chopin etude

[kimba1055]

hi i'm enrique from new york  i been learning piano for the las four years not a very long time w you talk abuoth piano,i can play bach very well i think, i learn 11 inventions ,some prelude and fugue  from well t c, i ask my teacher to teach me some chopin etude her response is that i'm not ready for that i like to know at what level of piano i have to be to learn some chopin etude
becouse i'm playing d  fugue from bach and they are level 8 i'm confused can i get some help please .sorry for my english is not perfet is the best i can do .thanx you.

[pet]

Well Kimba, Bach and Chopin are two VERY different composers, and just because you are able to play Bach well, doesn't necessarily mean that you will be able to play Chopin well.  I have been playing for well over 10 years, and I have played some very hard pieces, and seem to play many composers well, with the exception of Chopin!  It's because I do not play much of his music, so I have to learn certain techniques in order to succeed.  I strongly suggest for you to play less demanding pieces by Chopin (maybe some preludes or mazurkas..), then move to the etudes.  Or, you can attempt one of the "easier" chopin etudes like Op. 10 No. 3 or Op. 25 No. 7, this way you will get the feel of Chopin.  There are many threads on this board that rank the etudes by difficulty, so it would be good to take a look at them to see which are the more easier ones.

But I must say, sometimes I regret not starting the etudes earlier, so I think if you just start playing anything by Chopin, it will set you up nicely to try the etudes later on.

[amelialw]

Bach and Chopin are two VERY different composers, and just because you are able to play Bach well, doesn't necessarily mean that you will be able to play Chopin well.

what pet said is true. really and you said you have learnt Bach's Inventions and a few preludes and fugues but do you realize that the level of bach's inventions are a a few grades lower then chopin's etudes. Are you in Grade 8 ABRSM or RCM, if depends and even if you were a grade 8 abrsm student I really would'nt recommend chopin's etudes as they are of at least a diploma standard. Chopin's Etudes require very good/excellent technical facility, and high level of understanding, they are not pieces that you can simply learn and play well, even if you play Chopin well in General. You should not rush into it, wait till your teacher actually gives you 1 to learn.

[kimba1055]

Bach and Chopin are two VERY different composers, and just because you are able to play Bach well, doesn't necessarily mean that you will be able to play Chopin well.

what pet said is true. really and you said you have learnt Bach's Inventions and a few preludes and fugues but do you realize that the level of bach's inventions are a a few grades lower then chopin's etudes. Are you in Grade 8 ABRSM or RCM, if depends and even if you were a grade 8 abrsm student I really would'nt recommend chopin's etudes as they are of at least a diploma standard. Chopin's Etudes require very good/excellent technical facility, and high level of understanding, they are not pieces that you can simply learn and play well, even if you play Chopin well in General. You should not rush into it, wait till your teacher actually gives you 1 to learn.

thanx you is that they're so nice that i can way to learn some of them but i'm goint to take your advice thanx you .

[quasimodo]

I beg to differ,

1) there are a few etudes which are 'easier' than the others (at least from a technical point of view) i.e. the slow ones (op.10 Nos 3 & 6, op.25 No 7) or which are based on relatively simple patterns (op 10 No9, 0p 25 Nos 3 & 9), There are also the Trois Nouvelles Etudes. I think it's worth taking a shot after 4 years and with your achievements.

2) even the harder ones are worth working on, providing you and your teacher accept the principle that it will take much more time than the usual pieces you're working on. You would then use them as drilling exercises by working them in sections. Anyway that aspect would need assistance from your teacher and if she's not eager to let you work on the Chopets, well...

3) an interesting compromise is to work first on Heller's etudes which are reputedly a nice preparation to some Chopets, yet you will need the teacher as well to pick the suitable ones.

Anyway it would be good to ask your teacher to what extent she considers you are not 'ready', and then ask her what she's going to do to get you ready. 

[ryan2189]

If anything, I would at least look at one out of the set of three etudes, particularly the second one. It is very beautiful, and fairly sight readable. If you are looking for something out of the better know sets, (Op 10 and 25) then I would think the 25/ 9 is a good one to start with. It is worth a shot, and if it does not work out, well then you wait and try again some other time. I have played a few preludes and fugues and agree with the others in that Chopin is very different than Bach. But on a different note, I would not let your years of piano playing limit you, because sometimes, they re not an accurate representation of a person's playing. I have been playing for four years and have learned the etudes that I mentioned above. At the moment, I am still working on 25/ 9 and have been so for a little while. But I can say that the end is in reach. All it takes is diligence and proper practice. You can do it, and hey, if you never try, then you'll never know if your capable.

[mcgillcomposer]

Daniel Barenboim made a really good point in the book he co-wrote (interviewer/interviewee) with Edward Said. He advises to get your feet wet with as many pieces as you possibly can at an EARLY stage, even if you don't learn them all the way through.

The idea is that often we learn while away from the piano, and early exposure somehow enhances that effect. Evidently he doesn't give any scientific proof, but from my experience it works wonders.

Provided you are not going to injure yourself, I don't see any reason why you should not at least experiment with some of the etudes.