Which should I try?

[.COM]

Hi, I would like to talk about my self...

I am 16 and have been playing the piano for about 2 yrs. I am not planning to become a professional pianist but I really really enjoy playing the piano. I was introduced to the piano sometime in the 8th grade by a friend and got hooked. My friend was taking lessons and knew quite a lot about the piano. He taught me the Minuet in G by Bach and parts of fur elise without the sheet music.

I then moved on to teaching my self to finish learning the fur elise the correct way.  I had no trouble learing it because I was in choir and was taught how to read music notes for the piano from our choir's piano player.

After mattering the fur elise, I spent the next 1 1/4 year reading piano teaching books and playing small execises to build techniques.

I then began learning the Moonlight Sonata 1st mvt. Man was it a snap. I practically memorized the piece in less than a week. I then move on to the Pathetique mvt 2 and that was a snap as well. So I decided to jump to Chopins Waltz Op. 64 No. 1. It wasn't very difficult to learn since it was very repetitive. Though it did take me quite a while before I could get it to speed.

I started on Chopin's Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 just 4 to 5 days ago and have already memorized most of it except for the last 4 measures. I'm know prodigy but I do learn pretty fast (not bragging either). I guess the assistance of a teacher and having to read a piano teaching books for 1 1/2 yrs really paid off.

Though these are only the 5 of the 24 songs that I have listed to learn when ever I have time. I am preparing to learn Chopin's Prelude Op. 28 No. 15 "Raindrop Prelude" and I'm not sure if I should try to play that one or Mozart's Ronda Alla Turca, which I started a year ago and finished only 90% due to the middle section at m
easure 30. What do you all think? Which one should I try to learn? Are even better, could you suggest any other piece that would be right for my level of playing and that are from Chopin, Beethoven, or Liszt? I would really appreciate it.

I thank whoever reads this for their patience and for their reply if that person does send any.

[donjuan]

man, it is like looking at myself 2 years ago when I read your post.  You actually played many of the pieces I tried when I was at your level.  You should have a look at Claire de Lune and certainly that Raindrop Prelude you mentioned.  I learned Claire de lune quite easily- It is much easier than it will seem at first.  Raindrop Prelude drove my family insane, so I didnt keep that a part of my repertoire...

You could probably manage Liebestraume No.3 by Liszt as well, although, it is horribly overplayed.  When I was in your situation, I had a dream to play Hungarian Rhapsody No.2, and I tried it for a whole year.-- I wasnt ready for it, and it sounded like crap - I even managed to finish learning 90% of it.  I am still a little too afraid to touch the piece..

geez, this is so weird- I even made a "To do" list like you!!  We arent related, are we?
donjuan

[.COM]

[You could probably manage Liebestraume No.3 by Liszt]

Sorry I don't know how to quote properly but I do have Liebestraume No. 3 in my list. However it is the 11th piece in my list. Though the piece doesn't look that intricated, but whenever I see these two sections of the piece I freak out: measures 25 and 59

Before I organized my music to learn list, I would play the beginning of each. I would either play and learn a page or a few measures of whatever piece I was looking at.

I would really like to receive more replies regarding my first post.

Thanks more the reply donjuan.

[.COM]

I was also wondering what is the grades on Chopin's Waltz Op. 64 No. 1 and Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2

[goalevan]

Hey .COM,

I am in a similar situation as you, I've been playing for about 6 months, and I started by learning Fur Elise, Moonlight Sonata and Pathetique - Adagio Cantabile. I also know the Raindrop Prelude and I recommend you learn it, there's nothing TOO hard there. Also his Prelude Op. 28 No. 20 is a really great piece that judging from your post you could learn in a few days.

I've also been playing Mozart Sonata's and I'm really enjoying them so far - I almost have all 3 movements of K545 learned. I would recomment these to you as well.

But I recomment closely following the suggested fingerings from https://www.sheetmusicarchive.com or your editions if you've learned piano mostly from method books or it could get messy.

BTW I'm curious what are the other pieces on your "list" ?

[.COM]

Cool I got 95% of my sheet musics from
sheetmusicarchive.net. It's an manificant site!!

That's interesting goalevan I just finished playing through Mozart's K. 545, all the movements. I really enjoyed playing the 1st and 2nd  movement.  I practically sight read through the whole piece but in a slower tempo. Even though this is not one of the classical pieces that have in my list, I enjoy playing it over and over just for fun.

I also forgot to mention that I have sight read through Chopin's "Raindrop Prelude", but I think it feels different if I learned it correctly. Man I think this sight reading of pieces has grown to a habit.

Anyway, since you were wondering about my list, here it is. The ones with a (*) are the ones that I have completed, or have sight read a few times just to see how it sounds or how complicated it is to me.

Fur elise*, Moonlight Sonata 1st mvt*, Pathetique 2nd mvt*, "Minute Waltz"*, Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2*, Chopin's "Raindrop Prelude"*, Turkish March*, "Revolutionary Etude"*, Moonlight Sonata 3rd mvt*, Waltz Op. 70 No. 1, Liebestraume No. 3*, Etude Op. 21 No. 1, Etude Op. 10 No. 1, Prelude Op. 3 No. 2*, Etude Op. 10 No. 3, Etude Op. 10 No. 3, Etude Op. 10 No. 8, Etude Op. 10 No. 4, "Tempest" 3rd mvt*, Symphony Op. 67 No. 5 Piano transcripted, "Winter Wind Etude", Fantaise Impromptu, "La Campanella", "Appasionata" 3rd mvt, and the Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2*.

I don't plan ever finishing these pieces until I am at least 30 something. Though I do have other favorites that are not include in my list. I play an easy piece that would prepare me for the next piece in my list. And I'm going to continue this for each piece.

[donjuan]

[You could probably manage Liebestraume No.3 by Liszt]

Sorry I don't know how to quote properly but I do have Liebestraume No. 3 in my list. However it is the 11th piece in my list. Though the piece doesn't look that intricated, but whenever I see these two sections of the piece I freak out: measures 25 and 59

so.... the only thing stopping you from learning Liebestraume No.3 are the two cadenzas?  I thought they would be more difficult than they really were.  You should definately check it out- The first cadenza is just  repeating pattern after repeating pattern, and the second one is merely two chromatic scales of a major third tumbling down into yet another easy repeating pattern.  For Liszt, his cadenzas rarely get easier than this, so you should learn the piece as an introduction to Liszt and his famous cadenzas.  Dont be afaid of them- you will probably have to play them sometime anyway, and the younger you are, the better.

It is also a great piece for developing phrasing and separating 3 and more voices.

donjuan

[goalevan]

That's quite a list you've got. You share much of the same taste as me, almost every one of those pieces I would love to learn to play some day.

One thing that I noticed is you jump from Turkish March straight to Revolutionary Etude. I would suggest filling in some other pieces between the two, and if you're as fast a learner as you say you can get a lot of pieces in there for more preparation. What I've been doing is listening to all of the Mozart and Beethoven I can get my hands on for sonatas that I would like to learn, there's plenty of amazing pieces there. I'm about to get Haydn recordings for even more to choose from.

Also, there is some good advice on this thread you might to check it out: https://www.pianoforum.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=repo;action=display;num=1089664585

[kekk]

You are progressing really fast, maybe too fast. I think you should play some Bach, it'll give you alot (pleasure, good technique, better ear).

I would suggest to learn a Sonata complete, not only one movement. Should be obvious.

[donjuan]

You are progressing really fast, maybe too fast. I think you should play some Bach, it'll give you alot (pleasure, good technique, better ear).

I would suggest to learn a Sonata complete, not only one movement. Should be obvious.

.COM should play some Bach, but I think right now he will not be interested in learning any. (.COM, please correct me if I am wrong)  To respect Bach and know what he did for the piano, Someone like .COM will study Liszt, Chopin, etc. and come to realize all the chromatisism, for example is directly related to the composer's influence from Bach.  Almost everything we know about the piano will probably be linked back to Bach, and that for me, is motivation to study his work.  .COM, unless you already like Bach (if you do, I should just shut my mouth right now), you will see what I mean if you have a good teacher to explain it all to you.
 
All I am saying is, one should not study Bach until they know why they are studying Bach. -Otherwise, it will all seem very confusing and useless.
donjuan

[.COM]

You are right donjuan!!!!!!

I guess I should have taken a closer look at measures 25 and 59. Though my print out of the this piece is quite horrible. You would have to strain your eyes in order to see the cadenzas correctly due to how small they are. Though Iam saving that piece for later. I would also like to add that you are correct about the Bach thing.

I also really agree with you goalevan about the huge jump from Turkish March to the "Revolutionary Etude". So I'm going to take your implications on that.

I thank you all for the helpful replies.