luzula: a Luzula pilosa, or hairy wood-rush (Default)
[personal profile] luzula
My new house has a piano, which the previous owners left behind. It was terribly out of tune, so I had it tuned--well, at least it is now internally in tune, as the piano tuner who came to do it said that it probably hadn't been done in 20 years and he couldn't tune it all the way up without risking it breaking. He said to call him again in a year.

I played piano in my youth, and it has been fun picking it up again--it's surprising how easy it has been to re-learn things I played then (although ten years ago I did live for a few years in a place with a piano and played a bit then too, so that probably maintained my playing). But I find myself wishing for some new music to play and not sure what I might like? I am open to any genre really. If you play the piano, what is your favorite piano sheet music?

What I played earlier has often been determined by what sheet music happened to be available. The most difficult piece I can play is probably this, to give you an idea of what level of difficulty I'm looking for (though it would also be nice with some easier stuff, as that took a long time to learn well). I went to the library and came home with some Telemann, which is pleasingly patterned and is nice to practice on. But I am not sure where I should go next.

So many talents

Date: 2025-03-19 09:56 pm (UTC)
jesse_the_k: Feet in piano keyboard socks and black patent leather flats (shoes are key elements)
From: [personal profile] jesse_the_k

I've been lucky enough to hear your sung fan works -- and today I learned you play the piano!

Are you interested in vocal music as well?

(no subject)

Date: 2025-03-19 10:31 pm (UTC)
sanguinity: woodcut by M.C. Escher, "Snakes" (Default)
From: [personal profile] sanguinity
Grrlpup recommends Lyric Preludes in Romantic Style: 24 Short Piano Pieces in All Keys by William L. Gillock. Quoth she, "The pieces are short and have different moods; they're quite simple without sounding dumbed-down; and for me it's also a good way to get used to all different keys."

I'd also recommend looking at music publishers' graded-by-difficulty compilations, just to try out a bunch of things and see what you like.

And I see you're already checking out your library's sheet music collection, which is an awesome way of just trying a bunch of stuff.

(no subject)

Date: 2025-03-19 11:30 pm (UTC)
mergatrude: (world music)
From: [personal profile] mergatrude
This is a pretty good site: https://musescore.com/sheetmusic/beginner/piano

I downloaded some Ludovico Enaudi, but it varies in skill level. Otherwise I usually check second hand booksellers and market stalls.

(no subject)

Date: 2025-03-20 12:18 am (UTC)
chestnut_pod: A close-up photograph of my auburn hair in a French braid (Default)
From: [personal profile] chestnut_pod
That's interesting; when the tuner comes back, will the wood (?) have adjusted enough to tune it the rest of the way?

I'm glad this is something you're enjoying picking back up.

(no subject)

Date: 2025-03-20 11:30 am (UTC)
nnozomi: (Default)
From: [personal profile] nnozomi
yay, piano! Depending on your tastes, I would go for some Bach, maybe the two-part inventions to start with, or whatever seems to suit your level at the moment (the Art of the Fugue if you're feeling slightly more ambitious...). Some of the Scott Joplin rags are not difficult, I think "Bethena" is the one I have in mind? Or look online for arrangements of folksongs, etc. that you like for piano?

(no subject)

Date: 2025-03-20 03:02 pm (UTC)
sanguinity: woodcut by M.C. Escher, "Snakes" (Default)
From: [personal profile] sanguinity
Huh, that makes me wonder what's going on there, metallurgically speaking. Some form of work hardening, I would guess, but I wish I had access to all my old metallurgy wizards to explain it to me.

(no subject)

Date: 2025-03-20 09:01 pm (UTC)
sanguinity: woodcut by M.C. Escher, "Snakes" (Default)
From: [personal profile] sanguinity
Physics, yes, but I learned basic metallurgy on the job through an on-site course taught by a previous employer, a manufacturing firm that made things out of steel. We learned stuff about the crystalline structure of metals, how those structures responded to forming and heating, and how all that changed the metal's properties... It was a cool course!

(no subject)

Date: 2025-03-21 03:06 pm (UTC)
sanguinity: woodcut by M.C. Escher, "Snakes" (Default)
From: [personal profile] sanguinity
Safety engineer. Which was a lovely job for someone who wants to know a bit about everything: how everything on the manufacturing floor works, and how every system of the human body works, and all the ways the two sets of things could interact with each other.

(no subject)

Date: 2025-03-22 06:43 pm (UTC)
de_eekhoorn: (Default)
From: [personal profile] de_eekhoorn
When it comes to not-too-difficult music that will remain a delight to play over time, I can wholeheartedly recommend Tschaikovsky's Children's Album. My mother played the Old French Song and a number of others all through my childhood (and plays them still); I have played them myself for a good couple of years now and I still enjoy listening to them when I play.

(no subject)

Date: 2025-06-09 04:45 am (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
Chopin has many works that are easy to play. Most of mazurkas are easy and some of the preludes too. Prelude in E minor is one famous example. Note that Chopin also has some very demanding pieces as well, so use your best judgement.

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