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Topic: What should I take on before tackling a Scherzo/Polonaise  (Read 1442 times)

Offline goethefan69420

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Gonna keep this brief.

I can play scales forward and contrary fast almost all major, c minor, and some other ones hands together, I can learn them quick but am lazy.

Arpeggios, trills, and broken chords im worse at but I can do them while maintaing proper technique I woudl say (like good arch, and minimal motion with a decent tone but my tone has ways and ways to go), I can play like the Beethoven Op 2 c major sonata intro with even double chords but its just like got so much room to improve despite being even and okay

and then cotaves is one of my best techniques.,. ive been learning the rach star spangled banner arrangement and it sbeen going pretty well, but, I am lazy and jump around pieces and find it hard to stick to one at a time.

For rep my best stuff is bach inventions probably,  chopin preludes (i've played the easy ones  7 is my best and read thru a good bit can play G major in a fast tempo but not whole piece just first few measures), tchaik neopolitan song (can play pretty convincing), c major prelude by bach i think i can play at a high level, anyways you get the point..


I want to learn a whole piece though of something kind of hard: I'm thinking Rage over a lost penny (there is maybe only one section that scares me, but with smart practice anythings possible), and maybe some chopin pre requisite  for scherzo pieces liek a waltz and I usually practice bach all the time just because he's great for technique and teaching me about theory (tbh i know no theory like i barely know what progressions are, im confident with interval knowledge though and other stuff intuitively about theory from just a bunch of scales and improvising).

So yeah: please let me knwo some pieces you would recommend before taking scherzo on in chopin. i've checked out scherzo 1 and 2 and would be able to learn both I feel, I honestly feel like I have the technique for it but being patient enough and practicing it slowly at first cuz its harder music to read for me its annoying. So if I can just play a pre-req piece or gradual easier pieces that will prep me well it would hlep

Offline lelle

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Re: What should I take on before tackling a Scherzo/Polonaise
Reply #1 on: June 07, 2022, 11:46:18 PM
I think you are on the right track with some Bach, some Waltzes and some Preludes. The Scherzos are big and difficult works though, so you may find yourself more challanged than you'd think by some of the passages in them. As for the Polonaises, I think there are some of them you might find manageable - the first one in C sharp minor and op 40 no 2 in c minor.

Offline jeffkonkol

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Re: What should I take on before tackling a Scherzo/Polonaise
Reply #2 on: June 08, 2022, 10:56:30 PM
There are a lot of accessible Polonaises... assuming you're not exclusively referring to the Heroic, in which case, I don't think you're ready, based on your post.

All four Scherzo present a variety of challenges, but understand that many of those challenges are musical / interpretive, rather than technical. Scherzo 2, for instance, is highly repetitive. Do you think you can 'carry' that piece, making every reiteration of theme special in its own way?

If you want to play Chopin, look at some of the Nocturnes, and from there, maybe an Etude. There are so many wonderful ones to choose from.... and as the previous poster suggested, look at some of the less played Polonaises... many are quite accessible.
 

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