Hi, I`ve been playing piano for a while, And I`m just finished learning Wedding day by Edvard Grieg. I would like to learn a sonata, prelude or something that`s quite challenging, not way over wedding day level (you have heard it? great great music

I`m quite fascinated by Rachmaninov, Chopin some of his work, but what i like is too hard for me i guess ;P I`ll play it on a piano exam in the summer, so if you could suggest a cool almost "showoff" piece, it would be great.. although the most important thing is if the piece sounds good ofcourse.

I was thinking about moonlight sonata 3rd.. how hard is it really?

thanks

Some Rachmaninoff preludes are pretty great...enough said. You should check them out. And I`ve heard that Chopin`s Ballades are pretty great too, but I`ve never played them myself and I`ve only heard a couple of them. And yeah, the 3rd movement of that Beethoven`s pretty good. There`s tons more, just explore some. Good luck, Jackie

U know what? Liking is one thing. U should try the pcs out and see whether they fit u, esp. technically and stylistically. It`s pretty much just like buying shirts. And esp. so if yr taking exams.

Hi again I was posting something like the same post on the classical forum, i`m quite new here, i`ll just continiue the post here anyway

A piece that suits my playing style is of course an important object.. But I would like to have a few songs wich i really like when i pick out wich of them i will learn.. as i practice alot (basicly pieces a little too hard for me, so i really have to practice to make them sound good) I need motivation. I`ve found this way of learning good and progressive for me..

The Rach G minor is a piece i really like, but don`t know how hard it is..?

Thanks

NO NO NO! Not Moonlight Mvt. 3! Judges will be bugged by it. I won`t like you as much because of it.
The hard thing about Rachmaninoff`s G-minor prelude is the big leaps. It`s really easy to ruin this piece. One recent performance of it I`ve heard was...like he was sight reading. He cut the tempo in half and...well...he sounded like he was struggling. So when you play it, separate the two parts entirely. Don`t even hint that they are the same part, or you`ll get some nasty remarks from people who`ve heard the piece before.

For a show-off piece, I suggest Beethoven`s "Appassionata" Sonata. It`s a bit difficult compared to the Hochzeitstag, but it always makes you sound like a virtuoso.

P.S. The second section isn`t all that difficult. You just have to memorize some easy fingering and repeat it. Kinda like Etude "Revolutionary" if you`ve ever played it.

Whoah...Harvey, can you tell me some more about that Rach prelude in Gm? I`ve been working on it since like October and I`m practically self-taught, as all the teacher I`ve had in my nearly 6 1/2 years of playing have taught me like no technique whatsoever. I don`t even have a teacher currently. I`m sounding pretty good on it but it`s just not clicking. Thanks, Jackie

Thanks.. As for moonlight mvt.3 I agree, it`s like playing stairway to heaven on a guitar exam (well, i`m a guitarist actually.. but yeah, you know like a little overdone..

What I like about the Rachmaninov prelude is that it seems to me even if you can play it right, you have to work to put expression in it and make it SOUND right.. As my friend said, "The hard thing about that piece is making it sound so damn russian.." lol, but what i mean is i really like working on pieces that shows your skill/lack of skill when it comes to the musical expression.. I find the rach prelude something like that, hard to make it sound more than "ok"...

I`ll check out the beethoven sonata too, thanks

If you look at the Gm prelude, just the technical part.. any special parts that`s really hard? If yes i could practise some excercises before I start to study it..

thanks again

how about chopins harp etude

Dude, the hardest pieces are not show off pieces. They are pieces like Mozart`s K.331. They are so perfect because you do not enhance this pieces with harmonic embellishments like you might find in a Brahms piano piece, but on the contrary you bring out what the music speaks to you. For that you have to have a tremendous knowledge of the time period and the performance practices that they used. A good piece would be any of the opus 2 Beethoven sonatas, opus 27 is also good. I would stick to a wide variety of Mozart, Haydn, and Bach, becuase those are the best pieces you can pianistically develop on.

The following pieces could suit well your level:
i) Schubert: Allegretto D946, No. 2, E flat (Exquisite music).
ii) Schubert: Impromptu Op. 142 No. 3 (Wonderful spread of pianist`s skills).
iii) Scriabin: Etude Op 2, No. 1 (Romantic, dramatic, passionated, and still serene).
iv) Brahms: Intermezzo Op. 118, No. 2 (Passion and tenderness, unforgettable).

Why not a barroque piece? Very impressive ones due to their rhytmic vigour and melodic quality are:
v) Scarlatti: Sonate in E, K380
vi) Scarlatti: Sonate in F, K466

If still unknown for you, midi files for the above pieces are available in several web sites. And enjoy them!

Jackie:
For the G-minor Prelude, first you must tell me what you can`t do with ease. With ease would mean that you get exactly what you want four times out of five, or even 9 out of 10. I want to be careful not to change your interpretation.

As for a show off piece, i think that you would be better off going w/ rachmoaninovs prelude in c(i dont know if its sharp i think it is) minor. Its slower than g minor and rather short. I have played both and g minor is much harder to perfect, especially at the proper speed where those stacatos just start to make your hands fall apart, but the effort is worth it, i would rate g minor over c as a show off piece. I am currently nearly the completiong of moonlight(3rd), and it wasn`t as difficult as i thought. I still have alittle ways to go on speed (its 176 per quarter note!), this is another piece that requires dedication. I`d say the hardest part about it, is maintaing speed throughout the song (which is over 7 minutes, making that very hard) and making sure that the bass is even. Other than that the arpegios seem to mold into your hands and after awhile they are like second nature. So wateveri`ve been rambling, i`d go w/ the g minor (rach) it take some work (not as much as moonlight) but its not as easy as c minor, and it sounds alot more dramatic and interesting.....and russian! Well thats my 2 cents...