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

[Fran*Piano]

Fighting with beginner violin accompaniments for piano (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wacko.gif) my sight-reading is horrendous, so I've been trying to learn-ish them to avoid making a fool of myself! Aside from that, Faure's Pavane (the D minor version (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)) and starting to look at Debussy's Arabesque No.1-it's gorgeous, but it terrifies me!

[Mini_mo]

and starting to look at Debussy's Arabesque No.1-it's gorgeous, but it terrifies me!

I would love to be able to play that one day... I agree when you watch it being played it looks more than terrifying! How can it be grade 8?! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/eek.gif)

[MDSS]

and starting to look at Debussy's Arabesque No.1-it's gorgeous, but it terrifies me!

Good luck with this! It does easily fall into place once you get the hang of the two against three rhythms (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Just started working on the Chopin Prelude in E Major (No. 9). Quite easy really!

[sbhoa]

and starting to look at Debussy's Arabesque No.1-it's gorgeous, but it terrifies me!

Good luck with this! It does easily fall into place once you get the hang of the two against three rhythms (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

It didn't for me when I was preparing for grade 8 and I've never had trouble with two against three.
We abandoned it after about 6 weeks when it still wasn't going anywhere.
Maybe I'll have another go some time.

[Solari]

Well I had a productive lesson, playing the piece I'm focusing on to the metronome, to my teacher and trying to fix the shaky parts... Times like this remind me why I do lessons, she pushes me into ironing things out that I'd probably be too lazy to fix on my own. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Chopinzee]

Fighting with beginner violin accompaniments for piano (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wacko.gif) my sight-reading is horrendous, so I've been trying to learn-ish them to avoid making a fool of myself! Aside from that, Faure's Pavane (the D minor version (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)) and starting to look at Debussy's Arabesque No.1-it's gorgeous, but it terrifies me!

There's no need to be terrified, I also think it's often played too quickly. As already stated, It's all about getting the twos against threes smoothly, which is a challenge. Stick to the same fingerings because this part is a little deceptive, in particular the left hand... I got quite confused until i wrote them down and stuck to the same ones.

[madbassoonist]

and starting to look at Debussy's Arabesque No.1-it's gorgeous, but it terrifies me!

Good luck with this! It does easily fall into place once you get the hang of the two against three rhythms (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I started to learn this last summer after my Grade 6. Good luck! It has started to sound slightly more musical...emphasis on slightly... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) Do you have a book containing other Debussy pieces? I have also learnt Clair de lune, Le petit negre, The Little Shepherd and La fille aux cheveux de lin, which I thought was beautiful (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wub.gif) (when played properly!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif))

[Fran*Piano]

There's no need to be terrified, I also think it's often played too quickly. As already stated, It's all about getting the twos against threes smoothly, which is a challenge. Stick to the same fingerings because this part is a little deceptive, in particular the left hand... I got quite confused until i wrote them down and stuck to the same ones.

I'll remember that, thanks (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I started to learn this last summer after my Grade 6. Good luck! It has started to sound slightly more musical...emphasis on slightly... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) Do you have a book containing other Debussy pieces? I have also learnt Clair de lune, Le petit negre, The Little Shepherd and La fille aux cheveux de lin, which I thought was beautiful (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wub.gif) (when played properly!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif))

Thanks (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) no, it's in a book that came with the piano, unfortunately I'm only really getting to the stage where I can make decent attempts at the pieces now (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) I've had it about two and a half years now!

[madbassoonist]

I started to learn this last summer after my Grade 6. Good luck! It has started to sound slightly more musical...emphasis on slightly... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) Do you have a book containing other Debussy pieces? I have also learnt Clair de lune, Le petit negre, The Little Shepherd and La fille aux cheveux de lin, which I thought was beautiful (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wub.gif) (when played properly!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif))

Thanks (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) no, it's in a book that came with the piano, unfortunately I'm only really getting to the stage where I can make decent attempts at the pieces now (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) I've had it about two and a half years now!

From what I gather from your posts you should be able to make a very good stab at learning some of the others that I mentioned (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Anyway, I should be posting about what I'm supposed to be learning, which is the Primo part of Le jardin de Dolly, by Faure. I can sort of play it... at about (IMG:http://tinyurl.com/opusfont/crotchet.gif)=40 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Zoe J]

I've just started Bach Prelude and Fugue in F minor (WTC book 2).

It's sooo hard. (well the fugue is, I've not started the prelude yet but this looks OK).

I got through the first page hands separately just about OK, and now I'm trying to put the 2 together...all I can say is progress is very very slow. But I am enjoying it and I like a challenge!

Anyone played this before? Any tips?

Cheers

Zoe

[Solari]

Getting there with the John Field Nocturne in Bb... also had a tentative stab at the D minor one, I think I'll learn that next.

Also working on getting the first page and a half of Tchaikovsky's June (Barkarole) secure, absolutely love it but some of those chords are a bit of a stretch (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

[Tom Piano]

I've just started Bach Prelude and Fugue in F minor (WTC book 2).

It's sooo hard. (well the fugue is, I've not started the prelude yet but this looks OK).

I got through the first page hands separately just about OK, and now I'm trying to put the 2 together...all I can say is progress is very very slow. But I am enjoying it and I like a challenge!

Anyone played this before? Any tips?

Cheers

Zoe

I'd mention a couple of things on this one:

1. Work out sensible fingering for the piece, particularly with regard to the tied notes. If you're fingering's not spot on, it can lead to problems when you get it up to speed.
2. Try writing out the three parts of the fugue in open score, and then play each voice individually. That gives you an idea about which part to bring out at each particular part of the piece
3. Avoid the temptation to play fast at first
4. Keep working at it - it will come eventually

Tom

[Edwardo]

and starting to look at Debussy's Arabesque No.1-it's gorgeous, but it terrifies me!

I would love to be able to play that one day... I agree when you watch it being played it looks more than terrifying! How can it be grade 8?! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/eek.gif)

Ah, I did that for my Grade 8. It's a lovely piece but I really struggled with the control to make it even. Worth the work, though.

I'm currently working on Tchaikowsky's Old French Song. It's truly beautiful. And it sounds, well 'French'. How does he do that?

Had my lesson tonight and teacher has introduced the sustaining pedal for the first time, so currently trying to get to grips with it in this piece.

I haven't learnt any new pieces since I took Grade 8, I'm ashamed to say (too busy teaching youngest son and doing other things). However, have undertaken to perform a duet with elder son and we've settled upon Elgar's "Nimrod". It's not hard to play, but it's jolly hard to make four hands sound lovely. What I really do need is a duet stool, however....

[skylark]

[.... creeps into scary thread full of advanced pianists...]



I'm working my way through a number of the G1 pieces. Of the three lists, I like the C pieces best - Bluemerang and Trudging are fun to play, and I learnt T.Rex a while ago but I need to revisit that one and improve it.

I like Dragonflies from the B list and I'm currently getting that one up to scratch, then I'll concentrate on Cavatina. I'm going to also learn Kummer from the B list and I've learnt Song of Erin already.

The A list is a problem - I learnt Gavot which is OK but I don't particularly fancy any of the others. I've got the English Keyboard Anthology so that I can learn the Purcell Minuet, and I might learn the Vivaldi and/or the Kirnberger. Maybe I'll enjoy playing them more than listening to them...

I don't know what I'll go on to when I've finished the G1 pieces... wait and see what my teacher comes up with I guess! He's given me Bourree (Bach) (from the Chester Piano Book 4) to work on alongside the G1 pieces.

[Mad Tom]

Still working on Chopin's Ballade No. 1. Can't play it like Martha Argerich yet, but I am beginning to wonder why I ever thought that it was a "difficult" piece.

This is more confirmation of that famous statement - an expansion of a pithy epigram of Salvador Dali's:

"Pieces are either easy or impossible. Practice is the means by which they migrate from one category to the other." (or words to that effect by some famous pianist - I cannot remember who)

Trouble is that I have spent so much time on this Ballade that I am neglecting to revise old repertoire, so quite a few pieces that I could play play from memory not so very long ago have now developed "holes".