Bach Piano Pieces

[kc333]

I'm looking to play a Bach keyboard suite (English, French, Partita, etc.), and I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions based on my level. I don't have much experience with Bach, and I've only played the Prelude and Fugue in C minor from the WTC 1, as well as the Fantasie in C minor recently.
To give you an idea of my level in general, the last and most difficult Beethoven Sonata I've played is Les Adieux (Op. 81a).
If anyone has any suggestions for a Bach piece, it would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks so much.

[pianoman1349]

The B-flat major partita (no. 1)is very approachable, especially if you are able to play the Les Adieux Sonata well.  However, t is very different in character from the Bach pieces that you have played.

The E major French suite (no 6) is also approachable (... it is my favourite of the French suites)  For myself, I find the French suites harder to play well than the partitas and the English suites, as they require a more delicate and refined approach.

The g minor English suite will be a challenge, considering the relative lack of Bach in your repertoire, as the ornaments in the double of the sarabande and extensive fingerwork in the sequences may be a challenge.  However, this is probably the closest in style to the c minor prelude and fugue that you have learned.

I hope this helps.

[flashyfingers]

Yo dawg, chopin2015 here.

The only way to get good at Bach is to play Bach. Just as the only way to play Beethoven is to study a whole bunch of Beethoven. Find out how many times a day he pooped, then IMITATE it. (Wow, we weren't really talking about fugues, but hey!)

Find one you like (I'd pick something medium length, or a couple of short ones) and look at it away from the piano. Visualize it, hear it in your head, then go for it, whatever it is.

Essentially, the hardest part about Bach (besides playing musically) is definitely the rhythm. It has to be so exact. Metronome practice doesn't fix everything at once, so that's why I say working on Bach to play any Bach is essential. It is a journey, not just a piece you learn. To learn a piece, you learn the style of the composer, not just the genre of music.

[kc333]

Thanks for the suggestions! Here's to listening to a lot more Bach...

[flashyfingers]

Thanks for the suggestions! Here's to listening to a lot more Bach...

Cool! Let us know what you pick out!

[symphonicdance]

Good reference book if you are going to learn the suites of Bach :-
Dance and the Music of J.S. Bach by M. Little and N. Jenne, Indiana University Press

Angela Hewitt's DVD on playing Bach will also be a good reference.  Some people will disagree with her approach to Bach, but I think that OP's short term aim should be gathering more information and expanding knowledge.

Good luck!

[chopinlover01]

Do some two part inventions- the a minor, f major, c major, and Bb major among others.
Then do three part inventions, then preludes and fugues.

[flashyfingers]

Do some two part inventions- the a minor, f major, c major, and Bb major among others.
Then do three part inventions, then preludes and fugues.

the inventions should be sight reading material

[eusebius12]

He didn't write any