I'm greatly pleased with my "Best of" book. The feeling that comes from playing Einaudi's music is magical.

I'm getting some Einaudi converts already. Just for fun I played Nefeli for my piano teacher (first time for anything not classical) -- she really liked it and was thinking she might order the "Best of" book herself. A couple of weeks later we had a group piano class at our house and one of my teacher's teen-age students tried out some Einaudi pieces - her mom has added the "Best of" book to her Christmas list!

And today at last I downloaded the mp3 files of all of the tracks in the "Best of" book and they're playing randomly on my computer now ... wow! I'm making a list of all the new pieces I want to learn - it's a long list - guess I'd better go get started!

Thanks for the update! Feel free to let us hear any recordings once you're happy with them. We absolutely love recordings. Of course, you have the right to save one for the recital.

Thanks, Anthony. I'm not set up to record yet - and I'm not sure I can play anything flawlessly enough to attempt to do so - but I'm thinking this might be a good project for 2009.

Today I discovered "La nascita della cose segrete" ("The birth of secret things" I think, but my Italian is rusty) and have flagged it to start working on. Interestingly, it doesn't seem to be one of the popular ones on the ABF, as I found just one reference to it when I did a search. But I think it's quite beautiful.

Carol

I feel an hole in my stomach anytime I listen to Nefeli. There's something absolutely mystical in this music. It is joyfully beautiful but at the same time disturbing and deeply aching.

What I've found to be unique about Einaudi is that it rates high on two scales: beautiful music to listen to, and a pleasure to play. With my usual classical repertoire, I find that the some of the most beautiful pieces are just not all that much fun to play! It's not just about difficulty . . . maybe it's the broad freedom of interpretation and expression that's possible with Einaudi's music. It's so easy just to get lost in the sounds coming from the piano.

Carol

Yeah, La Nascita Delle Cose Segrete is a pretty piece. That's one that I've been playing around with. Here's me messing around with the first page of the piece:

La Nascita Practice

Anthony, that was beautiful!

It was exactly what I needed to hear this morning. I just now made the mistake of getting drawn into a post-election-day debate with a work colleague whose views are the complete opposite of mine. Never a good idea.

Hearing your lovely playing has restored my good mood.

Carol

Ditto! I gotta say that what you call "messing around" with a piece I call "just about ready to record."

Heh, I can tell you that didn't take just one attempt. Plus I haven't really gotten around the other sections of the piece yet. I'm going to really have to give this one some effort as I like to play that part quite a bit. For some reason I've still got a hard time with the chord change in the left hand even though I shouldn't. Oh well, practice will fix that up given enough time. I spent some time this afternoon going over the rest of the right hand parts.

I think we could invent a new beginner learning method based on Einaudi music alone. It is based on the three most important patterns of music (arpeggios, chords and scales), it is slow enough but require a steady rhythm, it is that beautiful to trigger motivation and boost self-esteem, it requires a great care for dynamic and phrasing.

I got the idea from a piano student who learned to play on Final Fantasy tracks. After two years he had become so good, to choose to apply for grade 8 piano. Not only he passed the exam, but was congratulated for possing a magnificent touch and musicality that normally students at that level don't possess.

Would you choose Einaudi over Bastien?

Ditto Ditto

In a heartbeat!! In fact, I already did!!

Of course, asking that question on the Einaudi thread will probably get you a biased sample of replies.

But I think this is a terrific idea, Danny. I can envision a book entitled something like "Learning with Ludo" (well, maybe that's *not* such a good name... ) that would be geared toward the adult/teen learner. It could come with a companion CD that people would actually want to play outside of lessons, just for listening pleasure. Given Einaudi's popularity in Europe, I'm guessing such a curriculum would be a good seller there. And you're right: Einaudi's music is ideally suited for teaching arpeggios and chords (less so for scales, imo) as well as Alberti-like bass patterns.

And I think it would be particularly appealing to people to be able to start playing "real" music very very early on.

I thought there already was one, although not by Einaudi - http://www.quiescencemusic.com/

Rich

On a similar vein, is there a piece of New Age sheet music that is attainable by someone, i.e. me, to have a go at as a longer term project.

I'm currently on page 90 of Alfred Book 1, and also learning 'The Sound of Music'; self taught, so a complete newbie.

I do however much prefer listening to New age piano so would love to have a go at learning a piece.

If you think this is still a pipe dream at my stage please say

Any thoughts appreciated

Blackbird

It's amazing how similar all these online piano lesson websites look...

Blackbird. That is just about where I stopped with Alfred's. I started by learning Limbo then went to I Due Fiumi, then Stella Del Mattino and now messing with La Nasciata along with some other piece that I had started on.

I went back to Alfred's book one a few times but never seem to want to play those pieces when I obviously like these pieces better.

Absolutely. If you like Einaudi's music, you should buy the "Best of" sheet music collection. It's about $25, and you won't be able to play a lot of the pieces, but there are some that are almost certainly within your grasp right now. As Anthony pointed out, "Limbo" and "I due fiumi" are good ones to start with. I personally think "I due fiumi" is gorgeous, so I'd recommend that over "Limbo."

If you'd rather not spring for a huge book at this point in time, check out some of David Nevue's easier pieces. I wrote about them in the thread linked below, including some recordings so you can hear what they sound like. "Solitude" is a lovely piece and very very easy.
Thread about easy David Nevue pieces

[edited to fix stupid typo ]

Wow, thanks AnthonyB and Monica for the prompt reply

I've listened to all the pieces mentioned and like them all but for my first attempt I've gone for Solitude for a couple of reasons.

It's a legitimate free download so I can start now.

It's seems with a lot of work something I could do.

I love the music

It will be so nice to attempt to learn a piece I have a real feeling for.

I have a horrible feeling my Alfred may take a back seat

Thanks again both

Blackbird

Someone today asked what I wanted for Xmas, it's now on the list

Blackbird, where can one download Solitude?

Blackbird, where can one download Solitude?[/QUOTE]

Whoops had to edit out the link, didn't realise it's not allowed but if you go to this site you will find it.

Hope that is ok

Is there anything in the Divenire compilation (sheet music) that is approachable for a beginner?

I'm not sure there is anything in there that is easier than the stuff in the best of book. I think that one is last on my list to get (after I get the Una Mattina book).

Now I'll just let Monica come around and really answer the question.

If you're not fussy about tempo, "Primavera" is easy in terms of the notes. Getting it up to speed was harder for me.

I personally was able to play more out of the "Una Mattina" than "Divenire." (I have literally been working on the title piece "Divenire" for over a year, and it's still too sloppy to record, although I am finally--FINALLY--getting it up to something approximating the right tempo.)

Actually, right now I am working on "Ancora" from the Una Mattina book. This is a piece I absolutely love but was too intimidated to start on it originally due to its length and tricky rhythms. (The freakin' piece is 12 minutes long!! The sheet music for it has 18 pages!!!!) But I was looking for a new Einaudi piece to work on, and I kept getting drawn back to Ancora. I started it 3 days ago, and it's captured my heart in the same way that I due fiumi did. But it's going to be a long term project to get it done.

But the section of the piece starting at 7:01 is just sublime. I hope he plays it at the concert.

Clearly I need to buy "Una Mattina" and "Divenire" ASAP! (Even if they don't qualify for super saver shipping on Amazon.com.)

"I due fiumi" is wonderful, and I learned it quite quickly over the weekend. Thus encouraged, I tried "Melodia africana II" and thought I'd learned it as quickly, but I've just listened to the recording and Einaudi plays it so fast! And it does sound better when he plays it. Oh well. :rolleyes:

My only problem with Einaudi is that I like everything in the "Best of" book, so I dash from one piece to another and learn nothing properly. Any attempt to follow a disciplined and organized course of study seems to fail. Listening to the recordings doesn't help, because they're all beautiful and I want to learn everything immediately.

If Monica (as the Forum's official Einaudi expert) and some of our other experienced Einaudi fans could list their absolute best favorites pieces to play, in increasing order of difficulty, it would be an enormous help to those of us who just can't make up our minds what to learn next! (Or maybe limit it to the top five or ten, in case everything he ever wrote qualifies as your absolute best favorites.)

Thanks!

Carol

While the US version of Amazon.com spoiled you with the cheap "Best Of" book, you won't get so lucky with the Other music books. Amazon doesn't carry them. That is likely one of the reasons I don't have either book yet.

Well, that and I was going to actually get some other music by some other composers (Do I need to hand in my Einaudi Fan Card?) first. I do want at least a little bit of variety for the stuff I learn. I actually did a lot of jumping around trying to pick something that I would want to attempt to learn next and that might end up on hold when my new music books arrive.

Ok, so just to be clear now, this means you are much better than me. I've been playing on and off for about 10 months, and I am self-taught. So calibrate everything else I have to say accordingly.

I'll take a stab here. Here are the first dozen or so pieces I intend to learn, in order how difficult I perceive them to be, from easiest to hardest. YMMV (see my comment above). Please understand that I have yet to attempt about half of these (especially those down near the bottom of the list), so hopefully you'll get some more informed responses before too long. But since I have given this question some thought already, I may as well tell you what I came up with.


Limbo[/b] - General agreement that this is the easiest.
I Due Fiumi[/b]
Lontano[/b]
Sotto Vento[/b]
La profundita del buio[/b]
Ombre[/b] - This will be my recital submission. I was able to get up and running pretty quickly on this one, but having a hard time getting it to where I like it.
Tracce[/b]
Stella del Mattino[/b] - Working on this one now, it's not bad.
Fuori Dal Mondo[/b] - I had to shelve this one, had a lot of trouble with it.
Melodia Africana I[/b]
Nefeli[/b]
La Linea Scura[/b] - I hear it's easier than it looks.
Le Onde[/b] - On the other hand, Monica has said more than once that Le Onde is actually harder than it looks / sounds. Perhaps like Ombre, in that the notes aren't hard to get down, but making it musical, that's another matter.
Un Mondo a Parte[/b]
I Giorni[/b]
Giorni Dispari[/b]

If none of these are challenging in any way, maybe you should queue up Questa notte, which I figure I'll master about one week after I perform the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto for all of you.

Thanks, AWTPP! That's a great list.

It's just what I was looking for, and the comments are especially helpful. I'm sure there are plenty of challenges here. And I'm going to follow your example of having a specific plan to follow. It's way better than my current approach of trying pieces at random in an attempt to learn everything I like right away!

I hope we get more replies; I'll be interested in seeing how others rank these and other pieces.

Carol

Hi,

I've only had a quick glance at the list. In my opinion, I would put I Giorni further up (maybe nearer Nefeli).

Such a useful list and a great idea. I'm going to keep a close eye on how you get on as I want to pinch all your good ideas along the way. I'm especially interested on how difficult you find the first two on the list relative to each other.

I'm currently enjoying learning David Nevue's 'Solitude' but Einaudi is where my heart is