It's summer, time for INSANE practicing

[sinspawnammes]

I need to start ramping up a 5-6 hr a day schedule.  This will be hell, since I work about 8-10 hours, but i'm sure if I sleep 8 hrs, the other 6 left in the day can be split between eating and practice. 

I'm looking to pump my rep and improve my technique in time for college and the many musical opportunities it offers.  Pending works:

-Finishing Pathetique
-Chopin Scherzo Op. 31
-A Chopin Etude, I'm leaning towards Op. 10 No. 3, since it's easier than most of the others.
-Beethoven Sonata Op. 27 No. 1
-I need some Rach, I don't know what to play though, please suggest something.  I was thinking of 32/12, but it's too hard for me
-Need Liszt, but again, I don't know what to play
-Schubert Impromptu in Eb, I must play this to build my scales + runs
-What should I have for Bach?  Fugues are a real biznatch to learn, but I'm leaning towards P+F 6 from WTC I, then leading into other works.
-One other composer that isn't as mainstream (Brahms, Schumann, etc.).  Kinderszenen, perhaps?

I stink right now, and I must be significantly better by the time I start college.  By the way, in a college environment, how are private lessons figured out?  Are you assigned a teacher of some sort if you sign up for music classes, or do you pay a fixed rate every session, or do you pay a lump sum, etc.?  I'm pretty confused. 

P.S.: I'm listening to Tempest Sonata right now, I think that's what is hyping me up so much.

[xhunterjx]

have fun with the schubert!

that piece is not that hard to play, and very fun!

[tompilk]

i plan on finishing Pathetique too this summer... i got loads of summer holidays, like 3 months...
I also want some rach but a lot of it seems extremely different... take a look at his elegie. It's slow and nice, terrible key and insane jumps but none ofthat matters...
I hope to get a little more than my 30min a day in
I need some Liszt also... but i get into a bad habit of wanting to play whatever I listen to... especiall y all this alkan, scriabin etc. and it;s all bad for me i think... i listen about 6 hrs on a norm,al day, a bit more when im feeling hyped. Im unhealthily obsessed! And I really think i should have chosen music GCSE, which i regret not doing, because it woould have encouraged me to do it at college, ah well!
I really do need to get into it this summer and get practising a few hours a day... i think my hands might struggle though... an hour makes me ache!
Tom

[pianistimo]

admire u all for having the energy to practice after a full day of work. it's really a matter of discipline.  usually, u are assigned a teacher after ur audition.  suppose that if u really really want a certain teacher - go talk to them and tell them that!  i don't think they'd balk.    every teacher is so different and has different focuses.  i was extremely surprised at the quality of teacher i got.  very very helpful.  but, all of them are.  he was younger - but i don't think younger means less experienced always.  he could hold his own very well and plays fantastically.  it's probably more a matter of 'clicking' personality-wise.  sometimes it's swallowing what u learned before and being willing to try new things.  this helped me a lot.  u don't have to throw everything u learned away - but at least try different things and see what works for u.

[Appenato]

haha, this is the summer of the Pathetique. i broke it out the other day and plan on finishing it, too.

learn the bach french suite. fugues, preludes, and the like are over played unless played well. major technique builder in that thing.

at the university i attend, students get fee waivers if they're a full-time music major, so the way i look at it, they're "free" lessons. also, i got to register with the teacher i wanted... had to go through hell 1st semester without him, tho, because he was on sabbatical so he had a former student of his teach.... but after that, everything's been fine for having chosen  him as my [present/original] teacher.  sooo, the choice of teacher process may differ from school to school, but as pianistimo said, talk to the teacher whom you'd like to study under and let them get to know you on that personal basis.  chances are you'd be happy with your choice. how soon before you enter college?

happy practicing and good luck with your repertoire!

[sinspawnammes]

I get on the plane on Sept. 2

I need to put money together for a new keyboard, since the one I have is very low quality, and the keys aren't weighed.

[thierry13]

I need to put money together for a new keyboard, since the one I have is very low quality, and the keys aren't weighed.

You indeed need a new one to play well all your pieces, and to develop the best technique possible, too. As a liszt piece, i would recommend un sospiro, or look at some pieces in his années de pelerinage. Some are not too hard, short and sweet(others can make you sweat tough XD.. haha). As a rachmaninoff... you could go with his prelude op.3no.2, bit overplayed but isn't too hard for you I think. Or you could simply pick one prelude in his op.23 or op.32 sets. Some are uber hard, others are okay(all are amazingly beautiful tough). Hope this help.

[princessdecadence]

Hah you piano geeks! I'm going to the beach!

(nah...actually I'm going to work on 3 Chopin waltzes! and those bloody accompaniments.  Incredibly exciting.)

[henrah]

-Need Liszt, but again, I don't know what to play

Gnomenreigen, second of two concert studies. It's a wonderful piece; and open to many variations in interpretation, though I've read that Liszt liked the opening fairly slow (at least slower than Cziffra's)

[pianogeek_cz]

Hah you piano geeks!

Over here! 


I'm planning to learn a few 2/3-part inventions, finish the 2nd and 3rd movement of Beethoven op. 10 no. 1, Chopin op. 10 no. 1 and op. 25 no. 9, possibly Liszt Gnomenreigen, possibly Brahms Rhapsody op. 119 no. 4, Schubert op. 90 no. 2. Oh, and Debussy Arabesque no. 1 - I'm going to a 10-day masterclass at the end of August and I want to have a decent repertoire there...

[phil13]

(Directed at the original poster) Kinderszenen would be good for you. Or Papillons, maybe?

I just finished Rach's 32-12. It's not extremely hard, but still some fairly difficult stuff. If you don't mind polyrhythms, try his prelude n G major, Op.32 No.5.

For Liszt, try one of the two easier Petrarch Sonnets- No.47 and No.123, I think. Don't try 104 yet, it's a lot harder than it looks.

Bach P&Fs are always good to add to your repertoire. No.6, Bk.I is fine.



I too am planning 6 hours of practice each day- but I am also a composer, so the other 6 spare hours will be devoted to composition and theory.

My summer rep:

Beethoven 'Pastorale' Sonata in D Op.28
A new Bach P&F (about finished with No.12 in F minor, Bk.I)
Scriabin Etude in D# minor Op.8 No.12
Faure Nocturne No.13 in B minor Op.119
Medtner Fairy Tale (maybe Op.34 No.2)

And some Scriabin Mazurkas to occupy any spare moments.

Good luck to you, have a fun, productive summer! 

Phil

[henrah]

possibly Liszt Gnomenreigen ... I'm going to a 10-day masterclass at the end of August and I want to have a decent repertoire there

Good luck with the Gnomenreigen! Let me give you a little advice: experiment loads in the beginning section with the glissandos, there's so much choice as to what you want to hear in that section!
Henrah

[dnephi]

Learning Chopet #12 and Mendelssohn PC no. 1 and Bach and Brahms.

[sinspawnammes]

I've more or less finished memorizing the Scherzo, half-way through Pathetique.  I've decided on French Suite 5 and Gnomenreigen for my Bach & Liszt, but man are they hard, lol. 

It takes a lot of relaxation to play the jumps in Gnomenreigen right.

[pianogeek_cz]

It takes a lot of relaxation to play the jumps in Gnomenreigen right.

True true... And lots of patience... And it's not just the jumps... Whew... *been practicing that one two hours straight, made progress*

And I've also added Schubert op. 142 no. 2 to the "to learn over the summer" list... It just enchanted me...

[narsil26]

sheesh.....5-6 hours a day?

I could never do that, as much as I love my piano...

[musik_man]

My Summer rep is looking like this so far

Scriabin-Nocturne for Left Hand op.9
Prokofiev-Mercutio and Romeo bids Farewell to Juliet
Beethoven/Liszt-An die Ferne Geliebte

After I have these down, I'll add some more.