I recognized it by sight (after a little reflection), but when I tried it later at the piano it wasn't the theme I remember. As I remember it, the theme dropped by a minor third after the chromatic half-steps, not a major third (so it would be G#-A-G#-F).

The interesting thing is that I recognized it anyway. Structurally, the visual pattern (the half steps and the drop by a third) triggered something in my memory. Of course, the intertextual context of the whole thread helped me. I'm not sure whether I would have recognized it isolated from the rest of the discussion in the thread. And, of course, in isolation it wouldn't even have been a joke.

(I'm interested in the ways music notation functions as a visual language, so I think about silly stuff like this.)

I laughed when I saw Joe's joke. I didn't actually try it on the piano, so I don't know the minor/major third part. But I knew what it was. It's way better than writing "du du du du, du du du du" to try to put it across

Cathy

I've been on the forum since Nov. of last year, and I've seen quite a few of these posts..lol. " I don't know how to play but am working on advanced pieces". ...maybe there should be a suport thread for this..lol.

Now, here's a guy that may pull off a feat and then some:

The best teacher I had was a former concert pianist who, for personal reasons, had to curtail her performance career and teach. Her rates were very reasonable, and an incredible bargain considering her knowledge, ability, and gift for teaching.

The definition of an internet troll, from Wikipedia…

I'm not sure if anyone is still on topic, but I thought I should throw my opinion in.

OP, like you, I started by learning difficult pieces (Beethoven Sonata's instead of Chopin though). I was advised by another member not long ago to look at Bach two part inventions and Schumann's Album for the Young to start with, instead of jumping right in the deep end.
Whilst I was looking for those on Amazon, I came across this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chopin-Introduct...3632&sr=8-1

There are a lot of good pieces for beginners like ourselves in there. I have just started on Prelude in C Minor.

I have to dissagree. Listen again.

You're right! I didn't listen to the real music first. I just played the single note theme and compared it to my mental image. I guess I didn't want to "hear" a major third because it didn't sound spooky enough.

On the other hand, I have now listened to the recording and looked at a piano arrangement that I found online. The essence of the sound isn't just the theme notes. It's the fact that there is a accompanying line that renders the tune into a series of different intervals. The note in question (the E) is part of a diminished fifth (it's played with an upper Bb). I'll bet that's where the eerie sound in my memory came from.

I definitely used to feel that way. You just have to accept that sometimes you will have to play pieces you don't like. But, keep your eye on the prize and remember that it will all pay off in the end. Maybe you can ask your teacher for some more interesting pieces. Or, maybe you can think about how good it will feel when you master that boring piece and will never have to play it again-Yahoo!

Also, I think the patience takes practice and a slight shift in your mind set. Instead of thinking about how boring the song is think about how exciting it is to be learning to play the piano.
If you don't like the song don't "listen" to the whole song, listen to each note and what kind of sound it produces.

As far as the HT... Learning the whole piece HS does sound daunting. How about doing a few measures at a time. That's how I did it when I relied on memorizing (now I that my reading is improving I don't have to do it that way anymore).

You can also read through the song without playing to get familiar with the patterns etc. Then run through each hand to get a feel for it.

p.s HT will get easier the more you practice

Beginner pieces may be tedious but they are essential for learning sight reading, finger technique, moving hands, playing hands together, and dynamics.

I didn't like learning Jingle Bells as I prefer classical pieces but when I was learning jingle bells it helped me with my timeing and rhythm because it's a song I am very familiar with therefore I immediately heard my mistakes.

I can't wait for the day where I will be able to play Michael Nyman's work from The Piano because that was my inspiration 16 yrs ago. I also know that I have many hurdles to get over before being able to do this.

keep pluggin, don't quit, git 'er done

even if, as many have already presumed is inevitable, you fail to offer a musical interpretation of this piece, the sightreading, dexterity, and other skills you learn in the process will help you with the other pieces you want to learn.

I disagree that you will ruin the piece by trying to learn it now. I believe that even if you teach yourself to play it now, with mistakes, that when you return at a more experienced level of ability, it will be mostly waiting for your return.

good luck, and congratulations on your progress. please share when you are prepared!