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Hi,

I am a big fan of Gershwin, and would love to learn some Gershwin piano pieces. I am an early intermediate player (spending 8 weeks learning Entertainer). I am starting Croatian Rhapsody now. I don't think I am ready to handle anything significantly harder yet.

Which should I start with? I have a Summertime rendition but it is so mickey mouse that I don't even enjoy playing it. I think it is a beginner translation. I would love to someday learn Rhapsody in Blue but it sounds pretty hard, and quite long.

What about Swanee?

Swanee's a great piece, though I find it a little tricky. You might want to check out Rialto Ripples or the three piano preludes.

Get a book of the songs.

There’s nothing Mickey Mouse about the 1935 copyrighted original of George Gershwin’s “Summertime” with words by Du Bose Heyward.

Thought I’d slip in a copy of the first page and see how you make out ... can add more if considered suitable ... being out of the 70-year copyright.

web page

The world of Gershwin’s songbook is a knock-out ... if you want something relatively slow and comparatively easy to play ... you might like to start on “Embraceable You” or “Someone to Watch Over Me” ... my nostalgic favourites are “A Foggy Day” and “They Can’t Take That Away From Me”.

I congratulate you, brazospiano!

Gershwin's music is so great. The songs he wrote (along with those super lyrics by his brother, Ira) are so much a part of our American heritage. The music from Porgy and Bess (Summertime [of course], Bess, You Is My Woman Now, My Man's Gone Now) American in Paris, Concerto in F, Embraceable You, Someone to Watch Over Me, I Got Rhythm, Fascinating Rhythm, Our Love is Here to Stay...the list is endless.

I bought a very simplified version of the Rhapsody about a year ago through Amazon, then bought another one, more complicated. I believe you can order either one from there and also some great compliations of his music, almost at any skill level.

'S Wonderful!!
Kathleen

btb,

Keep feeding him pages of Summertime! There is indeed nothing Mickey Mouse about the original. And it is ideal for someone with intermediate skills, especially if they have big enough hands for some of the stretches.

Also, the songs and the preludes provide another great entree for an intermediate or advanced-intermediate player.

On a personal note, my son works with a particular teacher-performer each summer. This summer they are working up the third movement of the Concerto in F. He's got his part about 90% mastered. The real work involves getting it to 98% while learning to play seamlessly with a partner. I'm hoping they can perform it publicly in September or thereabouts. This is a wonderful piece that marries jazz structure, classical form, and even whole tone scales!

Let me hold back on more pages of "Summertime" P/D... what the chappie doesn't know is that there
are tricky bits in a mere 2 pages which will test the best of us to capture the winsome bitter-sweet
mood of the little masterpiece.

If his enthusiasm for Gershwin captures the first page ... and wants more ... it's just a matter of asking ... everytime I sit at the piano there is
always the reflection that I could have added an edgy bit more ... a bit more ... but I can never be sure ... there lies the haunting enigma of the piece.

The mention of Gershwin reminded me of a great rendition of a I Loves You Porgy by Keith Jarrett

One of my goals would be to have a few Gershwin and Porter standards committed to memory and playable. The best music these two guys wrote is timeless and defines the American song and the jazz form in so many ways. I have the Warner publication of Gershwins Greatest Hits. It contains good arrangements of all the songs mentioned so far in this thread and more. As for Rhapsody.... well, it's a masterpiece but, alas, it's beyond me.

Great music!

Edit: fwiw just checked my Greatest Hits book and the version of Summertime in it is the same as posted above...

Sometimes I wonder ... when the pod moment of truth comes and we're forced to abandon earth ... and we're only allowed to take one book of music on our journey to the stars ... whether it would be the Beethoven Sonatas, Chopin Nocturnes or the
Gershwins Greatest Hits ... decisions, decisions.

But can't I take Ella Fitzgerald's Gershwin Songbook on CD? Then I must have the Concerto in F... the score will suffice, I suppose.

Hmmmmm,

Summertime. I think that sounds like a good piece. I would like to show it to my piano teacher and talk it over with her. I am so close on the Entertainer but it has been a tremendous amount of work. I had already started it before I started taking lessons, after about 10 years of not playing. And I was never very good anyway. I think I could learn it in half the time with good practice habits, which she is teaching me.

Gershwin's Greatest Hits? Does this have original scores or what level is it? I dream about playing Gershwin someday proficiently...

I have a great book called "Gershwin Jazz Interpretations" (Warner Bros Publications). Not sure if it's still in print, but it has some wonderful arrangements for intermediate level.

www.box.net/shared/ztlrntnldt

What about the second prelude?

Thanks for the e-mail brazospiano ... can't help you with an address to get a free copy of Gershwin's "Summertime" ... but have added the
2nd page from my Gershwin songbook below:
web page

Thanks btb! Looks like I have a lot of practicing to do! What is the name of the Gershwin songbook? Is it still in print? What other intermediate level songs does it have?

My Gershwin Songbook (bought some 15 years ago) is called
"George Gershwin's Greatest Hits" and includes

Bidin' My Time
But Not For Me
Embraceable You
A Foggy Day
I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'
I Got Rhythm
It Ain't Necessarily So
Let's Call The Whole Thing Off
Liza
Love Is Here To Stay
The Man I Love
Oh, Lady Be Good
Rhapsody in Blue (arr.)
Somebody Loves Me
Someone To Watch Over Me
Strike Up The Band
Summertime
Swanee
'S Wonderful
They All Laughed
They Can't Take That Away From Me

If your teacher doesn't know all of these hits ...
I'd be very much surprised ... "Summertime" will
be found in all the shops ... "intermediate" level is such a vague term ... but don't presume
these Gershwin classics are a push-over ... they all need working on to capture the essence of
that magical 1930s US lifestyle ... with lyrics
by brother Ira, the work of Tin Pan Alley genius.

Are these the original arrangements then? I know they are not easy. My understanding is that Rhapsody in Blue is quite difficult. I think Swanee is not that easy either.

But this is the type of music I want to learn besides boogie woogie. That is why I am getting back into piano, so I might as well suck up and get the book and start learning. Even if it takes me 3 months a piece I am okay with that.

I think I found it. I assume this book has the original piano arrangements?
George Gershwin\'s Greatest Hits

Only the "Rhapsody In Blue" is a brief arrangement ... all the others are unmistakeable Gershwin keyboard originals.

brazos, that's the book alright. The arrangements are all from the period so I guess that makes them original. They look easier than they are; be prepared to work on them. As btb says, the version of RIB is just an exerpt of the main theme and is much simpler than the real score (which is a major challenge and way beyond me).