Building a repertoire

[darksyndrem]

This may seem a dumb question to some of you but I just wanted to ask where to start with building a repertoire? I'm not a total beginner at all. I'd probably say mid-late intermediate. It's a pretty general question but I'm hoping some of you can give me pretty informative answers. So, where should I start with building a repertoire?

[lollipop88]

Hi! i am actually building up my repertoire for my 2nd uni yr exam. you would normally go through periods like " baroque, classical, romantic, impressionism, 20th cent.. etc "  choose pieces u like from one of the periods and avoid repeating the same period .. u dont have to play them in order of periods though..   try to choose a fast and a slow piece.. minor and major, so that u can show your understanding of different types of music.  a good repertoire should be well balanced and show ur understanding of different techniques. i normally start with a moderate/fast tempo piece, then slow ( to relax) , and end up with a fast 20th cent (to impress) . but thats how I like to do it..  a good contrast between pieces in your repertoire is very important.    good luck

[stevebob]

I think it would be easier to offer concrete suggestions about building up a repertoire if your reasons and purposes for doing so were known.  The various motivations and goals of students, professionals and amateurs tend to differ greatly, as do our skill levels and musical interests.

As an amateur playing for my own enjoyment, for example, there's no real need for me to develop a repertoire of breadth and diversity.  My practice routine consists of learning the repertoire that interests me the most by addressing its technical challenges; I feel no pressure to master a piece to performance standards or even to memorize.  Those who do, on the other hand, would probably structure their sessions differently and incorporate playing through learned pieces periodically in order to retain them at a high level.

Are you ultimately seeking advice about maintaining a personal "library" of learned music that you can recall easily if you wish to (or need to) play on short notice?  Or are you looking for suggestions concerning the specific pieces, periods and composers that comprise a typically well-rounded repertoire?

[darksyndrem]

I think it would be easier to offer concrete suggestions about building up a repertoire if your reasons and purposes for doing so were known.  The various motivations and goals of students, professionals and amateurs tend to differ greatly, as do our skill levels and musical interests.

As an amateur playing for my own enjoyment, for example, there's no real need for me build a repertoire of breadth and diversity.  My practice routine consists of learning the repertoire that interests me the most by addressing its technical challenges; I feel no pressure to master a piece to performance standards or even to memorize.  Those who do, on the other hand, would probably structure their sessions differently and incorporate playing through learned pieces periodically in order to retain them at a high level.

Are you ultimately seeking advice about developing a personal "library" of learned music that you can recall easily if you wish to (or need to) play on short notice?  Or are you looking for suggestions concerning the specific pieces, periods and composers that comprise a typically well-rounded repertoire?

Well, I have just auditioned for an arts school (it's a 2 year music program, for my junior and senior year of high school). But my repertoire is nearly non-existant, so I would like to start building it up. I suppose a purpose is to be well prepared for this school. Does that make a little bit more sense?

[darksyndrem]

Sorry for the double post, but I'd like to ask my question again in hopes that I can word it better this time. Can you guys give me a list of composers and/or pieces that I should probably be learning? My repertoire is very small (I could technically say I don't have one) but I'm not a beginner pianist, so I'm wondering where I need to start for a repertoire. Right now I'm learning Waltz in C# minor (chopin), and I'd like to learn Nocturne in C Minor (The only music I have at the moment is a few Chopin waltzes, nocturnes, and etudes). But I haven't really seen these as "popular" pieces. So, a list of composers and/or pieces to begin a repertoire would be awesome. I'll be building my repertoire as much as possible over the summer, and I just need to know where I should start.

[nanabush]

What stuff do you have right now?

Try finding some time periods that you have the least stuff; if your lacking in Baroque (alot of people play a two part invention for a baroque piece for an exam, and don't like playing any more than that), look at Bach's Sinfonias, or if you are at the level to play Preludes and Fugues.

A few shorter works from a set is good to get some varying repertoire, rather than tackling a 15 minute piece.  A few Rachmaninoff Preludes, Debussy Preludes, Chopin Waltzes, Beethoven Bagatelles, Scarlatti Sonatas, etc etc.

[darksyndrem]

What stuff do you have right now?

Try finding some time periods that you have the least stuff; if your lacking in Baroque (alot of people play a two part invention for a baroque piece for an exam, and don't like playing any more than that), look at Bach's Sinfonias, or if you are at the level to play Preludes and Fugues.

A few shorter works from a set is good to get some varying repertoire, rather than tackling a 15 minute piece.  A few Rachmaninoff Preludes, Debussy Preludes, Chopin Waltzes, Beethoven Bagatelles, Scarlatti Sonatas, etc etc.

Clair De Lune is about it. I can somewhat play Chopin's Etude in C minor, but it's a bit iffy (really iffy). So, I'm literally just beginning (as far as a repertoire is concerned). I am just now starting to play classical seriously, but again, I wouldn't say I'm a beginner pianist. So really, all of the time periods are lacking

Thanks for what you listed, I"ll be looking for those.

[darksyndrem]

Okay, I just back from my piano lesson and I got this book, "Essential Piano Repertoire from the 17th, 18th, and 19th Centuries." It's level 7 out of a 10 level series. And at the moment I'm working on Back Invention No. 1 in C, BWV 772, Schubert's Waltz in A minor (Op. 77 No. 9), and I'm also working on Chopin's waltz in C Sharp Minor (I think I said that earlier though). The Schubert waltz is pretty short, so I imagine I'll be done with that fairly quickly. The invention is pretty short, but I feel like I'll have quite a time learning it for some reason. And the Chopin waltz is coming along quickly.

[thorn]

well there is a huge gap between Clair de lune and the Chopin Etude- and do you mean op.10 or op.25? (not that it makes a difference in what I just said, just asking out of curiosity).

I had a similar problem- I learned stuff that I liked and could play all of it well enough to impress a non-musical/amateur musical audience but none of it amazingly. As much as I personally dislike exams, I used some syllabuses to get some form of repertoire developed. A really good one to use, which will include stuff you can play (guessing you are at a level somewhere in between Clair de lune and Chopin) is the DipABRSM syllabus. That is what I used and it gave me a good range of stuff to look at from all periods.

Not saying learn the whole syllabus, there are probably around 100 pieces on there, some of which you will love some of which won't be your thing. I learned probably 10-15 and looked at (as in played through but never properly learned) about double that, and it has helped my technique/broadened my knowledge/developed my tastes a lot.

Have a look anyway: https://www.abrsm.org/?page=exams/diplomas/dips2005Performance.html