Teaching gems & essentials

[klavieronin]

I thought it might be interesting to compile a list of repertoire good for teaching purposes. It can be well known essentials or little known gems but should be music suitable for beginners to intermediate pianists and not etudes or technical exercises. Here are my suggestions;

Bach: …(obviously!)
 - Two part inventions
 - Three part sinfonias

Kabalevsky:
 - 30 Pieces For Children Op.27
 - 35 Easy Pieces Op. 89
 - 24 Little Pieces Op.39

Svoboda:
 - Children's Treasure Box, Vol. 1-4

Malcolm Arnold:
 - Children's Suite Op.16
 - Eight Children's Pieces

Rebikov:
 - Pictures for Children

Persichetti:
 - Little Piano Book

Dello Joio:
 - Suite for the Young
 - Lyric Pieces for the Young

Chick Corea:
 - 20 Children's Songs

[outin]

A good selection of the 555 Scarlatti sonatas.

[mjames]

Chopin's 4th Ballade.

A good selection of the 555 Scarlatti sonatas.

All 555 at once.

[mike71]

Chopin's 4th Ballade.

All 555 at once.

Played with a 555 IC based synth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdItIL-QsOU


(Sorry can't resist... anyway the 555 could have more useful applications for a piano player https://www.instructables.com/id/Metronome/)

[outin]

All 555 at once.

Now that would make a modern masterpiece...there was this experiment of playing multiple recordings of a piece on top of each other...was it Satie maybe?
This would be the next step...555 keyboards playing a different sonata each. Wonder where to fit those...That would be even greater than what our dear Alexander was planning to do on his mountain...

[dogperson]

I am not a teacher, but I am just curious why the majority of the pieces in the original post are labeled “for/children/ children’s”....  I am assuming that teen or adult beginners would not like the selections if labeled as if for a child.

[klavieronin]

I am not a teacher, but I am just curious why the majority of the pieces in the original post are labeled “for/children/ children’s”....  I am assuming that teen or adult beginners would not like the selections if labeled as if for a child.

Yes, I noticed that too. I choose those pieces because I genuinely like them and I don't think they are "childish" at all, but it seems to be the case that most easier music is aimed at children. I wish there was more music aimed at adult beginners but in the end I don't think it's a real problem. I've never encountered any real resistance to a piece just because the album it came from was labeled "for children".

[klavieronin]

A good selection of the 555 Scarlatti sonatas.

Well, I was going to suggest a bad selection or the 555 Scarlatti sonatas but your idea is even better. Do you have such a selection?

[klavieronin]

Chopin's 4th Ballade.

All 555 at once.

Both useful suggestions. Thanks. But why play Chopin's Ballade separately? Wouldn't it make more sense to throw it, along with the other Ballades, Scherzi, and Nocturnes, in with the 555 Scarlatti sonatas?

[mjames]

Both useful suggestions. Thanks. But why play Chopin's Ballade separately? Wouldn't it make more sense to throw it, along with the other Ballades, Scherzi, and Nocturnes, in with the 555 Scarlatti sonatas?

1st and 4th ballades deserve to be in the spotlight.

[rachmaninoff_forever]

1st and 4th ballades deserve to be in the spotlight.

The first ballade sucks

The 4th is kinda alright

[georgey]

Bartok Mikrokosmos vol 1-5.

1st and 4th ballades deserve to be in the spotlight.

Masterpieces!  You should post some of #4.  Nice thing about a sloppy first draft is you can dazzle everyone with your progress.   What happened to you signature?  

Now that would make a modern masterpiece...there was this experiment of playing multiple recordings of a piece on top of each other...was it Satie maybe?
This would be the next step...555 keyboards playing a different sonata each. Wonder where to fit those...That would be even greater than what our dear Alexander was planning to do on his mountain...

Try Ives Symphony #4.  A well done performance - not the slop you often here.

[outin]

Well, I was going to suggest a bad selection or the 555 Scarlatti sonatas but your idea is even better. Do you have such a selection?

In fact any selection is a good one... You can use a mathematical formula, pick the prime numbers or select by key or tempo. For this I use an excel file. These days you can also listen through most if not all of them in YT and select the ones that please your ear.

After you find the ones you want to use you go to imslp.org and print the Gilbert urtext editions because they are the best. Unfortunately If unlucky and it's still under copyright in your country it sucks because all good complete editions cost a fortune. Beware the Longo editions because they will teach you wrong.

But if that is too much just get the Schirmer edition by Kirkpatrick, it's a good start. Although focused more on the up tempo sonatas iirc.

[klavieronin]

Beware the Longo editions because they will teach you wrong.

Yes, the Longo editions always bothered me. I've been trying to find a good edition with my favourite sonatas for years but to no avail. Either they don't have the sonatas I like, or the its a poor edition
I don't like printing out at home. Much prefer to have a nice bound copy.

[outin]

Yes, the Longo editions always bothered me. I've been trying to find a good edition with my favourite sonatas for years but to no avail. Either they don't have the sonatas I like, or the its a poor edition
I don't like printing out at home. Much prefer to have a nice bound copy.

Unfotunately the Heugel edition by Gilbert is not a nice bound copy but quite bad. It practically falls apart if you try to get it to stay open. The print quality isn't that great either in my copies. The otherwise good Fadini editions are not much better. Both cost a fortune. So while I also agree about printing, in this case it is your best option. The scans in imslp are very good quality.