Anyone know any good show off pieces?

[juiceasd]

All I can think of is La Campanella and some Chopin etudes. I wanna hear more pieces and get a decision before i tell my teacher something that she can help me work on! Thanks!

[j_menz]

Why not consult your teacher, who knows your strengths and weaknesses far better than we can.

And remember, a "show off" piece can just as easily show off one's inadequacies as one's prowess.

It seems to me a good show off piece is one that has technical difficulties that an audience can see are impossibly (or at least very) difficult.  Ideally it looks much harder than it is. And one shuld have a look for pieces where those "show off" elements play to one's strengths. If you have fantastic octaves, do a piece with lots of octave work; if your trills sparkle, find a piece with lots of trills, if your arpeggios dazzle.... well you get the idea.

And avoid pieces that have bits that are at the weaker end of your toolkit. Nothing worse than entrancing an audience with your arpeggios only to stumble badly on a relatively pedestrian octave passage (for example).

[vsrinivasa]

3rd movement of the Moonlight Sonata, several Schubert impromptus, Scarbo from Gaspard de la Nuit (this one is incredibly difficult though), many Beethoven sonatas, etc.

But you should really follow j_menz's advice.

[juiceasd]

Ah okay. But I mean, if i find a piece that at least sounds pretty great, no matter how bad my weaknesses are, i can improve my technique right? I have all the time in the world to continue practicing, since im not on a deadline to enter some competition or anything. But thanks for replying.

[49410enrique]

[j_menz]

Ah okay. But I mean, if i find a piece that at least sounds pretty great, no matter how bad my weaknesses are, i can improve my technique right? I have all the time in the world to continue practicing, since im not on a deadline to enter some competition or anything. But thanks for replying.

See edit above to my earlier post.

You now raise the question of what you are learning this for. If it is for a concert, or just to impress your friends and family, what I said about a show off piece applies.

If, however, you are looking to build your technique for the furture, don't pick a show off piece; pick a piece that really builds technique. It will serve you better in the long run.

That's not to say we shouldn't all have a bit of bling up our sleeves should the occassion arise. 


*** checks sleeve, wondered where bling has got to....

[juiceasd]

OH!!! I see what you mean now..  Guess I was wrong

Thanks j_menz!

[j_menz]

Guess I was wrong

No, just at dual opurposes. By all means tell your teacher you'd like to do a bit of work on a show-off piece - s/he will be able to guide you as to what would be suitable. As I say, one or two such pieces are something we should all have.

But don't neglect the real work of building your skills. That will get you much better show off pieces down the track, and will probably be more satisfying as well.

[49410enrique]

bling!

[j_menz]

bling!

Haha - if you can do those just for bling, you probably already have enough.

[49410enrique]

Haha - if you can do those just for bling, you probably already have enough.

you're probably right, they're beyond bling. they're 'pee your pants' good!


*flies off to the restroom

[perprocrastinate]

Rachmaninoff - Moment Musicaux No. 4 in E minor

I think of it as Rachmaninoff's "Revolutionary Etude".

[rachmaninoff_forever]

Anything loud and fast should suffice.

[patrickd]

[adari]

Hamelin Etude No.4:

Hamelin Etude No.6:

Alkan Etude Op.76/3:

Alkan Etude Op.39/7:

[patrickd]

[pbryld]

Liszt's Grand Galop Chromatique or his Galop Russe on a theme by Bulhakov. Both are on my to-learn list.

[49410enrique]

Anything loud and fast should suffice.

my original suggestions stand (as I really do not see a piece need for loud and fast for a work to to be 'show off piece' but im strange....)

be that as it may in the spirit of cooperation i'll color and stay in the lines.

if i was going to learn something that meets dual objectives of technique/performance/musical interpretation enhancement and has a bit of a 'wow' factor, this one would be on my hit/to-do list (it is actually im just dancing with others on that list right now)

[j_menz]

I really do not see a piece need for loud and fast for a work to to be 'show off piece' but im strange....

Not at all.

I sometimes think people don't quite get what an audience perceives.  Except for an audience of reasonably advanced pianists (or real music critics), above a certain point of speed and dazzle it all gets lumped together into impossible, with no gradations whatsoever.

For your basic non-piano-playing (or non-music-afficionado) audience, Fuer Elise is about as hard as they can see real live people being able to play; do that and you're very good. Do anything blingier and your a genius.  Why struggle to play Scarbo as a bling piece when (1) it's not immediately accessible to a novice audience and (2) they won't see it as harder than an easier Chopin nocturne.

To impress such an audience, you only need to be flashier than they can imagine possible (see above) and best if you play something they kinda know and actually like.

Accessibility and vague familiarity, together with that bit of panache will get you the brownie points.

[ajspiano]

really depends on your audience I think.. 

I find young kids don't go much for big repertoire.. ofcourse they LOVE "bananas in pyjamas"

*supposes pretty much no one bar j_menz will know what that is.

[patrickd]

The Gershwin Preludes also make good show off pieces yet have only modest difficulty.

[andreslr6]

Kachaturian's Toccata might work, it's percussive, short and easy.

[rachmaninoff_forever]

my original suggestions stand (as I really do not see a piece need for loud and fast for a work to to be 'show off piece' but im strange....)

be that as it may in the spirit of cooperation i'll color and stay in the lines.

if i was going to learn something that meets dual objectives of technique/performance/musical interpretation enhancement and has a bit of a 'wow' factor, this one would be on my hit/to-do list (it is actually im just dancing with others on that list right now)

Well of course it depends on the audience.  If you're playing in front of freaking piano players, then it's not as impressive to them as oppose to people who would attend a high school talent show. 

Op. 65 No. 3 is sooooooooooo good!!!

[ajspiano]

Well of course it depends on the audience.  If you're playing in front of freaking piano players, then it's not as impressive to them as oppose to people who would attend a high school talent show. 

Last night I had dinner with a family friend who was more impressed with my ability to alternate tapping the table with fingers 2/4 and 3/5 quickly, than she was with anything I could actually play

..

key ingredient is whether or not the audience has attempted the task and therefore experienced difficulty with it.

[the89thkey]

I tend to play Chopin etudes when I need to play something around 2 minutes long to impress people. 10-4 (the C#) is my personal favorite for such circumstances.