Am I ready for Rach 3?

[jacobspauly]

Hey guys, I've been playing for a year and am playing Fur Elise, Moonlight 1st, and Bach CM Prelude. Do you think I'm ready for Rach? Maybe La Campanella?


JUST KIDDING!!!!!

I can't believe how many of these I've read on here. I think we need to make a separate subject thread just for this.

Paul

[jlh]

I've noticed that too...

[JK]

Don't even get me started! In fact a lot of the best threads and funniest about playing things like rach3 have unfortunately been deleted, there were some hilarious questions and responses!

[jacobspauly]

Yea, some people get really ticked off, which is great entertainment too!! I think everyone once was an over-zealous beginner, but there are some really delusional ones here.

[jon]

Just looking at this thread made me go and look at the music just to see how hard it is. . While I was "playing" little bits of it I was wondering how in the world Rachmaninoff played it.I heard how he complained about how his large hands were a hinderance to his playing, but looking at the music and  in the finale there are so many parts where the hands are right on top of eachother, especially in the molto leggiero section.I have i guess normal sized hands and I find it very awkward to play it extremely slow even.Anyone else wonder how he manged this?

[Tash]

yeah we've even had a thread exaclty the same as this one too...

[brewtality]

hahaha i was planning to do a thread like this but you beat me to it

[Hmoll]

There should be a FAQ category, and this should be the first question.

-Q:  Ive been playing  for 1 yr. Am I ready to play Rach3?
- A: NO!!

- Q: Ive been playing for two years. Am I ready for Rach3?
-A: NO!!

-Q: I've been playing for 3....
-A: No!!!

- Q: How hard is Rach3?
- A:TOO HARD FOR YOU!!!

-Q: I really love Rach3. Don't you love it too? Did you see shine? Did Rach3 really drive that guy crazy??
-A: GO AWAY!!!

 

[mound]

what is it about Rach3??

I've heard it once and have not had the desire to listen to it again. I certainly don't "dislike it" or anything, but it's not something that caught my attention right away.
 

[Rach3]

Alas, I fear I was one of those overzealous ones once... hence the name.

-Rach3

[jlh]

what is it about Rach3??

I've heard it once and have not had the desire to listen to it again. I certainly don't "dislike it" or anything, but it's not something that caught my attention right away.
 

I'll tell you what it is...  Hollywood happened to it.  Now everyone thinks it's the hardest thing in the world and if they could only learn to play that, then they'd be as good as anyone else in the world.  Kind of romantic, eh?

[pianolotus]

What is the complete name of "Rach 3"

I hear people talk about it all the time and I would love to hear it.

I'm a big Rachmaninov fan


Favorite: Rachmaninov - Prelude in G#- (Op32 No12)  <- amazing! 

[Rach3]

Greetings, pianolotus -

'Rach 3' Is Rachmaninoff's Third Concerto, op. 30, in d minor. It is in three movements. The best recording is by Martha Argerich.

[pianiststrongbad]

I like Horowitz better than Argerich for this concerto.

[Rach3]

Which Horowitz recording?

[hodi]

is rach3 that hard?
it doesn't sound difficult
which parts of it are difficult?

[rachlisztchopin]

can't you find that out for yourself?

[Motrax]

Argerich made possibly the worst recording of the concerto.  She rushes through every fast part with reckless abandon, and plays every beautiful melody like she's bored and waiting to get to the next fast part which she'll butcher.

...

If you want to buy yourself a nice Christmas present and want to listen to a good recording of Rach's 3rd, click this link.

https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000004167/qid=1082408439/sr=1-13/ref=sr_1_13/002-3505585-1709643?v=glance&s=classical

[rachlisztchopin]

Argerich made possibly the worst recording of the concerto.  She rushes through every fast part with reckless abandon, and plays every beautiful melody like she's bored and waiting to get to the next fast part which she'll butcher.

I second that.

[ehpianist]

Maybe in the future we should reply to such questions saying:

"If you have to ask youre definitely not ready."

 

Elena
https://www.pianofourhands.com

[Maui]

There should be a FAQ category, and this should be the first question.

-Q:  Ive been playing  for 1 yr. Am I ready to play Rach3?
- A: NO!!

- Q: Ive been playing for two years. Am I ready for Rach3?
-A: NO!!

-Q: I've been playing for 3....
-A: No!!!

- Q: How hard is Rach3?
- A:TOO HARD FOR YOU!!!

-Q: I really love Rach3. Don't you love it too? Did you see shine? Did Rach3 really drive that guy crazy??
-A: GO AWAY!!!

 

HAHAHAHAHAHASDASDAHADRAASDASDAS VERY GOOD MAN IM CRYING HERE aDaSDASDADWAWEQ

[pies]

­

[pianolotus]

"Rachmaninov - Prelude in G#- (Op32 No12)"  is the best.

[mound]

I'll tell you what it is...  Hollywood happened to it.  Now everyone thinks it's the hardest thing in the world and if they could only learn to play that, then they'd be as good as anyone else in the world.  Kind of romantic, eh?

I must have missed that movie!

[JimDunlop]

Yeah... If people REALLY want to read about madness stemming from playing a piano piece, they should read the account of the first attempted Austrian err... that was supposed to be: Australian performance of Satie's Vexations.    (Don't drink & post)....

Anyway,  I am curious now.  Are there any other recorded instances of people going mad (even temporarily) as a result of playing or practcing to play a piece?

[jlh]

I must have missed that movie!

Yeah, the movie is entitled Shine, and it's about the life of David Helfgott.  The Rach 3 was his Everest from a young age (according to the movie) and the movie claimed it was the most difficult piece ever composed for the piano.

All in all, the movie wasn't half bad... and they even did a fair job at making Helfgott sound like he can actually play the piano, too!

[Jeremy C.]

i can play very small parts of it, but it is amazingly difficult. i can only play the first 4 pages. i am just sticking with the rach 2 for now. it is filled with passion and beauty, and it is easyer than the rach 3.

[chopin_girl]

Hey guys, I've been playing for a year and am playing Fur Elise, Moonlight 1st, and Bach CM Prelude. Do you think I'm ready for Rach? Maybe La Campanella?

I can't believe how many of these I've read on here. I think we need to make a separate subject thread just for this.

I think there's way too much people who do that sort of thing here.
And on the other hand there's people who pretend they have indeed played La Campanella, but when you ask them in what minor/major it is,,, noooo. They don't know. "Well, I can't really remember....Played it like two years ago"
(from a person who's been playing for 6 years)
Um, hello? Played it after 4 years.
Get a life.
It's no shame if you're not Ivo freaking Pogorelich.

[lagin]

Out of curiosity, what are some of the hardest piano pieces every composed, and what technical aspects make them hard?

[thierry13]

Sorabji's opus clavicembalisticum... every technique you could imagine, in fact I think you could same not think of this insanity.

[steinwayguy]

Maybe in the future we should reply to such questions saying:

"If you have to ask youre definitely not ready."

 

Elena
https://www.pianofourhands.com

A young many once went up to Mozart and asked him how to write a symphony. Mozart answered, "You're too young". The boy said, "But you wrote symphonies when you were still younger!". Mozart replied, "But I did not ask for advice"

[steinwayguy]

Out of curiosity, what are some of the hardest piano pieces every composed, and what technical aspects make them hard?

Listen to Boulez's Second Sonata.

[thierry13]

Are there any sheet music or recording on the internet, or is it only on CD?

[anda]

Maybe in the future we should reply to such questions saying:

"If you have to ask youre definitely not ready."

 

Elena
https://www.pianofourhands.com

no, no, we should say "go ahead, start practicing, but don't come back until you have it ready for stage performance". that should keep them busy for a while 

[Awakening]

If you want to buy yourself a nice Christmas present and want to listen to a good recording of Rach's 3rd, click this link.

https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000004167/qid=1082408439/sr=1-13/ref=sr_1_13/002-3505585-1709643?v=glance&s=classical

Yes!  I agree, I love this recording.  However, I recently saw a pianist by the name of Cecile Licad play the 3rd Concerto live, and it was an incredible experience.  I'd say she gave one of the better performances I have heard of it, and the only time I have seen it performed live.  She also played Tchiakovsky's 1st Concerto.  Very impressive. 

[Awakening]

altogether, ive been playing for over a year and am currently learning rach's prelude in c# minor. not bad progress i guess.

You sound like one of those over-zealous beginners to me.  I'd be very surprised if you could play this piece with the musicality it deserves.  I guess if you're a late beginner and just want to try to tackle some more difficult, satisfying pieces, it wouldn't be a terrible idea to try learning this, but keep in mind that it's not the most efficient way to go about your piano education.  You need to develop technique for much longer than a year before you will be able to fulfill the demands of a piece by Rachmaninoff.  The C# Minor Prelude is incredibly popular, and with good reason, but I wouldn't call it an easy piece. 

[pianowelsh]

Yeah give it a go - trying a piece never killed anyone! and David Helfgot had a stab at it so why shouldn't you!!!!

[BoliverAllmon]

Yeah give it a go - trying a piece never killed anyone! and David Helfgot had a stab at it so why shouldn't you!!!!

that is cold