What a great forum!!

[ChopinLoverInPA]

Hello all -- just joined this forum a few days ago and I wanted to tell all of you how much I've enjoyed reading your posts!  

I've been playing "seriously" (I fooled around with the piano for years) for about a year and a half.  I'm actually a guitar player -- been playing 30 years -- but I decided early last year to take up classical piano.  I have a teacher, whom I see every two weeks...and she's been helpful.  However, I don't know anyone else who really plays (other than her), and since I've played guitar my entire life most of the people who want to talk music with me (both musicians and non-musicians) want to talk with me about playing the guitar.  It's pretty cool to find a place to talk about this stuff and get other people's thoughts on things, most especially from pianists much more accomplished then I am (which is probably just about everyone here)....

My repertoire is pretty limited -- most of it is the "newbie" stuff many of you probably learned, mastered, and have already forgotten.  First movement of Moonlight, second movement of Pathitique, Chopin's Prelude in Cmin.  I can get through Chopin's Nocturn in Eb (get through might be stretching it, but I'm getting better at it).  I'm currently working on Rach's Prelude in C#min (man, those chords are thick LOL), Bach's double invention #4 (the one in Dmin), and two Chopin preludes --  Raindrop and Op. 45 in C#min.  Can't play any of them worth a d**n yet, but half the fun is in the learning!

I've never tried Hanon (and from most of your opinions I doubt I will), but I do work with Czerny for technique practice.  I still have fits getting my hand to do a scale properly (any scale, even B), just haven't gotten moving that thumb under thing.  But my teacher has been working on it with me, and I hope that with enough practice I'll start to get it...

Anyway, just wanted to introduce myself -- I'm in awe of people who can play this instrument well and I hope someday to be able to say the same about my own playing.

Best to all,

CLIPA

[liszmaninopin]

Welcome!

I hope you find good info here, good luck with all of your pieces.