VLH Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 I could never do justice to John Cage's 4:33 Try cranking your volume all the way up to 11. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marino Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 Classical pieces mainly. While there are many "monster" pieces which I know I will never play in my life (Ravel's Gaspard, Listz B minor sonata, and so on), there are other (easier) pieces which I have studied for some time and which I know I could perfect if I had the required time to dedicate... those are giving me the most frustration. Listz "Fantasy on the Flying Dutch" comes to mind. It's not too difficult, really, and I love it. But I'd need a month of steady practice to really build it, and I just can forget that. Another one is Ravel's Sonatina. I can do the first two movements decently just by reviving them for a while, but I never had the time to seriously tackle the third one. Not to speak of the Bach Preludes and Fugues and the (few) Chopin Etudes which I used to play as a youngster, and have completely forgot now... aarrgghh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 That list, for me, is long, and includes Bach's Two-Part Inventions and the Well-Tempered Clavier; Berg's Piano Sonata; Barber's Excursions and Nocturne; and Rzewski's Variations on "The People United Will Never Be Defeated." My Site Nord Electro 5D, Novation Launchkey 61, Logic Pro X, Mainstage 3, lots of plugins, fingers, pencil, paper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marino Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 Berg's Piano Sonata Sigh - thanks for the reminder. It's another one in my list, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kad Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 Chopin 4th Ballade. +1000 Reality is like the sun - you can block it out for a time but it ain't goin' away... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewImprov Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 My current list of "Die Happy if I could Play" tunes would probably include the "The Yodel" by Big John Patton, and "Talkin' Bout JC" by Grant Green (Larry Young on B3). "Root Down" by Jimmy Smith was on the list until recently, but, while I don't have it not-for note, I feel like I can get there now. Have just been on a huge B3 kick lately, if that isn't clear. I guess the long term list would be the Bach Well-Tempered Klavier books. I have worked on those since High School, when I briefly entertained the idea of being a classical pianist, fortunately, rock 'n' roll, alcohol and girls intercepted that idea. I still pull them out and play what I can, badly. Those books are actually pretty important to me, my sister (now deceased) gave them to me back then, and in the front inscribed, "Play in good time." That has come to mean a lot. Turn up the speaker Hop, flop, squawk It's a keeper -Captain Beefheart, Ice Cream for Crow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VLH Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 (Ravel's Gaspard, That one's so tough I couldn't even begin to work it into a fantasy. Have seen it performed live twice. I always think they should have medics standing by for the pianist. Are you sure you want to put your life at risk? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outkaster Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 I think most people are on here are pretty proficient so it is not a matter of playing them perfectly, most of us could with some practice in time. I was always trying to play stuff harder than I was technically able to do so. When I got better that stuff seemed easier. That is the Zen of this, a lot of stuff like growth, practice, maturity and having knowledge of things makes it seem less intimidating. In idirectly all influences the end result. "Danny, ci manchi a tutti. La E-Street Band non e' la stessa senza di te. Riposa in pace, fratello" noblevibes.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Rustle of Spring and since I am wishing Sushi This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Nightime Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Most of the stuff I play, being in the Blues/Rock genre, I prefer putting my own touches on the songs. The 2 I mentioned earlier, though, were what I consider perfection for the songs, and I'll only play them if I can match that level of perfection. Another I can think of that I will only play if I can do it note for note - nuance for nuance is Lazy, from Machine Head. Jon Lord's organ work is for that song absolute perfection. We're thinking of doing Smokin actually. Do a search on the forum. At one point someone posted a transcription of the solo. I kept a copy of it, so if you want it, send me a PM, and I'll send it to you "In the beginning, Adam had the blues, 'cause he was lonesome. So God helped him and created woman. Now everybody's got the blues." Willie Dixon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKeys Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Regardless of your favorite genre of music or your current band's song list, is there a piece of piano/keyboard music that, if you finally nailed it, could die happy? Nope. I agree, there are too many tunes out there. Need this lifetime to learn all of them. Just wish I could play like SK. He's around here somewhere. I just wish I could play like prof D AFTER he learns how to play like SK.... now THAT would be some badass chops. As for the topic Avalon by Harry Connick Jr. off his 20 CD. This was solo piano that kicks my butt. (but so do ProfD and SK) I am there until the midway point. Jimmy Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others. Groucho NEW BAND CHECK THEM OUT www.steveowensandsummertime.com www.jimmyweaver.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Key Basher Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Classical piece: Claire De Lune. Not the hardest thing ever written for piano, but if I could play that with grace and facility, I'd be a happy guy. Rock piece: This one is a tossup between "Awaken" - Yes and "Jessica" - Allman Bros. While I like both pieces a lot, it's more about what it would take to get me to each goal in terms of techniques and technology. Jazz: Still developing that portion of my ear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Julien Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 For me it would be:An entire Beethoven Sonata (incl the difficult movement)That Rach prelude from ShineFlight of the bumblebeeRound MidnightJimmy Smith piece (not sure which one yet - I'm open to suggestions) John I like to move it, move it (except The Wurly which can be a bit temperamental and the 122 for obvious reasons) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iLaw Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 For me it would be: An entire Beethoven Sonata (incl the difficult movement) That Rach prelude from Shine Flight of the bumblebee Round Midnight Jimmy Smith piece (not sure which one yet - I'm open to suggestions)John John, Do we have to lose you so soon? Find a good teacher and give it at least 30 minutes a day and even if you were a rank beginner (and I presume you are not) you'd easily have all of those in five years or less. I'm presuming you mean the Rach Prelude from "Shine," i.e. C# Minor, and not the Rach Concerto from "Shine," i.e. the Rach 3d. Rach 3 could take a little longer. But I've been around a while and I know what will happen. It'll be just like I said to the OP. You'll say to yourself "that wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. I bet I could pick up another Beethoven sonata, plus a Prokofiev prelude or two, and then maybe the Root Beer Rag and Allegro Barbaro ..." and you'll completely forget to die happy. Larry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgregg Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Still working on Chopin Etude Op 10 No. 2 in A minor--it gets to about 120 bpm and just dies. Steinway L, 1958 Hammond B3, Kurzweil Forte, Prophet-6, Minimoog Voyager, Kawai VPC-1,Oberheim SEM-Pro, Doepfer Dark Energy, Nord Rack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey Keys Posted February 15, 2008 Author Share Posted February 15, 2008 Classical piece: Claire De Lune. Not the hardest thing ever written for piano, but if I could play that with grace and facility, I'd be a happy guy. Rock piece: This one is a tossup between "Awaken" - Yes and "Jessica" - Allman Bros. Boy, do I feel like a piker... you guys all trot out these great classics and all I can come up with is Root Beer Rag... Although, truth be told, I had forgotten about Jessica - that's another one, so I guess I have no choice but to live into my 90's... -Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keysplease Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Once a year I think to myself: "gee, I'd really like to learn the Foreplay part of Boston's Foreplay/Longtime." For some reason, I give it 15 minutes, get distracted, and forget about it for another year. Maybe THIS wil be the year :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keyman_sam Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Ballad in G minor by Chopin (cut-down version played in the movie "The Pianist"). Dont follow me....i'm lost too.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HammondDave Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Any Joey D. solo... '55 and '59 B3's; Leslies 147, 122, 21H; MODX 7+; NUMA Piano X 88; Motif XS7; Mellotrons M300 and M400’s; Wurlitzer 206; Gibson G101; Vox Continental; Mojo 61; Launchkey 88 Mk III; Korg Module; B3X; Model D6; Moog Model D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Link Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 The Paul Posnak transcriptions of Fats Waller's piano pieces arrived today. I ordered it to get versions of some kind of obscure tunes that were included on Lorraine Feather's incomparable "New York City Drag" album. She takes some lesser known FW tunes and puts extraordinarily clever lyrics to them- kind of in the same vein as Eddie Jefferson, Manhattan Transfer or Lambert, Hendricks & Ross vocalese. A real gem of a recording. Back to the point, it quickly became obvious how much my reading skills had deteriorated- I can follow a lead sheet or fake book pretty well, but having to figure out note-by-note sheet music (with no chord symbols to guide me ) is quite a chore. I am certainly more impressed with the music of Fats Waller after seeing what he did from a technical standpoint as well as the harmonic complexity of his playing. I tended to view stride piano as a relatively simple form, but these transcriptions are a revelation. aka âmisterdregsâ Nord Electro 5D 73 Yamaha P105 Kurzweil PC3LE7 Motion Sound KP200S Schimmel 6-10LE QSC CP-12 Westone AM Pro 30 IEMs Rolls PM55P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Nightime Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Classical piece: Claire De Lune. Not the hardest thing ever written for piano, but if I could play that with grace and facility, I'd be a happy guy. Rock piece: This one is a tossup between "Awaken" - Yes and "Jessica" - Allman Bros. Boy, do I feel like a piker... you guys all trot out these great classics and all I can come up with is Root Beer Rag... Although, truth be told, I had forgotten about Jessica - that's another one, so I guess I have no choice but to live into my 90's... Hey, nothing wrong with naming off Root Beer Rag. It's actually a quite difficult piece. As far as Jessica, that's one of my improv solos. If you play a few of the figures, and in the original style, the audience won't realize it's not verbatum, and probably won't care. "In the beginning, Adam had the blues, 'cause he was lonesome. So God helped him and created woman. Now everybody's got the blues." Willie Dixon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.edwards8 Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 It's interesting the number of posts that mention Chopin. For me he wrote some of the most memorable and beautiful melodies ever written, much of which are also technically very demanding. I'd die happy if I ever nailed the Eb nocturne (it could happen :-)) but just thank god that wrote a few pieces that are also very beautiful but not to difficult to play! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Loving Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Chopin waltz in C#min, Beethoven Moonlight, all the Bach 2 parts, and Brahms' variations on a theme by Haydn - working on all these all my life. "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickey Keys Posted February 16, 2008 Author Share Posted February 16, 2008 Hey, nothing wrong with naming off Root Beer Rag. It's actually a quite difficult piece. As far as Jessica, that's one of my improv solos. If you play a few of the figures, and in the original style, the audience won't realize it's not verbatum, and probably won't care. Thanks for the moral support... and to tell the truth, your approach to Jessica is pretty much what my Root Beer Rag is evolving into... catching the feel rather than concentrating on a slavish note-for-note performance. When I finally allow a living soul to hear it, I'll introduce it as "my interpretation of Root Beer Rag". This way I won't feel so much like a damn jukebox, y'know? Cheers, -Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darren Landrum Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 I would be pleased as punch if, someday, I could nail the intro to Firth of Fifth. To tell the truth, I haven't been practicing piano at all lately, concentrating on school and writing software. I really love Debussy's Arabesque #1, so that would be one piece I'd like to be able to play. Darren Landrum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Julien Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 For me it would be: An entire Beethoven Sonata (incl the difficult movement) That Rach prelude from Shine Flight of the bumblebee Round Midnight Jimmy Smith piece (not sure which one yet - I'm open to suggestions)John John, Do we have to lose you so soon? Find a good teacher and give it at least 30 minutes a day and even if you were a rank beginner (and I presume you are not) you'd easily have all of those in five years or less. I'm presuming you mean the Rach Prelude from "Shine," i.e. C# Minor, and not the Rach Concerto from "Shine," i.e. the Rach 3d. Rach 3 could take a little longer. But I've been around a while and I know what will happen. It'll be just like I said to the OP. You'll say to yourself "that wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be. I bet I could pick up another Beethoven sonata, plus a Prokofiev prelude or two, and then maybe the Root Beer Rag and Allegro Barbaro ..." and you'll completely forget to die happy. Larry. Thanks for reply Larry, I'll try not to take it too hard. You see, I actually can't find 30min a day on top of everything else . usually there's other more urgent stuff to learn for the band, helping the kids with their lessons, learning guitar, drum machine programming, work, family, etc etc. My wife bought me a course of tribal drumming lessons for Christmas and enjoying that now too. LOL. I used to play the Root Beer Rag about 30 yrs ago - my last piano teacher gave that one to me. Enjoyed it at the time, but definitely not now. Eltons more my taste. John I like to move it, move it (except The Wurly which can be a bit temperamental and the 122 for obvious reasons) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ackchewairee Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 I'm not good enough to list a technically difficult classical piece - I'd die a frustrated old man if I tried to master just about anything from Chopin. So at my level, I'd like to play the Maple Leaf Rag perfectly - just once. I have it memorized (note perfect - that's the way I have to go b/c I'm a slow reader) and can sit down and play it good enough for parlor entertainment. But just once, I'd like to nail the timing, the touch, and be clean on each and every little note. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Loving Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 I think Maple Leaf qualifies. You got to have some chops to play it. "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.