What are you practicing today (last post wins)

[bryfarr]

Le pas espagnol, primo
Pour le piano prelude
Op 48 no 1 nocturne

Faure Dolly Suite
Debussy
Chopin

[sonata_5]

Haydn sonata in f hob 23
Brahms op 116 no 2
Joplin the easy winners
Chopin op 10 no 5

[pianistavt]

Which of you dedicate time to working on memorization?

I find that with many of the pieces I'm playing and the "decent performance" grade I'm looking for, I have to get away from depending on the score.  This past week I've been working on memorizing Debussy's toccata (from pour le piano) - much prefer looking at the keys and thinking about the sound I want.  If you have the piece fully memorized, can just thing about the sound.  Been trying the same with Chopin scherzo 2 but that one has challenged my memorization abilities...

[lelle]

Which of you dedicate time to working on memorization?

I find that with many of the pieces I'm playing and the "decent performance" grade I'm looking for, I have to get away from depending on the score.  This past week I've been working on memorizing Debussy's toccata (from pour le piano) - much prefer looking at the keys and thinking about the sound I want.  If you have the piece fully memorized, can just thing about the sound.  Been trying the same with Chopin scherzo 2 but that one has challenged my memorization abilities...

I prefer working on pieces that are memorized over having to look at the score. I practice sight reading too, but my favorite way of working is when I know the piece by heart and can occasionally glance at the score to verify some detail or consider what section I need to work on, without feeling bound to the score.

[pianistavt]

I haven't posted for a while but that doesn't mean I'm not practicing!!
TBH I spread myself too thin in terms of number of pieces I cover in a week.  This means it takes a while to get a piece to a "reasonable performance" level. 

This is a fun piece I play toward the end of the practice day, or when I just want to relax.  Of course, it still took work!  Fully memorized now, even though the score is sitting there.

[sonata_5]

So far Brahms 116 is fine working on no troppo presto section and accuracy

[jaquet]

I went over scriabin 4th for a performance which i have to do
Learned some more pages of polonaise fantasie hoping to finish that within the week
Went over Chopin op 25 no 12 before the etude concert
Started wilde jagd today got the first two pages down.
Improvised a piece based on a octopus which was interesting.

[fanofmarthaargerich879]

First half of practice
Scriabin: Étude in D-sharp minor, Op. 8, No. 12
Bach: Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D minor, BWV 903
Second half
Beethoven: Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13
Debussy: L'isle joyeuse, L. 106
Very happy with today got a lot done

[darnskewered]

Lately I've been brushing up Scriabin op 8 no 12, and Rachmaninov Elegy. When I'm satisfied with those I'll probably work on the Waldstein sonata by Beethoven.

[lelle]

Not today but yesterday I tinkered with the Kreisleriana. Never been much for Schumann but something about this piece has started to draw me in, so I started working on it a week or two ago. Still mostly reading it a vista and getting a feel for the different parts and planning out how I would potentially distribute work on it. Progress is slow but I don't practise often at the moment.

[bachapprentice]

Bach

Minuet in D Minor BWV Anh. 132
Minuet in G Major BWV Anh. 114

[psipsi8]

I tried to play Bach but it just wasn't his day so Waldstein sonata mvts 1 and 3. Practised the triplets near the end repeatedly. Notes ok and up to decent speed so tried to get the melody out. Still baffled about which notes to bring out for the later part. I've listened to some recordings but I have to do it again with the score in front of me.

[antopilot7]

Warm up:
Czerny op299 no1
Czerny op299 no2

Main piece:
Rondo a capriccio op129 l.v Beethoven

[fleurandthekeys]

 Today I am practicing Mozart's Fantasia in D Minor. I began working on it in July, and I'm SO close to finishing it! The fast scale passages have been the most challenging for me to nail, but I must remind myself to have more patience in my practice because sloppy, rushed practicing creates bad habits and poor results. I really want to have this piece thoroughly learned because I will be performing it in January and I have a strong connection with Mozart.
Wish me luck!

[rayk99]

I've started Mozart's B flat sonata K333. 

[dizzyfingers]

Today I am practicing Mozart's Fantasia in D Minor. I began working on it in July, and I'm SO close to finishing it! The fast scale passages have been the most challenging for me to nail, but I must remind myself to have more patience in my practice because sloppy, rushed practicing creates bad habits and poor results. I really want to have this piece thoroughly learned because I will be performing it in January and I have a strong connection with Mozart.
Wish me luck!

Good luck.  It's a fun piece.  Post a video of your playing if you want some constructive feedback, it might help.

[pianistavt]

I'm finally learning Prokofiev Romeo Juliet op 75 no 1 "Folkdance" it's the longest of the set, but not nearly as difficult as Masks or Mercutio.
Unexpectedly I picked up Beethoven sonata op 31 no 3, 4th movement.  I had worked on it years ago but then shelved it.  It's going much better this round.
I more or less finished Debussy Toccata.  I'm still practicing it and trying to get a better recording, from the one I posted here: 

https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=71799.0

But you have to put the stamp of "complete" on a piece at some point so you can make something else your main focus.

I'm working on my first Scriabin etude - op 42 no 7 in f minor  :-)

[cuberdrift]

Liszt Technical Exersczises (warmup) - scales/thirds

Schubert Sonata A Major (664), A Minor (784) - planning to play them back to back

Thalbert l'art du chat Op. 70 no. 1 (a te o cara from Bellini's I Puritani)
Alkan Rondo toccata for hands reunited
Thalberg Fantasy on La Sonnambula
Moszkowski Fantasy Impromptu

Chopin Etudes Op. 10 nos. 1-6 (impressed with myself that I finally got the second to speed)

[bachprelude]

Which of you dedicate time to working on memorization?

I find that with many of the pieces I'm playing and the "decent performance" grade I'm looking for, I have to get away from depending on the score.  This past week I've been working on memorizing Debussy's toccata (from pour le piano) - much prefer looking at the keys and thinking about the sound I want.  If you have the piece fully memorized, can just thing about the sound.  Been trying the same with Chopin scherzo 2 but that one has challenged my memorization abilities...

I find memorising really helps with improving the expressing what I intend for the piece.  Memorisation for me is eased by knowing the sequence, looking for patterns, and playing it hundreds of times so the fingers help to remember.....

I have been practising Bach Italian concerto (by heart), Beethoven Pathetique, Debussy Clair de Lune (easy to memorise), Brahms op 118, now trying out Schubert 3 pieces D946, and having loads of problems with fingering on Schumann's Faschingsschwank Wien op 26 -ready to give up!

[lelle]

I find memorising really helps with improving the expressing what I intend for the piece.  Memorisation for me is eased by knowing the sequence, looking for patterns, and playing it hundreds of times so the fingers help to remember.....

I have been practising Bach Italian concerto (by heart), Beethoven Pathetique, Debussy Clair de Lune (easy to memorise), Brahms op 118, now trying out Schubert 3 pieces D946, and having loads of problems with fingering on Schumann's Faschingsschwank Wien op 26 -ready to give up!

Where are you having trouble with the fingering?

[bachprelude]

I can't stretch my hands/fingers to play with flowing ease - it sounds choppy!   Are there exercises to stretch the hand and fingers?!?

[lelle]

I can't stretch my hands/fingers to play with flowing ease - it sounds choppy!   Are there exercises to stretch the hand and fingers?!?

You shouldn't really have to. Like yeah, You need to open your hands to play some things sometimes, but it should not feel strained or "stretchy". Typically, you'd move your arm horizontally to position the required finger over the required note, always striving to release your hands into a relaxed state. Let's say you need to reach a note that is far away and feels "stretchy". Instead of stretching out the finger reaching for the note, use your arm to bring the finger there without stretching it out at all. Try how that feels as a starting point.

[pianistavt]

...
Alkan Rondo toccata for hands reunited
...

There have been a couple posts on Alkan recently so I thought I would give this a listen.
From a compositional standpoint, I think the material would work better without the rondo-ification, just a simple etude, maybe ABA. 

Someone had a post about the ideal warm-up piece not too long ago (a search shows quite a few posts on this topic, over the years).  I think this piece is the perfect candidate.  Must tax the endurance muscles by the 4-minute mark....

[satoru]

Trying to finish learning Debussy Hommage a Haydn.

[pianistavt]

I don't play Christmas songs, not even the cool jazz arrangements.

I did play through Bach / Myra Hess's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" the chorale from Canata 147.  The cantata is named "Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben" (Heart and Mouth and Deed and Life). Bach borrowed the hymn from Martin Janus, named "Jesu, meiner Seelen Wonne" which translates to "Jesus, My Soul's Bliss".  Naming this arrangement "My Soul's Bliss" woulda been effective.

Anyway, I practiced it with 3 run throughs with plenty of repeats on the tricky patterns - it's quite a finger bender in the RH, trying to get legato chords.  I might play it again over the next few days, or maybe not again til next year.

[nktex2000]

I am focused for a few days now on Bach-Busoni BWV 569 Chorale in Gm.   

Was inspired to try this hauntingly beautiful piece after stumbling across a Horowitz private performance on YouTube.  Here's the link in case you are interested: 

i=Tf747iLbi0r3afe7

[pianistavt]

I am focused for a few days now on Bach-Busoni BWV 569 Chorale in Gm.   

Was inspired to try this hauntingly beautiful piece after stumbling across a Horowitz private performance on YouTube.  Here's the link in case you are interested: 

Beautiful piece, thanks for sharing.  Nice to see a video of Horowitz where it's not fire-on-the-keys

[jesujuva]

La Campanella. Just playing through it slowly with a metronome to solidify muscle memory.

[pianistavt]

This ongoing post hasn't had much action in a while - what's everyone working on?
This is my current list of practice pieces. Any cross over?
I also play from my "completed" repertoire on a weekly basis, not listed.

High Priority:
Bach - Prelude / Fugue in Eb WTC2
Bartok - Sonatina
Beethoven - Sonata op 31 no 3 - 3rd & 4th mvmt
Brahms - Intermezzo in C Op 119
Chopin - Ballade 2
Czerny - SV #7 in Cb, AFD #31 a minor, #32 in C
Gottschalk - The Banjo
Joplin - The Easy Winner
Martinu - Flute sonata
Prokofiev - Romeo & Juliet op 75 (8 out of 10)

Medium Priority:
Brahms - Capriccio in d op 116
Scriabin - Etude 42 / 7 in f
Scriabin - Sonata 2 first mvmt

[lelle]

Recently dusted off Chopin - Polonaise in f sharp minor op 44, which I learned 10 years ago. Currently tinkering with it and thinking I might get it up to par again. Love that piece.

[pianistavt]

Recently dusted off Chopin - Polonaise in f sharp minor op 44, which I learned 10 years ago. Currently tinkering with it and thinking I might get it up to par again. Love that piece.

Love that piece - it's on the list, along with many other chopin works.

[harusoma.k]

Today's practice session :
1. Hanon for warm up
2. Czerny 849 no. 1 & 2
3. Kabalevsky Sonatina Op. 13, no. 1  (1st movement)
4. Bach Invention no. 8

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Saint Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor (1st Movement)
Mozart: Piano Concerto in D Minor K. 466 (full)
Debussy: Jardins Sous la Pluie
Bach: Partita in B-Flat Major (full)
Chopin: Etude Op. 10 No. 7
Beethoven: Sonata Op. 31 No. 3 in E Flat Major (1st and 2nd movement)
Scriabin: Nocturne for the Left Hand Op. 9

This is the stuff I've been mostly practicing at the moment, again, mostly focusing on concertos, since I recently won 2 concerto competitions, and I get to play with an orchestra for the first time, which is very cool  . If you guys have anything that you think I should know about playing with an orchestra, that would be much appreciated as well.

[pianistavt]

I'm really happy to be practicing a major Chopin piece again - Ballade 2.
I'm setting some other practice assignments aside for a few weeks to make room for this.
It's been about 9 months since I've been deeply engaged with a major Chopin work, that may not seem like a long time, but it certainly feels like one.

[lelle]

^I love that Ballade so much.

Picking up Kreisleriana again, which I worked on a bit at the end of last year. Funnily enough some difficult parts have settled a bit better even though I haven't touched the thing in 3 months or something.

[ned174849]

Been going through a Medtner phase lately  . I think I’ll be planning on picking up his fairy tail op 51 no 3 as well as his op 17 no 1 tomorrow. Both shouldn’t take more than a week to complete. I may also consider picking up his op 11 no 3 from sonata triad however that’s a bigger project and would take a bit longer.
I currently have a large load including
Mendelssohn Variations seriesuse op 54
Chopin ballade no 3 (polishing)
Schubert sonata D 960
Some Bach-Busoni choral preludes
Ginastera Danzas Argentinas
… and a few more.
So adding the Medtner in my practice session might be a bit difficult 

[dizzyfingers]

Been going through a Medtner phase lately  . I think I’ll be planning on picking up his fairy tail op 51 no 3 as well as his op 17 no 1 tomorrow. Both shouldn’t take more than a week to complete. I may also consider picking up his op 11 no 3 from sonata triad however that’s a bigger project and would take a bit longer.
I currently have a large load including
Mendelssohn Variations seriesuse op 54
Chopin ballade no 3 (polishing)
Schubert sonata D 960
Some Bach-Busoni choral preludes
Ginastera Danzas Argentinas
… and a few more.
So adding the Medtner in my practice session might be a bit difficult 

That’s an incredible workload!
You must be a very advanced n talented pianist
Are you in a graduate program at a university?

[jaquet]

curently practicing alot of pieces which are racking my brain
Beethoven op 10 no 3
bach prelude and fugue in d minor book 1
chopin etude op 10 no 1
Liszt wilde jagd
chopin scherzo no 1
Chopin mazurka op 50 no 3
also really been wanting to learn chopin sonata 3 as my teacher mentioned it to me, but unfortunatley i have no time to actually learn the piece (
i know it doesnt sound like alot compared to alot of other people hear but i find all the repetoire on here terribly difficult

[essence]

Beautiful piece, thanks for sharing.  Nice to see a video of Horowitz where it's not fire-on-the-keys

Yes, very nice. To see a performance by a very great organist, try this:

i=7poP4l-VZwKV6_3A

[dizzyfingers]

Yes, very nice. To see a performance by a very great organist, try this:

LOL.  Promoting your passion for organ repertoire/performance on a piano forum?
Good luck..
 

Also, how did we end up so far away from "what are you practicing?"

[pianistavt]

I haven't posted here in a while.
My top focus pieces:

- Bach P/F in Eb, WTC II
- Bartok sonatina
- Beethoven:  sonata op 31 no 3
- Chopin ballade 2
- Gottschalk The Banjo
- Prokofiev RJ no 1 "folkdance"

On a less focused level, I'm also engaged with:
- Bach sinfonia (3-part invention) no 1 in C (new piece)
- Brahms - capriccio op 116
- Prokofiev - other pieces from RJ
- Ravel sonatine (3rd m)
- Scriabin sonata-fantasie (1st m)

Anyone played any of these recently?

[essence]

LOL.  Promoting your passion for organ repertoire/performance on a piano forum?
Good luck..
 

Also, how did we end up so far away from "what are you practicing?"

I was led astray by the comment on Horowitz, playing the same chorale prelude. I thought it might be good to compare the best of piano with the best of organ.

I was probably also led astray by a glass or three of red wine.

[rockingthebach]

Bach Fugues BWV 849 and 865.
RANDOM OBSERVATION;  always find it kinda funny when pianists moan and whine about monstrous, impossible compositions, ( Bach's fugues often fall into this category) ; if you aren't enjoying what you are doing, why are you engaging in this activity?
Bach's fugues are like really detailed puzzles, and half the fun is sitting down and figuring out how all the parts fit together.
On a somewhat related note,  I had a
piano teacher in highschool, who periodically gave sermons about Bach being god and so intricate and superior and difficult. So well into my late teens, I avoided Bach because, while I guess my teacher was trying to encourage me through intrigue and challenge, I just assumed she meant that Bach was over my head and she was warning me not to make a fool of myself by even attempting to play him.
Anyhow, Bach is awesome and really enjoyable to learn.
The end.

[dizzyfingers]

I, and probably many others here, agree that Bach is extremely rewarding to study.

Too bad about the misunderstanding w.r.t. your teacher's comments - seems a bit tragic actually.  Tragedy deserves some thought...  MacBeth, Othello ...

For me, and many others?, just listing the BWV means having to look up which prelude/fugue it is - which book and key...

[psipsi8]

My fav piece: Bach's Toccata in c minor (BWV 911) and only this. Played it around 10 times.

[dizzyfingers]

My fav piece: Bach's Toccata in c minor (BWV 911) and only this. Played it around 10 times.

Only 10?

[psipsi8]

Only 10?

I know I was at the piano around 2 hours. So if it wasn't 10 times, then it was 8.
Today, I played Bach's F# major (WTC II) fugue around 10 times and the prelude 4 times. It's the most recent one I've learned and my new favourite from the WTC. It's extremely lively, like birds chirping throughout (in the prelude especially). After posting this I'll go back and play another P&F, probably D major book 2 as I haven't played it in a couple of weeks.

[dizzyfingers]

I know I was at the piano around 2 hours. So if it wasn't 10 times, then it was 8.
Today, I played Bach's F# major (WTC II) fugue around 10 times and the prelude 4 times. It's the most recent one I've learned and my new favourite from the WTC. It's extremely lively, like birds chirping throughout (in the prelude especially). After posting this I'll go back and play another P&F, probably D major book 2 as I haven't played it in a couple of weeks.

Do you play them all from book 1 and 2?

[essence]

It's funny, i didn't know Bach's keyboard toccatas at all, although of course I know and play his organ toccatas. I must purchase a copy.

Dizzy will not be surprised that I am partly inspired by Magdalane Ho's playing of BWV 912. I also started listening to Glen Gould play this, but soon stopped as it was so harsh.

[rockingthebach]

Bach also wrote a collection of keyboard transcriptions of Italian instrumental  concerti; BWV 972-987. I was really happy to stumble upon these recentlu; there are a couple by Vivaldi, and a well known piece by Marcello. Really enjoyable and stylistically unexpected.

Anyhow, I really love BWV 911 as well. It's catchy and just motors along. A friend of mine recently said "it's in a minor key but it's such a cheerful piece". The keyboard toccaten are among the earliest pieces Bach wrote for the keyboard. I believe he was still in his early to mid 20s when he wrote these.