Etudes to prepare me for Chopin Concerto 1?

[wilmerguido]

I really want to play this concerto, but I don't want to be diving in unprepared, so what etudes do you guys suggest (preferably Chopin etudes) that tackles the technical difficulties in this concerto

[49410enrique]

i think playing romantic sonatas will do way more towards your concerto prep than etudes, concertos are essentially expanded sonatas with lots more instruments, effective performance of them is way way wayyyy more about broad musical planning and the ability to keep the work together 15, 35, 45 minutes into a performance.  this involves much more in depth understanding of the work, thematic development, etc and etudes by their construction are too brief to really help you flesh out your weaknesses in these areas and then address them, if anything they might hinder you or hold you back in terms or prepping for a concerto.

i'd look at a chopin sonata and be able to perform it in it's entirety from memory (all movements back to back to back to....), before diving into a chopin concerto.

if a sonata is too much to deal with, try a romantic era sonatina , peferrable several then go to a full blown sonata. you might even try a concertino or single movement extended romantic work for piano and orchestra too before heading down that path.

[pytheamateur]

i think playing romantic sonatas will do way more towards your concerto prep than etudes, concertos are essentially expanded sonatas with lots more instruments, effective performance of them is way way wayyyy more about broad musical planning and the ability to keep the work together 15, 35, 45 minutes into a performance.  this involves much more in depth understanding of the work, thematic development, etc and etudes by their construction are too brief to really help you flesh out your weaknesses in these areas and then address them, if anything they might hinder you or hold you back in terms or prepping for a concerto.

i'd look at a chopin sonata and be able to perform it in it's entirety from memory (all movements back to back to back to....), before diving into a chopin concerto.

if a sonata is too much to deal with, try a romantic era sonatina , peferrable several then go to a full blown sonata. you might even try a concertino or single movement extended romantic work for piano and orchestra too before heading down that path.

Do you think Chopin's Sonatas are of the same difficulty  as his concertos?  I can't play either but though the Sonatas might be harder.  It's just that I am aware that some precocious 12 year olds perform the concertos (e.g. Kissin), but never come across them performing his sonatas.

[franz_]

I think his sonatas are about the same dificulty as the concerto's yes. And only if you consider yourself a Kissin, you can compare with him.
Which Chopin concerto do you want to learn? Start with it already, and simultanously you play other works, both will help each other. Take 1 or 2 Chopin etudes into your program, a classical sonata may be. I don't know what you've done before... but Chopin concerti aren't easy of course.

[thalbergmad]

Perhaps before you consider this concerto, you should get used to the longer format, if you have not already done so.

A batch of 3 minute etudes are not going to be as much use as say learning a classical concerto first, or perhaps an easier early romantic such as one of the concertos by Field or Dussek.

Thal

[teccomin]

Just practice the concerto like its many etudes put together :p

[revanyoda777]

Possibly get something like a Chopin Ballade, or Schubert impromptu in your belt. Getting used to longer more expanded pieces in the romantic era may help a lot. It's also good to practice various etudes as well to develop technique and get used to the many technical challenges in Chopin's music.

Themes from Chopin's etudes that are used in the Concerto in E minor.

Op.10 No.1: helps with those arpeggios near the end of Mvt 3 as well as throughout concerto.

Op.10 No.3, Op.25 No.1 and Op.25 No.7- These will help with those serene right hand melody sections throughout Mvt.2 and various sections throughout Mvt.1 (Learn some Nocturnes for soft touch and arpeggiated left hand accompaniment)
Op.10 No.5- Rhythmic accents in the left hand with right hand sixteenth notes can help with much of the last mvt. (Learn some Mazurkas as well, because the last mvt. utilizes much from the polish dance)

Yeah, there's probably more etudes and studies that can be of great help, but those are what came to mind.

Here's a quick synopsis

1st. mvt.- Learn a Ballade or some other self contained work from the romantic era. Study and learn some piano sonata's, because it deals heavily with thematic material, and is in sonata form structure.
2nd. movt- is like a really long nocturne. Study some Chopin Nocturnes. your call which ones.
3rd. mvt- Study some Mazurkas or polonaises for a sense of rhythm and accents within the polish dance

Etudes will help you out with ALL aspects of the concerto, so learn these while learning a ballade, sonata or few mazurkas.

I am basically learning some other stuff before tackling this concerto, but I have studied it in length, and it is my favorite piano concerto. Best of luck and have fun with it