Favorite "subject" of study

[chozart]

curiosity struck me:
1.) what is your favorite "subject" of study?
2.) why?
3.) why not certain others?

with me:
1.) it's Bach works; runner up - classical sonata.
2.) I find it most rewarding.
It requires focus and time, but it relaxes me too.
Progress is evident each time I practice, and well.. being a huge admirer of counterpoint, I love the juxtaposition of melodies and harmonies
Similarly goes for the sonata, which I adore for its themes and subthemes ~ never tiring, always fun to work with.
3.) others, for example what I refer to as "pieces," such as waltzes, nocturnes, etc (not Baroque piece, sonata, nor etude) are less evident in progress. While I can sit down and practice for a prolonged period of time a Bach work (such as, currently, the Prelude and Fugue No. 9 in E major, WTK Book 1) and sonata (Mozart's K.457) and feel much improved after the session, such a feeling from this type of work takes weeks. Maybe it partly has to do with my affinity for the baroque and early classical eras, but whatever..

so yeah, what are your guys'?

[keys]

I love studying Beethoven Sonatas. When I choose which pieces I want to play from composers such as Chopin or Rachmaninoff, I consider how the future audience will react and that influences my choice. Where as studying Beethoven is completely selfish - I choose what I find interesting and if they don't like it I couldn't care less. I feel very comfortable playing Beethoven, and I find his pieces all consuming.

Beethoven can also be isolating though, so I like to play Chopin or Liszt to balance it out

[lostinidlewonder]

1)Scriabin Etudes and Preludes.

2+3) They are wicked fun, short pieces, bursts of expression. I like it because you don't have to spend too much time on it like a Beethoven Sonata. You can explore lots of different technical/sound qualities at the keyboard in seperate little pieces. The form Scriabin writes his music in, lots of 4ths and 5ths for example provides really good stuff for the hands to become accustomed to. I feel that it definatly makes playing other composers seem easier.

[steinwayguy]

1/2. Hearty Romantic Works, namely Liszt and Chopin. Liszt is what you make of it, Chopin can be so deep.
3. I always second-guess myself when I'm poring over a fugue for four hours a day. I just don't have enough experience with them I guess.

[apion]

1. Liszt (everything), Brahms (concerti and variations), Beethoven (concerti and sonatas), Ligeti (etudes), Prokofiev (concerti).
2. They combine pianistic virtuosity with depth, substance and feeling; I deeply resonate with these composers.
3. There are certain composers with whom I cannot establish a direct pipeline into my soul and intellect -- so I avoid these composers.

[Derek]

If it ain't baroque, don't fix it.

[nanabush]

Chopin Preludes, their short, to the point and very difficult (most of them).  You don't have to dedicate months to one piece, and it sounds very nice.

[rob47]

post 1950 stuff

[aerlinndan]

post 1950 stuff

Agreed - and anything else in the 20th/21st century that has a unique musical voice. Sometimes you have to invent entirely new methods of analysis to crack these pieces. If a new romantic-or-earlier piece is like being in a new city, then a new modern piece is like being in a whole new world. The discovery is pure joy.

[wintervind]

curiosity struck me:
1.) what is your favorite "subject" of study?
[quote/]
Piano Performance and Literature
quote]
2.) why?
quote/]
Because it allows for continued performance practice with an academic aspect

3.) why not certain others?
[quote/]
The problem I see with studying other topics in music is that there is no room for an acual hands on approach. Music is not, in itself, academic nor should it be in my opinion therefore I can't see the point in just studying, say  music theory, history, or musicology without also having the expericence of learning and/or performing the pieces.

[wintervind]

Sorry for the messed up quote. I guess I haven't quite figured it out