Hey guys,

i have some questions about this book. I am currently using it and i pretty sure working on it will help my development as pianist. I am a bit surprised though as it is classified beginner. My teacher started me last week on number 12 and this week 13. When i compare that to alfred all in one i find it way more difficult to play one of those than a song in the middle of the first book. As a side note i am working on master classics pieces lvl 2 learning them is way easier than those studies. Don't get me wrong i like challenge and i noticed on youtube that further studies of this opus look like pretty nice music too compared to lots of beginner studies.

When i look at exercise 13 i see special fingering which make things a bit harder for the beginner i am. And on left hand i see held note with 2 chord quarter note and last staccato. On the right hand there is a mix of eighth note and staccato too. If you really want to play it right i feel it is definitely not that easy. I just wish with time i can learn those exercises faster or more efficiently...

But is it really beginner stuff ? What level (in grade estimate) do you reach when you finish the book?

Thanks for your help on this.

Sheet Music Plus rates it as from level "3 to 7" which is "early intermediate" to "late intermediate".

Like a lot of older books, the ramp-up is severe. I assume your teacher is only going to give you things you can reasonably handle ...

Hi,

I can only talk from my own experience. I consider the excersises 1 to 7 from op 599 for real beginners. That is: you'll have to practise hard for it. Much sweat and pain involved.

When you experience it as very difficult, that would probably be normal. Lets say one exercise every two weeks (at least for me it was.)

The exercises 12 to 17 is more like for after an half year or so. Because you need to move your hand sideways, read the notes, half page long and czerny stuff isn't easy at all.

But everbody has a dfferent learning curve. Maybe your teacher sees a real talent in you, putting you in totally discomfort zone.

If you are a true beginner, look for the one or two bar exercises without hand movements sideways. Learning to read the notes is difficult enough.

PS: the hard work on czerny stuff will be paid back when you do your first real classical pieces. You will do it sooner and smoother.

You definitely confirm what i was thinking


I find the studies interesting but as Andy mentioned the ramp-up is severe.

How far did you go in the study of the OP599 paperclip?

Hi Burt59,

I did a book from a professor who selected etudes from 3 different composers. One of them was Czerny. I recognise the Czerny exercises 1-7, but the book had a lot more. I did 20 of them or so. Similar to the Czerny exercises 12-17 I did 3 of them, before I moved on to Bach menuet in G and Tchaikovsky Sick Puppet and Puppet Funeral.

Then I played only classical pieces. Sometimes my teacher gives a specific etude to improve my technique. Some are Czerny, but I don't know from which opus. I love Heller etudes now from op 45, 47 and 125, because they sound very good more like a piece than an etude. But I don't study them often.

Now I have op 599 for analyzing chord progression and naming them. Also the easier ones for sight reading with the finger numbers erased. At least that was the idea.

I have seen a few books with selected etudes from different composers like Czerny and others, and I am really impressed by it. If the selector is any good, the book has the best etudes ordered by technique.

Following an opus from Czerny from beginning to end, I don't consider that as time efficient. Better play what you like, supported by etudes selected by your teacher from time to time, if you can play a one page real classical piece.

Thank you very much for the insight Paperclip.

daughter is with a chinese teacher, where she has to go through the traditional method of F Beyer->Czerny Op.599->Czerny Op.849 and so on. She is half way thru' 849. It is slow, but definitely improved her technical ability.

I agree with Paperclip.
the path of "studies" in the classical training is/was pretty steep.

czerny op 740 and Cramer 60 studies selected by Bulow are 5th year conservatory exam part (12 studies total) that is considered the beginner level....

FYI this is what is "intermediate" exam material for conservatory in Italy focusing on etudes:

24 preludes and fugas from WTC (12 from book 1, 12 from book 2)
following etudes from gradus ad parnassum (Clementi)nn. 2, 5, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 26, 30, 32, 36, 44, 47, 58, 63, 65, 78, 86, 87, 88, 95, 96
than a Beethoven sonata (intermediate one)... Chopin etudes, other stuff....

I look at that and I just put the 5th gear and study harder :-)

Oh my! I've been working on the WTC, book 1, for a year now, and it will be maybe two more years before I have it all under the fingers. What the heck is advanced??

for the final exam (besides composition, besides conduction, besides all the exams you need to complete before being allowed... ):

you need to manage a "concert" of less than 75 minutes picking one composition from each of these groups:

A:
Bach: all composition for piano and all transcriptions written by Liszt, Tausig, Busoni, D'Albert.
Beethoven: a sonata from opus 57 to 111, or Diabelli's variation, or 32 Variation in C minor or Rondo' op 129.

B:
C.M. Weber: sonata in A flat maj. (n.2)
F Shubert: Fantasia in C maj.
Shumann: Carnaval op. 9 / Symphonic etudes.
Chopin: a sonata, b or b flat minor or a group or 3 composition chosen between: ballade #2, ballade #4, polonaise in f sharp maj, nocturnes or mazurkas.
Liszt, sonata in b minor, scherzo and march, mephisto waltz #1, trascendental etudes: Mazeppa or Faux Follets or F minor, or a concert etude.

C:
BRAHMS: variazioni sopra un tema di Paganini (1° e 2° fasc.); variazioni sopra un tema di Haendel; rapsodia in mi bem.
C. SAINT-SAENS: sei studi Op. 111.
FRANCK: preludio corale e Fuga; oppure Preludio, Aria e Finale.
CHABRIER: Bourrée Fantasque;
SGAMBATI: Preludio e Fuga. Due studi da concerto.
MARTUCCI: tema con variazioni. Fantasia Op. 51.
E. BOSSI: studio da concerto op. in si b. minore. Moto perpetuo.

D:
▪ BALAKIREW: Islamey.
▪ LIAPUNOW: studi trascendentali.
▪ MUSSORGSKY: Tableau d'une exposition.
▪ SCRIABINE: studi. Sonate.
▪ DEBUSSY: preludi. Estampes. Studi. Preludio, Sarabanda e Toccata.
▪ RAVEL: Alborada del Gracioso. Sonatina. Gaspard de la Nuit. Jeux d'eau.
▪ ALBENIZ: Iberia (tutta la serie).
▪ STRAWINSKY: Sonata.
▪ BARTOK: Suite. Allegro Barbaro.
▪ Composizioni di noti autori italiani contemporanei.

And you also need to know two concert for piano and orchestra, (one old, one "new") knowing the piano score and orchestra score and be able to give examples on the piano.


all this stuff in 2 years of work. O_O