Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Question about Mozart's Turkish March

Hi all,

I'm taking my first steps into the piano playing experience. Although I've had a piano for several years, I didn't get quite serious until very recently.

Anyway, the Turkish March is one of the pieces I'm learning right now. And I'm stuck at bar 4 already.
The sheet music tells me to play (right hand): B-A-G#-A, B-A-G-A.
But this doesn't seem right. I've watched some online lessons and they play B-A-G#-A, B-A-G#-A, wich seems to be the correct way of playing.

Am I reading the score wrong or could it be a misprint?
(I'm using this score by the way: http://www.free-scores.com/download-sheet-music.php?pdf=508)

Sorry, no offense, but if you are asking such a basic question about note reading then you should definitely not attempt a Mozart Sonata.

The accidental modifies that G until the end of the bar. It might be worth having a lesson or two just to get you past the basics.

Oh dear...I'd agree with Hakki but...um, to answer your query the music *does* indicate B A G# A B A G# A...because, you see, accidentals carry through the measure; until indicated with a natural sign, all notes of the same pitch are to be played with the accidental in the measure. So, um, the # on the G remains through until the C (so, for instance, the sixth bar reads (g a) B F#A EG F#A...sorry, um, unless you're significantly better at playing than reading you're going to struggle with this...but we all have to start somewhere, so don't feel silly for asking
Xxx
Edit: P.S. I'd be glad to answer any questions you have about any aspect of piano playing; feel free to email me at fluttershyoakley@gmail.com <3

An absolutely glorious post as always, FSO. Um! Einfach vom Himmel gefallen!

I'd like to encourage our OP to get a teacher, or get a book on theory basics and keep at it!

I agree with BDB that you should brush up your theory so your experience with music will be more pleasant. Strictly speaking it is also bar 3 you are talking about because the first bar is actually an anacrusis.

I'm fully aware that my skills are nowhere near where they should be to be playing a piece like this.
It's just one of those pieces that I want to play, eventually. It might take years to get me there, but I figured there's no harm in giving it a shot.

I'm actually learning the piano with Alfred's Basic Adult All-in-one course, and I haven't come across anything like this yet.
I'm tackling pieces like this to improve my sight-reading and, quite simply, because I enjoy it.

Thank you, FSO. Like I said, I'm really new to this whole experience, so I didn't have a clue!
It makes sense now, so thank you.

You're more than welcome, as always shall you be. Of course I completely sympathise with your wishes; at a level not too dissimilar to your own I endeavoured to master Grieg's piano concerto... Um...I think...well, I don't know if he treats everyone the same, but I found Bach to be the best teacher...just saying
Ian...du bist zu gütig aber...danke schön, du hast meine dankbarkeit (
verzeihen, bitte, mein schlecht Grammatik).
Xxx

Bitte schön, FSO! Darf ich was vorschlagen? Auch beim deutsch schreiben sollst du "um" reinstreuen. Ach, lieber Gott! Das wäre was.

Mr. Longfingers: I'd suggest doing some abstract work, too. You have the thing clocked, haven't you, as to how it sounds. Shuffle it around in your noodle some, look at it from different angles.

Das ist ein schrecklich Idee! Entschuldigung aber...um...nicht wahr? Obwohl...es geht um der Sinn...ich werde darüber nachzudenken

War das absichtlich? Sag mal, dass das absichtlich war! Kannst mir ruhig ein PM schicken damit the thread isn't further hijacked.

Sorry to do a bit of hijacking, but my version of Turkish March has the first note semi-quaver B as an appoggiatura and the following A as a quaver. My question is, why? Why not just have four semi-quavers?

What you have is the Urtext. It is a long appoggiatura, so it is substantially the same, so some editions probably simplify it.

I would recommend putting this piece on the shelf. I know it's a goal, and that's great, but you're not ready to tackle it. It would be like saying, "My goal is to run a marathon, so tomorrow I'm going to start by running 26 miles." It just doesn't work that way. It will take you far too long to complete, and worse, when you get there, you still won't be able to do it. You have to train and build up to a marathon. Then, when you're finally ready, you can run one, finish it in an appropriate time--and more importantly--repeat the results.

You're better off taking days/weeks to learn easier pieces, build your ability slowly, and then, when you're finally ready for this piece, learn it in a week or two, rather than struggling with it for years.

Also, I would highly advise not using pieces above your level for sight-reading. It's counter-intuitive and counter-productive. Use pieces below your level. You'll learn to read better, and as you improve, you will be able to increase the level of your sight-reading by similar increments.

Must admit I still struggle with the alberti bass and broken octaves even now.

Turkish March

Most of us have added this classic Mozart to our repertoire ... and none of us would dare to muck around with a Wolfie "chune".

PS In welcoming Mr Longfingers to the Forum, it might be opportune to advise the OP that “long-fingers” is an English idiom for “a thief”...
watch your wallets chaps!

Thanks for the replies, guys.

I don't think I expressed myself quite right. I do want to learn the piece, eventually, but for now I'm just practicing the "easy bits". Is that really so wrong? It's just that I can't be bothered much by playing "Brother John" or "When the saints go marching in". Practicing those songs is mandatory if I want to play pieces like "The Turkish March", I guess.

My ultimate goal, the reason why I started playing in the first place, is to be able to play Chopin. Man, how I love "Nocturne op 9 no 2" and the "Nocturne in C# minor". I practice (parts of) those pieces every now and then, only to be put right back in to my place: an absolute beginner, years away from being able to play it.

By the way, I looked through Alfred's book again yesterday. On page 54 he mentioned that accidentals carry through the measure! I can't believe I missed that. I need to pay closer attention to the book and don't skip parts, haha.

Haha, and again I learn something new!

If you dig Wolfie, why not try something simpler first? His Sonata in C, K545 (which he called Sonata facile, though it's 'too difficult for experienced pianists and too easy for beginners') is usually most pianists' introduction to his piano music, apart from his juvenilia like the K1 Minuet (which, by the way, you might want to have a go at - it's also the first Mozart my teacher taught me, a month after I started lessons).

K545 will introduce you to Alberti bass (which abounds in Mozart) as well as scales, arpeggios, trills, ornaments, cultivating good tone etc. But no tricky octaves or chords, unlike the Rondo alla turca. And you won't feel like you're playing children's music - it's high-class stuff which most great pianists from Sviatoslav Richter to Daniel Barenboim to Mitsuko Uchida have played.