What Are You Learning?, ...and how's it going? Options

[Invidia]

Even better than Stravinsky, my teacher has offered to play the piano duet version of Ravel Daphnis et Chloe with me if I wanted to do it for my exam =D

Really happy, it's the most amazing orchestral transcription I've ever come across ^^

[madbassoonist]

Bach Prelude&Fugue in G minor from WTC book 1
Chopin Nocturne in G minor (same key - a coincidence though (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif))

[corenfa]

... still learning how not to wreck my hands...

and trying to play something by ear.

[PianoNotes]

I'm having a battle with Clementi, Sonatina in C major, op. 36 No. 1, for Saturday's performance at Waterloo.

Don't wreck your hands, Corenfa. I am looking forward to hearing you play on Saturday.

[corenfa]

heh... thanks.. I shall try! It's always dangerous when they're just getting better - i miss piano so much that it's hard to stop myself from launching into it at full pelt immediately.

[Mad Tom]

1 piano version o.O Not only can I imagine it being really difficult but all the solo piano transcriptions I've come across have totally sapped the energy from the piece being more focused on including as many notes as possible...

Still I would be interested in seeing a score- whose transcription is it?

Three pieces from Petrushka.

It is by Stravinsky himself.

They are horrbily difficult. Very fast leaps between awkward chords. Also a tesrt of stamina. I had a brief attempt at them, then decided to put them aside for a few years! They are well beyond my capabilities, but you may have the skill to make something of them.

I saw 20-year old Vitaly Pisarenko (winner of last year's LIszt competition) play them in a concert in Utrecht and it was fantastic. [The nearly new Fazioli he was playing and the wonderful acoustics of the tiny Lutheran chapel where it took place may have helped a little]. But they are exactly his style .. fast, brash, noisy, athletic, ...

[corenfa]

Chopin Nocturnes Op. 9 No. 3 and Op. 15 No. 1. The former is my all time favourite Nocturne, and I was inspired to re-learn the latter after hearing Panthera play it on Saturday. I am heartened that I can play the middle section now, i couldn't get past 2 bars of it the last time I tried to learn this some years ago.

[sbhoa]

Currently working on Mozart C minor Fanatasia and Schumann Arabeske op.18.
Hoping to have got all of the first section of the Mozart under my fingers for next week then it's on to the first scary bit.... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)
Only started the Schumann this week so will see how far I get. Aiming for at least half of the first section of this though if I manage that it's all pretty similar so the rest may fall in place more easily. Won't be aiming for anything like up to tempo at this stage.

[Mad Tom]

I am learning to:

1. Not let nervousness affect my performance
2. Have the confidence to perform from memory, and be free of the comfort blanket of the score
3. Play an improved, smoother, legato
4. Maintain steadier more consistent tempo (avoid varying with the difficulty of the passage)
5. Avoid thumping and over-accenting
6. Develop more (and better controlled) levels of piano and pianissimo
7. Avoid "smudging" (aka holding notes beyond their required length)

[Clarimoo]

I am learning to:

1. Not let nervousness affect my performance
2. Have the confidence to perform from memory, and be free of the comfort blanket of the score
3. Play an improved, smoother, legato
4. Maintain steadier more consistent tempo (avoid varying with the difficulty of the passage)
5. Avoid thumping and over-accenting
6. Develop more (and better controlled) levels of piano and pianissimo
7. Avoid "smudging" (aka holding notes beyond their required length)

I think I'll try learning those too (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[lois]

After some encouraging comments about my playing last Saturday at the Gathering I have plucked up the courage to go back to Mozarts Adagio in B Minor. I love this piece and have always wanted to play it but it was just too much for my technical ability when I first picked it up.

It's going reasonably well so far with the 1st 8 bars quite secure under the fingers, just another 4 and a half pages to go (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

[fsharpminor]

After some encouraging comments about my playing last Saturday at the Gathering I have plucked up the courage to go back to Mozarts Adagio in B Minor. I love this piece and have always wanted to play it but it was just too much for my technical ability when I first picked it up.

It's going reasonably well so far with the 1st 8 bars quite secure under the fingers, just another 4 and a half pages to go (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

Yes I agree its a really nice piece of Mozart and often neglected because most pianists stick with the Sonatas. Same applies to the Rondo in A Minor K510, but thats much more difficult.
I played it for Sylark at the YCMD last week.
But my favourite Mozart is still that Kegelstatt Trio we will do in Leeds (thanks for your PM) ! (oddly Kegelstatt means skittle alley !)

[corenfa]

I am learning to:

1. Not let nervousness affect my performance
2. Have the confidence to perform from memory, and be free of the comfort blanket of the score
3. Play an improved, smoother, legato
4. Maintain steadier more consistent tempo (avoid varying with the difficulty of the passage)
5. Avoid thumping and over-accenting
6. Develop more (and better controlled) levels of piano and pianissimo
7. Avoid "smudging" (aka holding notes beyond their required length)

I think I'll try learning those too (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Me three.

The way I practice playing from memory (feel free to slate me...) is that I try to remember enough to get through it reliably; that means knowing enough of the harmony and figuration to fake it if I can't remember the exact notes. Then after I've got this down, I go through it again with the score, and that helps me find out where my memory is faulty and I'm relying on faking. Then I learn it properly. I know of no teacher who would ever teach like this, but it works for me better than it doesn't.

... at least I know if in performance I really forget, I might have a better chance of faking it...

Edit: Obviously this only works because I play mostly common-practice stuff which actually has harmony and predictable figuration.

[Juniper]

I feel like I've been learning Mozart Andantino in E flat Major forever (in fact it's been four weeks) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) I now seem to be getting somewhere with it at least.

I'm going to start something a bit easier next, everything I've been working on recently has been tough going, which I know is the way to improve but it's not doing my confidence a great deal of good. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

Something fun next I reckon (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[sbhoa]

I feel like I've been learning Mozart Andantino in E flat Major forever (in fact it's been four weeks) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) I now seem to be getting somewhere with it at least.

I'm going to start something a bit easier next, everything I've been working on recently has been tough going, which I know is the way to improve but it's not doing my confidence a great deal of good. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

Something fun next I reckon (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

A mixture is a good plan. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)