Emeli Sandé – River Piano Cover

River by Emeli Sandé. One of her very lyrical pieces which works brilliantly for the piano because of its melodic harmonies in A minor. One of my favorites to play. “Clown” will probably be my next upload so I’m off to work on that! Don’t forget to comment and please give me suggestions of pieces you would like me to play.

 

Advertisement

Emeli Sandé – Read All About It (Part III) Piano Cover

This is my favorite Emeli Sandé piano piece from the piano book album ‘Our Version of Events’ of which I will be uploading more videos. I will be uploading “River” so stay tuned for more music! Any comments or suggestions of uploads would be great!

Chopin Prelude No.20 in C Minor

This piece is from my ABRSM edition of the Chopin Prelude’s. I think that this particular one is very dark and powerful and really brings out the bass end of the piano with them pounding octaves! Only practiced and started the piece an hour ago so it was easy enough and didn’t take that long to learn. I will probably be uploading more Preludes but in the meantime, please enjoy this. Don’t forget to comment and rate!

Developing a Classical Piano Repertoire and Building a Music Library

One need not be a concert pianist to take the time and effort to develop a substantial repertoire. What does “repertoire” mean anyway? In short, repertoire is a body of works that forms the pianist’s core or foundation. Many pianists believe that one must keep all pieces “under the fingers” or readily playable at all times and that this constitutes one’s repertoire. I believe, however, that repertoire implies something more all-encompassing. Let us now examine the term and explore the most efficient ways to develop, expand, and nurture it:

 Five Golden Rules of Building a Substantial Piano Repertoire

1. Practice, practice, practice

2. Micro-cycle works you are currently practicing

3. Macro-cycle works throughout your life

4. Consider that no work is ever “finished”

5. Constantly add books and sheet music to your library

The first rule of practicing hardly needs explaining. To become better and more proficient at anything, one must do it, do it often, and love doing it with all one’s heart and soul. Tiger Woods did not become a great golfer by nibbling on snacks and watching TV. The world’s best surgeons did not get there by hanging out in bars and drinking beer. Likewise, an aspiring pianist wishing to have fun and success playing hundreds of pieces will never get there by neglecting to practice on a regular basis. Ideally, one should practice not out of obligation, but rather out of the love of music and heart-burning desire to improve.

The second rule of micro-cycling works constitutes the pianist’s short-term plan, which may range anywhere from a few weeks to several months or perhaps a year at the most. This is what most people imply with the word “repertoire”, since it is the timeframe in which one could sit down at any time and play (preferably from memory) a set number of works. I have found the best results for micro-cycling by focusing on about five works at a time. For example, I will often spend an entire week practicing exclusively one work (like a Joplin rag), the next week exclusively another work (like a Mozart sonata), and the next week exclusively another work (like a Liszt étude). Then, I may not even touch them at all for two months and, upon returning to one of them, it feels like “meeting an old friend” which accelerates its re-learning phase. What once took a week to accomplish now takes only a couple days. Ideally, the pianist should strive to learn, forget, and then relearn works in monthly, weekly, and daily cycles. This is the eternal and never-ending plan I follow when practicing and preparing for my YouTube videos.

The third rule of macro-cycling works constitutes the pianist’s long-term plan, which may range anywhere from one to ten years. A thirteen-year-old just starting out usually does not realize that what is learned in these formative years sets his/her musical foundation for life. I am constantly amazed at just how resilient and powerful the human brain really is. For example, I began practicing Mendelssohn’s Rondo Capriccioso this week after it had lain dormant and totally untouched for years, and I was shocked when it came back to me memorized again in only three days. This is one of the intriguingly satisfying aspects about music and piano repertoire. All music ultimately remains in your conscience and forms your “musical identity” until the day you leave this earth. It is never too late to learn piano, develop a repertoire, and tap into the power of one’s musical memories.

The logical successor to the third rule of macro-cycling is the fourth rule of considering a work to never be finished. My usual plan of action was to work on a set number of pieces for a semester or year, “finish” them, and then move on to the next pieces my professor assigned. Now at 18 I can’t help but smirk at my youthful innocence. I have learned through time that no work will ever be finished. Never. Micro- and macro-cycling piano repertoire is the bread of the pianist’s musical life. These cycles continue until the end just like food and water. I am constantly resurrecting works once thought to be finished, and never have I been more content with my musical evolution and progress.

While the first four rules constitute the mental or immaterial components of developing a large piano repertoire, the fifth rule of constantly adding books and sheet music to one’s library constitutes the physical or material component. Just as one cannot wash dishes without first buying or acquiring plates, cups, and utensils, a pianist will never succeed in developing a large repertoire without buying or acquiring printed music. Books last a lifetime and can be used and reused until the end of one’s life. Relying exclusively on free downloads is like eating from paper plates and plastic utensils. Ultimately, the pianist will never formidably expand his/her repertoire without acquiring the physical accessories (i.e. books and sheet music).

So there it is in a nutshell: practice, micro-cycle, macro-cycle, no work is ever finished, constantly add music to one’s library. These are the five golden rules of building a substantial piano repertoire. Thank you for your time, and happy practicing!

Chopin Nocturne in B Major Op.32 No.1

Only started tackling this beautiful Nocturne just two days ago and this is how far I got, I have the other two pages hands together but not as good as the first two which are shown here. I have this piece choses for my Senior Certificate Piano Exam (Royal Irish Academy of Music, Ireland), which is basically a Grade 9 along with Beethoven Piano Sonata No.5 in C Minor, 1st Mov. which I will be uploading when I have it completed. Please enjoy my performance and comment! Also, please give me suggestions of other Chopin Nocturnes to play, similar to this standard.

Chopin Waltz in B Minor Op.69 No.2

Me playing Chopin Waltz from my ABRSM edition of Chopin Waltze’s! Haven’t played this one in a while so this was a quick but messy upload. Enjoy and please comment with suggestions for other waltz to play.

Dublin International Piano Competition

The Competition will take place in Dublin from 4th May to 15th May 2012.

The Competition will be in four rounds.

The Dublin International Piano Competition gratefully acknowledges the support of the  Radio Telefís Éireann Authority

About the DIPC: The Dublin International Piano Competition was established in 1988. A triennial event, it was sponsored for the first three competitions by GPA. In 1994, the sponsorship was taken over by Guardian Insurance and when AXA acquired the company in 1999 they also took over title sponsorship which they sustained for 10 years. The Dublin International Piano Competition is now supported by a private benefactor.

Since its formation the Dublin Competition’s reputation has grown in stature, and now ranks among the most important piano competitions in the world. It offers a generous prize fund, but perhaps the most important prize is the prestigious list of engagements secured for the winner. These include début concerts in London, New York, Paris and of course Ireland. Previous winners have launched highly successful international careers from this springboard. Chaired by John O’Conor, who is also the Artistic Director, and adjudicated by distinguished members of the music profession from around the world, the Competition attracts an enormous international entry.

The Dublin International Piano Competition is a member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions and previous winners currently engaged in successful careers include Philippe Cassard, France (1988); Pavel Nersessian, Russia (1991); Davide Franceschetti, Italy (1994); Max Levinson, USA (1997); Alexei Nabioulin, Russia (2000), Antti Siirala, Finland (2003) and Romain Descharmes, France (2006). Alexej Gorlatch from the Ukraine, winner in 2009, joins this elite group who fly the flag for Ireland’s premier music competition around the world.

The 2012 Dublin International Competition will be held on the 4th – 15th May, 2012.

DIPC Website: http://www.dipc.ie/Competition.aspx

Schubert Impromptu Op.90 No.4 in A flat Major

I just bought the book of Schubert Impromptus, ABRSM Edition(Op.90) last week and have been working on No.4 for the past few days. My favorite one and it’s going along well. I have it hands seperately and now I’m starting to put the hands together. My next impromptu will probably No.2 in E flat Major or the beautiful No.3 in G flat Major. Will post a video of the performance when I have it completed with dynamics and pedalling, but until then I have to practice now to make this piece perfect!

My Composition!

Leaving Certificate Music – Composing PDF

Here is my very 1st Composition! I play piano as some of you already know and I’m on Grade 8 but don’t compose. I am in 6th Year, my Leaving Certificate Year(Ireland) and for the Music exam we have to compose a 16 bar melody, with 4 bars already printed on the page as a guide. The exam is in June but the one above is the one I done myself as practice for the real thing. I think my efforts here are very good and I am happy with what I have written! Listen for yourself and input the notes to MuseScore or Finale Notepad!

PDF Free Sheet Music above so please print it out and have a go and tell me what you think in the comments box below or my YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/ClassicalMusicPiano

 

Chopin Waltzes and John Field Nocturnes!

Today I bought John Field Nocturnes(Peters Edition) and Chopin Waltzes(ABRSM Edition) with the money I had over Christmas. Chopin would have to be one of my favorie composers as he was the inventor of the piano nocturne. I haven’t even started to practice a piece from the Field Nocturnes book as I like the Waltzes much more. So I started on Chopin Waltz No.10 in B Minor Op.69 No.2 and all is going very well! I have it all down and playing (very slowly!) hands together and to my surprise I’m delighted with the results. All I have to do for the next few days is to continue to practice this piece and add in the usual dynamics and try to speed up the tempo. After I complete this Waltz I will start on Minute Waltz as it is my favorite.

Performances of the completed Waltz(es) will be uploaded here and to my YouTube channel(ClassicalMusicPiano) as always so check the channel and this blog from time to time to see new uploads. If anyone has any advice of what Waltz to play next or how to approach/practice this above nocturne please comment below. Hope this interests you as much as it interests me! Thanks for viewing! See you all soon.