O.K. guys and gals, i just bought an overture that is 24 pages long what was i thinking??? i really want to play this piece so i wanted to challenge myself to play this say max 9 months(hoping for 6 months). Now i am hoping you all will hold me liable to play this in that time frame HOWEVER in the process i wanted to challenge some of you who have brass cahonas(sp??) to also take a challenge on a very difficult and beautiful piece you have always wanted to learn in the same allotted time. every month or so we can check in and see how we are coming along. SOOOOOOOO is anyone up for this challenge??? count me in

1. Euan Morrison= "el mysterio".

2. Funburger= 1812 Overture by tchaikovsky

3. Kawaigirl= "Big My Secret" by Michael Nyman

4. Stephenc= 'Liebestraume' by Liszt

5. Sandy Moore= Liszt Consolation #3(???)

6. Sid= Einaudi's In Un Altra Vita(own version)

7. Ozor Mox= Schubert's Impromptu Op.90 No.2

8. Loveschopintoomuch= Chopin's Nocturne Op.48, #1.

9. Frycek= Chopin Scherzo nr 1 op 20

10. Opus45= (hopefully jumping in)

11. Patty39= Bach's invention No. 8

12. Ishmael= Mozart - Rondo alla Turca

13. Shubertian= Le Gibet from Ravel's Gaspard

14. SarahM= Chopin Ballade #1

15. Tana= CPE Bach's Sonata in E Minor

16. Shimmer= 'Jessica's theme' by Bruce Rowland.

17. Playadom= Liszt-HR2

18. vanityx3= 1st 2 movements of Beethoven's moonlight sonata

19. Eeeff= Bach Prelude and Fugue in G Minor

20. Par= Maple Leaf Rag

come on guys pick something even if you only get half of something done by then it will be better than putting it on the shelf!!!

Did someone say 'challenge'?

I'm always game for a bit of piano-related ambitions, so I'm in. Need to go and find a piece worthy of such a time-frame. Will report back later...

Funby:

Is it really 24 "unique" pages or is it around 9 pages that constantly repeats itself?.

I only ask because I recently learned "100 years" by five for fighting in about 30 minutes. It was a 9-page song but in actuality, it just repeated 2 1/2 pages over and over again.

I just ended up learning 2 1/2 pages and played the same thing 4 times over!!

Mr superhunky, i wish!!! these are all very uniquely different....wish it were that easy!!! haha, i wouldnt need to challenge if only repeating itself. and no its not moonlight sonata. its an orchestrated piece for the piano. i will list the piece later, i just dont want everyone picking the same piece otherwise they may play it better than me

Euan is in!!!! YIPPIE!!!!

This may be a big mistake, but I will choose 'Andante Spianato' by Chopin.

Its got a bit of repitition, but I think it will take a while to learn regardless.

Are you going to memorize this thing? All 24 pages...

Yikes!

Don't break anything, okay?

What is the name of this piece.... just wondering?

24 pages? 9 months? how difficult is it? how long is the piece played from a recording? If I have to learn anything 24 pages long at the limit of my technical skill, that would take 2-3 years to reach performance level.

hopefully it wont take that long to learn!!! challenges always make a piece i love that much more fun to learn because of the challenge. i hope you guys take on this challenge, and pick something to play. it will be a great chance for us all to improve on something:) and not beat ourselves up for putting something on the shelf we really love!!!

Only 2-3 years.... you must be an intermediate player! LOL

Heck I'd never get it memorized. I did manage to memorize all the 26 choruses of Mendlesohn's Ellijah but that was just the vocal parts.
A 24 page piano score (that isn't big note easy stuff) totally memorized is beyond my limits of endurance and perserverance.

There ain't enough headache pills in the world to get me through learning something like a 24 page piece of classical piano music.

Where can I buy my white towel of surrender?

wolfindmist--you wouldnt have to choose such a lengthy piece even if its 5 pages. choose something you have always wanted to play, that you have always wanted to but think you cant. come on give it a try!!! at least.

I think a ton of you guys can play pieces you want to play but are scared your not good enough!!! you guys i believe can do this!!!

Lets give it our hearts!!!

I stick to shorter repetoire or make it up as I go....on.

Besides I don't have any cannons around here to play with.

LOL

Hmm....I'm up for a good challenge...but certainly it's not like what Euan and funburger will be learning

I'll choose to learn "Big My Secret" by Michael Nyman.

This piece is not a long piece in terms of pages but I find this piece will be a good challenge for myself.

Nice idea funburger,

i've got a bit of a headstart, but I expect that my learning 'Liebestraume' by Liszt will still take several more months.

So count me in with that piece!

Hmmmmm.....Liszt Consolation #3. I think maybe...

OK, as our somewhat befuddled el supremo says, Bring It On!

I'm going to go out on a long long limb and commit to Einaudi's In Un Altra Vita...with the proviso that I be allowed to play my own arrangement of the piece...

Oh, the pressure, oh the humanity!

Great idea, funburger...I'll either be a passable pianist in 9 months or be confirmed as the mediocre dabbler that I already know myself to be. Taking deep breath...I accept your thrown glove, lady, en garde!

I've just started Schubert's Impromptu Op.90 No.2 and I can see it's going to be ridiculously challenging! I can make it through the first page so far, but there's plenty to go yet, so I'm up for this.

Count me in...glutton for punishment that I am. :p

My challenge (and I've already pulled a tendon in the LH pinkie...just playing the first page) is Chopin's Nocturne Op.48, #1.

If and that's a BIG if I can play this, I know I have arrived!! Arrived where? I don't know, but it will do amazing wonders for my self-confidence. AND it just might give me the psychological permission to go out and buy that new piano I've been dreaming about.

Thank you for giving me a "kick in the pants" so to speak...I really need it to get me going on this one.

Kathleen

Chopin Scherzo nr 1 op 20

this is a terrific idea funburger. it's going to take me a bit of time to decide what i want to tackle after finishing the pieces i'm now working on.

i'd like to give this matter some more thought before publicly committing to learn a challenging piece (to say nothing of all the hours/days/weeks/months it takes me to learn something challenging). i want it to be something I will really enjoy, of course.

i'm assuming we can jump in anytime?

m.h.o.

ouverture 1812 is an orchestral piece
thus you probably got the piano reduction of the orchestral score

is it worthy to spend 9 months of excercising to be able to play something what will never sound as good played on piano as it is when played by an orchestra?

there is plenty of famous and popular orchestral tunes which were originaly "born" as piano pieces, and then later, because of their popularity arranged for the orchestra by the composer himself (Dvorak: Slavonic Dances, Brahms: Hungarian Dances, Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsodies just to name a few)

May I choose a piece that I've already BEEN working on 9 month? It is Bach's invention No. 8. In the beginning I took it as a finger exercise separate for both hands, for weeks and weeks and months on end. LAST week my teacher and I officially took it up - of course I don't have the slightest clue how Bach is supposed to be played - the score does not indicate anything. I am very slowly through (that is, the progress is now amazing ) the first part with all phrasing, articulation and stuff (hopefully ... ) and it is a total revelation.

Liszt Addict - at the latest since this rendition of Ave Maria which left me breathless I believe you are able to play whatever you want - no excuse to chick out!

Sorry, I am so swamped with work that you'll only see me around occasionally but nevertheless I'll hop in from time to time.

Patty

thank-you guys for taking on this challenge.

kathleen, i think that is a great idea!!! you deserve it!!! however be careful practicing. your hands are more important than a piece:)

bluemarine-- my teacher said the same thing. it got me really depressed for 2 weeks. then i decided to heck with that if its going to make me sad i am just going to do it. when my heart gets stuck on something its hard to veer onto something else. i only ordered this piece, but will see it through till the end no matter what!!

Patty39- sweet!!! thats cool how that worked out for ya!!! you may have taken it on as an excercise, but its going to end up a beautiful flower!!! that is awesome how that worked out for you!!!!

sid-- my sword is drawn--let the games begin(well on jan. 1)

oh yeah, if everyone is in agreement how about jan. 1 --sept. 1 being the deadline, or we can make it the 15th (isnt that the online recital) whatever everyone decides on is fine:) that way we can have the holidays.

Bluemarine, oh yes it is worthy to stick with a piece you set your heart on even if it is a fully blasted orchestral work - and you know what? Next year we'll get the orchestra and be the cheering audience when Funburger accompanies them brilliantly on a shining grand Would that be just great?

Patty

I'm in for the challenge. Mozart - Rondo alla Turca.

I've wanted to play Le Gibet from Ravel's Gaspard for years - I'll do that.

I love this idea! The #1 problem I have with piano is motivation and this 'challenge' should motivate me.

So I would like to do the "Black Keys" Etude by Chopin.

p.s. I'm probably getting in WAY over my head on this one.

Sarah M, the black key etude is a great one to try. It is easier than it sounds, yet difficult enough to make you and your audience proud. Practice the first page slowly until you have it decent. If you can do page one, you can do it all, even though the next pages seem much harder