How long do you think it would take me, if possible, to learn the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata (Beethoven)?

I can read music, yes, and I have basic knowledge of the piano, though I only have a keyboard at home.

And I'm learning the original, if you want to know.

About a week, its not as hard as it looks, but with practsie, it is a beautiful song to play. xxx

Depends.

It isn't difficult. The difficult part is the third movement.

The 3rd is amazing, i cant play it, but i love it all the same.

I love this piece so much! I can play the first two movements but I've only got the first page of the third movement up to speed so far. it's going to be my 'project' after my piano exam.

...Just to let everyone know - I'm not really a pianist - I play violin.

But the range of my keyboard isn't really brilliant - and it's obviously pedal-less. Do the pedals make a great difference?

The whole sonata is so beautiful~! Im doing the first few pages of the 3rd movement now.

QUOTE

About a week, its not as hard as it looks, but with practsie, it is a beautiful song to play. xxx

A few days will be enough for u, Ethie. Pedals do make a GREAT difference since it makes the notes a lot sustaining and hv the sound a lil bit blurred.

A week since you are not a proper pianist. I really don't know how good you are but a week should be fine.
For a good sight reader- No time at all.....

The 3rd movement rulz but quite beyond me I'm afraid....sigh

A week?! No, it'll take longer than that unless you're practising for many many hours each day. I think that all you pianists have forgotten what advantages you have already being able to play the piano and read three parts at once fluently.

I learnt it on a keyboard (which wasn't touch sensitive either...) before I started playing the piano (I can't remember how long it took to get the notes, not too long in terms of weeks but I did just sit and play away at it for hours on end each day!). You can get the notes without pedal certainly, I didn't have access to a piano at the time so it was a while until I played it on a piano with pedal (with the instructions just pedal each time the left hand chord changes) it doesn't take that long to integrate the pedal into this piece once you've got the notes (the pedalling in this piece isn't tricky, there's plenty of time to change and not many notes to wrongly catch). So you can get the notes on your keyboard, but if you ever get the chance to play it on a piano try using the pedal: it does sound better.

I just want to say that although the moonlight 1st movement is fairly easy to play notewise, it is not the easiest piece to play well. Do not forget the counter melodies in the middle voices I do find that these are often overlooked. Beethoven is very clever so look very carefully for hidden phrases and melodies you may find something that you're missing.

Thanks.

I think it'll take me like two or three weeks: I don't even read the bass clef that well!

The biggest problem is that the some/most of the notes on the left hand are out of my keyboard's range!! And I really don't want to play it one octave above.

About the pedal: (it's the right one, si?) do you press it once, hold it down, or do you press it down once, then press it again when it indicates 'pedal', or something else totally different...?

Check your keyboard instructions, u can usually transpose ur instrument down an octave so u play an octave higher. A lot of keyboads have a sustained piano sound so even u dont have a piano, your practice will sound good!

I can make it go an octave HIGHER, but not lower.

I want a piano!