exactly how insane would I be to learn Rach's G minor prelude right now?

[Glissando]

Did I not get enough sleep last night and am still in dream-land, or could I learn this piece right now?
I'm currently working on:
J. S. Bach:
Sinfonia No. 3

Chopin:
Nocturne in E Flat Major, Op. 9 No. 2
Waltz in C Sharp, Op. 64 No. 2

Czerny:
Etude No. 34

Mozart:
Sonata in F Major

Some of the stuff I've mastered is:
Invention No. 1
Invention No. 6

Chopin:
Prelude in E Flat, Op. 28 No. 4
Polonaise in G Minor

Mozart:
Sonata K. 545
(as well as lots more stuff just can't remember the names right now)

And I can reach an octave, maybe a 9th.
Should I forget it? If so, what are some easier show-offy pieces?
Thanks.

[rlefebvr]

One of these days, I am going to listen to that piece just to see what all the fuss is about....

[pianiststrongbad]

I played this piece a little over a year ago.  I will be honest, it is not easy, but it is also not as difficult as a lot of people think.  Part of it repeats, which makes things a little nicer.  My hand size is a 9th comfortably, a 10th is just really painful, and i miss the keys 4 out of 5 times.  Fortunately I don't think this piece ever goes beyond an octave reach.  Though for a lot of the octaves I think I used my first and fourth fingers- particularly the second page.
I think you are perfectly capable of playing this piece if you have patience and figure out a decent fingering.  Getting it up to speed is also another issue by itself.  I could play this at quarter equals 100 practically perfectly.  But when I got to around 110 or 115 it was a LOT more challenging to hit all the right notes. 
I think if this is a piece you want to put a lot of effort into, then go for it, why not?  Just be careful not to injure yourself.

[Bacfokievrahms]

this is a really fun piece (at least for me), but i lost interest in it. much easier is the prelude in c sharp minor and maybe playing the last part of the c sharp minor at much faster than tempo could be good prep for the g minor

[dreamaurora]

It is way too big a jump for you. The difficulty here is much more than just hitting the notes, but playing it rythmically and crisply while maintaing a sense of structure. If you have to ask whether you should play this piece, then you are not ready. Anyone who is ready to play pieces this calibre would have attained the capability to analyse and judge difficulty level of pieces on their own.

On a side note if you are really looking for show off piece, try Macdowell's Witches Dance, it should be manageable for you.

[Glissando]

If you have to ask whether you should play this piece, then you are not ready. Anyone who is ready to play pieces this calibre would have attained the capability to analyse and judge difficulty level of pieces on their own.

IOW, you rate my insanity at 100%?
Okay, I'm not here to act like breadboy or luda888; that being said, I would like to know if you base your opinion on the fact that I asked for other people's opinions or on what you judge my level to be. The reason I asked, btw, is because I have small hands and was afraid that this piece might be the kind of piece I'd injure myself easily on while practicing.

My hand size is a 9th comfortably, a 10th is just really painful, and i miss the keys 4 out of 5 times.  Fortunately I don't think this piece ever goes beyond an octave reach.  Though for a lot of the octaves I think I used my first and fourth fingers- particularly the second page.
I think you are perfectly capable of playing this piece if you have patience and figure out a decent fingering. 

Thanks! I've been slowly going over the piece this afternoon. Looks like if I learn it I'll have to re-write or roll some of the chords, just slightly too big for my hands . The second and fifth pages look like they are the most challenging. The main reason I want to learn this piece is for the lyrical un poco meno mosso, it's so pretty! All the rest of the piece I like very much, but it reminds me of John Wayne.  Also, I've never played any Rach before so was looking for a piece to learn (my teacher loves Rach).

this is a really fun piece (at least for me), but i lost interest in it. much easier is the prelude in c sharp minor and maybe playing the last part of the c sharp minor at much faster than tempo could be good prep for the g minor

Thanks!

[pianiststrongbad]

In my opinion, the rhythm of this piece is extremely simple to understand (though it is interesting to hear Rachmaninoff's recording where he plays the 16ths as 32nds, and he adds a few notes at the end).  The only issue I had was getting my left hand to actually play all of the sixteenths- I found out my right hand is much more cooardinated.  Regarding the difficulty of the piece, I always thought the last page was the hardest to control.  Best of luck with this marvelous work!

[Motrax]

You are probably ready to handle this piece, if you approach it from the right direction. Your main concern of injury is a velid one - when you practice this, pay attention most of all to any tension you might have while playing very slowly. This tension, when you increase tempo, will make it impossible to play the piece well.  But if you don't rush things, and carefully analyze the fatigue you feel when you play the piece (and change fingerings/relaxation accordingly), you would certainly be able to handle it.

But most importantly, talk to your teacher. S/he knows what's best for you, and can also help when you have difficulties in note accuracy, voicing, or tension.

Good luck!

- Motrax

[Glissando]

You are probably ready to handle this piece, if you approach it from the right direction. Your main concern of injury is a velid one - when you practice this, pay attention most of all to any tension you might have while playing very slowly. This tension, when you increase tempo, will make it impossible to play the piece well.  But if you don't rush things, and carefully analyze the fatigue you feel when you play the piece (and change fingerings/relaxation accordingly), you would certainly be able to handle it.

Good luck!

- Motrax

Thanks much Motrax.

In my opinion, the rhythm of this piece is extremely simple to understand

Yeah, I don't think the rhythm is very difficult- pretty straightforward.