What are you practicing?

[chechig]

Polishing Prelude op 28 n 13 by Chopin, soooo beautiful!!! Starting Scarlatti Sonata  k 466, super beautiful!! Also, the lyric waltz by Shostakovich, lots of fun. I'm thinking about the Intermezzo op 76 n 7 by Brahms, but not decided yet, it may be too difficult, i don´t know...

[patronus]

Me,

- Chopin Etudes No. 5, 1, 2
(Learnt a bit of Op 25 No 11 but let it sit for a while because of time constraints)
- Liszt's La Campanella (Taking it slowly but surely)
- Chopin Scherzo Op 39 No 3
 and doing polish-work on the Ballade Op 23- still a bit of dynamic, pedal and an occasional wrong note.

-Beethoven Sonata No. 32 Op 111- really digging this piece, especially the second movement.

I really want to start a Chopin Polonaise once my schedule gets less cluttered, hopefully Op 44, 53, 61, or the Andante Spinato & Grande Polonaise Brilliante as those are my favorite by far.

[beethovenfan01]

Well, three months later ...

Practicing Bach Sinfonias 6, 7, and 15, looking at Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue.
Beethoven Sonatas 17, 23, and 26 (various movements from each).
Schubert Fantasie in F minor duet (primo).
Schumann Aufshwung.
Prokofiev Toccata.
Rachmaninoff Preludes Op. 32 No. 10 and 12.
Chopin Piano Concerto No. 2 (2nd movement).
Liszt Dante Sonata.
Trying to nail that dang coda on the Chopin 1st Ballade!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[chopinlover01]

Herbie Hancock lines.

[chopinawesome]

Just upcoming competition repertoire:

Schumann Kreisleriana Op.16
Scriabin Sonata No.4 op.30

[abel2]

Geza Zichy: Sonata for Left Hand Alone
Liszt: Petrarch Sonnet 104
Mozart: Sonata KV 547
Bernard Hermann: Concerto Macabre

[j_tour]

I'm a perennial student, I guess.  Still trying to be able to improvise jazz lines in thirds (split between the two hands), so I do some weird scales every day, like a diminished scale in thirds for three or four octaves, then down in major.

I got that idea of "switching" at the top of the scale from minor or diminished from the first bit of the last movement of Beethoven's Op. 27 no. 1. 

I don't know how long until I get bored of it, but I do like the sound of lines played in thirds, and lord knows my Chopin Op. 28 #3 (G) needs help, so I've got to work on my left hand.

ETA the other scale-oriented work focusing on LH I use as both music and as an excuse to do LH scales is the contrapunctus 9 from Ars fuga.  It's challenging to memorize all of it, so I'm devising some strategies to just deal with the first 60 bars.  Fortunately it's pretty amusing, so I'm not sick of it yet.

EETA I probably should add one of my little practice tricks I started doing a few weeks ago.  It's also a scale-practicing trick, but it keeps me amused.  So for a long time I've been doing various rhythm-changes heads (Anthropology, Oleo, Eternal Triangle, etc) in LH, so I just play a tune like "Parisian Thoroughfare" and switch mid-phrase from playing the melody iin RH to LH, and back and forth.  It's pretty tricky, and no one would mistake it for music, but it has the advantage of keeping my brain active, to some extent.

[chopinlover01]

Have you done any study of the George Shearing style block chords/drop 2 voicings? They're a great way to play solo piano (and you can solo that way too, Bill Evans did on "Green Dolphin Street" and it sounded great)

[newpian0player]

im practicing chopin's fantaisie-impromptu now, the piece is very challenging, but very fun to play 
btw what should i choose after mastering the fantaisie-impromptu?
Grande Valse Briliante or
Barcarolle (by Tchaikovsky)

[xdjuicebox]

I started Rach 39-1 last night...probably going to be occupied with that one for a while

Picked up Chopin's 4th ballade again. Might drop it since it's pretty hard LOL. Also, playing my own sonata, and just sightreading a bunch.

Trying to sightread orchestral scores - but found out that I suck at reading alto/tenor clef, and that transposing score is really hard to read because I can only read Bb transpositions quickly; the rest take time. Perhaps better than "trying" to read is "failing" to read.

[beethovenfan01]

Now, again, after another 3 months ... quite a bit wiser as to what I can and can't play.

Learning:

Chopin Etudes Op. 10 No. 12 and Op. 25 No. 6.
Beethoven Concerto No. 3 (back on it yet again, might actually finish it this time!)
Schubert Fantasy in F minor (for duet).

Going to starting new repertoire soon. Looking at:

Debussy Pour le Piano
Liszt Wilde Jagd
Rachmaninoff Moment Musical No. 4 OR Chopin Etude Op. 10 No. 4 (help me choose!)
Rachmaninoff Prelude Op. 32 No. 13 (eventually)
Bach Prelude and Fugue WTC I No. 12
Haydn Sonata No. 52
Hamelin Paganini Variations OR Prokofiev Toccata

[cfluke]

Hi everyone! Brand new to Pianostreet. Looking forward to learning from everyone here.

I am learning the Chopin preludes. I am not sure that 8 (F# minor), 16 (B flat minor), 19 (E flat major), and 24 (D minor) are within my grasp, but the others seem doable. I also have my sights set on giving an hour-long concert in a year or so and have started Beethoven's "Les Adieux" sonata.

As a 20th century piece, I'm considering adding the Ravel Sonatine to this list. I've played the first movement (not to any level of polish) before and it's a beautiful work. Thinking this might be a nice "easier" piece to work on at the same time as Les Adieux...

[visitor]

couple of Hummel sonatas

couple of Medtner Fairy tales


couple of Uematsu selections from Granblue Fantasy

[visitor]

jazz arrangement by Hiroko Hasegawa of the Largo from Bach's keyboard concerto in f minor [2nd mov]
and also stuff I mentioned time too,  just adding this in for variety   and fun

[rachmaninoff_forever]

I'm doing a jazz gig probably within the next two months so...

Blue Bossa
Just the two of us
My own version of I believe I can fly
My friends version of Beat it
My own version of stand by me?

[huaidongxi]

amadeus m. c minor fantasia k.475

small handful of l.v.b. bagatelles, one each from op. 33, 119, a couple from op. 126

fairly random and various preludes, fugues from vol. I wohltempierte klavier

[faa2010]

Mozart Sonata no 8, currently 1st mov, starting 2nd
Debussy Revery, soon La Fille aux Lin Cheveux
Bach Sinfonia 3 voices
Chopin Nocturne op 48 no 1
Armengol Cuban Dance no 3
Czerny op 299 exercise 3

[beethovenfan01]

Rachmaninoff Prelude Op. 23 No. 7
Beethoven Sonata Op. 53 (Waldstein)
Shostakovich Prelude and Fugue No. 3 in G
Chopin Ballade Op. 47
Brahms Capriccio Op. 76

Trying to get into:

Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6
Bach Partita No. 2
Ravel Scarbo

[j_tour]

Have you done any study of the George Shearing style block chords/drop 2 voicings? They're a great way to play solo piano (and you can solo that way too, Bill Evans did on "Green Dolphin Street" and it sounded great)

This is maybe an unnecessary bump, but I didn't see this reply until just now.

Sure.  I don't like the formulaic nature of doing everything in, say, drop two, but months of listening to the same few Kenny Drew albums on cassette in the car made me reappreciate that it's a legitimate way to, at least, state the head melody in a trio context.  Of course it works fine for solo piano (not a big fan of doing Red Garland/Wynton Kelly style rootless voicings in solo — doesn't sound that good, to me, unless you get the roots and some coherent motion in the bass register, almost like a stride pianist).

I'm still a big fan of anchoring the harmony using a bass note, then working lines in thirds.

Or, using one of Bud Powell's tricks of using a quasi-ostinato bass pattern based around octaves.

For me now, I'm just still struggling to memorize a pretty good handful of tunes which I know, in theory.  As well as always reading through the WTC I & II and other oddments from Bach, among many other composers.

[visitor]

Beethoven's first piano sonata (not sonata number 1, which is different ,  doing actual first one in e flat major he did when he was 11 years old ,), assigned through school /lessons w my new super awesome piano Prof. #Beethoven250

Kapustin op 40 nos 1,2,3 but focus is on 1 for now to get it done in time for juries , others will follow

A Medtner fairy tale (one of the almost never played /hardly recorded ones )

A duet piano (2p4h) arrangement of a Mischa Levitsky waltz  (teacher will play secundo piano )


Select (x3 for now ) Brahms etudes from the 51 studies/exercises  set
Unofficially
Various Granblue Fantasy pieces ,

[edwincurrent]

• Presto Agitato
• Fantaisie impromptu
• Journey from Destiny 2 game
• Improving my sloppy technique

[visitor]

Beethoven's first piano sonata (not sonata number 1, which is different ,  doing actual first one in e flat major he did when he was 11 years old ,), assigned through school /lessons w my new super awesome piano Prof. #Beethoven250

Kapustin op 40 nos 1,2,3 but focus is on 1 for now to get it done in time for juries , others will follow

A Medtner fairy tale (one of the almost never played /hardly recorded ones )

A duet piano (2p4h) arrangement of a Mischa Levitsky waltz  (teacher will play secundo piano )


Select (x3 for now ) Brahms etudes from the 51 studies/exercises  set
Unofficially
Various Granblue Fantasy pieces ,

Began initial reading working basics for this prelude but as a long term project maybe a work for fall term since it's a bugger/bear if a piece , honestly the kapustin I'm wrestling with is "easier" to struggle through that this thing but it's such a cool piece

[roncesvalles]

I'm at a back to basics moment for the moment.   I'm working on Field Nocturnes and Bach Inventions and Sinfonias.   The idea is to simplify, work on counterpoint and lyrical voicing, with nuance, before tackling the sorts of works I'm more passionate about.

But I have a mini obsession with left hand works--the result has been that my left hand can do so much more.  I'm working my way through Godowsky's Waltz-Poems for the left hand.  I also give a little practice time to other left hand works to focus on specific things like 45 and 345 control and speed, rapid chords, double notes, and leaps.   My left hand can now do things my right hand can't dream of (like play La Campanella's right hand part).   I'm at a weird spot, because I'm getting to advanced technique with my left hand, so it's very exciting to add to that, but my right hand is still at beginner level, basically, and intricate work like counterpoint is still difficult for me.

[rubiccn1611]

I'm exploring Beethoven nowadays. Currently I'm learning Op 109, and would play Pathetique or Pastoral for warmups.

[Bob]

A static routine still, and it's been cut down even more by life.  Something is wrong with the situation....

[youngpianist]

Working on the Chopin Polonaise in f sharp, Opus 44. It is so good!

[visitor]

Not everything I'm doing one area of focus is a Rachmaninoff transcription for a lesson

[lelle]

Not everything I'm doing one area of focus is a Rachmaninoff transcription for a lesson

Is the great visitor somebody who takes lessons? I thought you were a teacher 

[mikey shooes]

I practice any kind of melodies (especially heavy one), but I have my top artist to practice on keys is Muse (https://musescore.com/sheetmusic?text=muse). Despite the fact that they are from rock, they perfectly fit classical music into their work.

[visitor]

Is the great visitor somebody who takes lessons? I thought you were a teacher 

lolz you must have me confused with some other visitor , a great one , hek no I don't teach , gah I  would wonder what trangeasion one must commit to end up with me for a teacher as comeuppance

I simply look for every chance and opportunity I can to continue to improve and learn , I think in my heart I will always "be a student " even if only at times In spirit.

When a chance presented itself for me to do additional advanced study with an awesome teacher/artist/professor,  and who's one of their  most recent teachers was an artist I admire and hold in super high esteem , I jumped at the chance .

Back to topic , dang this transcription needs a ton of work ,  I wish I'd done more Bach and less Beethoven last night war or two  before starting this thing

[lelle]

lolz you must have me confused with some other visitor , a great one , hek no I don't teach , gah I  would wonder what trangeasion one must commit to end up with me for a teacher as comeuppance

I simply look for every chance and opportunity I can to continue to improve and learn , I think in my heart I will always "be a student " even if only at times In spirit.

When a chance presented itself for me to do additional advanced study with an awesome teacher/artist/professor,  and who's one of their  most recent teachers was an artist I admire and hold in super high esteem , I jumped at the chance .

Haha cool, congratulations to finding an awesome teacher! It can be so much fun when you find somebody who you feel can open new horizons for you.

Back to topic , dang this transcription needs a ton of work ,  I wish I'd done more Bach and less Beethoven last night war or two  before starting this thing

Is it the Partita for Violin in E major transcription?

[visitor]

Haha cool, congratulations to finding an awesome teacher! It can be so much fun when you find somebody who you feel can open new horizons for you.

Is it the Partita for Violin in E major transcription?

I purchased a score in 2014 of this /but arranged for a solo (I had been familiar w some good duet/duo  4h ones but when I saw this I knew I needed to learn it , took me 7 years to get around to it and develop my toolkit to begin making progress (had a few false starts I'mmom over the years )
 
Symphony 2 mov 3 adagio (probably one of the most beautiful things he ever wrote , melodically and harmonically it's almost beyond words to describe its beauty
There's a lot of very good pdf files of program notes from like yseading symphonic/philharmonic ensembles I recommend for a good background on it the one from the cso/Chicago , but this snippet from the Los Angeles philharmonic really summs up my overall impression and recordings wise I think there's one w pletnev  no less that I think is darn near perfect
It's not difficult to single out the Adagio third movement as containing some of the most beautiful music Rachmaninoff ever wrote. The first theme, in its simple, first appearance in violins and in its permutations throughout the movement, must be one of the most gorgeous of his inspirations. Only a phrase of this melody is given as a herald of an extended and equally beautiful song for clarinet that flows seemingly endlessly like a Russian Baroque stream. In the central section, the motto theme plays a prominent role, as does a new, pleading four-note figure that appears first in English horn. The poetic implications of all of this material are capitalized on fully, inimitably, and memorably

[compline]

 Eccossiase in E flat.   Beethoven. 


and also this  I'll get to practicing,    I discovered you can download it for free!  ...............

Both Sides Now, by Joni Mitchell.

https://jonimitchell.com/music/guitarfiles/479.pdf


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