getting the most bang for your buck

[julie391]

we all love to show off, but what do you think is the most ECONOMIC piece in the repertoire for doing so - that demands the least, and shows off the most?

glissandos and hand-crossing passages are especially ideal for this purpose

what pieces do you think qualify, and what could be the ultimate piece of this type?

[sharon_f]

You can check out the following thread that has a lot of information on show-off pieces.

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,942.0.html

For glissandos look at the Prelude from Debussy's "Pour le Piano."
Crossing hands, the Gigue from Bach's B-flat Paritita or the Scarlatti A major sonata. (I forget the L. or K. number.)
And one of the most often mentioned "easy" show-off piece, the Khatchaturian Toccata.

[LaVirtuosa]

you are not a musician. a musician might get away with such a stupid message, but not with that title... that is just strange. sorry to offend you, but it is better to 'show off' your artistic skills rather than your gymnastic skills. audiences are always more impressed by the former-unless your audience is not very intellectual. do not change your programme to suit the intellectuality of the audience, but the other way around. listening to cds and watching live orchestral music might make you less shallow.

[JP]

LaVirtuosa, why such harshness?!

julie391, I have no title in particular to suggest.. However, if "rhapsody" is part of the title, you'll get your money's worth.. Excluding Liszt's for technical reasons.  

[Ludwig Van Rachabji]

you are not a musician. a musician might get away with such a stupid message, but not with that title... that is just strange. sorry to offend you, but it is better to 'show off' your artistic skills rather than your gymnastic skills. audiences are always more impressed by the former-unless your audience is not very intellectual. do not change your programme to suit the intellectuality of the audience, but the other way around. listening to cds and watching live orchestral music might make you less shallow.

Moonlight Sonata - 3rd Movement

Everybody claims that this is so 'easy' (however, when I learned it, I didn't find it that easy).
So, since it is so 'easy' and looks very difficult to the average person, I have always found this a good show-off piece. An everyday person can be easily convinced that this is one of the most difficult pieces in the repetoire, at least from my experience.


Flight of the Bumblebee

Not very difficult, but looks very difficult to normal people. I enjoy seeing people's reactions when I play it.


Solfeggio

Incredibly easy, yet fun and seemingly difficult.


Opus Clavicembalisticum

Take it out and play it for just about anyone, and, chances are, they probably won't notice any of the millions of mistakes you're making.  

[fnork]

chances are, they probably won't notice any of the millions of mistakes you're making. 

I think it's the third or fourth time you say that 

[Motrax]

Ludwig Van Rachabji, post count doesn't mean a thing. La Virtuosa does have a point, and although he makes it in a way that's not particularly kind, his is a valid concern. Perhaps we should start wondering why many people do not appreciate music? Could it be because we begin with the assumption that "the masses" will not appreciate a beautifully played nocturne, and thus feed them with some empty trinket of a showpiece?

Of course, Julie is probably not utterly shallow.  We're all a little guilty of crowd-pleasers, but on the other hand, if one only focuses on music, it should be relatively easy to come across something not only easy and impressive, but beautiful too.

Imagine what audiences would be like if every pianist who is requested to perform goes ahead and gives a beautiful Adagio or Lento. Maybe then a lot more non-musicians would come to appreciate what's truly important in music.

[xvimbi]

Ludwig Van Rachabji, post count doesn't mean a thing. La Virtuosa does have a point, and although he makes it in a way that's not particularly kind, his is a valid concern.

Given the name LaVirtuosa, I would think the He is a She. But I could be completely wrong

[LaVirtuosa]

yes, i am female (if that changes your opinion of me in any way...)
 unlike you, ludwig van rachabji, i love music and literature and i do not spend countless hours attached to a computer, "surfing the net". also, do you really think that if one posts 400 idiotic silly comments, and another posts 3 deep and meaningful ones, that the latter is not to be taken more seriously? i would suggest that you change that view, because it is obvious that to be well known you need to start off unknown. anyway, you i am brave to voice my opinion? i know i am. i'm also brave in other aspects of life. i'm sure that when you were 15, you were playing computer games, or maybe, if youre old, you were shooting birds. 14 hours ago, i gave a ninety minute recital infront of 300 people, and played three encores. i love music. i am not unkind, but sensitive, because music has only itself with which to communicate, and if people dont understand it, i dont think they should ruin pieces for others. some "show-off pieces" have been played so many times, one needs to look for ages until she finds a musical recording or performance of one, and even then, it could be not as enjoyable because of all the other horrid recordings. i hope none of you play pieces simply to show off. liszt loved the music too, you know. that's why he composed it.

[Sketchee]

While you do have a good point behind it all, I'd suggest avoiding making assumptions.  Playing video games and shooting birds?  I hope you weren't counting that as a "deep" post.   While the point should be made that music comes first before showing off, it has been made so many times (probably even by Julie once or twice).  It is important, imho, to know your audience; both on the forum and on the stage.

Anyway, if Martha Argerich came here and made one post people would initially react the same way... until they realized she was Martha Argerich.

To the original question, my pick in my repertoire is Liszt's Valse Oubiliee No 1.  I get to do lots of different things technically, it's only a few minutes long and I really like the melody in the right hand octaves.

I was practicing Ravel's Sonatine today and was suprised when some people came in and said nothing but listened.  First I had heard them outside the door. Then they came in.  I meant to only practice a few sections of the first movement but I played all three since they were there watching.

[Ludwig Van Rachabji]

unlike you, ludwig van rachabji, i love music and literature and i do not spend countless hours attached to a computer, "surfing the net".

I do not believe the insulting and utterly ridiculous comment you have just made. I take serious offense to that remark, and believe that you had no right to say such an unkind and arrogant thing. First of all, you do not know me, and you do not know whether I spend countless hours attached to a computer. Also, I am deeply offended by they way you suggested that I do not love music. I think that such a comment should not be taken lightly. Such ignorance!

also, do you really think that if one posts 400 idiotic silly comments, and another posts 3 deep and meaningful ones, that the latter is not to be taken more seriously?
i would suggest that you change that view, because it is obvious that to be well known you need to start off unknown. anyway, you i am brave to voice my opinion? i know i am. i'm also brave in other aspects of life.

You forget that my comment was not meant as an "insult". In a sense, it was a compliment, because I was surprised that a new member had the guts to stand up to another member who has belonged to this forum longer the way you did. Yes, so Julie's posts aren't always...... helpful, but I think to call her posts idiotic and silly is going too far.

14 hours ago, i gave a ninety minute recital infront of 300 people, and played three encores. i love music.

I never said you didn't. You were the one who told me that I didn't love music.

i am not unkind, but sensitive, because music has only itself with which to communicate, and if people dont understand it, i dont think they should ruin pieces for others. some "show-off pieces" have been played so many times, one needs to look for ages until she finds a musical recording or performance of one, and even then, it could be not as enjoyable because of all the other horrid recordings. i hope none of you play pieces simply to show off. liszt loved the music too, you know. that's why he composed it.

Although I agree with you in many ways, I don't find anything wrong with having a few show-off pieces in one's repetoire. What would be wrong with that?

Anyway, I think you went way too far in your post, especially since my original post was not meant in an negative way. To tell someone that they don't love music, and that they sit in front of the computer all day is, in my opinion, simply terrible. Nobody has the right to tell somebody what they do or don't like.

yes, i am female (if that changes your opinion of me in any way...)

As for being female, I could tell from the start. But that does not make me change any of my opinions. After all, women and men are 100% equal, and neither sex should be "favored" above another. I would never change my opinion toward somebody based on their sex. To me, it just doesn't work that way.

[Ludwig Van Rachabji]

I think it's the third or fourth time you say that 

... and your point is?

[rachlisztchopin]

i would think rachabji and la virtuosa both have made good points...plz dont make enemies out of each other

[faulty_damper]

Once upon a time I was impressed by the speed of which information flew in my face.
Once upon a time I was impressed by the speed of the hands that moved in front of my eyes.
Once upon a time I was impressed by the confusion of hands moving about and the crossing of these hands.

But this was many many years ago when I did not play the piano or had much interest in the music.  As an ignorant observer, I was impressed by all of the above and anything slower than fast would not hold my attention.

Now, my thoughts have completely changed.  There is very little that impresses me except for music that is beautifully played - which is often a rarity amongst musicians.  Any music that is banged out without regard for its content is met with a harsh taste of disgust.


Now as for getting the most bang for your buck:
Anything by Maksim

 

[mound]

I'm in the "tidying up" stage of Ernesto Lecuena's "Malaguena" which I chose to learn only because it is literally my dying grandmothers last wish to hear me perform it, as her favorite piece of all time. It's one of those "showstopper" crowd pleasers in its explosive Spanish glory!

I am also working on Bach's Sinfonia #9, which is incredibly slow and introspective, yet deceptivly difficult..  All "emotional attachment" to Malaguena aside, the Sinfonia, which would surely not be impressive to anybody in the "gymnastic sense" is giving me a great deal more pleasure purely because of it's depth and beauty. 

for whatever that's worth

[pianiststrongbad]

LaVirtuosa, I think you should pull your head out of your ass.  Your brash assumptions about  ludwig van rachabji were not necessary.  How can you call yourself a kind person after judging someone and critisizing their personality?  Performing for 300 people does not make you any better of a person or a musician than any of us.

As for Julie's question, some of the Chopin etudes aren't too difficult and appear to be virtuosic.  Op. 10 no. 12.  Op. 25 no. 12.  Or even Op. 25 no 1.  Some Chopin preludes are nice too, like the first one in C major.  Though these are pretty short if you are just playing an individual one- I would recommend playing more than one.  Fantasie Impromptu sounds hard- not too technically challenging in my opinion.  Someone mentioned the third movement of the moonlight sonata, but playing this at tempo and hitting all the notes with a good interpretation, is not a very easy task in my opinion.  Another good peice that isn't very difficult in my opinion is Rachmaninov's Prelude in c#-. Most of the overplayed peices tend to sound harder than they really are.

[JimDunlop]

As I've pointed out in my own post (a few spots up or down from this one)....  Many people you meet are 1) not musicians (nor connoiseurs) and the last time they picked up a musical instrument was the recorder back in the 3rd grade. 

Many people just want you hear you "play."  I don't think there's anything wrong with having a number of pieces in your repretoire that people will enjoy listening to, and that sound like you are a competent player.  Julie never mentioned if this was for a concert encore or what the context of her request was.  The point of the pieces being ECONOMIC is that you don't have to bust your goolies learning it, and you don't run the risk of goofing it up, hence making yourself look like a dork -- especially given impromptu circumstances....  If it SOUNDS impressive, but is really quite simple, your audience is more than happy.  They don't know that... But it doesn't make you any less of a pianist.  If they truly DO appreciate good music, you can show off your /\/\4(| 5k!llZ at your next concert where you can dazzle them with difficult pieces and just how musical you can sound...

For me, playing in public usually occurs in a pub or someone's home or some other non-concert venue that is usually impromptu.  I'm trying to master a combination of pieces of different genres.  Classical is nice, but play chopin to your beer buddies and they'll think you're odd....  Play some Jerry Lee Lewis and they'll be applauding their hands off!  Some mellow jazz might be nice at a classy party at a friend's house.. Whatever.

I wish I had something to recommend to Julie, but I too am gleaning from the responses of other pianists here.

Cheers.

[jcromp78]

Try Debussy's Fireworks for lots of hand crossings and a difficult sounding piece that really isn't that bad.

[Scriabinist]

Here's some good ones:

-Bach's  B major prelude (No. 21) from WTC 1: It's just simple alternate hands stuff but you have to pay attention to the clarity of the texture. The fugue also sounds showy when played extremely fast but it's not nearly as easy.

-Liszt's Valse impromptu: Fits quite well under the fingers. Simply-ish arpeggios, alternating triplet patterns in both hands. The ending is a bit more difficult to perferct (no pedal allowed, ARGH). This piece may also get boring. It's a bit repetitive.

-Grieg's March of the [something I forgot]: Although I haven't played this one, it doesn't look like a terribly difficult piece. It might be difficult to keep the rhythm and tempo, but that shouldn't be a huge problem.

-

[glBelgedin]

-Grieg's March of the [something I forgot]: Although I haven't played this one, it doesn't look like a terribly difficult piece. It might be difficult to keep the rhythm and tempo, but that shouldn't be a huge problem.

March of the Dwarves (/Trolls)? That is a cool one. I really like "Puck"(Dance of the Devil, I think it is also called) Very sinister and impressive sounding piece (one of Grieg's other "Lyric pieces")

[chromatickler]

Fur Elise at triple speed