What piece for my upcoming audition?

[coca cola veins]

I'm going on an audition for a school in the middle of May, and there I need to perform a "well known" piece of my own choice. I've been playing for about a year with no formal training and I have no idea what kind of piece would be realistic to learn in about two months time. It doesn't have to be very hard and advanced, but not Fur Elise basic either, if you know what I mean.

Any suggestions?

Edit: My repetoir so far consists of zero (0) pieces. Just thought you would know. (My playing isn't that bad, though, believe it or not.)

And I love Chopin's nocturnes by the way. Any of those suitable? (The G minor one!  )

[psaiko]

I'm going on an audition for a school in the middle of May, and there I need to perform a "well known" piece of my own choice. I've been playing for about a year with no formal training and I have no idea what kind of piece would be realistic to learn in about two months time. It doesn't have to be very hard and advanced, but not Fur Elise basic either, if you know what I mean.

Any suggestions?

Edit: My repetoir so far consists of zero (0) pieces. Just thought you would know. (My playing isn't that bad, though, believe it or not.)

And I love Chopin's nocturnes by the way. Any of those suitable? (The G minor one!  )

You should try the Chopin ballade in F-minor, think you can conquer it in a few weeks, especially since you have been playing for a year already.

[aaron_ginn]

I'm going on an audition for a school in the middle of May, and there I need to perform a "well known" piece of my own choice. I've been playing for about a year with no formal training and I have no idea what kind of piece would be realistic to learn in about two months time. It doesn't have to be very hard and advanced, but not Fur Elise basic either, if you know what I mean.

Any suggestions?

Edit: My repetoir so far consists of zero (0) pieces. Just thought you would know. (My playing isn't that bad, though, believe it or not.)

And I love Chopin's nocturnes by the way. Any of those suitable? (The G minor one!  )

You've been playing a year and have no pieces in your repertoire?  What do you play exactly?

I've been playing since last June so I suppose I'm about at your level.  I've been working on Chopin's Nocturne in B-flat minor (Op 9 No 1) since November of last year.  I can almost play it well enough to perform, but it's been a long learning experience.  I would suggest you stay away from trying to learn a nocturne in two months.

Why does the piece have to be well-known?  I would suggest trying a Chopin Mazurka.  I'm working on two right now.  I almost have Op 6 No 2 down.  I'm working on Op 30 No 2 as well.  That's a really fun piece.  It's short (two pages) and not too difficult, although the RH middle section will take some work.  If you concentrate solely on that piece for the next two months, I bet you'll get it if you're somewhat competent.  I've been working on it for a few weeks, splitting time with four other Chopin works, and I think I'll be able to play it within another month.

If the piece has to be recognizable, why not try Bach's Minuet in G?  It's easier than the others I've listed and is well-known.  You should be able learn that one in two months.

[coca cola veins]

You've been playing a year and have no pieces in your repertoire?  What do you play exactly?

Self-composed pop and jazz, mostly. Hadn't even thought about nailing a classical piece before, but the school strictly demanded one, so what to do... Thanks for the advice!

[phil13]

You should try the Chopin ballade in F-minor, think you can conquer it in a few weeks, especially since you have been playing for a year already.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I am laughing my @$$ off right now! Whatever you do, DON'T even try to learn that!

Phil

[burstroman]

A Mendelssohn "Song without Words" or a Bach Prelude and Fugue.

[phil13]

A Mendelssohn "Song without Words" or a Bach Prelude and Fugue.

Now THAT'S sensible. 

Have a look here:

https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,2857.0.html

Reply #6 by none other than Bernhard gives a full list of pedagogical difficulty of the WTC. Find one you like that's not too hard. In addition, a SWW is a great idea, but I would also recommend one of the Chopin Mazurkas or the Grieg Lyric Pieces. Those are not too hard, either, and offer a wealth of beautiful music.

Phil

[franzliszt2]

You should try the Chopin ballade in F-minor, think you can conquer it in a few weeks, especially since you have been playing for a year already

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

[coca cola veins]

Again, thanks for the tips. I've found Brahm's Hungarian Dance No. 5 to be fairly easy on the piano... a little bit too easy since I've "mastered" (ok, memorized... ) half of the little piece in less then half an hour. Makes me wonder; would that be too cheap to play in the audition?

(Bear in mind that it's not a fancy college I'm auditioning for, so their expectations won't be extremely high. But it's a music school none the less, so...)