Level Six Piano Piece

[naters0913]

Hi, I was talking to my piano teacher last night and she said that my piano playing is about a level 6. What is a good piece that I could play at my level? I only like classical pieces. Thanks!

[biscuitroxy12]

Have you played the first or second movement in the MOonlight Sonata? This website says it's a level  8 but I think a level 6 could learn it and have it a little challenging. I was at level 6 about 2 years ago so I kind of forget what level that is. Everyone plays Moonlight Sonata. Mozart sonatas are good too. certain ones are great for level 6ers. Some of them are definitely difficult though, try to stay around the lower KV numbers. I'd suggest a Mozart Fantasy, but don't go for Fantasy in D minor. That is quite a challenging piece but also a winning piece. Pick your poison. I played That and the Minute Waltz (in 1:13 instead of a minute) and won a piano competition, but I was the youngest competitor, the others were at least 3 years older. Anyways, there are different opinions of a level 6 pianist and what he/she would be playing. I have my opinion, and your teacher says what she/he thinks. There's no definite answer for what each level of pianist should be playing. I hope I helped. You could also try the Mozart Sonata #49 (G major) even though it is a popular piece, you can express your musicality very nicely.
biscuitroxy12

[stevebob]

I played ... the Minute Waltz (in 1:13 instead of a minute) ....

Minute refers to size (i.e., diminutive), not a duration of time.

[biscuitroxy12]

Minute refers to size (i.e., diminutive), not a duration of time.

true, but the basic virtuoso performances of it often play it in a minute. It was nicknamed the minute waltz.

[stevebob]

Nobody plays it in a minute, or would even try to.  The nickname comes from the adjective, not the unit of time:

mi•nute [mahy-noot, -nyoot, mi-] 
–adjective -nut•er, -nut•est.
1. extremely small, as in size, amount, extent, or degree: minute differences.
2. of minor importance; insignificant; trifling.
3. attentive to or concerned with even the smallest details: a minute examination.

Minute details, minute differences ... minute waltz.  It most assuredly does not refer to 60 seconds.

[biscuitroxy12]

Nobody plays it in a minute, or would even try to.  The nickname comes from the adjective, not the unit of time:

Minute details, minute differences ... minute waltz.  It most assuredly does not refer to 60 seconds.

Many people have played it in 1 minute. Why else would they name it the MInute waltz? It's 4 pages long. The MOzart Fantasy in D minor is 4 pages long and it's not referred to the MInute Fantasy is it? THe tempi are different in the pieces, but the Mozart Fantasy is a big piece which is the same number of pages long as the Minute waltz. 4 pages in a Vivo tempi would be much faster then 4 pages in an Andante Tempi, but the size is the same. It is the tempo you take the piece, not how long it is.

[stevebob]

As I said previously, minute in this context is my-NOOT, not MINN-it.  Among Chopin's waltzes, it is indeed a short trifle.

If you'll do the math, you'll find that the piece is 125 measures long (without the repeat of the episode from bar 21 up to the trio).  No one plays this piece at the 375 bpm that would be necessary to finish it in one minute.

[biscuitroxy12]

I've seen 4 performances of it. 2 in person just by local people, and 2 online. I just played it (with  a few mistakes) in a minute..

[stevebob]

Name one by a professional pianist, or point one out on YouTube.

[biscuitroxy12]

there's also one by a comedian even though he doesn't play the whole thing.

[stevebob]

That's not a recording by a professional pianist, and there's no reason to suppose it was done in real time at all.

I reckon that performances by virtuosi of the "Minute Waltz" within one minute would be commonplace if your misapprehension were correct, but there appear to be none at all.  If you don't find that dispositive, there's always that pesky mathematical fact that more than 12 notes per second—i.e., 125 bars x 6 notes per bar, divided by 60—is physically implausible and musically absurd.

[dss62467]

    Stevebob.... that darned heteronym will never stop being so controversial, eh?

[slow_concert_pianist]

As an old professor said to me once, "Is that a minute, with or without repeats?" Liberace did a great "sell job" to the sheeple.

Regards level or grade VI Chopin, I am staggered to learn of a student performing Chopin's 14th Prelude in Eb minor for his board exam last week. He was not expected to play it at "performance speed" I am lead to believe.

[septentryon]

I played ... the Minute Waltz (in 1:13 instead of a minute) ....

Hey Guys !

Do you imagine the distinguished Chopin says to his students " you should play it in exactly one minute " 
He was not Alkan or Liszt !

We can also call his studies : a 248 seconds op 10 :-))

[nearenough]

If you buy a score that is 6 inches high then you can call it the minute waltz.

[billy_lee]

back to the original reason for this post.....

Have you looked into, Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring BWV 147? that's a level 7, I'm working on that one this very moment actually it's a lot of fun to play

check it out!

[rmbarbosa]

Level 6? Dont you love Bach? You have two Voices Inventions, most of them level 6. With a good teacher, with them you can learn a lot of musical theory also. They arnt only for technical purposes.
Best wishes
Rui