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I'm 17, self-taught for about 5 years and trying to learn Chopin's "Winter Wind" etude. I can currently play the first 2 pages, up to the second descending chromatic scale, but after the scale ends, I'm very slow for the next couple of bars. I haven't learnt any more of the piece after that.

My question is... is it worth continuing trying to learn this piece? I wanted to challenge myself, and have 'mastered' the first 2 pages in a few weeks, but is the rest of the piece much more difficult? Too difficult for me?

The most difficult piece I can currently play is Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu - but only the fast part!

Let's hear it first.

Well, I'm sure I'm going to eat those words! I haven't focused on dynamics at all. But, tomorrow, I will upload it to Youtube and post here!

Okay I'm sorry but this is a pet peeve of mine -- it's 'learned' not 'learnt'.

So, you're asking if it's worth it.. simple answer is yes. Why would it exist if it wasn't worth learning? It's an etude, constructed to improve technique.

Err, You might want to hold off on Op. 25 no. 11 for a while...

How about finish learning the F-I?

Edit: Might as well say it before stores does. You'd be better off with a good teacher.

Good recommendation !!!!!

'learned' is American English, and although it's becoming more popular in the UK, I prefer 'learnt'. Thanks for the encouraging words though!



I want a piece that will blow people away. F-I has a long and slow middle section which the general audience would grow bored of.

I think the audience would be more bored listening to you trudge your way through a piece that's a bit over your technical level...

I don't think so! The people who would listen to me aren't all that musically clued up - they enjoy my playing of F-I and find me amazing. They wouldn't know the difference of good and bad playing (which is probably lucky for me)! I'm not really interested in becoming a concert pianist, I'm self-taught and I'm 17. I enjoy playing and impressing people. I think the general public just want to hear something fast and impressive, in my experience.

Do you care about the music itself, rather than just the showmanship?..

The audience will eat that "long and slow middle section" up with a spoon if you give it its due.

Oh don't get me wrong! I love playing for myself. I don't only play to impress others, what a complete waste of time! I get a thrill out of playing the fast stuff, but I also know some slow stuff - I can play Chopin's 'Raindrop' prelude in its entirety. The thing is, the people who listen to me get bored of listening to it because it's quite lengthy and slow. So, I thought I would learn a flashy piece such as Winter Wind, not only to feel like I accomplished something for myself but also to entertain others.

What makes you think a general audience would grow bored of it? The middle section only lasts 130 seconds or so and it's one of the most popular of Chopin's works.

I shudder to think we live in a world where people don't even have enough of an attention span to make it through a 5 minute masterpiece. Yikes!

My audience aren't generally into piano music; They are typical teenagers who grew up in a council estate. I for one could listen to someone play anything, slow or fast, for hours, but not everyone is like that where I live!

Have you learned 10/12 yet? It's certainly closer in difficulty to the FI than 25/11 is and flashy enough for anyone. It's also very satisfying to play.

Don't take this the wrong way but you give the impression of being musically immature. Leaving out the middle of FI because it would "bore the crowd" and only wanting to learn flashy pieces. If you have mastered, or even came close to mastering, the first 2 pages of the WW etude then you should already have a sense of whether to finish it or not. I could be completely wrong and you may well be naturally virtuosic, but jumping from FI to WW etude is a gigantic jump. Like I said, I could be wrong so I won't make assumptions. Please post audio!

The Revolutionary was my second option. It sounds brilliant and I did hear that it was a lot easier... but, it has a lot of left-hand which really scares me. I was actually going to learn it after Winter Wind, but perhaps I'll scrap Winter Wind all together and move onto this.

And for those that are asking, I'll post my 2 pages of Winter Wind tomorrow when it isn't so late... or possibly tonight if I'm feeling naughty.

There are some frightfully difficult left hand sections in Op. 25 no. 11. Just saying...

I know, but it's later on in the piece. I thought I'd worry about that when I got there. Revolutionary has the left hand right from the start.

I like "learnt." It's like "burnt." Good midwestrnt American English. And, I like the use of the word "of" in:



which is also good midwesterent American English, no matter where Munex is from. Or, from which Munex is...

Munex,
Try Chopin's Op. 28, No. 22, which is "Molto agitato." A TRUE crash piece, if ever one there was, and quite accessible. "Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero!," as they say, or, at least, as he says. Horace, that is. According to Wikipedia, at least. He's that Latin-speaking dude, who spoke that language that all of those composers use when they write all of their secrets...

Forgive me, Munex. What is your dialect, if you don't mind me asking...

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