Difficult Piano Pieces.

[Megan]

When I look at a music score and think to myself, Oh, that looks relatively easy. or doable, I'll try that. Ha! I kid myself.
Like for instance, glancing at and reading the Chopin Etude Opus 10. Waterfall, a Lovely piece.

[Megan]

No harm in practicing, as a warm up exercise.

[Chris]

When I was a teenager, my piano teacher often warned me against trying to play things that were beyond my skill level, because she did not want me to waste time and get frustrated, but I didn't care. I wasn't trying to be a professional pianist, or even really the best pianist I could be. I just wanted to have fun playing music I loved. And stumbling slowly through sections of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 or Chopin's Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53, or one of Beethoven's late sonatas brought me hours of joy. So why not? This etude is beautiful and has things to teach even at slow speeds, I think!

[Sorrano]

When I was a teenager, my piano teacher often warned me against trying to play things that were beyond my skill level, because she did not want me to waste time and get frustrated, but I didn't care. I wasn't trying to be a professional pianist, or even really the best pianist I could be. I just wanted to have fun playing music I loved. And stumbling slowly through sections of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 or Chopin's Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53, or one of Beethoven's late sonatas brought me hours of joy. So why not? This etude is beautiful and has things to teach even at slow speeds, I think!

Something I've found while muddling through a Beethoven Sonata (very slowly) is that I can see/hear things that he did with the themes and motifs that make up the work. There are nuances and all sorts of devices that I would otherwise miss just listening. That has given me a much greater respect for the art of the composer.

[Peter]

When I look at a music score and think to myself, Oh, that looks relatively easy. or doable, I'll try that. Ha! I kid myself.
Like for instance, glancing at and reading the Chopin Etude Opus 10. Waterfall, a Lovely piece.

Martha Argerich uses the Schumann toccata as a warm up exercise and to test new pianos!

[Peter]

Another warm up piece (I think not!)

[Megan]

Fabulous playing by Yunchan Lim,
galaxies beyond my scope!
What a genuis.

[Listener]

When I look at a music score and think to myself, Oh, that looks relatively easy. or doable, I'll try that. Ha! I kid myself.
Like for instance, glancing at and reading the Chopin Etude Opus 10. Waterfall, a Lovely piece.

I can manage it in about ten minutes with a few mistakes Currently on the Schubert G-flat impromptu which is a lot easier but still surprisingly tricky.