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Topic: 'Easy' pieces on the side?  (Read 1577 times)

Offline rtheunissen

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'Easy' pieces on the side?
on: April 09, 2022, 03:50:22 PM
What are some 'easier' but still really enjoyable pieces to learn on the side (while learning a larger/more difficult piece) to keep practice interesting? I was thinking of pieces like "Von Fremden Ländern und Menschen", some of the easier-sounding impromptus by Sibelius (which are all great in my opinion) and maybe some of the easier Chopin preludes. Does anyone have some suggestions?

Offline lelle

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Re: 'Easy' pieces on the side?
Reply #1 on: April 09, 2022, 10:47:47 PM
All of Kinderszenen, which Von Fremden Ländern und Menschen" is the first piece in, is one of my go to things to play when I want to play something like that. Beethoven's 11 bagatelles Op. 119 is also a good choice.

Offline musikalischer_wirbelwind_280

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Re: 'Easy' pieces on the side?
Reply #2 on: April 10, 2022, 12:46:22 AM
I think you may also like some of the lighter pieces in either of these:






Offline flyusx

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Re: 'Easy' pieces on the side?
Reply #3 on: April 10, 2022, 01:52:16 PM
Stanchinsky's Song Without Words is a simple but beautiful one. #2 is my favourite.
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Beethoven Sonate №7

Offline lelle

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Re: 'Easy' pieces on the side?
Reply #4 on: April 10, 2022, 09:34:38 PM
Stanchinsky's Song Without Words is a simple but beautiful one. #2 is my favourite.


Cool, I had never heard those before. Where did you discover them?

Offline pcaraganis

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Re: 'Easy' pieces on the side?
Reply #5 on: April 11, 2022, 09:09:20 PM
I agree about Kinderszenen. If you like Schumann you could also check out no. 30 in Album für die Jugend, or certain pieces from Waldszenen (e.g. no. 1, no. 3).

Offline pcaraganis

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Re: 'Easy' pieces on the side?
Reply #6 on: April 12, 2022, 02:25:51 AM
really there are a million Schumann pieces that fit the bill...

Offline shashasha

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Re: 'Easy' pieces on the side?
Reply #7 on: April 14, 2022, 05:04:00 PM
Try out Arvo Part - Fur Alina and Erik Svenn Turr’s (spelling?) Piano Sonata. The later sounds somewhat new age but you get a lot out of what you put in.

I also like to sightread through Mozart, slower movements such as Traumerei, Schubert Moment Musicaux, Debussy Preludes and Chopin Waltzes/Nocturnes. 

Offline bwl_13

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Re: 'Easy' pieces on the side?
Reply #8 on: April 15, 2022, 04:08:27 AM
I wasn't contributing to this thread since I figured Bach inventions would be the first to be mentioned, but I guess not so let me do it. Bach inventions...

Seriously though, these pieces aren't too demanding but have a really nice charm to them. The 2 part and 3 part inventions are great depending on your level. They're also nice for analysis and teaching voice leading principles.
Second Year Undergrad:
Bach BWV 914
Beethoven Op. 58
Reger Op. 24 No. 5
Rachmaninoff Op. 39 No. 3 & No. 5

Offline lelle

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Re: 'Easy' pieces on the side?
Reply #9 on: April 18, 2022, 11:37:48 PM
I wasn't contributing to this thread since I figured Bach inventions would be the first to be mentioned, but I guess not so let me do it. Bach inventions...

Seriously though, these pieces aren't too demanding but have a really nice charm to them. The 2 part and 3 part inventions are great depending on your level. They're also nice for analysis and teaching voice leading principles.

I find some of the 2 part inventions quite tricky actually. Some tongue-twister fingering solutions to get some of them working. They're not super hard but certainly not easy either :D

Offline musikalischer_wirbelwind_280

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Re: 'Easy' pieces on the side?
Reply #10 on: April 19, 2022, 02:59:54 AM
I wasn't contributing to this thread since I figured Bach inventions would be the first to be mentioned, but I guess not so let me do it. Bach inventions...

Seriously though, these pieces aren't too demanding but have a really nice charm to them. The 2 part and 3 part inventions are great depending on your level. They're also nice for analysis and teaching voice leading principles.

I guess the OP's suggestions made me lean much more in favor of stuff from beyond the 18th century  ;D .

However, and as much as I've always enjoyed playing Johann Sebastian's "Inventions" (they are hot stuff, to be sure), I rather agree with lelle on the fact that they can be a bit trickier than appears at first glance, and perhaps a tad above the technical level of what the OP was asking for. But if that's not the case, I guess the first, third and fifth of the two-part ones could be good choices.

Offline bwl_13

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Re: 'Easy' pieces on the side?
Reply #11 on: April 19, 2022, 03:37:24 AM
I guess the OP's suggestions made me lean much more in favor of stuff from beyond the 18th century  ;D .

However, and as much as I've always enjoyed playing Johann Sebastian's "Inventions" (they are hot stuff, to be sure), I rather agree with lelle on the fact that they can be a bit trickier than appears at first glance, and perhaps a tad above the technical level of what the OP was asking for. But if that's not the case, I guess the first, third and fifth of the two-part ones could be good choices.
Fair enough. I sort of skimmed what OP was asking for. They can be a bit tricky but it depends. I've played 7 or 8 of the inventions I think and they're all around the same level, though 1 and 4 were the easiest for me.

The three part inventions are a fair bit trickier though, definitely beyond the level requested.
Second Year Undergrad:
Bach BWV 914
Beethoven Op. 58
Reger Op. 24 No. 5
Rachmaninoff Op. 39 No. 3 & No. 5

Offline ar-pharazon

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Re: 'Easy' pieces on the side?
Reply #12 on: April 23, 2022, 06:34:01 PM
One of my favorite "on the side" pieces is Debussy's The Snow is Dancing. It is a beautiful piece and it is not that difficult to learn. 

Offline anacrusis

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Re: 'Easy' pieces on the side?
Reply #13 on: April 23, 2022, 09:49:42 PM
One of my favorite "on the side" pieces is Debussy's The Snow is Dancing. It is a beautiful piece and it is not that difficult to learn.

Welcome to the forum! That one is indeed a really nice piece. I love this recording from Gieseking:


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