This video was a little different from what I've been making lately. Honestly, like I mention near the end of the video, I've been feeling a little bit robotic and I wanted to switch things up a bit. For me, this felt much more like getting back to doing what I love the most, which is just hanging out with you all and talking about music. Plus, I want to try and play more actual piano in the videos. I hope you enjoy. You can grab that PDF with all these pieces in it here: resources.betterpiano.com/9-pieces
It's a good video man. All of your work clearly has care put into it, but I think I have been feeling the same way as you. You enjoy making this style of video, and I wanted to let you know that I quite enjoyed watching it. Thanks
I think the more you're having fun, the more as an audience it's fun to watch. Plz don't get stuck as one of those UA-camrs just doing the same thing every day because the algorithm likes it a lot.
Speaking of the piano, as a fan of your content, I wish you could make a video about Chopin, especially one of his best pieces, Ballade No. 1 or 4 (Krystian Zimerman's interpretation). Chopin is one of the greatest composers and the most important piano composer in history. He even heavily influenced debussy, which is the composer of what seems to be your favorite classical piece, magical Claire de lune.This is what he had to say about him: “Chopin is the greatest of all,” Debussy said. “For with the piano alone he discovered everything.” Ballade no 1 takes you on an emotional journey, a fight between light and darkness. Like much of Chopin’s music, it ends in an incredible, wild coda where the music seems to scream before finally giving in to the darkness. This piece isn’t just beautiful, it’s groundbreaking and rewarding to analyze. His 4th ballade is as good, or even greater. Ballade No. 1 and many of his compositions pushes the limits of harmony, piano techniques, and composition, taking music to a whole new level when it first released. It’s a true masterpiece and one of the greatest achievements in piano and music history.
The first time I heard Clair de Lune I was overwhelmed by its beauty. When I discovered other works by Debussy, it changed the way I viewed music. To this day French music from The late 19th century to early 20th century is my favorite .
I played Satie’s Gymnopédie no.1 live for my grandma’s funeral and while it may seem deceptively simple if you aren’t focused on the beginning phrases it’s very very easy to mess up.
Fun take, the 2 against 3 sounds so weird or difficult for a lot of cultures but here in Argentina is printed in one of our main folclore music genres called Chacarera, we basically learn it as kids messing around and then stays forever
I've never understood what is so hard about 2 against 3. In the end it's just an underlying rhythm of 6. There are other polyrhythms that are worse, as they are like 5 against 3, beign a 15 underlyingly, bit an underlying 6 shouldn't be crazy.
One interesting thing about all starting with earlier composers like Bach and Mozart, and then moving up through Beethoven and Chopin is seeing how the technique and even the construction of the piano itself changed over the years, and how that affects the way you need to play. Earlier pieces you're mostly using the tips of your fingers, with your fingers bent over the keys, because the chord shapes were much smaller, and notes are closer together. As you get into the later Beethoven years and into Chopin and Debussy, the keyboards themselves got bigger, and the chord shapes got wider. Now you're often playing on the pads of your fingers, with the fingers straight and splayed out. The hand moves a lot more too, since they started using sweeping arpeggios. You find you can't hold your wrist as rigidly as you might have for Bach and Mozart, but instead you need to start rolling your wrist to move between the keys. It's really cool to see the evolution of the instrument.
When my grandparents were courting, back in the 1920s, my grandfather would always ask my grandmother to play Traumerei for him before he went home. She lived to 102 and was still playing piano we'll into her 90s.
Bach has changed my piano playing forever. As Charles, I always disliked Bach as a beginner. Or rather I never understood him and Baroque music. But one day I slammed my fist and said I'm gonna learn Bach even if I don't like him. Started with Prelude and Fugue II in C minor from the Well-tempered Clavier book I and now he's my favourite composer to play. You learn so much finger dexterity and hand independence that everything else will feel easier.
Chopin prelude in e minor needs to be on this list. Oh my god what a piece. First one I ever played live, and that along with the piece created such a transcendent experience
From a more experienced perspective, here are some piano pieces that took my playing to the next level. The first is Bach's Fugue in C# minor from WTC1. It's a five voice fugue and it totally kicked my ass. One of the hardest pieces I've ever learned, but really really helped me to improve my ability to play counterpoint, as well as my ability to voice different lines of music. The second would be Chopin's etude op 25 no 6, the infamous double thirds etude. Good luck even playing the first two bars! Probably his most difficult etude in my opinion, but it really helps to shore up a key skill. Next would be Rachmaninoff's Etude Tableaux op 39 no 2, The Sea and the Seagulls. This piece also kicked my ass and it has it all. Polyrhythms, voicing, hand crossing; but when it comes together it feels as smooth as water and really helps you to play more smoothly, lyrically, and freely in general.
I play all of these, pulling them out at different times from time to time but I don't really learn them, I sight read them every time I play them so I'm playing them very slowly, or at least slower than they're meant to be played. I've been playing piano for about 50 years, taught by my grandmother, and still play every day for my own enjoyment. It's stress relief. It's meditative.
I'm glad you mentioned how fun Clair de Lune is to play. It feels like every few measures, your fingers are doing something new. Speaking of fun to play, have you ever played any of the Piano Guys pianist Jon Schmidt's solo stuff from years back? Waterfall in particular is an absolute blast to play.
Heureux que vos deux compositeurs préférés soient Debussy et Ravel. Ce sont pour moi ce qui s'est fait de mieux en France depuis toujours en terme de créations musicales. Le jour ou, enfant, j'ai entendu "Prélude à l'après midi d'un faune" pour la première fois, je savais que j'allais être fan absolu à vie de ce langage musical unique qui prend tout son sens dans le cinéma. Demandez à John Williams...
You're welcome for watching. Thank YOU for putting out such great videos. From learning about new pieces, to music theory, to my childhood video game memories; you always have such great topics. I'm mostly a guitar player; and rarely play my keyboard; but I still love your videos. THANK YOU!
Odd that I find playing Moonlight Sonata, which is higher on your list, easier than playing something lower on your list. But I'm self taught. I had lessons and played sax for years. Then I decided to teach myself piano. Of course, I didn't learn correctly. So I can't sight read worth a darn, and I can't play anything with fast fingerings. But I find playing the music, not just the notes, very easy. I think it helps that I memorize songs, because I can't sight read, and that allows me to focus on the emotion.
Great vid and all amazing pieces. I would say however that for anyone genuinely starting out, the pieces are generally much harder than you say. Here in the UK, Fur Elise is about grade 6 standard difficulty, and Clare de Lune is grade 8. Realistically it’ll take a number of years of practice to be good enough to play these well. And to play the runs in the Mozart as smoothly as you do here is incredibly difficult. I say this as someone in my 40s who passed grade 8 a couple of years ago, and have recent experience of learning a couple of the harder ones on the list, including CdL. Totally agree about Debussy’s brilliance. His first Arabesque and his Cakewalk (full title no longer acceptable) are also just incredible piano pieces of about grade 7/8 difficulty.
Thanks for pointng this out, I was thinking the same thing with the difficulty. Congrats on passing grade 8 BTW, I always like hearing about other adult learners doing the reader exams, keeps me encouraged to keep practicing :)
I'm just gonna say that, with proper mindful practice and with a decent amount of time, one can play Clair de Lune after two years of playing the piano. But it requires very mindful and consinstent practice.
@@tuluppampam I guess it all depends on how much time a person has available, but I would have to strongly disagree with you on that. Perhaps if you’re an absolute prodigy, or can basically entirely dedicate your life to the task, maybe. But anyone who has to go to school or work, or has any kind of life, isn’t going to get anywhere close to go from learning what the notes are to playing CdL in two years. The second half of the piece has some tricky passages to learn, even for players who are already at the right sort of standard.
@@lolclevername thanks, that’s very kind of you. I got to grade 7 standard when I was a teenager, but stopped playing the piano when I left school. Started playing a bit again many years later when my own children started piano lessons, realised how much I was enjoying it, and then realised that getting grade 8 wasn’t entirely out of reach for me. I have to admit I was really chuffed with myself when I eventually passed.
I learned every single song on this list with the exception of the last one. Which I have started and aborted many times over the three decades of my piano playing life. I can play EXACTLY and ONLY the part of the song that you included for the clip. And I usually get asked to play it, so I play that portion then strategically complain that it’s boring and overplayed, and switch back to jazz or blues.
These are all really good. If i could add a tenth though, I would say The Entertainer -- really influenced my early piano learning and taught about time through rag
This video comes at a perfect time, as I have recently AGIN picked up piano playing. Am currently studying and playing unstoppably two of Chopin's waltzes in A minor, off op 34 and op 150. Now, to commence watching your video, to see if it will further open my piano senses 🙂
Fun fact: in the FAITH Trilogy, both Moonlight Sonata and another of Satie's pieces are played in a very Atari-like fashion. So youre not getting far away from your "let's break down these particular pieces from this particular video game" series! And thank you for Gymnopedie #1. I have a collection of Satie sitting on my keyboard piano... and they are both collecting dust as I speak. I feel like i suddenly have "stupid fingers", after wasting my fine coordination on Guitar Hero.
OMG, I'm a self taught pianist, and I do the polyrythm thing too! ahahhaha, so cool to see someone else using the same stuff, specially someone i admire so much! awesome
I played all of them except Satie and Grieg. That Grieg piece sounds beautiful! Gotta add that one to my ever growing list of pieces to learn LOL My first early advanced piece is Arabesque 1 by Debussy. It took me months to learn (had learned to play the piano for about 6 months at that point as an adult). Clair de Luna is also one of my all time favorites. I barely get time to practice now since my son was born but when I do I still play this piece almost every time. When will I ever finish learning the Bach organ sonata....AHHHHHHUUUGGGGHHHH (onomatopoeia of desperation)
Hi Charles, I really liked and appreciated this video. There are so many videos out there such as "the most difficult piano pieces" (often including Moonlight Sonata 3rd Movement), it is really refreshing to see somebody focusing on extremely beautiful music that is actually accessible. If anything, I would love to see MORE videos like this from your channel! Thank you!
I found the Prelude No.1 is much more enjoyable to play when you slow it down and add rubato; make it become a satin sheet blowing in a gentle summers breeze.
Not the most original playlist I never hear but well it is good to tell that classic music help a lot with piano technique. I did not remember about Grieg notturno, so it remind me that.
Nice list of some of the seminal works of piano. My teacher though thinks that the Schumann and Moonlight- to sound really good - are quite advanced. She says that Taumerei is a beast.
My uncle had a favorite joke when it came to Fur Elise. He'd often sit at his electric piano and play it, but sometimes he'd just set it to play Fur Elise on it's own. He'd press the keys along as it played and wait for someone to compliment his playing. Then he would lift his hands above his head, and continue motioning the keys in mid air. Never failed to get a laugh out of the people who gave the compliment.
Part of the reason my generation thinks Minuet in G was by Bach was back in earlier editions of Windows, Minuet in G was one of the sound files included with the install to show off the nascent Windows Media Player (this was back in like... Windows 3.11 and Windows 95 era), and there it was labeled as being a Bach piece.
1. Yep, first REAL piece I ever learned. 2. Now, honest, to Gods, I thought this was the Ave Maria. Same chord progression, isn't it? 3. Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh...minimalism. I'm a Romanticism person, and this is close to that, and GOD do I love this one. 4. I have a friend who knew how to play the crazy, speedy, happy part when we were, like, twelve. Good on her. 5. Weird: I don't know this one. 6. Jesus, Mozart was out of his mind, and I mean that in the best possible way. 7. Do I know this one...? I'm trying to remember if I know this one. And actually, for my ear, when you were snapping, I just automatically started counting waltz time. Oops. XD 8. The harmony in this one will neve lose its beauty for me. 9. Hm, not Reverie? Not Arabesque 1? Not that I dislike this one, but it's a little cliche. I think I might just be overexposed. But the first time I heard Arabesque 1, I was like, "Yep, Debussy's my favourite composer."
I think an easier introduction to Debussy is Golliwog's Cakewalk. It's easier than Clair de Lune and SO much fun to play with all the jumping around. I started with Golliwog before moving onto Clair and it was easier for me. I still prefer playing Golliwog.
Eric Satie wasn't just a "gimmick composer" (Jike some would argue John Cage was). He made outstanding music, and some of his works seem to drift in and out of a dream. I might be a weirdo, but I think (most of) his music sound better on an upright piano than a grand piano. Probably because of the slightly "muffled" sound of the upright.
I learnt moon light sonata at 12. The second song for me to learn (gifted brat) but it depressed the crap out of me. Was a mistake to learn. Ironically Clair de lune was the last I learned at 18 and it cured me. The story behind Clair de lune is super interesting.
It's wild to see you talking about classical pieces. I was expecting it to be virtuosic repertoire, not beginner/intermediate based in the title but still watched out of curiosity. Fur Elise is a scrub pick, though, I must say.
I really.liked this list: these are pieces I've already played, most of them, or that I've been seriously thinking of mastering. Thank you very much for this video: sonetimes you just wanna know if you're in the right path.
there's a reason Peter Schickele used Prelude in C major for the basis of PDQ Bach's Prelude to Einstein on the Fritz amazing parody of Philip Glass' score for the film Koyaanisqatsi
If there was a tenth song on this list then it has to be To A Wild Rose by Edward Macdowell. As it exemplifies a lot of things Beethoven's moonlight sanata exemplifies but is way more easier to perform.
Heya Charles, if you happen to see this, you should check out the Baccano Spiral Melodies ost! It's one of my favourite soundtracks, I think you'd like it too!
Mozart was 32 when he wrote the K.545 Sonata. "Gym-nop-e-dee", emphasis on the "nop" and with a buzzing "g" at the start. The Bach C major prelude WTC book 1 isn't repetitive at all.
It is repetitive in terms of rhythm, technique and melodic contour. Harmonically it's not repetitive at all, but that is the only thing that isn't repetitive. Still I agree with you, the harmony more than compensates for everything else to get your attention.
and here i am going from twinkle twinkle, to Sara bareilles "write you a love song" to Coldplay to für Elise to ludovico einaudi xD guess im going back to start xD
3:30 I've wondered why I never find the Gymnopedie(s) played slow enough. Someone (younger) once asked me how I can possibly to play something so slowly as I did this one. I now realize that while it begs to be breathed with, my breathing is so slow that the tempo here and usually is way too fast. I start to feel uneasy, that I have to rush my breathing. Guess my choir years are to blame
This video was a little different from what I've been making lately. Honestly, like I mention near the end of the video, I've been feeling a little bit robotic and I wanted to switch things up a bit. For me, this felt much more like getting back to doing what I love the most, which is just hanging out with you all and talking about music. Plus, I want to try and play more actual piano in the videos. I hope you enjoy. You can grab that PDF with all these pieces in it here: resources.betterpiano.com/9-pieces
It's a good video man.
All of your work clearly has care put into it, but I think I have been feeling the same way as you.
You enjoy making this style of video, and I wanted to let you know that I quite enjoyed watching it.
Thanks
How is minuet in g not bach? I thought it was the first part of the four pieces from the little notebook!!?
Please do Kirby's triumphant return
I think the more you're having fun, the more as an audience it's fun to watch. Plz don't get stuck as one of those UA-camrs just doing the same thing every day because the algorithm likes it a lot.
Can you look at the music from The Princess Bride.and Red Dwarf
Speaking of the piano, as a fan of your content, I wish you could make a video about Chopin, especially one of his best pieces, Ballade No. 1 or 4 (Krystian Zimerman's interpretation). Chopin is one of the greatest composers and the most important piano composer in history. He even heavily influenced debussy, which is the composer of what seems to be your favorite classical piece, magical Claire de lune.This is what he had to say about him: “Chopin is the greatest of all,” Debussy said. “For with the piano alone he discovered everything.” Ballade no 1 takes you on an emotional journey, a fight between light and darkness. Like much of Chopin’s music, it ends in an incredible, wild coda where the music seems to scream before finally giving in to the darkness. This piece isn’t just beautiful, it’s groundbreaking and rewarding to analyze. His 4th ballade is as good, or even greater. Ballade No. 1 and many of his compositions pushes the limits of harmony, piano techniques, and composition, taking music to a whole new level when it first released. It’s a true masterpiece and one of the greatest achievements in piano and music history.
Preludes 7 and 4.
Easy to learn, impossible to perfect.
Ballade 3 and 4 are objectively better
@@gmfrunzik *subjectively - music is and can only be a subjective experience. Everyone experiences it differently.
Everyone talks about Ballade No. 1 and while it is a nice piece, Ballade No. 4 blows everything out of the water
@@gmfrunzikThey all tell different stories, why would any of them be better than another?
The first time I heard Clair de Lune I was overwhelmed by its beauty. When I discovered other works by Debussy, it changed the way I viewed music. To this day French music from The late 19th century to early 20th century is my favorite .
Same! I ended up discovering Ravel, Stravinsky and Shostakovich because of Debussy 😊
I played Satie’s Gymnopédie no.1 live for my grandma’s funeral and while it may seem deceptively simple if you aren’t focused on the beginning phrases it’s very very easy to mess up.
Fun take, the 2 against 3 sounds so weird or difficult for a lot of cultures but here in Argentina is printed in one of our main folclore music genres called Chacarera, we basically learn it as kids messing around and then stays forever
Correcto!
I've never understood what is so hard about 2 against 3.
In the end it's just an underlying rhythm of 6.
There are other polyrhythms that are worse, as they are like 5 against 3, beign a 15 underlyingly, bit an underlying 6 shouldn't be crazy.
2 vs 3 never gave me that much difficulty, but 3 vs 4 when I learned Ravel's Jeux D'eau was a monumental task for me.
Same for me with the climax of Une Barque Sur L’Ocean which I did this semester!
One interesting thing about all starting with earlier composers like Bach and Mozart, and then moving up through Beethoven and Chopin is seeing how the technique and even the construction of the piano itself changed over the years, and how that affects the way you need to play. Earlier pieces you're mostly using the tips of your fingers, with your fingers bent over the keys, because the chord shapes were much smaller, and notes are closer together. As you get into the later Beethoven years and into Chopin and Debussy, the keyboards themselves got bigger, and the chord shapes got wider. Now you're often playing on the pads of your fingers, with the fingers straight and splayed out. The hand moves a lot more too, since they started using sweeping arpeggios. You find you can't hold your wrist as rigidly as you might have for Bach and Mozart, but instead you need to start rolling your wrist to move between the keys. It's really cool to see the evolution of the instrument.
My takeaway is that my piano teacher growing up knew what was up LOL she put me on nearly all of these pieces and I’m very grateful for that
wow, the Grieg piece was such a nostalgia hit for me, I played it for my grade 8 exam many moons ago. I'll have to dig out the music and try it again
Yessss, I absolutely LOVE Gymnopédie No.1, it's one of my favorites.
When my grandparents were courting, back in the 1920s, my grandfather would always ask my grandmother to play Traumerei for him before he went home. She lived to 102 and was still playing piano we'll into her 90s.
❤inspiring❤
Real love❤
Bach has changed my piano playing forever. As Charles, I always disliked Bach as a beginner. Or rather I never understood him and Baroque music. But one day I slammed my fist and said I'm gonna learn Bach even if I don't like him. Started with Prelude and Fugue II in C minor from the Well-tempered Clavier book I and now he's my favourite composer to play. You learn so much finger dexterity and hand independence that everything else will feel easier.
Chopin prelude in e minor needs to be on this list. Oh my god what a piece. First one I ever played live, and that along with the piece created such a transcendent experience
Arabesque no. 1 by Debussy taught me vast technics such as polyrhythms and expressing myself musically! Very thankful for that musical work...
I had a music box that was Traumerei when i was very young, 2-4 yrs old. Even now, it brings me back to that childish 'nothing else matters' feeling.
I'm not even a pianist but I love it here 🙂Thank you for sharing your passion Charles
From a more experienced perspective, here are some piano pieces that took my playing to the next level. The first is Bach's Fugue in C# minor from WTC1. It's a five voice fugue and it totally kicked my ass. One of the hardest pieces I've ever learned, but really really helped me to improve my ability to play counterpoint, as well as my ability to voice different lines of music. The second would be Chopin's etude op 25 no 6, the infamous double thirds etude. Good luck even playing the first two bars! Probably his most difficult etude in my opinion, but it really helps to shore up a key skill. Next would be Rachmaninoff's Etude Tableaux op 39 no 2, The Sea and the Seagulls. This piece also kicked my ass and it has it all. Polyrhythms, voicing, hand crossing; but when it comes together it feels as smooth as water and really helps you to play more smoothly, lyrically, and freely in general.
Bach is the godfather guru of music harmony.
Love to hear you talking about classical music :) I hope you do more of this thing if you like it as well!
I play all of these, pulling them out at different times from time to time but I don't really learn them, I sight read them every time I play them so I'm playing them very slowly, or at least slower than they're meant to be played. I've been playing piano for about 50 years, taught by my grandmother, and still play every day for my own enjoyment. It's stress relief. It's meditative.
I'm glad you mentioned how fun Clair de Lune is to play. It feels like every few measures, your fingers are doing something new.
Speaking of fun to play, have you ever played any of the Piano Guys pianist Jon Schmidt's solo stuff from years back? Waterfall in particular is an absolute blast to play.
This is honestly more of the content I enjoy from you. Thank you!
long streak of really good videos! keep it up
Heureux que vos deux compositeurs préférés soient Debussy et Ravel. Ce sont pour moi ce qui s'est fait de mieux en France depuis toujours en terme de créations musicales. Le jour ou, enfant, j'ai entendu "Prélude à l'après midi d'un faune" pour la première fois, je savais que j'allais être fan absolu à vie de ce langage musical unique qui prend tout son sens dans le cinéma. Demandez à John Williams...
You're welcome for watching. Thank YOU for putting out such great videos. From learning about new pieces, to music theory, to my childhood video game memories; you always have such great topics. I'm mostly a guitar player; and rarely play my keyboard; but I still love your videos. THANK YOU!
Love this new form of video!
Wow! I went through a *very* different path in my own classical training lol piano is so cool
Throttle House hoodie? Never thought I'd see these two worlds collide. As always, excellent video!
All of Schumann's pieces are just heavenly. So beautiful that they bring out emotions you might not even be aware of. I don't know how he does it.
All your videos are always so well done 👌🏼
Debussy is the King. Childen's corner is amazing. Arabesque n1...all my childhood spent behind a piano. ❤
Odd that I find playing Moonlight Sonata, which is higher on your list, easier than playing something lower on your list. But I'm self taught. I had lessons and played sax for years. Then I decided to teach myself piano. Of course, I didn't learn correctly. So I can't sight read worth a darn, and I can't play anything with fast fingerings. But I find playing the music, not just the notes, very easy. I think it helps that I memorize songs, because I can't sight read, and that allows me to focus on the emotion.
Great vid and all amazing pieces. I would say however that for anyone genuinely starting out, the pieces are generally much harder than you say. Here in the UK, Fur Elise is about grade 6 standard difficulty, and Clare de Lune is grade 8. Realistically it’ll take a number of years of practice to be good enough to play these well. And to play the runs in the Mozart as smoothly as you do here is incredibly difficult.
I say this as someone in my 40s who passed grade 8 a couple of years ago, and have recent experience of learning a couple of the harder ones on the list, including CdL.
Totally agree about Debussy’s brilliance. His first Arabesque and his Cakewalk (full title no longer acceptable) are also just incredible piano pieces of about grade 7/8 difficulty.
Thanks for pointng this out, I was thinking the same thing with the difficulty. Congrats on passing grade 8 BTW, I always like hearing about other adult learners doing the reader exams, keeps me encouraged to keep practicing :)
I'm just gonna say that, with proper mindful practice and with a decent amount of time, one can play Clair de Lune after two years of playing the piano.
But it requires very mindful and consinstent practice.
@@tuluppampam I guess it all depends on how much time a person has available, but I would have to strongly disagree with you on that. Perhaps if you’re an absolute prodigy, or can basically entirely dedicate your life to the task, maybe. But anyone who has to go to school or work, or has any kind of life, isn’t going to get anywhere close to go from learning what the notes are to playing CdL in two years. The second half of the piece has some tricky passages to learn, even for players who are already at the right sort of standard.
@@lolclevername thanks, that’s very kind of you. I got to grade 7 standard when I was a teenager, but stopped playing the piano when I left school. Started playing a bit again many years later when my own children started piano lessons, realised how much I was enjoying it, and then realised that getting grade 8 wasn’t entirely out of reach for me. I have to admit I was really chuffed with myself when I eventually passed.
I learned Clair de Lune, Yannie, & Fantasie Impromptu. I want to learn more Chopin and one day Rhapsody in blue.
Fantasie Impromptu is the best! But if you don't play it for a good while, it's so hard to regain the accuracy.
I learned every single song on this list with the exception of the last one. Which I have started and aborted many times over the three decades of my piano playing life. I can play EXACTLY and ONLY the part of the song that you included for the clip. And I usually get asked to play it, so I play that portion then strategically complain that it’s boring and overplayed, and switch back to jazz or blues.
These are all really good. If i could add a tenth though, I would say The Entertainer -- really influenced my early piano learning and taught about time through rag
It's nice to hear you actually play, Charles. Thanks!
This video comes at a perfect time, as I have recently AGIN picked up piano playing. Am currently studying and playing unstoppably two of Chopin's waltzes in A minor, off op 34 and op 150. Now, to commence watching your video, to see if it will further open my piano senses 🙂
Fun fact: in the FAITH Trilogy, both Moonlight Sonata and another of Satie's pieces are played in a very Atari-like fashion. So youre not getting far away from your "let's break down these particular pieces from this particular video game" series!
And thank you for Gymnopedie #1. I have a collection of Satie sitting on my keyboard piano... and they are both collecting dust as I speak. I feel like i suddenly have "stupid fingers", after wasting my fine coordination on Guitar Hero.
OMG, I'm a self taught pianist, and I do the polyrythm thing too! ahahhaha, so cool to see someone else using the same stuff, specially someone i admire so much! awesome
I played all of them except Satie and Grieg. That Grieg piece sounds beautiful! Gotta add that one to my ever growing list of pieces to learn LOL My first early advanced piece is Arabesque 1 by Debussy. It took me months to learn (had learned to play the piano for about 6 months at that point as an adult). Clair de Luna is also one of my all time favorites. I barely get time to practice now since my son was born but when I do I still play this piece almost every time. When will I ever finish learning the Bach organ sonata....AHHHHHHUUUGGGGHHHH (onomatopoeia of desperation)
Hi Charles,
I really liked and appreciated this video. There are so many videos out there such as "the most difficult piano pieces" (often including Moonlight Sonata 3rd Movement), it is really refreshing to see somebody focusing on extremely beautiful music that is actually accessible. If anything, I would love to see MORE videos like this from your channel! Thank you!
PLEASE do more piano music! I NEED THIS! Thank you! Ooohh....Nuttorno! I never played that one!
I found the Prelude No.1 is much more enjoyable to play when you slow it down and add rubato; make it become a satin sheet blowing in a gentle summers breeze.
Grieg Notturno!! Thanks for highlighting that gem. Also "Butterfly" from Book 3 of the same set
Not the most original playlist I never hear but well it is good to tell that classic music help a lot with piano technique. I did not remember about Grieg notturno, so it remind me that.
This dude should look at Zelda Link's Awakening and see how it does story telling with its music and its really enjoyable polyphony.
We love you Charles!!
Thanks for the PDF! 😃👍
Great advice for polyrhythms, you should make a short about that 9:27
Loved this. Not really for beginners, i know because i am one :-) but i welcome your take on stuff for beginners
I understand polyrhythms very easily because I've been listening to deadmau5 music for like 12 years now. Half of all his music contains polyrhythms
Ok cool guy.
Liebesleid is my favorite piece, and is actually tattood on my arm. I love it so much
Nice list of some of the seminal works of piano. My teacher though thinks that the Schumann and Moonlight- to sound really good - are quite advanced. She says that Taumerei is a beast.
Notturno is so amazing! Grieg's lyrical pieces has some great stuff!
great piano pieces! thanks charles!
My uncle had a favorite joke when it came to Fur Elise. He'd often sit at his electric piano and play it, but sometimes he'd just set it to play Fur Elise on it's own. He'd press the keys along as it played and wait for someone to compliment his playing. Then he would lift his hands above his head, and continue motioning the keys in mid air. Never failed to get a laugh out of the people who gave the compliment.
Part of the reason my generation thinks Minuet in G was by Bach was back in earlier editions of Windows, Minuet in G was one of the sound files included with the install to show off the nascent Windows Media Player (this was back in like... Windows 3.11 and Windows 95 era), and there it was labeled as being a Bach piece.
1. Yep, first REAL piece I ever learned.
2. Now, honest, to Gods, I thought this was the Ave Maria. Same chord progression, isn't it?
3. Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh...minimalism. I'm a Romanticism person, and this is close to that, and GOD do I love this one.
4. I have a friend who knew how to play the crazy, speedy, happy part when we were, like, twelve. Good on her.
5. Weird: I don't know this one.
6. Jesus, Mozart was out of his mind, and I mean that in the best possible way.
7. Do I know this one...? I'm trying to remember if I know this one. And actually, for my ear, when you were snapping, I just automatically started counting waltz time. Oops. XD
8. The harmony in this one will neve lose its beauty for me.
9. Hm, not Reverie? Not Arabesque 1? Not that I dislike this one, but it's a little cliche. I think I might just be overexposed. But the first time I heard Arabesque 1, I was like, "Yep, Debussy's my favourite composer."
3:31 Kinda sounds like that one Minecraft song lol
this video is exactly what i need, thank you Mr.Cornell😊
I think an easier introduction to Debussy is Golliwog's Cakewalk. It's easier than Clair de Lune and SO much fun to play with all the jumping around. I started with Golliwog before moving onto Clair and it was easier for me. I still prefer playing Golliwog.
I love Gymnopdie No1 but I cant seem to get both hands to work together on this piece. Thanks for so many great pieces!
Eric Satie wasn't just a "gimmick composer" (Jike some would argue John Cage was). He made outstanding music, and some of his works seem to drift in and out of a dream. I might be a weirdo, but I think (most of) his music sound better on an upright piano than a grand piano. Probably because of the slightly "muffled" sound of the upright.
The throttle house hoodie makes me so happy to see
i´d love to see you making a deep dive into the musical " the last 5 years" or someting other robert jason brown. Love your videos thank you
I learnt moon light sonata at 12. The second song for me to learn (gifted brat) but it depressed the crap out of me. Was a mistake to learn. Ironically Clair de lune was the last I learned at 18 and it cured me. The story behind Clair de lune is super interesting.
It's wild to see you talking about classical pieces. I was expecting it to be virtuosic repertoire, not beginner/intermediate based in the title but still watched out of curiosity. Fur Elise is a scrub pick, though, I must say.
I really.liked this list: these are pieces I've already played, most of them, or that I've been seriously thinking of mastering. Thank you very much for this video: sonetimes you just wanna know if you're in the right path.
there's a reason Peter Schickele used Prelude in C major for the basis of PDQ Bach's Prelude to Einstein on the Fritz
amazing parody of Philip Glass' score for the film Koyaanisqatsi
Nice doing classical Charles. Like your Yamaha.
You should make a video with some christmas songs for the holiday season!
Debussy, Rachmaninov and Chopin are my preferred ones.
Made in Abyss video is getting closer, I can feel it. VOH still sends shivers down my spine
If you haven't before, you should check out some Kapustin. Stuff like Sunrise, Etude no 7, Toccatina, Variations, ect.
So is this the Charles Cornell beginner songbook? Move over, Hal Leonard! Really diggin' on the Intro to Piano course!
9:53 the opening rhythm to Vanessa Williams' cover version of What Child Is This.
Thank you.
If there was a tenth song on this list then it has to be To A Wild Rose by Edward Macdowell. As it exemplifies a lot of things Beethoven's moonlight sanata exemplifies but is way more easier to perform.
Could you do a video about Elgar’s ‘The Snow’
Heya Charles, if you happen to see this, you should check out the Baccano Spiral Melodies ost! It's one of my favourite soundtracks, I think you'd like it too!
Love your vids… and I love Throttle House.
Your usual videos are good but I really liked this one, it might be the casual conversation vibe compared to the usual "excited lecture-y" tone
You know what grinds my gears??? Anything Goes is written in common time 4/4
It would be really cool to see you analyze 'Prologue' by Chris Remo. It's a fantastic piece of music, and I'd love to hear what you think of it.
Mozart was 32 when he wrote the K.545 Sonata.
"Gym-nop-e-dee", emphasis on the "nop" and with a buzzing "g" at the start.
The Bach C major prelude WTC book 1 isn't repetitive at all.
It is repetitive in terms of rhythm, technique and melodic contour. Harmonically it's not repetitive at all, but that is the only thing that isn't repetitive.
Still I agree with you, the harmony more than compensates for everything else to get your attention.
Throttle in the House!
Did not expect a Turtle Horse callout. I’m sure Timmy and John are ecstatic.
Where's Chopin's Prelude Op.28 No.20 in C Minor (even with it's 3rd bar controversy)? Chord melody at its finest.
Hey could you do a video talking about the music from gimmick for the nes it uses an extra sound chip to have more sound channels
The Nocturno one from Grieg was on an advertisement, and I was trying to find out what this piece was called. Cannot believe I found it.
Would love to see some analysis on Prince! Perhaps a few songs from the ‘Purple Rain’ album? Great video!
Condition of the heart!
I’d love to hear his thoughts on Sometimes it snows in april
@@jayen910 One Nite Alone would be nice, too.
and here i am going from twinkle twinkle, to Sara bareilles "write you a love song" to Coldplay to für Elise to ludovico einaudi xD guess im going back to start xD
Great stuff. I'll be taking advantage of that black friday deal.
Hey Charles, I participated in the last friday’s meeting with you, Tyler and Matt. Love the content. Keep up. And thanks again for the opportunity
Very different from the list and a lot more recent, but I'd love to put 'i Giorni' by Ludovico Einaudi up there too.
I’m curious what jazz/blues songs inspired you also.😊
3:30 I've wondered why I never find the Gymnopedie(s) played slow enough. Someone (younger) once asked me how I can possibly to play something so slowly as I did this one.
I now realize that while it begs to be breathed with, my breathing is so slow that the tempo here and usually is way too fast. I start to feel uneasy, that I have to rush my breathing. Guess my choir years are to blame
Here‘s more about the piece and I think an absolutely perfect performance: ua-cam.com/video/IGkCbpO6EL8/v-deo.htmlsi=bBj0hpD52Tf2x--O
Great video and very wicked thumbnail.
Im glad a mozart piece made it on here