Hi,

As you'll have seen in my other thread I have a desire to play "For Elise" as it is a piece of piano repertoire I both know (as in am familiar with) and like.

I'm having a bit of a tussle with myself where piano is concerned at the moment as I feel that I'm just not getting anywhere so seem to practise less to avoid the disappointment and frustration of getting nowhere so am probably not making the progress that I could if i dedicated myself to it.

This is further complicated by the fact that I am getting back in to clarinet practise in a big way and can see the progress I am making there.

Anyway, I've been thinking a lot like this and there are certain things that I will discuss with my teacher but I feel two of the things I need to do is work on my sightreading and work on building up a bank of pieces I could actually feel happy performing.

I have a hymn book and was sightreading a piece for the kids service this morning and doing a reasonable job but without all the full harmonies in the right hand. I thought I might do more of this but also reading my For Elise thread made me wonder if there are any books you recommend with a set of familiar and popular piano repertoire pieces set at around a grade4/5 level that I could work on along side the pieces my teacher sets with the aim of being able to perform and enjoy at this level and not just hammer away struggling to play them. I like things like the For Elise, Satie's Premiere Gymnopedie etc...

Any suggestions and advice much appreciated - Preferably not too expensive

Why don't you try some of the famous and fun series, I often use the pop one and book 5 is about the right standard for you, has things like Summertime and across the stars from star wars, but I've just looked at the list for the famous and fun classics and book 5 has things like the saint saens swan, hall of the mountain king, here is a link http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/Famous...-Book-5/6928168 But the best place to get this quickly in the Uk is direct from alfred publishing by phoning them. Telephone: + 44 (0)1279 828960.

The gymnopedie and the fur elise that you mentioned are not too far out of your reach, I would say grade 6 for both to play to an ok standard but you should be able to manage the main theme from fur elise now.

A quote from my other thread to clarify where exactly I feel I'm at right now:



Thanks for the suggestion Digby

Dawn, my personal recommendation for around this level would be

Beethoven: Bagatelles
Greig: Lyric Pieces Op12 and Op 3 (ISBN: 9781854722430)
Greig: 38 Pianoforte Pieces (ISBN: 9781854721006)

I think the Satie Gymnopédies & Gnossiennes would be good too, although I haven't tried them personally (they're next on my own chopin lizst)!

Mole

My copy of Fur Elise is in the "Recital Repitoire Book 1 for Pianists" selected by Fanny Waterman and Marion Harewood. It contains the Beethoven Bagatelles, and also has some nice Chopin Preludes in it, plus some Schumann from the Album for the Young. There's lots of other nice pieces in it too - I'm sure a website will list them all.

Thankyou. And are they relatively easy or at least straightforward to play?

I'll try to bring you a selection on Tuesday. I'm sure I have plenty that you will like.

I've only played Fur Elise and one of the Chopin Preludes out of it, but I'm sure most of them must be at my level, otherwise my teacher wouldn't have asked me to buy it. I'm playing a Schumann piece from the Album for the Young as one of my Grade 5 pieces, and would like to have a go at some more once I have my exam out of the way.

I've got "Great Piano Classics - 25 world famous pieces" pub by Kevin Mayhew.

I'm only around grade 3 but some of the arrangements are do-able for me just about. It's got a good mix of pieces in it including Fur Elise and Satie plus lots of other well known stuff. I am currently murdering Adagio from Moonlight sonata

Lois