Question on which Bach peices to learn for practice

[immortalbeloved]

Dear All,

I am quite sorry for this question, and I suspect you will find this out very soon with the question being asked but I am new to the piano.

I heard that there is a set of Bach music that most people treat as practice tools, but I forget which collection that is. I believe Bach created them to indeed act as a practice tool, but am embarrassed and forgot the name of the collection.

I am sorry for this question, I fear in a few years time I will look back at this and be embarrassed by it.

Always thankful,

IB

[josh93248]

Don't be embarrassed for a second, it's a totally fair question.

I suspect you are thinking of the 15 two part inventions, a good learning tool which I am actually working on at the moment.

However, if you are a real beginner some of the Bach Little Preludes may be more suitable. Also look into the "Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach"

Learning to play the piano using the easier Bach pieces is an excellent way to learn but you will want to combine it with other styles and composers, you may even need to do some even more basic learning and work before tackling Bach, it depends on what you've already accomplished.

Good luck!

[roncesvalles]

The Inventions, Sinfonias, and the Well Tempered Clavier all have their pedagogical uses.  For the Inventions, the main technical difficulty is being able to play with both hands.  They also make for good studies of two-voiced counterpoint, both imitative and free.   The Sinfonias are more advanced, with three voices.   The Well Tempered Clavier is perhaps the most important work for keyboard technique until Beethoven's works.   Busoni called Bach "the alpha" of piano technique--the starting point for true virtuoso technique.  In the WTC you will find the seeds for much of later piano technique.   The entire work is worth studying and is incredibly diverse, from dance forms to cantabile playing, to moto perpetuos, with fugues of many types.  

Be warned, though, not much of Bach is easy for the beginner.   If you are new to the piano, I suggest that you try out the 12 Little Preludes, and a selection of easier pieces from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach.   Playing these well will be a good warmup for the Inventions.

[immortalbeloved]

Thank you all very much. You all have been very helpful, and I really am appreciative.
I am a beginner and am still playing Clementi Op 36 no 1 sonatina--but the reason why I asked was because I was listening in on a debate about Hanon vs Czerny and someone said forget them both Bach was the better teacher with the things he composed for students and after he mentioned the pieces I forgot them too quickly!


Thank you all so much,

IB

[visitor]

i'd start here, gotta stand up before you can walk, gotta walk before you run, etc.


https://imslp.org/wiki/First_Lessons_in_Bach_(Bach,_Johann_Sebastian)

[outin]

I am a beginner and am still playing Clementi Op 36 no 1 sonatina--but the reason why I asked was because I was listening in on a debate about Hanon vs Czerny and someone said forget them both Bach was the better teacher with the things he composed for students and after he mentioned the pieces I forgot them too quickly!

You living teacher is the best teacher for you right now!

[torandrekongelf]

I would ignore Hanon and Czerny.

Play Bach. Thoug there isnt always nice melodic line in Bachs music all of it I find highly educational and very spiritual.

When you have learned some of Bachs preludes, inventions and fugues you can use them as warm up every day of your life. Bach is the most important composer