Etudes

Hello everybody and Mr. Fraser, I want to ask a question, concerning etudes (chopin, liszt, rachmaninov). Having played piano for quite a while, since i was 8 (i'm 23 now). I want to start seriously practicing them regularly; I want to play chopin's etudes, but i really want to associate them with other ones, in order not to play just one composer. What do you think is the best for technique in order to get on a more 'professional' level, liszt's etudes d'execution transcendantes, or rachmaninov's etudes tableaux? Thanks, Sebastian.

It would be incorrect to give you a direct reply, especially since I have no idea where you are in your development. I've seen too many people handle the Chopin etudes as if they were mere finger exercises, so I hope you forgive my reservation. To give you a hint on how to answer the question yourself, please keep the following in mind: 1) The etudes you mention are not exactly exercises to get on a more professional level; you need to be there already to be able to play them, otherwise you may hurt yourself or end up frustrated. This means that you need lots of preliminary work in search of movement and sound: a) For Liszt's transcendental etudes, the best preparation are his "Technical Exercises for the Piano" and all concert etudes. b) For Rachmaninov's etudes tableaux, I would recommend you play most of his preludes op. 23 and 32 first. If you have been through all that material already, then you can just go on doing what you like most, but: 2) The etudes you mention pave the way to the complete output by their composers only. Paul

Hello, Thank you for the answer. I am absolutely aware that the etudes I mentionned are not simply etudes, but rich pieces as well, that is why I want to play them. I am absolutely not a fan of purely technical exercies that have no musical sense whatsoever. Concerning the preludes of Rachmaninov, I really have not thought about it, having played one in the past, (op.23 n.7), I did not get the chance to play Rachmaninov again...

In that case, you will certainly also be interested in Rachmaninov's . No 2 and 4 are very etude-like. Here is Lazar Berman playing them all six: Paul

Kemal told me long ago that he ranks the etudes in ascending difficulty Rachmaninoff, then Liszt, and finally Chopin. There are etudes by Ludwig Berger that influenced Chopin when he wrote Op. 10, you might take a look at some of those... Also Clementi's offers lovely medium-difficulty etudes... AFF