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All,

Lately I've been getting into Chopin's works. I have an EASY version of some of his works. I would like to play some of his works in their original form. What are his easiest pieces?

TIA.

Fantaisie Impromptu Op.66
You might wanna check some of his nocturnes, like Op.9 No.01 and 02.

oh my god.. he's just kidding

agreed.. some of the preludes are pretty and not too hard.. The first piece I ever learned was the Chopin prelude in Eminor.. Don't waste your time with "simplified" versions of anything. There is plenty of actual repertoir that's "simple" in it's complete form.

-Paul

Thanks for the replies. I looked at the Nocturnes and I think they're a little too advanced for me. The Prelude in Emin (Op28, No 4) looks like my level.

You could try "Albumleaf."

Also, I think Chopin's Waltz in A minor (don't have the Op. number, but I'll get it if you're interested) isn't bad. It *looks* bad at first glance, but it's easier than it looks if you break down the left hand and identify the patterns. It was my second recital piece.

I recommend a book called "Introduction to Chopin." It comes with a *CD* so you can decide which ones you like before spending the time on them.

Check out the Mazurkas.

his prelude op.28 - 4 & 7 perhaps are the easist.

I am very new and anyone can tell me roughly how long should a fresh beginner start learning chopin with weekly hour lesson and 1-1.5 hrs practice sessons daily ?

after a year, you should be ready for some easy Chopin. but to play his etudes, you might have to wait another 2 years. of course, everyone is different, so it's just a guess.

Thanks Signa

How long have you been self learning ?? I admire your patience & hardwork put in.

thanks. it's about 3.5 years, which i said it already in another thread in response to your question. time will tell what and how much you can accomplish, and if you love playing piano, it will take you to where you want to be...

Here's a good book: Chopin - 14 of his easiest pieces (not arrangements) by Alfred. Preludes Op. 28 - 4,6,7 all very doable. Also Waltz in A Minor that Cindy mentioned and Waltz in B minor. Another that I haven't gotten to yet, but looks good, is Largo in Eb Major. The book also has several Mazurkas.

I just got the Alfred book teachum mentioned. Alfred as a really good series of books of original, not simplified pieces, by Bach, Mozart, Chopin, and others, that a late beginner/early intermediate piano player can play.

In Chopin: The First Book For Pianists (Willard Palmer, Alfred Publ) they include: Albumleaf, Mazurka in C Major Op.7 No. 1; Waltz in A Minor, Prelude in E minor Op. 28 No. 4, Prelude in B minor, Op. 28 No.6 and Prelude in A Major, Op. 28, No. 7, and Mazurka in F major Op. 68, no. 6

According to the book, some of these were written for his amateur piano students for them to practice, but are authentic Chopin works, not abridged or simplified.

Mound, signa, teachum and Jeffrey are right on the money with their suggestion of Prelude no. 4 Opus 28 in E Minor. The single note treble outline is just the thing for coming to terms with the regular quarter-note bass pulse of steadily falling chords. Gets a bit tricky briefly with the "turn" and disparate bass chord at measure 16 but what a gem to add to one's repertoire.

If a bit more advanced, nothing wrong with well-known Prelude 7 in A Major (only 16 measures) and 6, the quite enchanting "Raindrop" Prelude.

DuCamp is clearly a bit over the top in suggesting the mighty Fantasie-Impromptu Opus 66. Mound couldn't resist his irreverent war-cry "oh my god.. he's just kidding".

Is this the book you're talking about?

I don't see Albumleaf listed though.

Cindy, is this the book/CD you're talking about?

Sorry I'm not Cindy but I know that book! I have it.

It is a great intro to Chopin and his "easier" works.

Devils - Yes, that is the book! It's a really nice book.

Actually, that's not the book I have.

Mine is "Chopin: An Introduction to his Piano Works." Second edition, edited by Palmer, published by Alfred. It came with a CD by that same artist Valerie what's-her-name.

The main difference is that there are 19 pieces in the book I have. Here's the closest version I could find (which has 18 pieces):

Chopin Book

This edition doesn't seem to come with the CD, but you can buy it separately:

Chopin CD