Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum "40 Pieces A Year Club" for 2017

bSharp[C]yclist, I had fun with Clowns. I never did record it at the time, unfortunately. For me, once I had the fingering down at a slower tempo, I just convinced myself to let go and push it. Enjoy it!

It is a fun piece, maybe I can get it to 100, although I lose control of my right pinky at that speed

1. PianoSquall's Tetris arrangement of the Korobeiniki, first half, haltingly played
2. Bartok's Evening in the Village, from 10 Easy Pieces, modified in the LH

I entirely missed the 8va mark in the second staccato section, and the timing's a little (a lot) off, but it's better than no recording at all.
[video:youtube]ZaX0aswm1Rw[/video]

At this pace, I might not reach even the 10-15 I stated at the top of the thread

OrangeredStilton, "easy" is a relative word in piano. That piece must be easy for Bartok, for example, but not for you or me (I've been learning for 1 and 1/2 year). That is called a STRETCH piece in piano pedagogy.

The idea of this Club is to play 40 pieces at about 2 levels below our capacity in order to practice Sight Reading/Reading Music. Then, of course, you can include those other difficult pieces, but you might enjoy practicing with easier material too and could fulfill the requirements of the Club!

Books you can use for the Club: Any Primer, Level 1 method book, "The Joy of First Year Piano", hmm maybe someone else can think of more at that level. And I could tell you others more difficult but still easier than your piece.

Edit: This book of Hymns is above our level but easier than your Bartok: https://www.lds.org/bc/content/shar...Hymns_000_HymnsMadeEasy_eng.pdf?lang=eng

1. Bye Bye Love - The Everly Brothers
2. Can't Help Falling in Love- Elvis Presley
3. Trumpet Voluntary- Jeremiah Clarke

I have decided to log my pieces once I've learned the basics and I'm moving on to making them sound nice. Therefore I have a few:

1. Atacama Desert (RCM grade 2)
2. Five Shillings and Six Pence Heather Hammond
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Efjx4TDYtQI
(My very first upload so just say nice things please lol)
3. Sonatina in A minor Biehl
4. In the Hall of the Mountain King Grieg (in Funtime Piano Classics)
5. Picnic 1920 (RCM grade 3)
6. Burlesque in G major RCM grade 1

Here is my third piece for January. This comes from RCM Celebration Series Grade 7. It seems to be a study in different variations of ornamentation. I am not sure my interpretation agrees with the book completely, but I like it better this way.
My list now is:
1. Stephen Chatman - Kathryn. (CS-7) YouTube
2. Czerny - Study in Ab OP. 139 #51 (CS6E) YouTube
3. Fiocco Suite in G Major op1 #1 (CS-7) YouTube

1. Die Fliege - Anne Terzibaschitsch
2. The snow prelude no.3 - L. Einaudi
3. Waltz - Matyas Seiber
4. Walking together - Christopher Norton (from Microjazz 1)

These microjazz pieces are great for me for this challenge. They are just the right length and difficulty to be able to make something of them in a week.

1. Menuett (KV 1e) <Recording> (by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
2. Crazy Little Thing Called Love <Recording> (by Freddie Mercury / Queen)
3. Wonderful World <Recording> (by Bob Thiele and George D. Weiss, arranged by Jan Koláček)

My #3: "Wonderful World", famously sung by Louis Armstrong. Not only a "wonderful world", but also a "wonderful piece", in my opinion. I also like the arrangement by Jan Koláček that I played here.

Two levels below my current ability would be "I don't have a piano"

But honestly, this was a bit of a stretch piece because I wanted to join in with Reddit's monthly Piano Jam, and it seemed (just) within my ability to reach there within the month. As it turns out, the rhythm was beyond me, so I'll be stepping it back down to simpler pieces for the moment.

Can't find your limits without testing them!

JoBert - That is a gorgeous arrangement of "Wonderful World". Great playing!

I loved "Wonderful World", JoBert!

JoBert - great job on Wonderful World. That's a really nice arrangement. Would you please post where you found it.

Thanks,
Susan

1- Sarabande d'Amour de Catherine Rollin Soundcloud : https://soundcloud.com/gjob-551491854/sarabande-damour-c-rollin
2- Anneke's Song by Herman Beeftink (BMI)
3- Red Rose Rendez-vous by Martha Mier (Jazz, Rags and Blues, Alfred ed.)

Working on :
Autumn Sketch (Gillock)

1. For the Beauty of the Earth - Traditional Hymn - Bastien Religious Favorites
2. What's That Noise - Mier
3. Sidewalks of New York - Favorite Melodies the World Over
4. House of the Rising Sun - Alfred's Adult AIO Bk 2.
5. Sakura - Alfred Adult AIO Bk. 2
6. Praise to the Lord - Traditional Hymn - Bastien Relig. Favorites
7. Waves of the Danube - Alfred Adult AIO Book 2
8. Adantino - Masterwork Classics 1-2

I'm actually revising my book to be a little easier! I just read the "two levels down" comments and I think I targeted a bit too high with Essential Keyboard Rep, so I found my wife's Royal Conservatory of Music exam book from about 30 years ago and I think it's a much better level for this challenge. I want to get over my fear of having other people hear me, so I'm trying to figure out a recording setup now (thanks for some great info from other board members!) Anyway, I just "finished" m,y first piece.

1. Minuet - James Hook

SwissMS, mom3gram and Susan, thank you for your kind words.

Susan, I got the Wonderful World arrangement from Jan Kolacek's website easypiano.cz.

1. For the Beauty of the Earth - Traditional Hymn - Bastien Religious Favorites
2. What's That Noise - Mier
3. Sidewalks of New York - Favorite Melodies the World Over
4. House of the Rising Sun - Alfred's Adult AIO Bk 2.
5. Sakura - Alfred Adult AIO Bk. 2
6. Praise to the Lord - Traditional Hymn - Bastien Relig. Favorites
7. Waves of the Danube - Alfred Adult AIO Book 2
8. Adantino - Masterwork Classics 1-2
9. Rock-A My Soul - Alfred Adult AIO Book 2
10. The Church's One Foundation - Bastien Religious Favorites

12. Mozart - Minuet in F Major, KV. 2 (Recording)

Mom3gram, if you go on like that, you'll be finished before the end of March