choosing a piece based upon its great difficulty

[lenny]

it seems many people are concerned whether the pieces they wish to learn are difficult or not.

but to some of you actually choose to learn a piece BECAUSE its difficult, and for the sake of it being a great 'feat' to play it?

[brewtality]

for me personally, i sometimes choose a piece thats a bit ahead of my technical abilities to improve my technique but i wouldn't say that i play something difficult for the sake of playing something difficult (did i sound like kissin  ).

[lenny]

yes, that is also a factor, but ive seen some guys on here wanting to play 'rach 3'

A:am i good enough for rach 3?
B:no, you arent ready for it
A:are you sure?
B:yes, you will be wasting your time
A:ahhh im gonna prove you wrong!!! im gonna do it!!

hmmm, something like that

[jim_24601]

but to some of you actually choose to learn a piece BECAUSE its difficult, and for the sake of it being a great 'feat' to play it?

Yes. In fact I play difficult pieces WITH my great feet, thus taking the whole thing to the next level. 

Joking aside, pretty much what Brewtality said. You can't choose pieces to play entirely without regard to difficulty (unless you're Liszt and can sight read any piece ever written, in which case you can play anything that takes your fancy), and if like most of us here you're looking to improve your skills, you'll be looking to learn pieces that are going to be difficult for you, for if you only learnt pieces you were going to find easy you'd never improve. Of course, there's a difference between choosing a challenging piece because you relish the challenge and want to improve and choosing a "showy" piece with a reputation for being obscenely hard so you can say "look at me, I can play Opus Clavicembalisticum!". I'd hope that most of us here fall into the first camp 

[lenny]

lol, im actually considering learning a few chopin-godowsky studies

and part of the point of learning these pieces(to many im assuming) is the challenge - so i might go straight for the winterwind or another ones of the most difficult

[jim_24601]

Well, an etude is a special case: one might almost call it the limit case, in that it's specifically written to be challenging and you're learning it principally to acquire technique (though a well-written etude is beautiful in its own right; we're looking at you, Mr Chopin). It's expected that the difficulty is a major part of its appeal, and nobody is going to accuse you of being a showoff unless you then proceed to wave it about going "look, I've got more pianist than you". In a manner of speaking 

[apion]

it seems many people are concerned whether the pieces they wish to learn are difficult or not.

but to some of you actually choose to learn a piece BECAUSE its difficult, and for the sake of it being a great 'feat' to play it?

In my experience,  the greater the piece, the greater the difficulty.  Yeah, the Mendelssohn 1st Piano Concerto is pretty easy, but it aint too great.  The Liszt 1st Piano Concerto is very great, and very difficult.

[anda]

but to some of you actually choose to learn a piece BECAUSE its difficult, and for the sake of it being a great 'feat' to play it?

i never chose a work "because it's difficult". however, a few times i did give up working on a certain piece because i found it too difficult 

[lenny]

i never chose a work "because it's difficult". however, a few times i did give up working on a certain piece because i found it too difficult 

noone will admit to beign a show-off like me?

and about the mendy 1st - i think it IS great

[apion]

and about the mendy 1st - i think it IS great

Well, OK, I really like it too.  But it's just so damn easy.

[lenny]

Well, OK, I really like it too.  But it's just so *** easy.

so that really negates your 'difficulty = greatness' theory

[Troldhaugen]

It is not right to choose a piece based on its technical difficulty. However,as other people said, you cannot ignore it completely because you need to be constantly challenged for the opportunity of self-improvement. In general, technically challenging pieces happen to be very beautiful (not always true, though). Thus, it's kinda reasonable for people to go for more difficult pieces because they prove to be more rewarding in the end. But, if you play a piece just for the sake of difficulty, then you won't learn a lot from that experience. I, being a mere amateur pianist, usually go for whatever suits my taste. Somtimes some pieces that I decide to play are technically undemanding, while other pieces could be quite difficult. Being challenged is another important aspect of playing piano.   

[e60m5]

In my experience,  the greater the piece, the greater the difficulty.  Yeah, the Mendelssohn 1st Piano Concerto is pretty easy, but it aint too great.  The Liszt 1st Piano Concerto is very great, and very difficult.

Disagreed, disagreed, disagreed, agreed, disagreed.

Mendy rocks.

[lenny]

but do you see why i prioritise learning certain difficult repertoire in order to impress?

of course it has to be a work i love, but i will choose to play the more technically impressive work if i have the choice

[LVB op.57]

Many people choose to constantly learn difficult music for the sole purpose of improving their playing. Of course, in order to learn something challenging, it's a must to enjoy the piece in order to commit yourself to it. Easy music is nice sometimes though, because in my opinion, a good musician should be able to make simple music sound wonderful as well.

[presto agitato]

In my experience,  the greater the piece, the greater the difficulty.  Yeah, the Mendelssohn 1st Piano Concerto is pretty easy, but it aint too great.  The Liszt 1st Piano Concerto is very great, and very difficult.

Ok. Thats YOUR Opinion

[pianowelsh]

Playing every piece is an impossible task you have to make yourself be able to play it we call it 'practice' Some pieces require much practice some less some we will practice every day of our lives there is really no such thing as a finished piece (that ought to cause some violent objection). Choosing a piece because it's difficult is really a waste of time because what is difficult for you will take long hard work and may be demoralising particularly if you soon come across some 7 year old who plays it better than you and has for the last 3 years. Play pieces that interest you and suit your temprement whether they are 'hard' or not. IDEALLY every player should have a balanced programme of study including harder and easier pieces. Because lets be blatently honest and audience doesent want to sit through hours and hours of continuos virtuoso repertory - they get bored of it very quickly! So unless didatically your are choosing a piece such as an etude to improve a spec area of your playing dont waste your time hacking off virtuoso solo after solo... broaden your level and don't be afraid sometimes to take a step back   sometimes one back is two foreward!!!!