments

These are all pieces guaranteed to get themselves stuck in your head and cause nightmares with their haunting beauty.

Just wondering, isn't Beethoven 49/2 the G major sonata, not sonatina? I don't have my sonatas with me here.

[Rach3]

Aha, I found Beethoven, I confused 49/2 with 79, my mistaking, by luck they are both in G major, I never noticed this before but urtext calls the op. 79 a "Sonatine" and op. 49/2 a "Leichte Sonate", are those about the same?

Apologies to all great composers whom I left out in my hasty post. Quick afterthoughts, Schubert three pieces D 900-something they were one of the last, uncountably numerous favorite Scarlatti sonatas, and assorted Mend. Songs Without Words.

[eddie92099]

Preludes are pretty easy too.

Not all of them!
Ed

[ballade]

I've been playing the piano for 10 years and managed the chopin ocean etude a few years ago - so it should be okay for anyone with some years of experience

[e60m5]

Ocean étude is not one of the more challenging ones.

[BoliverAllmon]

 
If not, there's always mozart. and bach.  

Mozart is not easy. If she can't handle easy chopin. She can't handle Mozart.

boliver

[epsil0n]

Ocean étude is not one of the more challenging ones.

guess ill stand corrected on that one

but still, its probably not a wise choice for emotionsickness to tackle it at this time

[steinwaymodeld]

Ocean Etude is intermediate difficulty among chopin etudes.

Anyway

to the qquestion of emotionalsickness

listen to some of the chopin nocturnes and waltz,and find out which one you like

by the way, the main theme of the pianist is Chopin Nocturne No.20 in C# min(post.)

the one he played in the end is Grande Polonaise Brilliante Op.22

the one he played when the German General caught him is the Chopin Ballade No.1

except the Nocturne,  i don't suppose you should work on other 2.

as by the recommendation of Rach3, i think a lot of them are a little bit more than you can handle(prove me wrong)

i would recommend the Schubert Impormtu though.

[comme_le_vent]

chopin's ocean etude was the 1st piece i learned fully. First thing i did was learn the chord shapes, then practiced jumping octaves with them, then introduced finger motion, and just played it repeatedly to perfection(as perfect as i can get it anyway). Its as good for the fingers as any finger exercise and its one of the most emotionally rewarding etudes. The key to learning and remembering this etude is almost purely finger memory, as there is no rhythmical deviation. Other pieces i would reccomend are any of alkan's esquisses, every one has something unique and intrigueing about it. They vary alot in technical difficulty, but each of them are only a minute or 2 long. Number 10 is my favourite -  less than 1 and a half minutes long, but it has a very violent and turbulent feel, and despite its lenght - an extremely powerful ending, definetly a great piece to shock and scare the s**t out of people. I LOVE ALKAN!!!!!!
HE RULES!!!!!!!!!!
IM BOWING DOWN TO HIS GREATNESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and now im chilling, later

[Rach3]

Alkan is never a helpful suggestion, even the short pieces. The score of the Esquisses is deceptive, they are all very difficult even if short.

SteinwayModelD (I WANT ONE!!!  ), I think you're probably right on most counts. In addition to the Schubert impromptus (I esp. recommend 90/4, haunting), I think I should defend several Brahms intermezzos (i.e. 118/2 (or was it 117/2?)) and the C# or A major Chopin polonaises.