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Topic: Exercises or pieces to practice octaves (Read 4245 times)

alvaritooo13

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Exercises or pieces to practice octaves

on: February 02, 2020, 05:30:36 PM

Hi there i'm an intermediate piano student who has been practicing my octaves with some parts from Hungarian Rhapsody 2. I would like to know what other pieces with octaves can I practice (and have fun playing them) to keep improving my accuracy playing them. If its possible I would like some suggestions, thank you!

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j_tour

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Posts: 4161

Re: Exercises or pieces to practice octaves

Reply #1 on: February 03, 2020, 12:09:44 AM

Well, if you're isolating fragments from HungRhaps2, then surely the precipitato from Prokofiev's 7th Sonata is not an outrageous suggestion. For me, the two-bar rhythmic pattern (in seven time) shared between the two hands is really difficult to internalize, but perhaps with more concentration than I've given it, it would not be that way for you. Seems that a really wide range of pianists have recorded this piece, in studio or in concert.

What else that's familiar music? Well, sure, the B-minor Rhapsody of Brahms is jammed full of octaves.

Obviously there are many more, but those two immediately came to mind.

For something different, there are plenty of transcriptions of stride piano pieces that feature octaves in both hands, but I doubt that's what you're looking for.

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mrcreosote

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Posts: 229

Re: Exercises or pieces to practice octaves

Reply #2 on: February 05, 2020, 05:18:01 PM

HR6 is legendary and Erlkonig is brutal.

Horowitz Stars and Stripes will wring out your octaves plus it's a great crowd pleaser. And you just play the first part to keep them wanting rather than the whole thing which many will tire from.

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