Where to start?

[chopinfan_22]

I used to take lessons almost a year ago, and because I had been so busy with school and graduation, I was never able to find time to practice. I want to start playing again, but I have no idea where to begin.

I had only two pieces in my repertoire -- the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata and the Raindrop Prelude. There is a lot that I lack, and I'm looking for a teacher. My sight reading is decent, but I do not count, and I know both clefs. How basic should I start? I was thinking Level 2 or 3, working on things such as Mozart's Minuets or the Little Notebook of Anna Magdalena Bach. I want to be able to play such pieces as the Chopin Etudes, Liszt Etudes, Rachmaninoff, and Ravel, but I have no idea how to get there or where to begin. What do you suggest?

[amelialw]

yes you could do that, you could work the easier bach pieces, you also could work on Clementi's/Kulah's Sonatinas.that should help... work on technique as well. And how about Schumann's Album for the Young too?

[chopinfan_22]

Thank you, Amelia, for your post. For technique, I have hanon. I know many of you are probably thinking. I nkow that the majority of the board members are anti-Hanon. I do not do the exercises and drill through them. I do them slowly at the beginning to warm up my fingers, and I use the scale section of the book. I also do have Schumann's Album for the Young. I have a goal though.


I have not successfully learned any pieces other than the moonlight sonata or the raindrop prelude. Only... parts of pieces. I would become so enamored with a piece, that I would want to learn it. When I would get stuck, I would move onto something else. Because of this, I can play parts of many pieces, such as Clair de Lune, some Chopin Nocturnes and other Preludes, and the like. I want to learn shorter, easier pieces, not only to gather what I lack, but to show myself that I can actually learn a piece completely. If I cannot find a teacher, how should I go about learning to play again? I'd have to do it all on my own.

[amelialw]

I could give you suggestions as to how to practise efficently etc...If you don't have any of the sheet music that i reccomend you could print it from this website www.sheetmusicarchive.net .
Well for now I suggest practise your Bach: Minuet in G major, A selection of your choice from schumann's album for the young, one of the easier sonatinas by Beethoven, Clementi or Kulah. I suggest that you practise as well a few scales that are in the keys of your pieces. For example Minuet in G comes from a G major scales. So practise the G major scale, triads, broken triads and appegios. 

[daniloperusina]

You seem a bit impatient
I think you have two routes to go:

Be methodical and gradually work your way up, like using the graded books you mention. You start with easy beginner's pieces and gradually move to more and more advanced pieces.

If that bores you, you have to play 'great' music that won't wreck your hands.
Mozart sonata K545
Beethoven sonata op79
Bach 2 part inventions
Bach preludes from WTC
Chopin waltzes, like Db 'Minute', Ab 'Adieu', C#minor
even his 'easier' nocturnes have very difficult embellishments..

The importance of finding a good teacher that is sympathetic to your needs and personality cannot be overemphasised!

When you get stuck, you must work until the problem is solved. That's how you develop. Providing the problem is not beyond the possible, of course. So, one way to choose pieces to study is to find ones with just the right problems for you!

[chopinfan_22]

The pieces that I'm playing from the graded book are fairly simple. Many of them I can almost sight read, while others seem more difficult. I thought about doing the pieces that you have mentioned, daniloperusina, but I feel that many of those would be too difficult at this point (i.e. Chopin's waltzes and nocturnes, and the Bach preludes), but other things, such as mozart or the beethoven sonata probably wouldn't be as much of an obstacle. I'll see what I can do.

[rc]

I think it's fairly common for people to learn a bunch of fragments before finishing a piece.  I did anyways, took me a few tries to realize I might not be able to play the Waldstein right away

Don't worry chopinfan, pick out an accessible piece and start working through it.  The worst that happens is that it's too far above your level, all that means is you come back to it later.  You will develop a sense of what you can handle and the discipline to stick with it to the end, it will become habitual and the ball will be rolling towards the music you dream of playing.  A lot of people wind up learning a few simple pieces along with a challenge piece to push the envelope.

So my advice is to pick something you like and go for it!  If you're getting burned out before finishing the piece it's no big deal, you shelf it and try a simpler piece.  Because it's a piece you like, you will eventually want to finish it.

Also, perform what you've learned.  That's what it's all about.  For friends, family, enter a festival if you like.  It's all good experience.  People like music, nobody cares about the difficulty so long as it sounds good.

Enjoy!

[chopinfan_22]

Well... I've chosen a handful of pieces. One of the problems that I had previously was that I would get bored with just one piece. So this is what I'm working on. Keep in mind... I don't have an instructor, and I will not have access to one for five weeks.

Minuet in C from the Notebook for Wolfgang -- Leopold Mozart
Arabesque, Op. 100 No. 2 -- Burgmuller
Minuet in G from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena -- Bach
Etude Op. 176 No. 24 -- Duvernoy

The longest of these pieces in two pages, or roughly 35 measures. Small, simple pieces that I can almost sight read through. Not perfectly, but as far as getting the notes.

Then for something more complex:

Invention No. 1 -- Bach
Sonata K. 545, 2nd Movement -- Mozart


then for technique: C and G major scales.


What do you think?

[daniloperusina]

Actually, was I your teacher, I would try to persuade you to do invention nr 14 in Bb major instead! It's less polyphonically tricky than the C major, and it's a bit faster. It's a lot of fun, and you need something to make your fingers move a bit!

And since every other piece seem to be in C or G, it's nice to have another key.

Scrap the G scale for now, or do it if you wish. In any case, add the C#major (or as it's usually called, Db major). It's a very pianistic scale to practice, as opposed to G major. It's all the blacks, and only two whites: C and F*

(*they will be called C and F in the key of Db. In C# major they will be called B# and E#)

[chopinfan_22]

Well... I chose the first invention because I had previously tried learning it... so I am still roughly familiar with the piece. I figured I would finish it. Then perhaps maybe onto 13 or 14. Thirteen is my favorite bach inventions.

[amelialw]

What do you think?

That's good a repertoire to start off with 

Scrap the G scale for now, or do it if you wish.

No don't do that! If you want to add a few more keys, you should add keys like D, A, F etc 1st. Do not jump straight to the harder keys!

[pagesong]

yes you could do that, you could work the easier bach pieces, you also could work on Clementi's/Kulah's Sonatinas.that should help... work on technique as well. And how about Schumann's Album for the Young too?

i agree.
i think you should start with bach, scarlatti, and czerny.
then you can build up to sonatas and like you said, chopin etudes and etc.
i think you should find a piano teacher, and do exams and competitions and stuff.
those really help.
also, listen to other people your level play and see what you like.
i think you should start with grade 3 or 4.
hope that helps! 

[chopinfan_22]

This sounds like a decent plan to me.

I start college in just four weeks, attending a local four year university. In order to be accepted into the Department of Music with a Minor, you have to prepare two contrasting pieces. If you consider the Moonlight Sonata as one piece, that means I have only one other to learn (this university is fairly lax. Nothing nearly as intense as a conservatory.) If I prepared a Bach invention, say the first, possibly the 14th, then I think that'd be good for the auditions. Even if I do not make it into the music program, I can still take lessons, so I'll end up taking from a professor when I start classes.

What I think I'll do is learn say.... 15 or 20 of the shorter pieces (there are 100 in the book in total), encompassing the pieces by the major composers. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Bergmuller, Czerny.... while learning an the other two pieces. After I have learned those 15/20 pieces, move onto something more advanced, like more Bach inventions, Chopin preludes, Mozart/Beethoven/Haydn Sonatinas or Sonatas.

What do you think?

[pagesong]

i think that sounds pretty good 

[rlefebvr]

As far as scales are concerned,

If you do not wish to learn them in a consistent manner, learn the ones that are in the pieces you are learning.

This is the best way to use them to your advantage.