Just wondering which pieces of music people found the most difficult to learn or even complete.

I was just looking at the music for Greig Piano concerto in A minor and I think that looks a little difficult to me !

I love that piece and I am half tempted to try it. Just looks a bit beyond me at present.

Let me know which ones you think.

Fiona

Anything with big chords in.... my hands are small

Not too bad with chords. Hands aren't that small. Can reach 9th.

I'm having trouble with Debussy Clair du Lune - rolling arppegios !

I find really fast pieces hard to play, due to the need to practise over and over to make sure all the notes are right. Clair de lune is such a great piece, and I have just mastered the arppegios!! Took time though. Chords are good for me too, as I can reach a ninth also!

Thats great with Clair de Lune Pianoforte.

I think it was you I mentioned to in another thread that I too was having the same difficulties with the arpeggios.

I've had a bit of a break from C de L recently but I have just started it again.

Do the arpeggios and melody sound more like they should now you have got the hang of it ? (if you know what I mean !)

It's really difficult to hear the actual tune whilst it's played quite slow isn't it ?

Fiona

Take a look at Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit

Hi all,

i am currently learning to play Chopin's Fantasie - Impromptu, I think it's one of the hardest pieces I've played, ever! But because it is a challenge, it makes it even more rewarding when I can play another part of it! It sounds lovely!

Anyone else like it?

Joy

Yes I have

Thats a brilliant piece Joyjoy. Wish I could play it though !

It is very rewarding when you learn something that you think is difficult.(and this is definatley one of them !)

I've done that with a couple of pieces myself. What pleasure !

Good luck with it!

Fiona

Fiona,

What pieces have you tried that have been challenging but rewarding?

(I'm addicted to the piece, it's so beautiful to play and is very relaxing although it is fast)

Joy

for my grade 1 exam i had to play prelude um i think its in g by purcell(sp?) and i found tht difficult at first but i love it now. my teacher was like no sarah you have to join the notes not tie them and stuff like that lol.

Beethoven - Moonlight sonata
Beethoven - Fur Elise
Chopin - Nocturne Eb
Debussy - Clair de Lune (part way through)
Bach - Prelude and Fugue in C

I only started to learn piano because I loved the 1st pieces and now I'm addicted !

I would like to try Liszt liebestraume Noctturno III O Lieb.
Thats a wonderful piece !

May be a bit challenging for GII - III standard but hey, who cares ?
Thats part of the reward !

Have you got anymore in the pipeline Joyjoy ?

Fiona

Fiona,

ive also been working on Czerny's Etude in A Minor, its lovely, again fast, but there's a bit that has been nigling me for ages, i cant quite grasp, my fingers fall over each other, but I'll get there, eventually!!

Joy

Wow I love Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu, Grieg's Concerto in A minor, Chopin's Nocture in Bflat Opus 9, No.2 and Liszt's Liebestraume(spelling?)

The sad thing is, I can only play Chopin's Nocturne and a little of Liszt's. I think Fantasie's a real challenge. Especially with the tricky triplets thingy.

Any tips for working on that? I either get one hand too fast and the other too slow. Sigh.

Well with the Impromtu, I didn't think I'd ever be able to play it but one day I tried a little, and I kept practicing segments right hand then left hand, and tried to put it together, it eventually came to me, I did a little bit, and now I have the bug and want to be able to play it all. So for advice, I 'd say try to learn right and left hand off by heart, so you don't have to think about what notes to play, and it should eventually come together.

Joy

How about Warsaw Concerto by Richard Adinsell, ok its not Mozart etc but it is a wonderfully difficult piece of music (unless you get the easy version) and having played Moonlight Sonata mov 3, Liszt 2nd Hungarian Rhapsody and a fair amount of Brahms I have to say this was a little tricky.

The most impossible piece in the world is 'La Campanella' by Listz. It is also such a beautiful piece though. It is about 15 pages long and i can only just about play the first page. I listen to the recording of it a lot and it always amazes me how intricate and wonderful the music is. Listz is such an amazing composer. I seriously recommend everyone to listen to this and those who are above grade 8 standard to attempt playing it. I'm very interested to know if anyone has played this piece before or can perform it through.

Just looked at the score for that... AARGH!!!

I can play the first bar though. That's the slow bit.

Oh i so know what you mean...near the middle....erm, i don't think i can even read that let alone play it. The first page is manageable though and it sounds great.

Im playing Mozart Piano Concerto in d minor K. 466, which is pretty difficult.

And Beethoven Sonata Op.2, No.3

The four pieces i've had the most trouble with are:

Debussy- L'Isle Joyeuse- keeping the rapid passages even
Debussy- Ce qu'a vu le vent d'ouest- keeping it in time- (it's one of those pieces that runs away with you and it's hard to slow some bits down and speed others up)
Debussy- Feux d'artifice (i still can't play this- for me it's the most difficult piece ever!)
Chopin- Nocturne in C minor- fitting the RH semiquavers over the LH triplets

Rachmaninov... Prelude in C# Minor... and Prelude in G Minor... I've finished the C# Minor... but I REALLY want to do the G Minor now... it's terrifying!! but i've listened to the record godness knows how many times and I love the piece!! look it up okay?

wow, i never played such demanding pieces when i was grade2/3 level!!! right now im preparing for the dipABRSM, and of the difficult pieces, i find the middle part of the chopin nocturne in E... it is an amazing, beautiful height of the piece, but having contrapunctual tendencies with 3 voices makes it very difficult to play at high speed. i've also tried to learn the fantasie impromptu op.66 from chopin, but haven't had time because of my exam. i learnt the first 2 pages though, it was difficult at first, but after a couple of days i got the hang of it and it's really alright. for those wanting something really challenging, i would recommend the 3rd movt. of beethoven's moonlight sonata, it's a killer! but when you finally play it, the beauty moves you....
--selly