Sorry if this has been asked before but I didn't know the best way to search on it. I figured the teacher's forum was the best place to ask.

Just as a frame of reference as to where I'm at, I've learned or been working on the following pieces recently:

Various Scarlatti sonatas
Brahms Rhapsodies
Various Bach P&F from WTC
Chopin Mazurkas, Preludes etc
Schumann Kinderscene
Debussy - Dr Gradus

Of course if there are any works from other composers that would be a help in this regard, I'd be grateful to hear about them.

It looks as if you're ready to start in on Mozart and Beethoven Sonatas, some of the easier Brahms etudes, and I would suggest several Nocturnes by Chopin as well. Oops, I nearly forgot, some Schubert Impromptus.

Cramer.

I agree with Mr. Brook and would like to suggest after studying some of the pieces he mentioned, try Chopin's Scherzi. I believe that once one can thread together the different sections of a Scherzo, then he/she may be ready to focus on the singular, technical challenge presented in an Etude.

~mstrongpianist

Honestly, you are more than ready to play some of the easier Chopin Etudes. Op. 25 No. 2 is easy, as well as the first of the Three New Etudes. I think there have been threads that discussed the progression of Chopin Etudes.

AZN, I'm sure he could, but I'd like to see a more balanced preparation before starting in on the etudes.

I don't think any of them is "easy."

I think that the least demanding of the Trois Nouvelles Etudes is the second (or third, depending on the edition) in A-flat, not the first one in f minor; I suspect that 2-against-3 polyrhythm is universally found less challenging than 4-against-3.

My own recommendation is more Preludes of increasing difficulty. The more advanced ones are comparable to the Etudes in their persistent focus on a specific aspect of technique, but tend to require less stamina because they're generally briefer.

Steven

Steven I would definitely agree none of them are easy and I didn't take AZ's remark to mean that they were. I think he was just speaking in relative terms. I'm sure some of the etudes are more accessible to a broader group of players than others. In his judgement, 25/2 might arguably be one of those (although when I listen to it, it sounded like a beast to me !).

Thanks all for the recommendations ! You've given me WAY too much to think about....

Well, that's what was written; rather than make assumptions about what people really mean, I take their words at face value. (FWIW, an equally outlandish claim came from the same source less than two weeks ago about Chopin's Fantaisie Op. 49: "It's not a technically-demanding piece.")

Steven

I don't think "easy" is a common adjective applied to Chopin's études. Just sayin'.

Well I'm not trying to start a fight. I'm not here as often as others so I don't have the knowledge of AZ's prior posts. Absent that info, my intent was to just give him the benefit of the doubt. I would heartily disagree with any remark about the Chopin Fantasie being "not technically challenging" (or however it was phrased). And if I thought for a minute that any of Chopin's etudes were easy, I wouldn't have had any need to start this thread.

Also just sayin'....

dmc,

I had forgotten that you initiated a similar discussion here just a few months ago:

Am I ready to take on a Chopin etude?

I guess I'm a little surprised that you didn't reach a decision and remain in the "pondering" stages. I definitely understand uncertainty, the wisdom of keeping realistic goals, and the frustration of being tantalized by something you fear may be out of your reach; still, there's a time when you need to take the plunge and test the waters!

I realize that out of the 27 etudes, a fair number of them should be withdrawn from your consideration because of a difficulties that are unrealistic and predictably unmanageable at present. A fair number of them, too, would be very sensible choices for you.

I'm sure you've seen a number of attempts to categorize the etudes by difficulty level, so pick one that speaks to you musically and that you feel is an appropriate technical challenge for you. Approach it with confidence and the conviction that you will grow into its requirements. If you choose one of the faster ones, remember that it needn't be played at top speed to be both beneficial and gratifying.

In my opinion, you just need to break the ice here. Once you do, you'll want to learn more—and the hesitation and uncertainty you feel now will be behind you.

Steven

You can try some of the easier Etudes and if they prove too difficult....to quote Mr. Cheney, "So?"

Or play more Preludes, Mazurkas, Waltzes.

Neither way will be a disaster.

Steven -

No argument with what you're saying. Under normal circumstances, I'd have a reached a decision but there have been some events since I started that thread that changed my view of things.

When I first posted it, I was working with a teacher and had intended to ask her about it. Then towards the end of August I got sick. This landed during the time when my teacher was taking her end-of-summer break from lessons before gearing up for the school year. She said she would call when her school-year schedule was settled. Anyways during this lull, my health took a nose-dive for several weeks. I had to be hospitalized while the docs tried to sort things out. By the time she called me to resume lessons, I was in no condition to take them on so I had to put her off until things improved. When I contacted her (2 weeks ago), her schedule had filled up to the point that she couldn't fit me in. I was disappointed but I understood. So...I never got to discuss it with her & I'm hunting for a teacher again. Until I find one, I wanted to take the cautious route to scaling this mountain.

Another complication of sorts is that I have a history of hand injury due to some careless practice habits. This occurred when I returned to the piano after an absence of 15 years or so. The 12-18 mos I dealt with that was not pleasant so I'm admittedly a bit paranoid. Until I find a teacher to monitor how I'm doing things, I figured the prudent approach would be to ask the good folks here at PW. Thats why I posted it here in the teacher's lounge.

So now you know my life story....! Aren't you glad ya' asked ?

dmc,

Well dang, thanks for sharing—though I hope you didn't feel any pressure to disclose such details. It does provide some perspective that I hadn't guessed at, and your caution in light of a pre-existing hand injury that was piano-related is completely understandable.

I'm glad to know that you're doing better after your recent hospital stay, and I hope you are securely on the road to recovery.

With sincere best wishes!

Steven

Not at all. Of course there was no way you could have known so your questions were perfectly logical. As a matter of fact, as I read back thru it, I probably got into way more detail than was necessary. A bad habit of mine ! And regarding my prior hand injury, Its generally better to the point that I don't know its there anymore. In some ways it was a blessing which forced me to correct bad technique. But it did leave me with some arthritis which is manageable as long as I'm careful.

I guess what I was trying to say is that for someone like myself, a Chopin Etude would best be studied under the scrutiny of a good teacher. Since I don't have that at the moment, my thinking would be to ramp up to it using other works that folks here might recommend based on their experiences.