Hi all, I have been playing the keyboards on and off for years as my third (soon to be second!) instrument. I've just recently started to get really into baroque keyboard music and am currently working on Bach's Invention No.1 in C. I was wondering if you could recommend other pieces of his of a similar difficulty, that are also very pleasent pieces of music. So far I have discovered (on youtube!):

Invention No.4 in Dm (BVW775)

French Suite No.3 in Bm (Sarabande) (BVW814(?))

Prelude In C (BVW846)

Cheers! Eddy

Hi! Welcome to the forum!

You know there's a Bach Piece currently on the ABRSM syllabus at grade 4 .

1 J. S. Bach Prelude in F, BWV 927: from Clavier-Büchlein vor W. F. Bach

I'm also working on Invention No1, just started No2 today (although the perceived wisdom seems to be to learn No 4 after no 1)

A separate thread put most of the inventions at around Grade 5/6 if I'm not mistaken. Will check this and get back to you Edit - here's a link to the spreadsheet that gives the grades for a whole bunch of pieces, can't remember who originally posted this, but thank you whoever you are!

ps - which edition of the inventions are you using?

(theres a discussion about the Inventions on a rival forum .. hopefully here..)

The rest of the 2-part inventions don't vary much in difficulty from the first one - but they do all work on different aspects of technique.

All the French suites would make interesting browsing. Some of the movements are challengingly difficult to play, but there is plenty of more straightforward stuff in them as well.

Little Preludes are lovely to play at this stage (Grade 4/5) of pianistic development, I think. Some of them are more like Two-parts, and others are more homophonic, so you get to learn how diverse Bach's compositional technique was, too!

Enjoy, whatever you play!
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Thanks, It's good to be here!

I am currently learning from the alfred masterworks edition 'Bach - An introduction to his keyboard music' which only contains the first of his inventions. Also within the book is the prelude that you mention but I must say that I am not too keen on that particular piece. My main prority is to learn music that I really like!

I do think that the 1st invention is pushing it a bit for grade 4 but it is in the AB grade 4 syllabus for harpsichord! Along with the aforementioned prelude and the little prelude in Cm BVW999.

Aye, I'm not that fussed on the current gd 4 pieces either. You're right to play pieces that you like - there are so many out there!

Bach (ha ha!) in '93 the Trinity syllabus had the courante from the French Suites No 6 at grade 5. I've listened to a few recordings, and don't think I would even attempt it!