Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum La Campanella - should I stay away or just go ahead?

Hi everyone.

I am not sure if I should post this as a new topic or not, but I couldn't seem to find a suitable thread for my question.

I have been playing the piano on and off for almost 20 years, but really just playing by ear and virtually no classical music. I have recently - let's just say in the last year or so - fallen in love with classical music.

Since then I have been practising Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C# minor, Nocturne Op.9 no 2 by Chopin and last but not least Liszt's La Campanella. The two first ones I have almost gotten through, I just need to polish my performance a wee bit more. The last one is a different story.

My question to you is this; should I, being a beginner, even consider trying to master La Campanella? Or should I find something easier to build my technique up to the point where I will be able to learn La Campanella without getting frustrated to the point of giving up...?

I am having a hard time reading music as well, seeing that I haven't looked at classical scores in almost 20 years. It takes me a long time just to figure out 4-5 measures. Should I spend my time practising this piece and making small steps forward, or would I be better off playing something else?

Any thoughts on this, anyone?

I think that you should have a hundred or so other classical pieces under your belt before you start on this one. If you start that way, it could possibly take you just as long to learn as if you started with it, and at the end, you will have at least 101 pieces learned, instead of one.

Thank you very much for your candid reply. I really appreciate it. Any suggestions as to which pieces I should go for instead?

Although the one piece you like may give you more fun than the other 100.

A teacher might suggest to follow a classical syllabus like the one of ABRSM, but I am not a teacher.

The words "La Campanella" and "Adult Beginner" do not belong in the same sentence nor even on the same page. Please save yourself years of frustration trying to learn this piece if indeed you have some trouble reading music as you say. The fact that you have almost finished learning the Rachmaninoff C# minor prelude indicates that you have reasonable technique (if you can play it at anywhere near performance tempo). Since you like La Campanella, perhaps you might enjoy other works of Liszt that are less daunting than this one but just as appealing. I recommend his Consolation #3 as a good place to start. Another lovely piece is Liebestraume #3. There is a study group in the Adult Beginners Forum that's working on this piece right now. You might want to join it and benefit from the support and insights of the group.
Liebestraume #3 Study Group

Which hundred pieces to start with? Good places to start might be children's pieces by Tchaikowsky, Prokofiev, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Kabalevsky. Fischer publishes a collection, Masters of Our Day, which are a good introduction to the 20th century. Sonatas and sonatinas by Clementi, J. C. Bach, and some of the small pieces by brother C. P. E. Bach, as well as the little preludes and fugues by father J. S. Bach would be accessible. You could go on to Grieg's Lyric Pieces, Chopin Mazurkas, some of the easier Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven sonatas. Do not fail to stop by Beethoven's Bagatelles, Mozart's Rondos and similar shorter pieces. From there, you can go on to these composer's more challenging works.

There is a lot of stuff out there which can make the journey faster and more enjoyable. If you do not like one piece, there is another nearby that you may. Little by little you will develop your technique, taste, and knowledge, and all this will help you get to your goal.

I would like to hear you playing Rachmanyinov or Chopin.

IMO those are not the best pieces to start, even after 20 years playing by ear.

Only after hearing you one can say if you are technically ready for more difficult stuff.

My approach to these impossible-for-a-beginner pieces is to learn parts of them (even just parts of the RH) and attempt some of the harder parts, just to see why they are hard, while working on easier pieces more fully. No one says you have to learn a whole piece to have fun!

no you should not attempt to learn La Campanella yet. You said you have practised on and off for 20 years just playing by ear and virtually no classical music...yikes and you are even learning Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C sharp minor. These are not the right pieces for you. Before you attempt all these pieces have a strong foundation of classical music knowledge laid down 1st.

Start with a simple Bach, a sonatina by Beethoven,Kulah or Clementi, easier Mozart/Beethoven/Haydn/Schubert sonata, easier pieces by Schumann, Mendelssohn etc and not to mention technique.

And the most important thing of all, just go get a teacher...a teacher will know what would be the best for you right now!

Yeah, I am getting a teacher in August, when school starts here in Norway. At least I am smart enough to realize the fact that this is something I sorely need.

Also I am not so stupid that I am able to fool myself into thinking I can play the C# minor prelude. I know most of the notes and I can press the right keys but when it comes to dynamics and musical artistry I am gravely lacking.

The rewarding part of studying these pieces for me is reading the sheet music, seeing the structure of it and identifying the patterns. This just gives me a lot of joy.

Thanks for the advice everone. I don't think I will put away the La Campanella score completely, it's just to fun to play around with. I will however stop practising it the way I am and pursue other easier pieces. How about the Waldstein...? No just kidding...

How about the Bagatelles Op. 33 #7 and Op. 126 #2 to get you started!