Getting started again...

[chris_vdw]

Hey everybody!

So, after 15 years of playing guitars, drums and bass guitars...i'm back at the piano. I started out on the piano when i was a child, did lessons for a few years but after that i went my own way, taught myself. At a certain point i played parts of Chopin's raindrop prelude, the moonlight sonata etc. , to show you where i was in my development as a pianist.

But, as i said, rebellion kicked in and i ended up playing gigs as a guitarist in a rock / punkband.

Now, over 30, i'm getting started again on the piano. The urge has been there for years and now i've bought a digital Yamaha to get busy again. I'm a great fan of Chopin, and those are the type of works which i would love to learn. (nocturne no.20 in C#m for example...great!).
I need to brush up on my sight reading as well, it has been a while.

Do you have tips on compositions which are great for people like me, who want to get back into playing this wonderful instrument?

Thanks a lot! Greetings from The Netherlands,

Chris

[hfmadopter]

Chris I'm going to let more experienced people than I respond about competitions overall and specifically about Chopin. However, just want to comment. You can't possibly be away from piano for Lot's of years, buy a digital and plan on entering competitions in Chopin even within your first year, IMO.  At least if you are not one exceptional and gifted pianist. Again , I'll let the pros answer with real facts and questions about your Chopin history etc.

However, welcome back !  Certainly do not let me squelch a Chopin future, I'm a fan as well. Just be realistic. I'm crawling back to etude level and I was playing etudes as well as sonatas in recitals but it was a long time ago.
David

[chris_vdw]

Maybe you misunderstood me....i have no intention of entering any competition! I just want to play again, for myself, at home. Enjoy the instrument and the music.

[p2u_]

Do you have tips on compositions which are great for people like me, who want to get back into playing this wonderful instrument?

[First I'd like to address a compatriot]:
Hoi, Chris! Heb je het al eens bij de muziekhandel geprobeerd? Ik weet zeker dat ze iets goeds kunnen adviseren. Je kunt ook gewoon de bladmuziek kopen die je leuk of mooi vindt, en langzaam maar zeker, hand voor hand, de zaak instuderen. Het belangrijkste is dat je niet meer kracht gebruikt dan nodig is om een toets in te drukken.

Kijk ook eens op het Internet naar "Fundamentals of piano practice". Ik denk dat er een Nederlandse versie van bestaat en het is gratis. Dat gaat meer over manieren van studeren, wat veel belangrijker is dan de stukken zelf. Ik moet nu overgaan naar het Engels, anders krijg ik commentaar. Geluk met je zoektocht! Groetjes vanuit Moskou!

I asked Chris whether he had already tried any of the very good musicbook shops in Holland. I'm sure they have methods and/or books in Dutch that can help Chris in his search for development. I also advised him not to use more power than necessary to press a key.

Second, since he is most likely to work for himself without a teacher, I advised him to get the Dutch translation of "Fundamentals of piano practice" online, which I'm quite sure exists.

Paul

[chris_vdw]

Bedankt Paul / Thanks Paul  , looked up the 'fundamentals' - document online and it's great to refresh my memory again!

[hfmadopter]

Maybe you misunderstood me....i have no intention of entering any competition! I just want to play again, for myself, at home. Enjoy the instrument and the music.

Sorry about that, I was very tired yesterday and misread compositions !

Even though you like Chopin and want to play Chopin, I'd suggest some Bach to go along with it for the sake of general structure and getting the mind set going in the right direction. Maybe some two part inventions for instance.
David

[p2u_]

Bedankt Paul / Thanks Paul   , looked up the 'fundamentals' - document online and it's great to refresh my memory again!

OK. The next step is to go to the music book shop (maybe more than one) and get advice. They really want to sell you something, so I think you can ask a list of available books (to give you time to think before you buy). They will certainly let you have a look at the books to see what they are like. You can then look on the Internet and find out what is good and what not, and you may also see that you don't always have to buy some of the really good stuff, because it's available for free on the Internet, maybe in another edition but with the same notes.

Paul

[chris_vdw]

That's OK David, no worries! I'll look into the Bach tip you gave me.

[hfmadopter]

That's OK David, no worries! I'll look into the Bach tip you gave me.

I know it may sound counter productive to your Chopin enthusiasm but every time I work on Bach if even slowly my other work improves ! A lot of other people here mention having the same experience. Bach is good for hand eye coordination if nothing else and general brain function. Not to mention building the correct hand and finger muscles, an aid to playing most anything well. So that disipline aids in playing Chopin's music.
 David

[mattymelon]

I think it's pretty easy to get back into the cycle of playing piano. Well, at least for me, it's much easier to play the piano after a while of resting than guitars or drums since pianos are more static. If you instill every notes of the music that you're playing in your mind, then it should be easy to go back into clinking the keys again. The discipline needed for playing the piano is with the soul, and devotion I think. It is more genuine and sweeter that way because the harmony comes out naturally. I suggest try listening to Rubinstein or Vladimir Horowitz. They're the modern masters after the Chopins and the Beethovens. I send my kids to piano lessons now and they're very much enjoying it.

Off topic, if you want your kids or younger sibs to learn good manners, I strongly recommend that you let them try this new and free educational app called Maddie and Matt's A to Z's of Good Manners and Values. It aims on teaching kids the best social graces and it's also very educational. You should check it out.

[j_menz]

I strongly recommend that you let them try this new and free educational app called Maddie and Matt's A to Z's of Good Manners and Values.It aims on teaching kids the best social graces and it's also very educational. You should check it out.

Does it have a section on spamming forums?