I was feeling pretty discouraged about my not having mastered these exercises to my liking after a few weeks of practice until I watched this. Good to hear I’m in excellent company. Thank you.
You can really hear the improvement in clarity of the LH sixteenth notes in the third performance! This collection is great; I remember playing Ballade as a kid. Great practice suggestion; I feel the same way about a lot of ‘easy’ classical sonatinas for practicing articulation.
100% to this. I remember that I was working on Ballade the first time I ever touched a Steinway B... I can still remember the piano, the experience, and the room! A massive crystal chandelier was over the piano!
I thought I nailed Clementi’s Sonatina 2 mvt. 1 before a lesson with a really good teacher.. By the way, it turns out that prehearing stuff actually helps with technique.
The problem is that a self taught player does not have a teacher to point out the differences between how they play it and how it could and should be played. The closest they can get is to record themselves and listen to the playback. This may help them to hear their errors, but not to understand the finer points.
I’m at that level two. I purchased your class on number 4, and it really helped. I have someone else’s class on number 6. I would love additional classes, especially for the Tarantella, because I’m really looking forward to that. Also, I’m wondering when I should start a new piece. Currently, I think of my learning a new piece divided into three stages: learning the notes and rhythms (20% of time), solidifying (70%) and polishing (10%). In the later stages of solidifying, I start to get antsy, and I’ll want to start a new one to have a piece at the learning stage also. I’m wondering if this is a good practice plan.
Hi Brenda! Perhaps I'll do a class on the Tarantella very soon! I think at your current level you've laid out a good way of spending your time. As you continue to make progress, you will probably spend more time in the polishing stage. As a professional, my time is usually divided like this: Learning (10%), Solidifying (40%), polishing (50%). It's good to have pieces in different stages of learning! Every new piece of music learned opens doors of new ways of thinking about polishing.
I'm not saying Burgmuller is easy but I do think in general people write off easy pieces. I myself, admittedly still a beginner with only a year under my belt, feel that music doesn't need to be complex. A piece should only be as complex as it needs to be to get it's themes across. Chopin's "Wrong Note" Etude is not more musically valid than Marry had a Little Lamb. And at the end of the day these simpler pieces can be great playgrounds to explore and exercise your craft. For example, I used Marry had a Little Lamb in an exercised where I came up with an harmony that involved chord inversions and have transposed Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to new keys.
Excellent! I use simple pieces like this as the basis for teaching transposition, harmony, theory, improvisation, and composition -- i.e. take the piece and create variations -- in different styles (baroque, classical, romantic, jazz, modal, popular; waltz, march, major key, minor key, etc.)
You nailed one of the pillars of understanding music and composition on the head here by saying "a piece should only be as complex as it needs to be." 100%, absolutely, positively, YES.
All music is music, and should be played musically :-) Listen to Lang Lang play Fur Elise -- play Burgmuller the way Lang lang would. PS - I purchased your Next Level Piano: Christmas Edition and am enjoying going through it -- an awesome and comprehensive course -- very well done, and useful for many piano students for the broad range and level of depth covered!
I think that's a great idea! I don't typically think about transposing pieces in the classical canon, perhaps because my own experience in understanding theory and harmony comes from composition first. But absolutely, Op 100 would be a fantastic place to learn diatonic harmony and a few secondary chords, and learn them in all or many of the keys! And also, possibly to experience why Burgmuller himself chose certain keys for the tasks at hand... many times the same notes in another key, especially a distant one, will prove technically much different for the hand.
And now a subscription! As an intermediate player, I have the notes just about memorised for all 25 of these, and am looking forward to the years of work it will take to get them to anything approaching the quality of the professional recordings supplied with my edition. On a similar note, listening to professional recordings of peices set for early grades can be quite enlightening in terms of demonstrating how these 'easy' pieces are very much not beneath you just because you passed an exam on them once at beginer level. As someone more eloquently than me once said "These easy pieces have a habit of keeping up with you."
Yay! Glad to hear you enjoyed the video and I hope you'll like the rest of the content here on the channel too! What sort of repertoire are you currently working on and do you have any questions you've been having difficulty tackling or understanding? I'm on a quest to do more content for intermediate players, so please let me know!
hm, i can see if he were my piano teacher where this would end 😂 another 25 years of living on bread and butter, scrupously playing and maybe i ll get to beginner intermediate level .....VERY interesting to hear all 3 versions, especially 2nd and 3d. Also Its a great way of refining the listening.
The Peters edition online at IMSLP is just fine for a free and easily downloadable copy. If you're really interested in taking the set to new heights, Graham Fitch is creating his own edition of the Op 100 set and you can find it on his website: practisingthepiano.com/new-study-editions-for-burgmullers-op-100/ It seems he's only edited pieces 1 through 5 so far, but I could be mistaken! He definitely has videos about all 25 pieces.
(classical and any) singing is the same (since i am more of a singer with some piano skills).....the most beautiful sung arias sometimes are very simple, on paper they seem nothing and indeed, you could sight read them in 2 minutes, but to sing them really, really well, it takes indeed 20 years of practice....., f. i Ombra Mai Fu (Handel), even well sung pop music, very simple melodies but ....some great singers out took 20 years to polish their technique, and its audible, like anyone could sing happy birthday to you, but how would Ella Fitzgerald sing it, ey?
Hitting the nail on the head on so many levels. Thanks for this content!
Thanks, Aaron!
I was feeling pretty discouraged about my not having mastered these exercises to my liking after a few weeks of practice until I watched this. Good to hear I’m in excellent company. Thank you.
Absolutely! They are by no means "easy" pieces!
You can really hear the improvement in clarity of the LH sixteenth notes in the third performance! This collection is great; I remember playing Ballade as a kid. Great practice suggestion; I feel the same way about a lot of ‘easy’ classical sonatinas for practicing articulation.
I agree! I find Clementi is very nice for this -- very musical.
100% to this. I remember that I was working on Ballade the first time I ever touched a Steinway B... I can still remember the piano, the experience, and the room! A massive crystal chandelier was over the piano!
I thought I nailed Clementi’s Sonatina 2 mvt. 1 before a lesson with a really good teacher..
By the way, it turns out that prehearing stuff actually helps with technique.
@@clockfixer5049 Prehearing AND making sure your ear is just as tuned in while you play as well!
The problem is that a self taught player does not have a teacher to point out the differences between how they play it and how it could and should be played.
The closest they can get is to record themselves and listen to the playback. This may help them to hear their errors, but not to understand the finer points.
I'd 100% agree!
I’m at that level two. I purchased your class on number 4, and it really helped. I have someone else’s class on number 6. I would love additional classes, especially for the Tarantella, because I’m really looking forward to that. Also, I’m wondering when I should start a new piece. Currently, I think of my learning a new piece divided into three stages: learning the notes and rhythms (20% of time), solidifying (70%) and polishing (10%). In the later stages of solidifying, I start to get antsy, and I’ll want to start a new one to have a piece at the learning stage also. I’m wondering if this is a good practice plan.
Hi Brenda! Perhaps I'll do a class on the Tarantella very soon! I think at your current level you've laid out a good way of spending your time. As you continue to make progress, you will probably spend more time in the polishing stage. As a professional, my time is usually divided like this: Learning (10%), Solidifying (40%), polishing (50%).
It's good to have pieces in different stages of learning! Every new piece of music learned opens doors of new ways of thinking about polishing.
I never played Burgmüller, but it seems his pieces receive more attention lately. I will find time to explore. Very nice lesson you gave 👍
Thanks, Roland! Yes, it seems in the last year or so, there's more and more attention going to Burgmuller online, which I think is fantastic!
I'm not saying Burgmuller is easy but I do think in general people write off easy pieces. I myself, admittedly still a beginner with only a year under my belt, feel that music doesn't need to be complex. A piece should only be as complex as it needs to be to get it's themes across. Chopin's "Wrong Note" Etude is not more musically valid than Marry had a Little Lamb. And at the end of the day these simpler pieces can be great playgrounds to explore and exercise your craft. For example, I used Marry had a Little Lamb in an exercised where I came up with an harmony that involved chord inversions and have transposed Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to new keys.
Excellent! I use simple pieces like this as the basis for teaching transposition, harmony, theory, improvisation, and composition -- i.e. take the piece and create variations -- in different styles (baroque, classical, romantic, jazz, modal, popular; waltz, march, major key, minor key, etc.)
You nailed one of the pillars of understanding music and composition on the head here by saying "a piece should only be as complex as it needs to be." 100%, absolutely, positively, YES.
All music is music, and should be played musically :-) Listen to Lang Lang play Fur Elise -- play Burgmuller the way Lang lang would.
PS - I purchased your Next Level Piano: Christmas Edition and am enjoying going through it -- an awesome and comprehensive course -- very well done, and useful for many piano students for the broad range and level of depth covered!
Absolutely! And thanks so much! I'm glad you are enjoying the program. I hope maybe there is a tidbit or two in there that is new for you!
@@PianistAcademy1 I always find some delectable morsels and tidbits from you on this channel! :-)
Your videos are awesome
Thanks!
I am learning from this book(as well as others) I quite like any of the progressive books being an older learner(retired) 😂😂
What about his op 109. They are amazing
Op 109 is a fantastic set as well. I'm glad that more people are hearing and playing more of Burgmuller's rep!
What do you feel about transposing Burgmüller?
Sounds like a great idea for learning harmony, improv. For an extra challlenge, also try it with some of Bach's 2-part inventions ... ?
I think that's a great idea! I don't typically think about transposing pieces in the classical canon, perhaps because my own experience in understanding theory and harmony comes from composition first. But absolutely, Op 100 would be a fantastic place to learn diatonic harmony and a few secondary chords, and learn them in all or many of the keys! And also, possibly to experience why Burgmuller himself chose certain keys for the tasks at hand... many times the same notes in another key, especially a distant one, will prove technically much different for the hand.
@@PianistAcademy1 Merci. I haven't really played much Burgmüller yet. But I will try, and will try to give it the respect that it deserves.
Video gets a like based on title alone. Watching now - don't let me down!
And now a subscription! As an intermediate player, I have the notes just about memorised for all 25 of these, and am looking forward to the years of work it will take to get them to anything approaching the quality of the professional recordings supplied with my edition. On a similar note, listening to professional recordings of peices set for early grades can be quite enlightening in terms of demonstrating how these 'easy' pieces are very much not beneath you just because you passed an exam on them once at beginer level. As someone more eloquently than me once said "These easy pieces have a habit of keeping up with you."
Yay! Glad to hear you enjoyed the video and I hope you'll like the rest of the content here on the channel too! What sort of repertoire are you currently working on and do you have any questions you've been having difficulty tackling or understanding? I'm on a quest to do more content for intermediate players, so please let me know!
hm, i can see if he were my piano teacher where this would end 😂 another 25 years of living on bread and butter, scrupously playing and maybe i ll get to beginner intermediate level .....VERY interesting to hear all 3 versions, especially 2nd and 3d. Also Its a great way of refining the listening.
😂
Great! Subscribed! New friend ❤️
Thank you!! Hope to continue to see you around the channel!
Is there an edition of this music you'd recommend, or warn against purchasing?
The Peters edition online at IMSLP is just fine for a free and easily downloadable copy. If you're really interested in taking the set to new heights, Graham Fitch is creating his own edition of the Op 100 set and you can find it on his website: practisingthepiano.com/new-study-editions-for-burgmullers-op-100/
It seems he's only edited pieces 1 through 5 so far, but I could be mistaken! He definitely has videos about all 25 pieces.
What. The first 2 are played by piano teachers?!?
And not just teachers, but two teachers with DMAs in piano.
Makes me feel a little bit better about my own attempts 😊
(classical and any) singing is the same (since i am more of a singer with some piano skills).....the most beautiful sung arias sometimes are very simple, on paper they seem nothing and indeed, you could sight read them in 2 minutes, but to sing them really, really well, it takes indeed 20 years of practice....., f. i Ombra Mai Fu (Handel), even well sung pop music, very simple melodies but ....some great singers out took 20 years to polish their technique, and its audible, like anyone could sing happy birthday to you, but how would Ella Fitzgerald sing it, ey?
Absolutely!
I'm not good enough for burgmuller
Thanks for this 'motivational' speech. I think you are quit wright.
Thanks, Bert!