what were your favorite first real repertoire pieces?

[pianistimo]

i remember debussy's arabesque and a couple of bach preludes and fugues.  although the preludes and fugues were not my first choice at the time. 

basically, i'm wondering what appeals to say 14 year old girls - and would keep one motivated and interested in continuing to play.

yesterday - i was thinking 'should i give her three pieces of different flavors - but still keeping with the theme of may/june - you know - flowery type of pieces?  or maybe a selection of three very different types of pieces.' 

[e99angel]

Well, I'm 15 now; maybe I can help? I prefer Romantic, Impressionistic, and Contemporary music to Baroque and Classical; this may affect my opinion. I think that asking the student what kind of music she likes to play is important. This strengthened my own love of piano and music.

Bach isn't a favorite, but I have a friend of the same ages who played an entire English Suite and enjoyed it very much, so it truly depends on the person. I think that learning some fugues also helps strengthen technique and bringing out individual voices. Beethoven Sonatas are fun to play and have different skill levels. op2 no1 seems like a good starting piece for that. Also, I played many Chopin Nocturnes at that age too, as they span a great range of levels and techniques.

When I was 13-14, I played a lot of Impressionistic music. If she enjoys Debussy's Arabesque, which you mentioned (I assume you mean the first and not the second), she may also like Clair de Lune (a well known song, but still beautiful). Debussy also has more upbeat pieces you can look into like Golliwog's Cakewalk. In addition, I played the Reverie after playing the First Arabesque. Faure's Barcarolles are also beautiful pieces.

Many students in that age range seem to enjoy contemporary music. Bartok and Poulenc are two composers by whom I've played some pieces. Copland and Gershwin ("American Composer" style) also have fun pieces.

I don't think the months provide a theme for my pieces specifically, since learning different types of pieces is important in the long run, though it's not bad to concentrate on a specific style at a given time. However, I would suggest seeing what type of piano music she likes in the first place, as it's easier to build from there. If she's not too interested in music yet, it might help to have her play different styles and see what she prefers. =)

[danny elfboy]

i remember debussy's arabesque and a couple of bach preludes and fugues.  although the preludes and fugues were not my first choice at the time. 

basically, i'm wondering what appeals to say 14 year old girls - and would keep one motivated and interested in continuing to play.

I guess it's too individual; it depends on the subjective value you ascribe to certain sounds, melodies. The question is: what is music for us? What we see in our mind when we listen to it. In my case for example music is a journey. All the modulations, contrasts, flow are like walking and exploring different dimensions. So in my case the only music I don't appreciate or find bland is that music that doesn't bring me into those journeys.

But for other it could be the rhythm or again the familiarity which sounds that are linked to important memories and sensations. Very hard to even consider or objectify.

Personally the first real assigned music that put me into awe was Bach Invention and Tchaikovsky Album for the Young. Then again Grieg Lyric pieces and Debussy Estampes, Mendellsonh Songs Without Words and Mozart's Sonatas.

[pianistimo]

thank you both very much.  i'm going to put list of about 10 pieces to her and ask her to choose three.  it helps to have feedback like this because sometimes we tend to give pieces that we like and not what the student might like.  perhaps, just perhaps i am becoming a very flexible teacher.  the only problem is - the things that i have played - i also have all the fingering worked out.  i may come back to one or the other of you and ask for the fingering.  the first arabesque is the arabesque that i learned. 

i have all the fingerings (since i worked it) of the bartok suite opus 14.  maybe i should make that one a given?  the beethoven opus 2 #1, i also was looking at seriously for her.  dedicated to haydn.  i noticed that it was cut time - and often students tend to play it too slow.  played at a good clip - it could be a decent challenge.  the faure bacarolle's sound really good.  (which ones did you particularly like?)

and, all of your suggestions, dannyelfboy - sound good too.  esp. the grieg lyric pieces as i happen to have those and was working a few myself.  surprisingly, this girl is up for the challenge of learning notes and rhythms that are not 'typical.'  she seems very mature for her age and frankly - i'm thinking - i'd better practice a lot during the week to stay ahead of her. 

[nightingale11]

https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,6644.msg65615.html#msg65615

here are some suggestions. I suggest you to give her a cd on a lot of pieces and then she picks what she wants to play.

[Bob]

I liked the Raindrop prelude and the Clementi sonatinas.  Still do.

[quantum]

Probably Chopin Etude Op.10/3, Nocturne Op. 9/1, Waltz Op. 64/2.  These are the ones I got to play anyways.

[pianistimo]

thank you all for more suggestions.  i like that list, nightingale, and will print that out, too.  as you say - a cd to listen to will give her more of an idea of what some of the pieces sound like.  i can attempt to play excerpts of some or all - but it's not like listening to a performance.

and, bob, it's funny you mentioned the raindrop prelude - because i was just looking at that one, too.  the clementi drive me insane.  my bro worked those.  i wanted to shoot his teacher.  although, he ended up improvising a lot and made them sound better. 

maybe next year the chopin etude and nocturne.  she's really fast though - so maybe i shouldn't limit her.  the waltzes are a bit easier aren't they?  the thing is - i am finally coming to love chopin after many years of not playing it - so i'm better at teaching beethoven/bach/mozart/percussive stuff like bartok - etc.  i really need some more lessons myself on chopin.  in fact i want a few simple lessons on the opus 10 #1.  it's lovelier than i realized.

am thinking of putting the liapunov transcription of canon in d into duet form for her and i to play, too.  just for sightreading fun. 

[e99angel]

Personally, I liked Faure's First Barcarolle most, though a lot of people like the Fourth more.

For Chopin...
The op9no1 Nocturne is a good choice, also very popular. (I've heard it too many times by now, though.) I like the Posthmous c# minor. In general, I've found Waltzes easier and Etudes much more difficult than Nocturnes, but like all music, they vary. The Fantasie Impromptu is probably Chopin's most famous piece, beautiful with challenging technique.

There are some good Mozart Sonatas...might want to look into those. I didn't play very many.

And the Canon is a good sightreading choice. =)

[lazlo]

mozart fantasy in d minor!!!

[pianistimo]

i'm just printing that out right now.  hmm.  the thing is that i have not worked the fantasy - so i probably need to work it first, right?  i'll try it tonight.  my daughter has a choir concert tonight also.  this looks very good in terms of learning a lot of different movements and types of notes and rests - and good sightreading.  any tips on this one?  you are talking about the fantasia in d minor K 397?

i also printed out the trois novelles etudes by chopin.  not sure if this is something that would attract her attention. 

[quantum]

The Nouvelle Etude in Ab (the one with 2 against 3) may be attractive.  Nice harmonic progressions.  Depending on the edition you have it may be labeled as #2 or #3.

[rach n bach]

Heh, the piece that really got me hooked was Swipsey by Joplin.  No idea if you count that as a "real repertoire" piece, but when I picked it up, it was quite difficult for me, with all the jumping in the bass and all.

[dnephi]

I think that a 15 year old girl would just go crazy over the Sonetto 104 del Petrarch.

[pianistimo]

she's not at that esteemed level yet.  but, i think that this girl has amazing potential because she doesn't get 'freaked' when she looks at something.  i suppose if i was to be freakish - i'd show it to her and she'd probably say - 'now what?'

ok.  these are some of the things we're working.  bach two-part invention #1, mozart fantasy in d minor, fur elise.  i was scared to show her fur elise - but when i did - she brightened up and seemed happy about it - since she had been attempting to learn it on her own.

also, we're working a czerny exercise and scales/chords.

we talked yesterday about bach and how bach's older bro wilhelm christophe taught bach what he had learned from pachabel.  we talked about older keyboard music being for organ and that bach first learned violin and organ.  also, that the two-part inventions were pedagogical pieces that js bach used for his own son wilhelm.

[pianistimo]

was looking on pianostreets lists, too, and there's soooo much here!  many things at a higher level can be arranged for duet.  much fun there.   for instance maurice ravel's 'minuet on the name of haydn' and 'habanera' from george bizet's carmen.  am working on  a duet arrangement of lipunov of pachabel's canon in d.  also, liszt's consolation #1 would be fairly easy to arrange.

i found the mozart rondo in F to be approx. her level, too.  any unusual fingerings for that one?

[tradge]

Ravel Tombeau de Couperin Minuet, Debussy Arabesque No. 1 and Liszt Liebestraume No. 3 for me I guess

[amelialw]

Fur Elise and Canon in D.