Is it worth putting in time to learn Liebeslied

[gubgubo]

Alright,
Recently I have gotten into classical music and I have been improving a ton. I have just finished learning Chopin's Etude Op.25 No.5 (my first classical piece). I still have a bit to go before the song is ready for performance, but i can play it! just a little messy. When i started learning it, it didn't know it was as hard as it was and in theory, i should've had a way harder time learning it, so i know I'm improving quickly!

Now I'm looking into other pieces I could learn and I was considering learning Rachmaninoff's arrangement of Liebeslied. I've heard that it is very difficult but i was wondering if it would be realistic for me to be able to play it well by the time I've finished memorizing it.

Basically what i need to know is how hard Liebeslied is in comparison to Chopin's Etude Op. 25 No.5

[dogperson]

If you want to play it well, it is very much too difficult for you.  I would suggest that, as a new beginner, you find music more at your level where you can end up with a performance you can be proud of.

But your statement that you can play the Etude but it is messy doesn’t impress me to hear. Depends on what you value as a final result.

I have been playing for many years but I still have music in my ‘not yet’ stack... I know that my final result now would only be mediocre, but if I learn other music first and come back to it, the final result would be greatly improved.  I’m willing to wait.

[dw4rn]

I'm just a a tiny bit curious - why did you pick op 25 no 5 as your first classical piece?
What did you play before that?

[gubgubo]

I'm just a a tiny bit curious - why did you pick op 25 no 5 as your first classical piece?
What did you play before that?

I picked because it looked like the easiest Etude; The last song i played was a waltz arrangement of Rosalina's comet observatory(

). I have been been playing piano already for about 5 years but it was quite reluctantly. :/

[lelle]

I picked because it looked like the easiest Etude; The last song i played was a waltz arrangement of Rosalina's comet observatory

I'm still very curious why you jumped straight at a Chopin Etude as your first classical piece. There are many classical pieces that are way easier than the Chopin Etudes. You are likely to establish  bad habits that will hurt you down the line if you tackle pieces you are not ready for.

[gubgubo]

I'm still very curious why you jumped straight at a Chopin Etude as your first classical piece. There are many classical pieces that are way easier than the Chopin Etudes. You are likely to establish  bad habits that will hurt you down the line if you tackle pieces you are not ready for.

Honestly I picked it cause it looked fun and I wanted to learn the most challenging piece that was still realistic. Of course I could have gone with an easier piece and improved my playing in a much more effective way, in turn avoiding bad habits, but I’m not aware of any bad habits I’ve developed and I have a pretty good teacher so she probably kept me from doing so.

The most straightforward explanation is because I wanted to learn a hard song and disregarded the risks. Would I do it again? Probably not.

[ranjit]

I would disagree with the others here and say that jumping the gun isn't necessarily always a bad idea. I think of it as a useful tool to be used sparingly for exploration.

I can see why you would try to attempt a Chopin etude upfront, as I would do the same. I would do it to know whether it's possible or not, personally speaking.

I would expect your current playing of the wrong note etude to suit the name of the piece more than the composer intended. There is nothing wrong with that -- you would be a one in a million talent if it were otherwise.

However, now I think it would be better for you to go back to easier pieces and see if your work on the etude has made them easier to learn. If so, that is well and good. If not, that is a red flag -- it would mean that you have essentially "crammed" one piece, but not learned much.

[lelle]

Honestly I picked it cause it looked fun and I wanted to learn the most challenging piece that was still realistic. Of course I could have gone with an easier piece and improved my playing in a much more effective way, in turn avoiding bad habits, but I’m not aware of any bad habits I’ve developed and I have a pretty good teacher so she probably kept me from doing so.

The most straightforward explanation is because I wanted to learn a hard song and disregarded the risks. Would I do it again? Probably not.

Sorry man did not mean to sound hard on ya'. I was the same and wanted to play really hard pieces when I started out. It's hard to know if you are developing any bad habits, that's why you end up developing them - if you already knew that it was a bad habit to develop, you would make sure not to develop that habit, right? But it sounds good to hear that you have a teacher who can keep you on the right track - that's exactly why we have a teacher, to get a second pair of eyes who know how to see the things we aren't seeing.

[gubgubo]

Sorry man did not mean to sound hard on ya'. I was the same and wanted to play really hard pieces when I started out. It's hard to know if you are developing any bad habits, that's why you end up developing them - if you already knew that it was a bad habit to develop, you would make sure not to develop that habit, right? But it sounds good to hear that you have a teacher who can keep you on the right track - that's exactly why we have a teacher, to get a second pair of eyes who know how to see the things we aren't seeing.

Don't worry, i didn't mean to sound like i thought you were being hard on me, i know you were just giving me advice  . What i was trying to convey is that i have considered what you guys have said and i have therefore ~grown~ as a pianist!