Back after a long hiatus...playing grade 5/6 proficient

[doug]

Hello community, 

Just as the subject line states, I'm back after a long hiatus (medical school) and am hovering around a grade 5 or 6.  When it comes to the pieces that I had memorized from before, I can crank out more difficult piece with relative ease, but that is pure muscle memory.  Before I "quit" I was on a Chopin Prelude and Polonaise binge -- those are the ones that stuck.  Unless I'm already familiar, they now seem too difficult.  Mostly Level 7-8 I guess?

I am looking to train my brain to read proficiently again, and my hands to avoid their old bad habits.  Can anyone recommend a number of enjoyable Level 5 to Level 6 pieces that would be good to iron out my wrinkles?  I think they'd be easy, but Level 4 is also welcome!  I gave my old books to a dedicated neighbor years back, so I can't remember which pieces I use to play back then.


Thanks!
-Doug

[indianajo]

Uh, I'm not a teacher, but after a 16 year break that I didn't have a piano, I started back up on Washington Post March, Mozart's Turkish March in a book I can't find anymore, some Chopin preludes, and Scott Joplin, that you can find anywhere.  Start with Scott's Euphoric Sounds and Paragon Rag.  These will force your hand to stretch out to octaves again, and find your way around the keyboard without looking.  Go really slow, and do not speed up until you have them down perfectly slow.  This my piano teacher told me, and it really enables the hindbrain to remember things, since you only play them perfectly the same way every time.  Never repeat things fast with a mistake- slow down and play perfectly. 

[3htohn]

Hi Doug,

I'm not a teacher either but when I was playing grade 6 pieces, I found Allegro from Beethoven's Sonata in G Op. 49 and Poco maestoso Op. 45, No. 15 by Stephen Heller extremely enjoyable to play and really felt that I was finally getting somewhere.

I also played Beethoven's Sonata Op. 13 Adagio Cantabile for grade 6 but if you are familiar with the whole sonata (the Pathetique) my teacher tells me it hovers around 6, 7 & 8.

I concur with Indianajo to play slowly perfectly rather than play fast with mistakes.

All the Best,

Энтони.