New to the forums and piano. Any suggestions?

[derekahc]

Hello, I am brand new to the forum as I'm typing this, and I was hoping for a suggestion. I've been playing the piano for about 3 months now, never had a lesson, and never been taught anything besides christmas songs by my grandfather years ago. So far I've gotten down Debussy - Clair de Lune, Chopin - Nocturne op. 9 no. 2, Moonlight Sonata 1st movement, and a few Chopin Preludes.
However, I seem to have run out of steam, and can't find a piece that really grabs my interest enough to devote time to learning it. The pieces listed above are ones that I've always wanted to learn, so once I finally began playing piano, I learned those right away, but now that I've got them down to a reasonable degree, I seem to be lacking motivation.
I'm very interested in more Chopin nocturnes, or any other Chopin piece, and possibly more Debussy pieces, so I was wondering if anyone on this forum could throw out some suggestions? Perhaps one of the easiER nocturnes (I know none are easy), or easier valses, or anything along those lines. Any help will be appreciated, thanks!

[lostinidlewonder]

I suggest you get listening to a lot of composers who wrote for the keyboard. Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninov, Debussy, Ravel, Bartok for example, generally I like these main composers because of their uniqueness in sound, marks down pieces which interest you and compile a large list. The best way to go about choosing the nocturnes is to choose one that you like the most as you did with your other pieces. I would also suggest you learn pieces which you might feel are a little easier than the pieces you have mentioned. This is important as a development of your piano practice craft. Also get yourself a good teacher, you wont regret that, working with someone as a team does wonders and they can show you a lot more things you didn't know you didn't know about the piano.

[stevebob]

Hello, I am brand new to the forum as I'm typing this, and I was hoping for a suggestion. I've been playing the piano for about 3 months now, never had a lesson, and never been taught anything besides christmas songs by my grandfather years ago. So far I've gotten down Debussy - Clair de Lune, Chopin - Nocturne op. 9 no. 2, Moonlight Sonata 1st movement, and a few Chopin Preludes.
However, I seem to have run out of steam, and can't find a piece that really grabs my interest enough to devote time to learning it. The pieces listed above are ones that I've always wanted to learn, so once I finally began playing piano, I learned those right away, but now that I've got them down to a reasonable degree, I seem to be lacking motivation.
I'm very interested in more Chopin nocturnes, or any other Chopin piece, and possibly more Debussy pieces, so I was wondering if anyone on this forum could throw out some suggestions? Perhaps one of the easiER nocturnes (I know none are easy), or easier valses, or anything along those lines. Any help will be appreciated, thanks!

I wonder what the secret is to such an incredible rate of progress for a beginner with just three months of self-teaching.  Or perhaps it's typical, and I'm unaware.

 

[birba]

But I just wonder how you play these pieces.  I, too, find it prodigious that someone after only 3 months of self-teaching can play them.  Are you thinking of studying with someone?

[mad_max2024]

"I can play this" is a very subjective statement. My guess is those pieces still need work.

As for new pieces to learn, get down to youtube and listen to anything you can think of. Then pick one.

[gyzzzmo]

My suggestion is to take a few lessons from a proper teacher, so you can (likely) discover yourself that you can not play those pieces at all. I write this not just to piss you off, but because i know it is very important to know HOW one should learn to study the piano.

Usually people need a teacher to realise they are making important mistakes they have never thought about. So get a teacher

[derekahc]

Oh yes, by no means do I mean to say that I have perfected those pieces. There are a couple mistakes that keep plaguing me, but I can play the pieces through by memory with consistency, and, by my standard, plenty of emotion. I get especially emotional during the preludes. I played violin for several years, though I have quit, and have played guitar for many years.
I think I have made good progress given how long I've been playing and my lack of formal teaching, but I know all too well that I'm far from being a good pianist.
In my opinion, I can learn things rather quickly, but I do not ascend beyond mediocre skill, and piano won't be any different. So I'm not trying to show off, I'm just looking for a new piece to memorize and attempt.
As for the suggestions, I've spent hours all over youtube and forums searching for something that really grabs me (and that is a difficulty I can manage), and I haven't found anything yet.
I would love to start on more Chopin pieces, though.