Best piano pieces for 8th grade/Associate level. (1 Viewer)

[frontin]

Hey there!

I just finished my 8th grade piano (B+ was stoked with!) and have just started the HSC Course for Music 1.

I might do Associate (still 50/50) but if I do sometime after my HSC, and I love music of the Romatic/Impressionist/Modern periods (classical usually lets me down, and I'm not a big fan).

I'm kind of bored at the moment, as I'm not learning anything new and was wondering if you could help me out by naming any 8th grade/Associate level pieces that embrace my style. Since the HSC for music is still just less then a year away, I was hoping I could learn a couple of expressionate, passionate pieces before then.

Thanks heaps fellow musos,

Frontin.

 

[Bboysho]

Maybe Chopin's Ballade No.1? I like that piece

 

[crono26]

why are you doing music 1 if your about amus piano?

 

[lala2]

Yeah, why are you doing Music 1? Music 2 is not as bad as it sounds--you get to do Music of the last 25 years so that's all modern stuff you can play around with, and you can have an elective--I picked Music of the 19th century so I didn't touch Baroque or Classical or whatever.

I'm really hoping to expand my repetoire but I liked the rags by Kats-Chernin--they are not too grating on the ear like some modern pieces are. Also you could play stuff by Schumann, Schubert, Chopin, Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn--the list is endless. Debussy, Ravel, if you're looking for some jazzy stuff Gershwin is also good, Bartok for some unusual sounds, and Schonberg if you want something really out there. You could also look at the syllabi for Grades 8 and Associate and just pick out what looks interesting to you.

 

[lil dynamyt]

Hey there!

I just finished my 8th grade piano (B+ was stoked with!) and have just started the HSC Course for Music 1.

Hey you were like me. I completed my 8th grade for piano at the end of year 11 and got B+....and i did music 1 for the HSC. I got 95...

The pieces i played were:

Beethoven- Sonata in B flat Op. 22
Chopin- Nocturne in E Minor Op. 72 No.1
Debussy- Golliwog's Cakewalk
Gershwin- Prelude 1

If you want some really expressive music, try learn rachmaninoff- Prelude in C sharp minor...Its one of my favourites pieces...

 

[uniform]

First off, congratulations, a B+ is excellent!

For pieces around this level, i strongly recommend Debussy's Suite Bergamasque - learn the whole lot, it's so good. The 4th piece, Passepied is one of my most favourite pieces to play, and is Associate level. I played the 1st piece Prelude for the HSC, and it did me well. Claire de Lune might be a bit too (technically) easy and generic if your planning HSC performace pieces though, even if it is a top piece - but learn it if you haven't anyway.

Chopin's nocturnes are also great - quite a few of them are listed as Associate level, i know Op. 15 No. 2 is, and i love it, and played it for HSC - again a great performance piece which is expressive and passionate, and technically speaking, easy to get right under pressure.

 

[kony]

Chopin - Etude de Concert, Op.10, Op.25
Chopin - Grande Polonaise, Op.22
Chopin - Fantaisie-Impromptu (everyone must play this anyway at some stage)
Chopin Mazurken, Polonaisen, Concerti, Waltzes, pretty much all good.

Scriabin - Etude Op.12, No.8

Rachmaninoff, Op.3 (No.1 Elegie is very good, No.2 the prelude in C# which is overplayed.. polichinelle is pretty good)

Rachmaninoff Prelude Op.25 No.5

Ravel - Pavane pour une infante defunte (his most famous piano piece)

Schubert - Lieder, Impromptus

Gershwin songs

Liszt - Reminiscences de Don Juan (after Mozart)
Liszt - Liebestraumes
Liszt - Etudes
Liszt - Hungarian Rhapsodies.

 

[Silver Persian]

There's a Chopin Berceuse which is quite beautiful, and its on the AMUS list.

 

[murraytaylor123]

I'm in yr 11 and do music 1, even though i got an A+ in 8th grade 3 years ago... Music 2 just wouldn't run and I wasn't keen on correspondence. Music 1 turns out to have been a bad idea, I'm totally bored with the course and the fact that it's so unchallenging makes me very unmotivated.


Anyway, I recommend picking up a copy of Liszt's Years of Pilgrimage, its a great collection of pieces ranging all the way from contemplative minimalism (or sorts) to typical Lisztian fire and passion... and there's plenty of great passionate romantic pieces in there.

And the good thing is that most of it is very playable... there are the typical Lisztian difficulties, but pretty managable. Much easier than the Etudes, and imo its some of the best music he wrote.

 

[r.uss]

Anyway, I recommend picking up a copy of Liszt's Years of Pilgrimage, its a great collection of pieces ranging all the way from contemplative minimalism (or sorts) to typical Lisztian fire and passion... and there's plenty of great passionate romantic pieces in there.

Agreed! Au Lac de Wallenstadt is beautiful and I believe its AMus. Not hard, I didnt think. Also! Au Bord d'une Source (by the way, these are both from the first year) is an LMus (if youre ready to tackle it). Its much more fun to play. And just a little bit impressive, too.

Good luck with it all.

 

[BaSTaRD]

If you are confident, and very very bored... challenge yourself with some Kapustin, pretty nice classical jazz music (he's still alive!). Kapustin's not so famous, but his music is awesome.

However, you have to be very very bored and very very dedicated in piano playing. Learning his pieces are like hell --> I haven't done grades but i played some Chopin etude Op.10 (roughly G.8~AMUS) before learning his 'Concert Etude No.1' and it took me 5 freaggin months. I still have it not mastered yet, but it's fun to learn it and if you can play it through, its already an A+


Go on youtube and search for 'Kapustin concert etude No.1' or 'No.3', equally awesome =]

 

[evilelmo_2005]

Hey you were like me. I completed my 8th grade for piano at the end of year 11 and got B+....and i did music 1 for the HSC. I got 95...

The pieces i played were:

Beethoven- Sonata in B flat Op. 22
Chopin- Nocturne in E Minor Op. 72 No.1
Debussy- Golliwog's Cakewalk
Gershwin- Prelude 1

If you want some really expressive music, try learn rachmaninoff- Prelude in C sharp minor...Its one of my favourites pieces...

oh oh i'm gonna play rachmaninoff prelude for hsc this year

 

[Fri3d_ChuckuN-]

I suggest Rachmaninov Prelude
Another piece I like is Grande Valse Brillante op18

 

[kyokaku92]

True but all Chopin's Ballades and Scherzos are Lmus level.
Try the Grande Polonaise Brillante or Barcarolle (Chopin) if you're game for a post-Lmus piece.

Chopin's Ballades/Scherzi are nothing compared to Liszt pieces

eg: Transcendental Etudes, Annees de Pilgrimage, La Campanella, Ballades 1 and 2

 

[4025808]

I'd recommend trying out some of the Debussy pieces. Apparently they're quite suitable for the level, with the higher levels of expression.

Or if you want a crazy piece, try Russian Rag by Elena Kats-Chernin :L
I tried practicing it and totally failed due to the complicated notes :L

 

[evilelmo_2005]

Chopin's Ballades/Scherzi are nothing compared to Liszt pieces

eg: Transcendental Etudes, Annees de Pilgrimage, La Campanella, Ballades 1 and 2

Chopin Ballade=Nothing? AS IFFFFFF you can tell it's really difficult just by listening to one of them, Chopin Ballade is definitely as difficult as List'z pieces, DUN LOOK DOWN ON CHOPINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN:uhhuh:

 

[evilelmo_2005]

CAN ANYONE PLAY LYAPUNOV? I salute you If you can play Lyapunov etude op 11 no 6 and Lyapunov sonata op 27 F minor

 

[kyokaku92]

Chopin Ballade=Nothing? AS IFFFFFF you can tell it's really difficult just by listening to one of them, Chopin Ballade is definitely as difficult as List'z pieces, DUN LOOK DOWN ON CHOPINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN:uhhuh:

Chopin's Ballades (esp 1 and 4) are difficult but try any of the Transcendental Etudes (esp 4 or 10)- will guarantee you will literally go nuts after a while trying to play it together. I've tried playing Transcendental Etudes 4 and 10 and gave up after trying to play it together for 5 months. The complicated chordal progression is more than enough to drive anyone mad. But yes, you are right I'd definitely say Chopin's Ballades 1 and 4 are tough but beautifully composed (2 and 3 are definitely playable).

Anyone heard of the composer Sorabji?

 

[kyokaku92]

I'd recommend trying out some of the Debussy pieces. Apparently they're quite suitable for the level, with the higher levels of expression.

Or if you want a crazy piece, try Russian Rag by Elena Kats-Chernin :L
I tried practicing it and totally failed due to the complicated notes :L

+100000

 

[typo]

this: YouTube - 2006 HSC Encore
or clemnti's harder classical work (extreme finger dexterity involved)