Need help starting Classical music

[zekrom721]

Hello everybody, so I've been playing piano for about a year and a half now, and most of the pieces I've learned are Scott Joplin Rags along with a handful of popular songs for the piano. However, I would like to start getting more into and learning to play Classical and Romantic music such as Mozart, Chopin, etc, etc... The only problem is that I don't know where to start. I currently do not have a piano teacher and I would like some guidance on where to start and what I should learn in order to play this type of music correctly. I have self-taught myself a lot of theory and I do know a lot of it such as scales, chord progressions, intervals, etc... I can sight read, however I'm not the best at it. I would best judge my level right now as Intermediate-beginner. I am looking for answers from people who play this type of music and have a lot of knowledge of it. Thanks in advance! 

[avanchnzel]

I'm a little too deep in the rabbit hole to know much about beginners' repertoire, but how about Mozart's K545 and some of the Clementi sonatinas?

[tenk]

Start here: https://www.amazon.com/First-Lessons-Bach-Complete-Schirmers/dp/1423421922/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483113182&sr=8-1&keywords=first+lessons+in+bach

Bach (at all levels) requires deliberate practice, attention to detail and fingering, and is fun to play! Mix in Clementi sonatas or maybe Beethoven Op. 49 to keep things fresh.

[filovirus]

Check out the "Exploring Piano Classics" series by Nancy Bachus. Some great pieces in each level as well as a technique book that has exercises specific to each piece.

[brogers70]

Kuhlau Sonatinas are also nice, simple, not too hard, pleasant tunes.

[lostinidlewonder]

Given your Joplin background perhaps exploring some of Chopins Waltzes would be good since you have much experience in that LH figure. FWIW "songs" are generally sung by the human voice, "pieces" are what we play on an instrument

[zekrom721]

Thank you everyone for the suggestions on what pieces to learn and clarification on Piece vs Song. I've also been thinking about learning the popular "Moonlight Sonata" by Beethoven (First Movement Only), as I have always wanted to learn this piece and maybe Canon in D by Pachelbel or Clair de Lune by Debussy (Hearing Clair de Lune was the reason I got into playing piano). Do you think these pieces would be okay to learn?

[nastassja]

I would say give Pachelbel's canon a try, and maybe learn the Clair De Lune and the Sonata in a couple of years (ideally with the help of a teacher). Of course I know some second year students who learned the Moonlight's first movement but they spend so much time trying to read and memorize it, and they usually struggle when it comes to playing it. It does not sound awful but it sounds uneven and difficult, so in my opinion it is not worth playing such an opus if it is your first year.

[pjjslp]

Thank you everyone for the suggestions on what pieces to learn and clarification on Piece vs Song. I've also been thinking about learning the popular "Moonlight Sonata" by Beethoven (First Movement Only), as I have always wanted to learn this piece and maybe Canon in D by Pachelbel or Clair de Lune by Debussy (Hearing Clair de Lune was the reason I got into playing piano). Do you think these pieces would be okay to learn?

It depends on what you're hoping to achieve. Clair de Lune is difficult to play well and would be quite challenging for a typical beginner to play at all. If you are planning to perform it, I would wait until you have a little more experience under your belt. If you just want to play for yourself and for the joy of learning that beautiful piece, get a copy and try it out. The first movement of the Moonlight is easy to learn as far as the notes go, but playing it musically is a different matter. I learned it as a young teen and then revisited it in my 40s and was appalled by how I butchered it in my youth.