Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum The Joy of Starting a New Piece

Inspired by Animisha's thread about the joy of recording I wanted to share another joy at the piano, the joy of starting a fresh new piece. There is something thrilling about starting a new journey with a new piece. Maybe it's a piece you have dreamed of playing for a long time, or maybe something you just heard and fell in love with.

So, I just started a brand new piece. It's my first piece by Franz Liszt and unlike most people who seem to be starting with the Libestraume I decided to take on something different.




There is something mysterious but also ironic about this music which I like. Maybe I will record it for a future recital.

So, what new piece have you started lately?

Oh, I know this joy as well! It can be such a great joy - sometimes the only piece that I want to practise is my new piece. If that happens, I simply give in and spend all practice time on this one new piece. Soon enough, the exciting newness wears off, and it is just another piece-in-progress, but it was so nice to give it a flying start.

starting a new piece is always very exciting. love it. and yes absolutely gotta dive in and only practice just the new piece full steam ahead for probably 3 days nothing else lol

I just started Grechaninov - After The Ball about 5 days ago. I went back to regular practice with scales and sight reading and such yesterday lol. the piece is a Mazurka on the easier end of RCM Level 3.

• I find the Mazurka musical form interesting with that strong 2nd beat thing... first time something like this for sure
• I am excited to get this as musical as possible... there is a lot of opportunity here. I prefer a slower tempo than what that recording is showing for sure
• I can see getting dinged by my teacher on uneven notes for that 16th note ... its on my radar
• already memorized the piece, which is very pleasing. also confirms its on the easier side of RCM 3, which is perfect because I could use a nice one right now

just found a video of that piece.... oh wow. looks pretty wild. congrats on your first Liszt piece, now THATS exciting. how long do you think you'll be working on a piece like that? o.0

I am practising that piece as well! Only in my book it is called Primrose and according to my teacher it should be played as delicately at this little flower.

YES! slower tempo is a must, and very musical. lots of room to play with time and dynamics. I like the idea of a delicate flower, great way to think about it going into it.

thank you for also introducing me to that Khachaturian Andantino piece in the other thread. lovely piece of music, I now have it on my list for the future

Very nice piece! I want to try the same with this piece:

hmm i love Schubert. do enjoy learning and playing that one!!! I will look forward to it in a couple years from now

Well, it's RCM 10 so for me probably about 3-4 months to performance standard but I think I can get the notes down pretty quickly. It looks simpler than many level 10 pieces. I went over half of the piece today to figure out a good fingering and I think that's going to be tricky - lots of thumb on black and transitions in not so comfortable places and at a fast tempo it's going to be hard not to miss any notes. But overall it looks quite doable. I've been playing piano for 7.5 years.

It sounds like you're off to a great start. Keep it up! 👍

awesome.... good luck and enjoy!!

Isn't it nice when you find a lovely piece that you can play some future day? The joy of finding a new piece!

I'm currently experiencing the very real joy of making better progress on a piece the second time around, than I did when I originally started the piece (and utterly failed to stick with it). I guess that would be the joy of overcoming an old nemesis.

BTW love to hear stuff like this. I've seen a few members lay out when they started and where they're at. for those of us on similar paths but much earlier and closer to the starting line, it is very inspiring to see folks like you who are really doing it. its great to see its really possible. thank you for sharing!

I’m thinking about giving Schumann/Liszt Widmung a go with my teacher.

I love to sight-read, and am very fortunate to have inherited a large collection of piano music, so I know this joy very well. I returned to the piano after an absence of about 40 years and the vast repertoire of the instrument is an endless delight to me. SO many treasures to discover!

Gosh that Joy has changed over the years and it was scary/overwhelming at the beginning, for me at least. My teacher never started me on those beginners books, we went right into the scores. Now, it is a true joy as I bring with me a bag of tools to learn a piece methodically and I actually love the discussion of a piece with my teacher from history, technical challenges ahead, the dynamics, well before my fingers touch the key board. We discuss different artists play of the score. There is so much practice away from the piano so I can really appreciate what I am playing.

That said, I chose to sit exams in 2021 and section A of ABRSM pieces scare me! And reason for sitting the exam is to be curious re fast tempo pieces….and I am realizing that I can play these pieces with a lot practice and patience. Also, loving the jazz pieces in the syllabus too. I may record a few for future recitals.

being naughty and started a new one again lol. from RCM level 3, started Minuet in G minor, BWV Anh. 115 (Petzold). its a beautiful piece and I'm loving it. but, I definitely have too many pieces going on right now...

- got (5) RCM pieces going on with teacher. about to pass 2 of them though...
- got (3) ARBSM pieces going on for exam in 3 weeks. will be done with those at that time.

basically I jumped the gun probably shoulda waited haha whatever I was excited when the Minuet Henle edition came in the mail had to dive in!!!!
The Joy Of Starting A New Piece

Working on the first mvt of the Clementi Sonatina in C with the teacher. Meanwhile started the Beethoven Sonatina in G (also found in Suzuki Book 2). These are short pieces with simple LH accompaniment.

Cool thread.
My usual reaction to a new piece is 'how the heck am I gonna play this? Is this really possible?'
It might even take me a week to force myself to start working on it instead than staying in the comfort zone of the other 'in-progress' pieces (because I have to prepare something for the upcoming lesson :-) )
But once I get going, I enter the more fun period you are talking about. It's fun because you always discover new things about a piece when you actually try to play it, even if you think you know it by heart from many listens.