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I've been playing piano for 6 months and I'm looking for some easy Chopin pieces to learn. It's easy enough to google "easy Chopin pieces", but the problem is that I play on a keyboard that only has 5 octaves and no sustain pedal and this has prevented me from learning some pieces that would otherwise be good for a beginner.

So I would like some suggestions of easy Chopin pieces that I can play with the constraints I have, thanks in advance

Hello thanks for joining, unfortunately, for Chopin and much of Romantic works, you will need a sustain pedal to be able to work through pieces and develop a sense of what you are articulating and so forth. But just to learn the notes and play through and memorize, you can do Chopin then. I recommend a few of his preludes which are short and pretty and can be learned slowly , you will still need pedal though eventually to tie everthing you learned togeother.

I'm afraid it's difficult. Chopin without pedal would be quite dry and there are very few easy pieces by Chopin anyway...

how about his idol Mozart?

should be enough trouble already

Yes ... I was going to question whether "Chopin" and "Easy" belong in the same sentence.

Neither I'd put Mozart and easy in the same statement....

1) does the keyboard have weighted keys? (at least) or is really a -keyboard- and not a digital piano?
if so think about moving to a digital piano like a yamaha P105 or something like that.

2) 6 month it's very very very little time, especially as self learner... if your target is to play chopin, even some easier preludes, I'd suggest you start considering a) a real digital piano b) a teacher even if 30 minutes every 2 weeks just to have a minimum of guidance toward your goals.

I recommend Prelude 4, a lot of repeated chords and simple melody and it's incredible how differently everyone interprets it.

without pedal , this one won't be a great practice value for a beginner, but not much else in the Chopin world though. THey are all tough!

Thanks for all the answers, seems like I'll have to hold off on the Chopin until I get some better equipment. I'm pretty sure I could play something like his Waltz Op. Posth. No. 19 in A Minor if I just had the extra octaves. That one seems rather simple if I get the trills down.

well, at least start listening to the "right" people interpreting Chopin :-)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXhhYLMVMAc

Sokolov is a good one, Maria Joao Pires another one, or Zimerman

When I read the title I was going to suggest Prelude no. 6 however, to re-iterate what the others have said, you won't get much satisfaction from it if you don't have a sustain pedal or the control of weighted keys.

It should have a place to plug one in, usually a 1/4" phone jack. Typically the pedal is just a momentary contact switch -- like a doorbell button. You should buy or make one for this keyboard, or upgrade to a better keyboard.

That's too funny, I remember my teacher telling me I was ready for easy Chopin and my first was the Am waltz. Once I played it I felt great but when she gave it to me I asked if it was a joke as it didn't seem easy! She said it's not easy! It's easy Chopin! Then I got it what she meant.

I do remember my kid played an easy piece when she was younger, The Maiden's Waltz I think. If I remember correctly five octaves would be enough. However, it be more simple than what you're lookin to play.

If you are interested in easy arrangements rather than the original compositions, you might consider this:

Simply Chopin



Ed

Or you could get some nice recordings to play in your ipod!

How in the name of all that's holy do you play the last three chords with one hand, given that the the other hand is four yards down the keyboard to the left?

I'd also recommend the e minor prelude (no.4). It was (and still is) the first Chopin piece I managed to successfully learn. The repetitive left hand will also help mask your lack of a pedal.

If they are too big, you can modify them a bit. I leave out the lower E on the first one. The others I can handle as such.

But of course this piece doesn't really work at all without the pedal. THe left hand will sound horrible...

are you a kid or have small hands?

those are pretty standard chords in an octave span...

and BTW, yes, that is probably the easiest Chopin piece I've ever saw... I've probably heard it before, but never saw the score

sadly, I'm not sure it helps at all to get to his tougher works, full of large jumps and the ever scary multirhythms...