Etudes Recommendation

[ryoutak]

Hi all,

it took me a long while but I've finally found out how to apply for the silver membership. Thanks for making me your acquaintances.

Before I continued on with my question, just a little background on me so you can answer my question with more careful consideration.

I'm an adult almost nearing my 30's and only started learning piano 3 years ago with no prior musical knowledge or experience before that. I took my ABRSM Grade 3 piano last year and according to my teacher's suggestion after considering my learning skills and speed, he conclude that I will be doing grade 6 piano next year.

Now that the basic information has been mentioned, I would like to say that I am currently interested in learning etudes but have no idea where to start.

I am a strong believer in "starting from basics and improving from there", so if anyone could recommend me a list of etudes starting from easiest (grade 1) to most difficult (up to grade 6), it would be most helpful to me.

It doesn't have to be a comprehensive list, but if there's a few pieces recommendation with indication of grade level it will be useful for me too. As much as I would like to start Chopin's etudes op 10. now, unfortunately after careful consideration and reading through tons of advice, it seems it is still too early for me.

Thanks and I hope to receive some feedback from you guys. Any constructive criticisms are highly welcome and I will embrace it with open arms.

Regards,
Ryou Takehito

[klavieronin]

If you want something progressive you could try Czerny's op.599.

If you can stand it, Bartok's Mikrokosmos will probably give you everything you need for playing modern music.

Another excellent set for modern music, and somewhat more accessible than Mikrokosmos, is Tomas Svoboda's Children's Treasure Box. Don't let the name fool you, the music is actually very mature and interesting.

There is also a series of books called Classics to Moderns. There are three sets in the series (Classics to Moderns, More Classics to Moderns, and New Classics to Moderns), each with six graded books. As the name implies the books cover music from the Baroque to 20th Century music. These aren't etudes per se but any piece of music is an etude really.

Another option might be The Russian School of Piano Playing 2.

And if technique is what you are interested in and you can find it, I would try to get a copy of Max Cooke's Tone, Touch & Technique for the Young Pianist. It's way more than a set of studies and exercises. It goes into things like phrasing and the use of the wrist, etc. It's very well organised and covers everything you'll need before moving on to more advanced music.

[rovis77]

Well, at your level I think you should be starting to play Chopin´s etudes and Liszt Transcendental Etude, that is your best bet!!.

[klavieronin]

Well, at your level I think you should be starting to play Chopin´s etudes and Liszt Transcendental Etude, that is your best bet!!.

Please tell me that's a joke. He/she has only just completed grade 3. I mean, why not just start with the Sorabji and Ligeti etudes?

[d_b_christopher]

Congratulations on your stryding start to piano lessons.

My recommendations would be, in no particular order:

Czerny Op. 599, 823, 137 or 821
Burgmuller Op. 100, 105 or 109
J S Bach two and three part inventions
Clementi Op. 36 (complete)

Plenty there to get you started; more importantly over a wide variety of styles and technical requirements.  It is easy to get stuck in one style of music and loose versatility.

[ryoutak]

Thank you everyone for your kind recommendation!

Let me summarise everyone's post so I can make a list of books or music sheets that I can purchase and add to my collection:


From Klavieronin:
1. Czerny's Op. 599 = already got the book and op 299. My teacher said he will start teaching me Op.599 prob next month!
2. Mikrokosmos (Bartok)
3. Tomas Svoboda - Children's Treasure Box Vol 1 to 4.
4. Classics to Moderns (3 volumes?)
5. Russian School of Piano Playing 2
6. Max Cooke's Tone, Touch & technique for the Young Pianist = this looks interesting! I might get it next month when my budget allows me!
7. Sorabji Etudes
8. Ligeti Etudes

Please tell me that's a joke. He/she has only just completed grade 3. I mean, why not just start with the Sorabji and Ligeti etudes?

No offense taken. I'm a dude. =)


From rovis77:
1. Chopin's Etudes op 10 and 25
2. Liszt Transcendental Etude

Well, at your level I think you should be starting to play Chopin´s etudes and Liszt Transcendental Etude, that is your best bet!!.

I don't think my current level is good enough for me to learn. I've tried to learn Chopin's Op 10 No 1 but failed miserably. I can't seem to wrap my head around the arpeggios for some reason. I can play them, but at an extremely slow speed. Nevertheless, I am actually planning to get these two books this year so I can add to my collection to further motivate me to learn so that I might get to use them in the near future!


From d_b_christopher:
1. Czerny Op. 599, 823, 137 and 821
2. Burgmuller Op 100, 105 and 109
3. JS Bach 2 and 3 part inventions = my teacher said I'm still early for inventions but will prob start learning it next year, I think?
4. Clementi Op 36 (complete) = I've actually learned this last year and performed it for some recital! My 2nd and 3rd movement aren't really polished enough so I do tend to go back and practice it from time to time.

[d_b_christopher]

4. Clementi Op 36 (complete) = I've actually learned this last year and performed it for some recital! My 2nd and 3rd movement aren't really polished enough so I do tend to go back and practice it from time to time.

There are six of them, each with three movements; play another one.  It is likely you have played 1 or 3.

[klavieronin]

Be careful not to take on too much. Better to perfect a smaller number of pieces than to skim through several volumes.

And you can take the Sorabji and Ligeti etudes off your list. I was being sarcastic. They are VERY VERY difficult.

[ryoutak]

d_b_christopher

There are six of them, each with three movements; play another one.  It is likely you have played 1 or 3.

Ah. I see. I made a mistake. Prob due to lack of sleep. What I meant was I've learned Op. 36 No.1. Seeing that there are 6, might as well have a look at it.



klavieronin

Be careful not to take on too much. Better to perfect a smaller number of pieces than to skim through several volumes.

And you can take the Sorabji and Ligeti etudes off your list. I was being sarcastic. They are VERY VERY difficult.

Thanks for your kind consideration. I am just simply asking some recommendations/suggestions from everyone so I can see and compare and also plan my future studies. Obviously I am not going to go through all at once seeing that I am already busy with my working life and my daily dose of piano practice of 2 or 3 new pieces (per week) indicated by my teacher, sight-reading (Joining the Dots) and scales/arppeggios, whatever was indicated in the ABRSM Grade 6 scale book.

My daily schedule is busy, but nevertheless I do enjoy every moment of learning the piano! I make absolutely sure not to push myself too hard and get some rest if I got too tired from my work.

A wise man in this forum once said that you shouldn't do mindless practice whereas meaningful, engaging and attentive learning will reap lots of benefits. I took that advice at heart and I know for certain that my brain shuts down when I'm extremely tired so I just do a 15-min scale practice and then went to sleep.

[outin]

One more suggestion:
Lemoine etudes op 37

If you want something from the 20th century:
Casella Children's pieces op 35, I love these and I am not a child
Kabalevsky Children's pieces

And do not forget the Scarlatti Sonatas (555 pieces altogether composed for a royal student). With Google you can find a progressive list by difficulty.

[outin]

Btw. People here do not always understand that others are not as well acquinted with piano literature as they are. So they may jokingly suggest something most difficult which would make even a pro struggle. They do not mean any harm, but it will be good to double check yourself, with the internet it is easier than ever

[babblefrog]

And do not forget the Scarlatti Sonatas (555 pieces altogether composed for a royal student). With Google you can find a progressive list by difficulty.

Here is some information on the Scarlatti Sonatas: https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=2339.msg21314#msg21314

[ryoutak]

@klavieronin

And you can take the Sorabji and Ligeti etudes off your list. I was being sarcastic. They are VERY VERY difficult.

Sarcastic or not, I am thankful for you for letting me know such composers exist. I admit that I don't listen much to classical music, so it is useful for me to know about it so I can expand my classical music knowledge. I can't play them now, but maybe someday.... 15 years later? lol. Since I'm new to them, any recommended music from them? Please do share your opinions and thoughts. =)


from outin:
1. Lemoine Etudes op 37.
2. Casella Children's pieces op 35.
3. Kabalevsky Children's pieces

Btw. People here do not always understand that others are not as well acquinted with piano literature as they are. So they may jokingly suggest something most difficult which would make even a pro struggle.

Thanks for your advice. Obviously I can read music sheets (and even try to play them on my piano) to know about their difficulty. If all else fails, I can always consult my teacher about it, whom I highly respect and would be sure he'll give the correct advice on whether I'm ready to tackle those pieces or not.

@babblefrog

Here is some information on the Scarlatti Sonatas: https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=2339.msg21314#msg21314

Thanks for the link! I'll be sure to give a read when I'm free!