I just love everything by Martinu. He is a bit of an acquired taste. But worth the effort.

Any suggestions? Apart from the 3 books of Puppets, I don't know his other works at all. Teacher just told me we'll now be concentrating on 20th century repertoire so I might start looking at some Martinu once the London playday is out of the way.

PS> Haven't seen you used that grand piano smiley for a while!

A selection from his Etudes and Polkas [Books 1 to 3, published together in one volume]

Thanks! I now have excuse to go music shopping this week (last did it last week )

Got through the whole Debussy Toccata from memory without crashing!

... now I just have to get it up to speed, and have fewer wrong notes, and put in the proper dynamics, and learn how to pedal properly.

Eight months to learn the notes for 4.5 minutes of music. sigh.

Speaking of Toccatas, I am taking a deep breath and beginning work on Prokofiev's; it is such a fun piece!

I also started working on Grainger/Faure Apres un reve for my end of term exam in December (we have to prepare a piece and give a mini-seminar on it).

The Szymanowsky Metopes are getting there, might perform one of them at the gathering.

Ligeti I have had a month break from as it was becoming too much effort; however much work a piece might need I don't believe in ever practising something if you are conscious of the effort you are having to put in as that means you are losing enjoyment in it.

Also relearning the Beethoven op.26 and Chopin Berceuse for DipABRSM next year.

Then totally losing focus I have started relearning Liszt/Saint Saens Danse Macabre, Liszt Un Sospiro and Debussy Images II >.<

Needing to find focus again I think... especially if I want to tackle that Prokofiev!

I've recently picked up the score for Fur Elise. Learnt it a few years ago but I've forgotten how lovely it is. I love the agitated C theme, it's a wonderful piece. Quick question though, I was meant to ask my teacher last lesson but it slipped my mind. The tempo marking for the piece is 'Poco Moto', What does this exactly mean? What sort of BPM would be appropriate?

Show off

You do have to wonder if it's worth it, but don't wonder for too long; its even more dispiriting than note-bashing.

Speaking of Toccatas... I have five in my collection. Debussy, Prokofiev, Bach, Menotti and one more I can't remember.

The Menotti is going to be my next obsession, I can feel it..............

too many toccatas too little time

Sweelinck, Ravel ? Schumann? York Bowen? Bax? Massenet? St. Saens? Khatchaturian? Cuellar? Poulenc? ... ... Sorabji ??

... and many lesser composers

My education as a pianist has been awful as I realised I had only learnt one Beethoven sonata and I couldn't even remember which one.

Thus I'm going to attempt to learn the Pathetique. Unfortunately way back when, I can remember not liking Beethoven very much, but I didn't like Bach or Mozart very much and now I do.

Now taking a break from Chopin Etude op 10 no 12 and starting op 25 no 12. Early indications suggest that it might be manageable with time.

Still keeping baroque at front of mind and ploughing on through Bach C minor partita.

Progress is painfully slow on Debussy Prelude book 1 no 1 (weekly average seems to be three steps forward, two back) but while it continues to improve I will stick at it.

Jon

I have gotten myself a duet partner and we're working on the 4 hand version of The Rite of Spring. Obviously I know it (who doesn't), but I've never really paid any attention to Stravinsky before so this should be fun. Also thinking if allowed I might slip some of it into my final recital; would be an amazing contrast to follow something like the Szymanowski with the Sacrificial Dance!

I randomly bought the 1 piano version of The Rite Of Spring. It looks fun, but unplayable. When we were playing it in orchestra I tried a lot of different things to learn the rhythms for the Sacrificial Dance, including marking out every time signature in a different coloured highlighter, and also walking to the rhythm which made me look like I had three legs and a limp. Did get there in the end.

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?

The image of walking to the rhythm of the Sacrificial Dance amuses me xD

I'm still working on the Toccatta by Khachaturian, it's getting there, but I've spoke to my teacher and decided to focus just on this for the next two weeks. I was getting quite distracted learning 4 pieces at once, I find it really difficult to focus all my attention on one, so going to try and get this learnt. I feel with two weeks focused practise I could have it learnt.
Still learning my grade 8 pieces.
I really want the music from the movie Signs lolll.
I would love to learn some Beethoven sonata's, but have no idea where to start, for someone who's working on grade 8 but sightreading is a quite lower??
PSL

Schirmer edition, transcribed by Vladimir Leyetchkiss (funny name..)

If you're coming to the November playday I will bring it along.

I have no idea why I bought this...

Edit: Today's learning is of a different sort entirely. My tendinitis has flared up and my hands hurt, so I can't practice the pieces that I want to. But I can't have a whole free Sunday and not practice something, so I am sight reading random things today. I am also learning how to play with a wrist brace on, and learning how not to feel frustrated and simply to accept that today, I cannot naturally and must not force my hands to move in the ways that I need to to practice what I want to.

Le Onde - Ludovico Einaudi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=iv&am...notation_210069

Take a listen to the CD online

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 ^^

Bach Prelude&Fugue in G minor from WTC book 1
Chopin Nocturne in G minor (same key - a coincidence though )

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

and trying to play something by ear.

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.

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.

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, ...

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.

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....
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.

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

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

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 !)

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.

I feel like I've been learning Mozart Andantino in E flat Major forever (in fact it's been four weeks) 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.

Something fun next I reckon

A mixture is a good plan.

I find that even if I "abandon" something for a while the improvement from practicing other things still shows when I pick it up again. Good luck!

Thanks Sbhoa and Corenfa.

Yeah, I enjoy it mostly when I have something well on it's way as well as a new piece, it makes me feel I'm getting somewhere

I reckon I will pick it up again in a while, I do love the piece

Change of plan, I'm going to be keeping the Andantino going for another week. Played it in my last lesson and it finally seems to be taking shape. Had quite a discussion with my teacher that it seems like, just when you feel you want to rip a piece to shreds and never play it again is just the time that it starts to come together Looks like I just need to get angry with a piece more often

Also started a slightly simpler Delibes piece. It doesn't look as if I'll have much trouble getting that one under my fingers which will make a nice change after the Mozart

Sous le palmier - Isaac Albeniz. I was told by my teacher "learn at least one of these grade 8 pieces for next lesson" ( ) and decided it was the least impossible... hmmm

Not really heard that much Albeniz, but I had a sniff at that and it's actually a really nice piece.

At the moment I am working on transcriptions; a duet of Ravel Daphnis et Chloe: Lever du jour and a solo piano of Debussy Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune.

Well, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and it's the next big milestone! Page 4 of the Chopin Op.72 No.1 is coming together, and I just need to sort out a few bars on page 3 (easier said than done)! This was the one piece I said I wanted to be able to play when I started! \o/ I'm sure it'll be a few more months before it's anywhere near secure enough for public performance but I'm getting through it mostly unscathed in practice.

I seem to have developed a fondness for the C#minor Nocturne that follows in the book afterwards, but that massive 32 note tuplet scale looks really hard to get up to speed! I'll have a go at that next instead of the Op9 No.2

As for the other stuff I'm supposed to be studying - I just don't have time, so I've devoted what little time I do have to my favourite piece of the 3

Learning the Enigma theme from Enigma Variations. Can actually play through it not too badly just sight reading....still sounds rubbish lol but at least I can play all the notes

Do you mean the theme they used in the Matrix? If so I learned some of that a while ago, great fun

Have fun.
It's on the DipLCM list. I have it as a possible to try.

No illusions of playing it to that standard here! I've had a few tentative bashes through it (Chopin is spinning in his grave). I think it's sort of ok up until that end bit. I really will have loads of trouble keeping my trills even - but suppose I'll have to tackle it at some point or another...

I don't really try to find out what "grade" a piece is anymore. If I have a little confidence in being able to get through it (ie: the music doesn't scare the living daylights out of me) and I really like it, I can usually make a reasonable stab at some or all of it It just makes revisiting things later on much more fun as I already have some foundations built

Sbhoa & Solari - Wow! I am just starting to learn C sharp minor (the scale) !

PatC

PS - how do you get sharps to come out? When I clicked on the box on the bar above, I got [code]

I think that's a good way to do things and it certainly works for you!
I'm amazed at the stuff you get your fingers round because I know how hard I'd find it learning much of what you play.

PatC: for sharp sign use the hash...#

Nothing, because I seem to have developed some kind of problem my left hand which makes typing awkward and piano practice virtually impossible I'm currently in a "read lots of things without learning any properly" mode (which I think is fair as it's been less than a month since the Dip exam and I haven't had lessons since then), and I was really hoping to try out the BWV 883 prelude and fugue and Les collines de Anacapri... I miss the piano! Maybe I'll do some RH only practice...

I feel for you, was there not too long ago. Hope it gets better soon.

I am learning - two accompaniments, Chopin Nocturne Op 9 #3, still working on Debussy Toccata, and picked up Debussy Minuet from Suite Bergamasque again. Nothing really to report on any of the above.. nothing spectacular nothing terrible. Or maybe I'm just the keyboard equivalent of tongue tied..

Didn't expect that, considering the fact that your playing has inspired me to learn new stuff!

Thanks!