What are you practicing today (last post wins)

[pianistavt]

... and te 10 later
te 10 is really hard

What is "te 10" ?

[frodo4]

We're supposed to know what "te 10" is?

Maybe Liszt transcendental etude # 10?

[pianistavt]

Now that I'm back from vacay I'm starting a new piece:
Debussy - Toccata, from Pour le Piano
I read the score almost daily while I was away, when I practiced it yesterday, for the like the first time ever, it went so much faster!  My fingers knew where to go and I didn't have to stop and think about all the accidentals (there are many).
Also played finished pieces (mentioned in my posts above) checking memory and tone quality/phrasing.

[jleslie]

Cimorosa Sonata in F Major, Chopin Prelude Op. 29 # 4 and from La.Bobeme Mi Chiamano Mimi!

[pianistavt]

This week I want to get a recording of Bartok Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm, will post
new: Debussy Toccata
I practice an etude every day, currently from this set:
- Chopin Op.25 no 6 (sixths)
- Czerny Op.740 no 8 (relax left wrist, arm, shoulder)
- Moskowski Op 72 no 3 (I thought I was finished with this but am still enjoying practicing it)
I want to get back to some Prokofiev practice soon

[pianabeth]

New semester, so new repertoire for juries! Making faster-than-expected progress on Beethoven’s Rage Over a Last Penny, and just started Chopin’s black keys etude. Also working on Lili Boulanger’s Trois Morceaux for the piano.

[liszt-and-the-galops]

A few things:
  Officially abandoned Tristesse, and plan to take a short hiatus.
  10/6 seems incredibly easy, might do that soon.
  Preludio is currently .25x speed! I'm hoping to get it up to .5x speed by August, after which I'll take a long break from it before returning to finish once I'm ready for the T.E.s.
  I'm still searching, but the nearest affordable teacher I can find isn't for 25 miles. I don't want to make a 50 mile round trip every two weeks, but it may be my only option...      What do you guys think?

[pianistavt]

I'm still searching, but the nearest affordable teacher I can find isn't for 25 miles. I don't want to make a 50 mile round trip every two weeks, but it may be my only option...      What do you guys think?

I think the obvious:  virtual piano lessons

[liszt-and-the-galops]

I don't have access to virtual learning.

[pianistavt]

It's Sunday, kicking back with some upbeat American music:
- Joplin (and collaborators):  Swipesy Cakewalk, Sunflower Slow Drag
- Felix Arndt Nola
- Zez Confrey Coaxing the Piano
- Gershwin Preludes

[ravelfan07]

Sight reading with Le Gibet, continuing Ballade no 1

[pianistavt]

Other pieces in progress:
- Czerny Grand Etude in C L'infatigable (The Tireless): if there's any single piece that sums up Czerny's musical philosophy, it's this.

Thanks for mentioning this, never heard of it, looked it up - - definitely quintessential Czerny, 5 minutes of sprints for the RH.  The LH is in a mere supporting role, unfortunately.   In the "tireless" category I would recommend Czerny's Toccata - both hands get a workout, and it's even longer than this one.

[pianistavt]

Highlights from this week:
- Czerny Art of Finger Dexterity Op 740 #49 - octaves - the wide space between the two hands creates a novel challenge for the eyes and the brain
- Czerny Art of Finger Dexterity Op 740 #8 - for the LH - in a minor key, rather dramatic - metronome helps
- Chopin Scherzo 2 - how do you memorize this ?!
- recording Bartok - what a great composer - gets me to think about the sonorities of the piano in a new way; who said dissonance can't be dreamy?

[brogers70]

Today
Air from Greig's Holberg Suite
The four Impromptus Opus 90 by Schubert
Scarlatti K27 and K87

[ravelfan07]

Ballade no 1 chopin

[liszt-and-the-galops]

I'm back and trying Chopin 10/6! 

[danesi]

At school right now, so I guess the only thing I'll be playing are requests for Moonlight Sonata, Fur Elise, and River Flows in You... 

[xdanielyj]

First time logging into pianostreet in a while.

Today, I'll be practicing the pieces that I'll play at my manhattan audition first:
Beethoven Sonata Op. 2 No. 3
Bartok Etudes
Chopin Etude Op. 25 No. 6
Bach WTC book 2 P&F No. 6 in D minor

Then I'll be practicing
Chopin etudes op.10 1-6
Chopin Sonata No. 2
Beethoven Concerto No. 5 (hopefully finishing up the third mov.)

And if I have time I should get started on another Beethoven sonata (perhaps you guys should recommend me your favorites?) since my goal is to learn 6 more beethoven sonatas at concert level this year.

This schedule should keep me up till 4 am in the morning   

[parkerthepianist]

I will work on
Chopin Op. 10 No. 12,
Schubert Impromptu Op. 90 No. 3

Clean up
Bach Invention 8
Rach Prelude in G minor

[pianistavt]

And if I have time I should get started on another Beethoven sonata (perhaps you guys should recommend me your favorites?) since my goal is to learn 6 more beethoven sonatas at concert level this year.

The Beethoven sonata I'd like to recommend is Prokofiev sonata #8     

[brianjh]

C-sharp minor fugue from Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1
Schubert's Moments Musicaux

[xdanielyj]

The Beethoven sonata I'd like to recommend is Prokofiev sonata #8     

Haha... maybe I should. Believe it or not I actually have not studied a single Prokofiev Sonata and my teachers been mentioning the words "Prokofiev Sonata" at least once a lesson for the last few months.

[pianistavt]

Had a good week -
- recorded 4 Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm by Bartok - posted #1 in Auditions
- trying to record Felix Arndt's light novelty piano piece, "Nola", but haven't arrived there yet
- still trying to up the tempo on Moskowski's Etude Op. 72 #3, I posted a moderate tempo version in Auditions
- learning Debussy Toccata
- trying to memorize and polish  Prokofiev Sonata 3
- keeping a bunch of other pieces bubbling at lower heat:  Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet, Chopin Etude 25/8, Chopin Scherzo 2, etc..
- I read some new pieces: Beethoven Op 81a  3rd mvmt, Bartok Sonatina & Allegro Barbaro

[snorefest]

I keep telling my piano teacher that I'm practicing my Brahms Rhapsody No.2 and Beethoven Op10 No1 but I'm actually grinding some Alkan (L'incindie au village voisin)

[pianistavt]

I keep telling my piano teacher that I'm practicing my Brahms Rhapsody No.2 and Beethoven Op10 No1 but I'm actually grinding some Alkan (L'incindie au village voisin)

Haha, you rebel!  Those classical-minded composers are too boring?  Thanks for mentioning the Alkan piece, never heard of it, took a listen.  That piece takes a top-notch technique, not to mention a fearless spirit, which I guess you have...

[thorn]

I started Falla's Nights in the Gardens of Spain. It's so nice to play, the sound world of Albeniz's Iberia minus the crazy difficulty (not saying Falla is easy but parts of Iberia are truly mental)

[pianistavt]

I read some new pieces by Scriabin this week:
- preludes 1 and 4 from op 11
- etude op 8 #12 (the famous d# minor one)
- sonata 2 (first mvmt)
Also practicing pieces in my posts above. Chopin, Debussy, Prokofiev.

[jaquet]

practiced a little of op 10 no 4
going to look over 1st ballade,
and going to learn some more of op 31 no 1 (beethoven)
might go through te 10 because i havent touched it in ages

[liszt-and-the-galops]

Still working on Chopin 10/6. It's my first etude in name, so I really want to make it sound good (at least to me)

[jaquet]

What is "te 10" ?

transcendental etude number 10, im not sure why i shortened it

[pianistavt]

I've started practicing Chopin Ballade 2 in addition to everything else (Prokofiev Sonata 3, Debussy Toccata, Chopin Scherzo 2).  Not sure that's wise.  It's just that I don't get much enjoyment from Scherzo 2 - it was primarily undertaken as a low-hanging-fruit performance piece, already under my fingers from 30 years ago (I was a teenage hack then, so also to do it justice).  I hope to finish Gershwin Prelude soon (meaning, get a recording), everything else is going to take a while.  I would love to have the time and super-brain-capacity to learn Feinberg's 3rd sonata - what an amazing piece!

[thorn]

I've started practicing Chopin Ballade 2 in addition to everything else (Prokofiev Sonata 3, Debussy Toccata, Chopin Scherzo 2).  Not sure that's wise.  It's just that I don't get much enjoyment from Scherzo 2 - it was primarily undertaken as a low-hanging-fruit performance piece, already under my fingers from 30 years ago (I was a teenage hack then, so also to do it justice).

If you're not getting much from Scherzo 2 it makes sense to switch to something else.

I'm still working on the Falla- properly working on 1st mvt and just playing through the others at slow speed to build the big picture in my head. I want to work on something Spanish for solo piano too so considering Iberia Bk 1 (played Evocacion/El Puerto years ago so it'd just be polishing those and learning Corpus Christi which is a fun piece)

[ravelfan07]

transcendental etude number 10, im not sure why i shortened it

How would you rate the difficulty of it?

[jaquet]

How would you rate the difficulty of it?

The notes are not difficult, the accuracy and tempo is. The hardest part by far is the overlapping hands, other than that the rythms are a bit troublesome.

[pianistavt]

I've started 2 more pieces from Prokofiev Op 75  "Ten Pieces from Rome Juliet":  Friar Lawrence and Young Juliet (I already have Mercutio, Girls w/ Lilies, and Farewell down).  Not sure why Prokofiev feels compelled to put a chord that spans a 9th in the middle of a 16th note run...  Also starting to poke at Masks, which looks fiendishly difficult.

I'm itching to start a Scriabin sonata - was reading #2 but now I'm more interested in #4.  Not sure I have bandwidth for this, so maybe I'll work on the famous etude Op 8 #12 first.  His late short piece "Strangeness" also catches my attention - interesting arpeggios.

For new music listening I've been checking out Walter Piston's Symphonies - #6 is good.  Wonder if he wrote a piano concerto.

What music have you been exploring?

[ravelfan07]

I've started 2 more pieces from Prokofiev Op 75  "Ten Pieces from Rome Juliet":  Friar Lawrence and Young Juliet (I already have Mercutio, Girls w/ Lilies, and Farewell down).  Not sure why Prokofiev feels compelled to put a chord that spans a 9th in the middle of a 16th note run...  Also starting to poke at Masks, which looks fiendishly difficult.

I'm itching to start a Scriabin sonata - was reading #2 but now I'm more interested in #4.  Not sure I have bandwidth for this, so maybe I'll work on the famous etude Op 8 #12 first.  His late short piece "Strangeness" also catches my attention - interesting arpeggios.

For new music listening I've been checking out Walter Piston's Symphonies - #6 is good.  Wonder if he wrote a piano concerto.

What music have you been exploring?

Speaking of the Romeo and Juliet pieces, how difficult is the dance of the knights?
Doesn’t sound that difficult but was just curious

[pianistavt]

Speaking of the Romeo and Juliet pieces, how difficult is the dance of the knights?
Doesn’t sound that difficult but was just curious

I've run through it a couple times - it fits under the hand well - as long as you're comfortable with octave and chord jumps, it's not bad at all.  It's definitely a fun one, so leaving it for last.

[snorefest]

Abirato is pretty easy managable tho lol. I got it pretty much under my belt already

[pianistavt]

Abirato is pretty easy managable tho lol. I got it pretty much under my belt already

Abirato?

[danesi]

If we're still continuing this thread of sharing our daily repertoire, I might as well throw mine in... spring break has started, and its the perfect time to practice some Rach 2 and Schumann Fantasie. Second movement coda is a monster. 

[pianistavt]

If we're still continuing this thread of sharing our daily repertoire, I might as well throw mine in... spring break has started, and its the perfect time to practice some Rach 2 and Schumann Fantasie. Second movement coda is a monster. 

Concerto 2 or sonata 2?
2nd mvmt coda to what?

[pianistavt]

Haven't posted in here in a while... 
I performed (informally) a few pieces past couple weekends:

Czerny Art of Finger Dexterity #8 in a minor for LH - it's 90% memorized, is musically easy, so went pretty well.

Brahms Op 119  no 4, Rhapsody - not memorized nearly well enough, so with the new piano and performance stress, I was thrown off a bit more than I expected.  It went well in practicing, but I should have done some recording to mimic the one-time-thru performance scenario.

Chopin Scherzo no 2 - some sections are memorized - those went fine - the ones that are not memorized did not go fine ...   

You can see where I'm going with this...

[jaquet]

Practised op 62 no 1 chopin- learnt the piece in 3 days!
learning the dopio movimento section yesterday of op 48 no 1- just need to get it up to speed.
Also practised liszt transcendtal etude 10 for a recital and ballade 1 for a audtion which is soon
meant to be revising now but got distracted - after revision i will learn some more of scriabins 4th sonata and maybe some beethoven. oh and probably the whole audtion program which i need to go over-
liebestraum n o3
ballade 1
bach tocatta and fugue in e minor
plaintive blues- joeseph makholm
Wish me luck pls!! 

[lelle]

Practised op 62 no 1 chopin- learnt the piece in 3 days!
learning the dopio movimento section yesterday of op 48 no 1- just need to get it up to speed.
Also practised liszt transcendtal etude 10 for a recital and ballade 1 for a audtion which is soon
meant to be revising now but got distracted - after revision i will learn some more of scriabins 4th sonata and maybe some beethoven. oh and probably the whole audtion program which i need to go over-
liebestraum n o3
ballade 1
bach tocatta and fugue in e minor
plaintive blues- joeseph makholm
Wish me luck pls!! 

Good luck! That is a fine selection of repertoire

I've been ironing out some kinks in Chopin's Polonaise-Fantaisie and 2nd Scherzo, which I worked on last year but never fully finished. I'm also chipping (chopping? chopin?) away at some Chopin Etudes. Yes it's a lot of Chopin but that's all I'm in the mood for currently haha.

Also been doing some sight reading of a wide variety of stuff because I recently filled in some holes in my music library with some old sheet music editions that were donated to a music shop I'm familiar with.

[thorn]

I'm still doing the Falla and I've added El Albaicin (Albeniz) as my solo Spanish piece. I've worked on it before but didn't get it to the level I wanted.

[jaquet]

Good luck! That is a fine selection of repertoire

I've been ironing out some kinks in Chopin's Polonaise-Fantaisie and 2nd Scherzo, which I worked on last year but never fully finished. I'm also chipping (chopping? chopin?) away at some Chopin Etudes. Yes it's a lot of Chopin but that's all I'm in the mood for currently haha.

AH, I love the chopin polonaise fantasie! what etudes are u studying?? and thank you for your luck!

[pianistavt]

I performed some American pieces recently:
- Swipesy by Joplin/Marshall
- 3rd prelude by Gershwin
- Coaxing the Piano by Zez Confrey

the order is how well memorized they were, and the "success" of each was highly correlated to how memorized they were; as usual, this performance inspired me to practice them with a lot more focus the following week

this is my first piece by Zez Confrey - it's always eye opening to play a new composer - each has a unique sense of the piano - the sound and how the hands move to get that sound, especially if the composer is a good pianist

I posted a recording of Swipesy in Auditions   

[dominict]

Using piano as a break between study so lots of time to practice today...
Memorising:
Bach Sinfonia 8
Chopin 10/3

Speeding up:
Chopin 25/12 
Ravel Tombeau de Couperin - Prelude

Polishing:
Beethoven Piano Trio Op.11
Scriabin Etude 8/2
Janacek In the mists - Andante
Chopin Nocturne 8 in Db

[thorn]

Using piano as a break between study so lots of time to practice today...
Memorising:
Bach Sinfonia 8
Chopin 10/3

Speeding up:
Chopin 25/12 
Ravel Tombeau de Couperin - Prelude

Polishing:
Beethoven Piano Trio Op.11
Scriabin Etude 8/2
Janacek In the mists - Andante
Chopin Nocturne 8 in Db

I love the Janacek, an underrated composer!

I've been doing a lot of work on the middle section of El Albaicin (Albeniz) which is the part I didn't get fully on top of last time. I understand the problem now- I was focusing too much on the LH because there are jumps but actually it's the RH octave melody that is harder. 

[pianistavt]

This past week I've been running through older performance repertoire, see how dusty they are:
- Schumann's Blumenstuck - this is one of those rare more-difficult-than-it-sounds pieces due to having to play the melody + a two note chord accompaniment in the same hand (RH)
- Chopin Heroic Polonaise - experimenting with how to cut the 2nd appearance of the the grand main theme. I think it gets boring to hear it 3 times (especially since audiences know this piece so well)
- Ravel Jeu d'eau
- Prokofiev March from Love for three Oranges