Tchaikovsky's and Gurlitt's Album for the Young

[momopi]

Hello!

I'm glad to see several thread regarding adults coming back to piano. I stopped for a long, long time. I studied again back in 2009 few months then stopped again.

I am in early-mid intermediate level. 

I feel a bit frustrated I can no longer play my old pieces. I have no problem reading... but my fingers... The timing and the expressions are all off.

Anyway, I found books by Tchaikovsky and Gurlitt, both with the same title - Album for the Young (Op39 & Op140) I looked at it and the pieces seemed more or less my level. How should I approach learning the pieces in these books? I have no issue with the notes but the tunes are rather unfamiliar... I don't know how will I be motivated with pieces I'm unfamiliar with.

For teachers out there, do you use these books for teaching purposes?

[outin]

Hello!

I'm glad to see several thread regarding adults coming back to piano. I stopped for a long, long time. I studied again back in 2009 few months then stopped again.

I am in early-mid intermediate level. 

I feel a bit frustrated I can no longer play my old pieces. I have no problem reading... but my fingers... The timing and the expressions are all off.

Anyway, I found books by Tchaikovsky and Gurlitt, both with the same title - Album for the Young (Op39 & Op140) I looked at it and the pieces seemed more or less my level. How should I approach learning the pieces in these books? I have no issue with the notes but the tunes are rather unfamiliar... I don't know how will I be motivated with pieces I'm unfamiliar with.

You can find those pieces in youtube to listen to them. Just type in the composer and op number (or name of the piece).

[hfmadopter]

I came back last year, just about a year ago and found out you just have to eat a little bit of humble pie ! Step back, honestly assess where you are at now  not what level you were at back then when you quit. I was above level eight in repertoire back in my 30's and early 40's ( I'm 63 now) and found myself doing level 3 with relative ease, so just moved on from that point after working on several pieces between that level and at the most level 5. Then six and seven. I could hack on level seven work but it really wasn't going anywhere a year ago. I can comfortably work on level six now and 7 with some brain and finger work, in other words not comfortably. But I'm getting there but not totally hacking at it either. The lower level pieces are going absolutely splendidly at this point. It has not come back to me without a bunch of work and honestly I don't know if I ever will play above level 8 again. I just don't know and I'm not overly worried about it because between arranging myself and finding good arrangements and good classical work between level 6 and 7, it really is not problem to come up with beautiful music... Heck Horowitz mixed level 6 right in in his recitals, thought nothing of it. If it was good enough for him ,it is more than good enough for me.

What I have learned being older now.

I like many popular pieces if the arrangements are good ones. I always have but I have more interest now than before.

I'd rather play something of a lower level really really well than botch up a more advanced piece.

I can express music more freely now than when I was young.

I'm enjoying quite a few pieces in the New Age category and also hymns that never considered doing in the past.

There are a lot of trained muscles in me that just plain needed building back up again. You physically can not go to your top level you played before, not straight out of the gate coming back to piano and shouldn't expect that right away.

Much has come back to me now after a year, including some memorizing capability. I am grateful for that. Level 7 is tough still and I have not tried eight yet ( I may need a teacher again at that point actually, will cross that bridge when I get there). my teacher back then who I admire still for her abilities and professionalism then, instilled a whole bunch of good thoughts and technique into me that stuck !

I have an exquisite large loving family full of support !! Some remember my recitals from back then, some are all new members since then.

Maybe some of the above applies to you too !

[momopi]

But I stepped back too!

I'm still want to play my previous pieces but these books look manageable for the moment. They just don't seem very popular. But I think playing something unfamiliar, even if simple, is challenging too.

Like you, I'd rather do an easy piece perfectly had botch up a 4-6 page piece. But for those pieces I used to play, of course I'll slowly work my way to play them again. And I'm sure you can go back to your previous level. 

What pieces can you suggest to me? I've read somewhere in the forums that in this level, they also play Burgmuller. Would you recommend him?

[outin]

But I stepped back too!

I'm still want to play my previous pieces but these books look manageable for the moment. They just don't seem very popular. But I think playing something unfamiliar, even if simple, is challenging too.

All three books (Gurlitt/Tchaikovsky/Burgmüller) used to be common teaching repertoire, so if they are not popular anymore, it's because people seem to be more drawn to method books with varied repertoire. I have been taught pieces from all three and I think they would all be very useful for catching up your skills.

[hfmadopter]

But I stepped back too!

I'm still want to play my previous pieces but these books look manageable for the moment. They just don't seem very popular. But I think playing something unfamiliar, even if simple, is challenging too.

Like you, I'd rather do an easy piece perfectly had botch up a 4-6 page piece. But for those pieces I used to play, of course I'll slowly work my way to play them again. And I'm sure you can go back to your previous level. 

What pieces can you suggest to me? I've read somewhere in the forums that in this level, they also play Burgmuller. Would you recommend him?

If you like Burgmuller you can pick from a list right here at PS with a Gold membership. I don't know what level you are working at currently but something like Op100 no.23 would sure work for me. Nothing wrong with Burgmuller, even lesser works are good for your hands !

I really think the big issue is getting your hands going again. You can do it with many different kinds of music. I played a bunch of traditional composers level 3-5 coming back but also found a lot of benefit to David Nevue's works ( contemporary and New Age, Hymns etc). Even free pieces offered by Musicnotes.com monthly free sheets that I then worked up myself.

Then on to Mendelssohn and Mozart, Chopin. Keep your mind and hands active.

I found a great arrangement of The Rose, it's just great at 5 pages long, makes a couple of key changes has a real quality sound to it. A local entertainer used to make that song just burst but he had tons of Chopin background and could make pop pieces have that Chopin flare to them.

Keep your interest up !

[momopi]

You can find those pieces in youtube to listen to them. Just type in the composer and op number (or name of the piece).

I found and downloaded their midi files. But only for Tchaikovsky. Maybe I'll try youtube for Gurlitt.

All three books (Gurlitt/Tchaikovsky/Burgmüller) used to be common teaching repertoire, so if they are not popular anymore, it's because people seem to be more drawn to method books with varied repertoire. I have been taught pieces from all three and I think they would all be very useful for catching up your skills.

Thank you. I really do hope I'll catch up!

I really think the big issue is getting your hands going again. You can do it with many different kinds of music. I played a bunch of traditional composers level 3-5 coming back but also found a lot of benefit to David Nevue's works ( contemporary and New Age, Hymns etc). Even free pieces offered by Musicnotes.com monthly free sheets that I then worked up myself.

Then on to Mendelssohn and Mozart, Chopin. Keep your mind and hands active.

I agree. I also seem to forget how to practice properly. Repeat the same thing over and over and repeating the same mistakes. I'm thankful I remember this site and by lurking and back-reading I discovered a lot of wealth of information. So today, I'm concentrating on the bars and sections I am having difficulty with instead of playing the whole piece erroneously over and over then get frustrated by not playing it the way I used to.

Yes, I found a Chopin piece too that I'd like to play. It's only one page and is called Prelude in E minor. The notes seem easy but I have difficulty with expression. My left hand is too loud too.

Keep your interest up !

Thank you!  

[momopi]

I found an interesting interpretation of Tchaikovsky's ALbum for the young. It sounds much better than the midi files I dl'ed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyFg5HMZKRw

[outin]

I found an interesting interpretation of Tchaikovsky's ALbum for the young. It sounds much better than the midi files I dl'ed.

She's an excellent pianist. Much better to listen to her than some midi files...

The Chopin E-minor prelude is worth working on...notes are not difficult, but to get it to sound right needs work.

[hfmadopter]

She's an excellent pianist. Much better to listen to her than some midi files...

The Chopin E-minor prelude is worth working on...notes are not difficult, but to get it to sound right needs work.

I was taught that Mozart comes before Chopin. Chopin will just go all the easier then. It seems Horowitz agreed. Actually I think he meant you need both to do either justice !

Non the less, that Prelude is nice.

[outin]

I was taught that Mozart comes before Chopin. Chopin will just go all the easier then. It seems Horowitz agreed. Actually I think he meant you need both to do either justice !

I have no hope then, because I simply cannot stand Mozart's music, never could

[j_menz]

I have no hope then, because I simply cannot stand Mozart's music, never could

What, none of it or just not the piano stuff?

[outin]

What, none of it or just not the piano stuff?

None of it. It simply annoys me.

[hfmadopter]

I have no hope then, because I simply cannot stand Mozart's music, never could

Outin, the opening measure phrasing ( that heavy drop and lift that repeats, that daaa dum, daaa dum, daaa dum) in the second selection that Idil does in the video posted above could be right out of a Mozart piece. That's the kind of parallel I'm referring to between Mozart and Chopin works. Excellently executed I might add. But with Mozart, it is sort of his signature, playing Mozart gets that instilled into your hands and mind within a composition. Where in Chopin it's an also used.

On another note, in that photo Idil looks strikingly like my X-wife when she was a younger lady. My X and oldest daughter and child from that marriage were instrumental in me picking back up with piano, FWIW. I thank them subconsciously daily and verbally when I see them.

[worov]

The Tchaikovskly Album has been recorded by Mikhail Pletnev, one of the best Tchaikovsky interpreter. You can listen to it in this YouTube playlist :

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-EbSmbfX83yBDz6Bo7kp5zUgzv5xILPP

I don't know any complete recording of the Gurlitt Album, but I would be interested.