40(ish) Pieces in 2025

Nightowl · 2024-12-27T21:45:28+00:00

The 40 Piece Challenge has been around for a few years, as a way to improve sight reading skills - here is a link to an article which outlines how the concep...

BartK

I have been quite busy lately and haven't had as much time as I wish to practice my pieces, so I think I will prioritize my main rep pieces rather than this challenge. Therefore, for a while at least, I will not be updating much and probably will not be recording any quick studies. Sorry.

My update for this week is a Beethoven bagatelle that I managed to squeeze into my practice somehow.

Quick Study List for 2025

George Frideric Handel, Passacaille (variations 1-8).
Enrique Granados, Danzas Españolas, no. 2 Oriental
Scott Joplin, Maple Leaf Rag (without trio)
Schubert-Liszt, Ständchen (ossia più facile)
Friedrich Burgmüller, La fileuse, op. 109, no. 18
Claude Debussy, Des Pas sur la neige
Max Richter, Written on the Sky
Ludwig van Beethoven, Bagatelle in D major, op. 119, no.3

Nightowl

BartK I have been quite busy lately and haven't had as much time as I wish to practice my pieces, so I think I will prioritize my main rep pieces rather than this challenge. Therefore, for a while at least, I will not be updating much and probably will not be recording any quick studies. Sorry.

No need to apologise, I barely record anything apart from recital pieces (and even that's a chore to me). There's no obligation to provide evidence of what you've played - we trust you! 😃

plop_symphony

Alright, some good progress made. I've been on a Burgmüller kick lately. I've previously learned L'arabesque, op. 100, no. 2, and La pastorale, op. 100, no. 3, and am working on La candeur, op. 100, no. 1, and Innocence, op. 100, no. 5 now. I might work my way through the entire set eventually.

I record almost all my pieces except for the ones that weren't really to my taste (such as the Bertini piece at #8 below), but it takes me a while to actually put them on the Internet because I find the process fairly tedious. In case anybody's curious, I've linked to the recordings I've already managed to upload.

"Footsteps in the Snow" by Angeline Bell
Aria in D minor, K. 32 by Domenico Scarlatti
Minuet in Bb major, BWV Anh. 118 by Johann Sebastian Bach (attr.)
Minuet in D minor, BWV Anh. 132 by Johann Sebastian Bach (attr.)
March in D major, BWV Anh. 122 by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (attr.)
"Once Upon a Frozen Winter" by Heather Hammond
"Pleading the Fifth" by Chilly Gonzales
Andantino in A minor, op. 137, no. 8 by Henri Bertini
Ballade, op. 100, no. 15 by Friedrich Burgmüller
La petite réunion, op. 100, no. 4 by Friedrich Burgmüller - I spent a LOT of time on this piece, though not all at once. Getting all those thirds relatively clean and phrased and voiced properly was a nightmare.
"Late Night Subway Platform" by Jeremy Siskind - Siskind is best known for his series of books on solo jazz piano, but he actually has released some fully written out sheet music as well.

Animisha

My updated list, including another book, that I count as one piece.

J.S. Bach - Arioso from cantata 156 (lesson piece)
John Thompson - Hide and seek (quick study)
Erik Satie - Petite prélude à la journée (quick study)
J.C. Bach - Prelude in A minor (quick study)
Andrew Lloyd Webber - Memory, from Cats (quick study)
Sarah Konecsni - Bells in the mist (quick study)
Edward MacDowell - To a wild rose (lesson piece; see our 3rd recital)
Linda Niamath - Lollipop's waltz (quick study)
Piano Adventures' Technique and Artistry 1
Hammerstein - Edelweiss (quick study)
Piano Adventures' Technique and Artistry 2A

ShiroKuro

Animisha that looks like a great list, and excellent progress!

lilypad

Oops! Meant to post this earlier this month. Here are the pieces I finished in March. Slowing down a bit.

14 Christoph Gottlob Neefe - Allegretto, The Best of Grade 1 Piano (quick study)
15 Joe Garland - In the Mood, Piano Adventures Fun Time Piano Jazz & Blues 3A-3B (quick study)
16 Paul Hawthorn & Anya Suschitzky - Space Walk Rag, Trinity Grade 1 Piano (quick study)
17 J.S. Bach - Minuet in D Minor BWV anh. 132, RCM 4 Piano Repertoire (regular piece at my level)
18 N. Faber - Autumn Ballad, Piano Adventures Level 5 Lesson book (regular piece at my level)

Nightowl

I've been busy with gardening lately, so I haven't updated my list since the end of February. Here is the updated list which includes everything I played during March and April:

Frankie and Johnny
Waltz in G Minor
Theme from 6th Symphony "Pathetique" (Tchaikovsky)
Fascination (F Marchetti)
Loch Lomand
Salut d'Amour (Elgar)
Danny Boy (F Weatherly)
Etude Opus 10 No. 3 "Tristesse" (Chopin)
I Walk The Line (J Cash)
The Marriage of Figaro (Mozart)
Habanera (G Bizet)
Little Sonata (C H Wilton)
Humming (D Kabalevsky)
Chit-Chat (D Kabalevsky)
Spring Song (D G Turk)
Winter Song (D G Turk)
That's Amore (H Warren)

Pieces 12 to 16 are from Classics to Moderns, book 1, which is great for easy pieces.

I am still working on the Chopin Etude, it's an ongoing labour of love which would be great for a recital piece, but I'm also working on an easier piece which is more manageable.

WieWaldi

Nightowl Well done. You are running very good in time. No need to threaten you with a speeding ticket. It feels, as if you had planned to get 40 by end of autumn. 🍃

Nightowl

WieWaldi Thanks WieWie. You can save the speeding tickets for Sophia, as the list doesn't tell the full story - some of those pieces are very short. I'm on track for my own personal goal - roughly 50 pieces a year, to include about 12 pieces that stretch my skills, with the remainder being simple pieces for sight reading practice. I'm still a bloody beginner and likely to remain so for some time (maybe years!).

lilypad

I only have 3 more pieces that I did in April. My quick study pieces have been temporarily paused so I could work on a piece from last years bucket list.

19 N. Faber - Reverie in C, Piano Adventures Level 5 Performance book (regular piece at my level)
20 Denes Agay - Blue Waltz (non-classical selection at slightly above my level)
21 Gurlitt - Whirlwind, Piano Adventures Level 5 Lesson Book (regular piece at my level)

Nightowl

lilypad I know how you feel. Over the last few weeks I've been spending most of my practice time on a Chopin piece - I've become a bit preoccupied with it and not bothered much with other material. It's a balancing act but anyway 3 short pieces plus 1 stretch/challenge piece each month would give you a total of 48 pieces - which is the rough number I'm aiming for.

Sophia

Nightowl I'm still a bloody beginner and likely to remain so for some time (maybe years!).

Hey now... there are many more charming levels to go through all at beginner's level. I already calculated I should be good till 2079. By 2077 I will have my Cyberpunk implants firmly in place, which means I should be able to upgrade my skills to Intermediate soon after.

WieWie had a good idea: buy a bottle of wine now and store it. By the time we graduate, it will be a good vintage wine. I suggest you do the same and we'll celebrate together

Gooseberry

I have been snowed under with work completely for the last ten weeks, but it is over now and this week I have, at long last, had enough time to record some of the pieces I have been learning, so here is my updated list:

Allegretto - C. Gurlitt
Wild Horses - Martha Mier
Musette in D - J.S. Bach
Wild Horseman - R. Schumann
Thornton’s Walk – Martin Phipps
Dragon Rider – Hans-Gunter Heumann
Nights in White Satin – The Moody Blues
Arabesque – F. Burgmüller
Arabia – Alexandre Tansman
Toccatina – D. Kabalevsky
Van Gogh – Virginio Aiello

Sophia

Nice contrast between the very interesting and bouncy Toccatina (now I want to learn that too) and the much more conventional Arabia and Van Gogh pieces that just kept on flowing. I believe I might have heard your Arabesque before... if not by you, then I have definitely heard it before somewhere 🙂 I love how your fingers caress the keys in the Toccatina!

Gooseberry

Sophia I might have heard your Arabesque before... if not by you, then I have definitely heard it before somewhere

No, not by me, as I have just learned it, though it is a milestone piece that I think usually is tackled much earlier on the piano path. But my haphazard piano education has been, well, just that: haphazard 🙃 and I use this challenge to catch up a bit. Earlier in this thread there is a superb performance of Arabesque by @plop_symphony, so that's probalby what you have heard.

WieWaldi

Update... I know I am behind my schedule - but I will catch up. Promise 🤞

WieWaldi

Running! trying to catch up.....................🏃🏻‍♂️~

Nightowl

lilypad That's quite an impressive list, especially on top of gardening for 3 hours a day - respect!

WieWaldi I just listened to those 3 pieces - they seem like ideal material for this exercise, short and sweet.

It's nearly the half year mark, so anyone approaching a total of 20 pieces is on track to reach 40 by the end of the year. Some people seem likely to reach 50 or more, and they're also uploading regular vids - doubly impressive. 🙂

WieWaldi

WieWaldi Update...

Nightowl

Here are the latest pieces I've played. I've been very busy with gardening so the piano was not played quite as much in May, but I'm still practising most days.

18) Yesterday (Lennon/McCartney)
19) I Left My Heart In San Francisco (George Cory)
20) She Loves You (Lennon/McCartney)

It's weird that 2 of the pieces are Beatles' music, as I've never been a fan of them really, but I've always liked the song Yesterday and I decided that She Loves You would make a nice change from the rather melancholy Chopin piece that I'm still working on. It's a case of going from the sublime to the ridiculous, but sometimes it's good to play something frivolous.

lilypad

I've been busy with gardening also. Around 3 hours a day and still have weeds out there taller than I am.

So with 1.5 hours on piano, here are the pieces I finished in May:

22 Beethoven - German Dance, WoO 13, no. 9 (regular piece at my level)
23 Karganov - Little Waltz, Op. 25, No. 3 (from grade 3 bucket list that I didn't get to last year)
24 Cyril Scott - Teddy-bear's Headache, The Toy Box (quick study)
25 Schumann - Melody, Album for the Young, Op. 68, The Best of Grade 1 PIano (quick study)
26 Camille Saint-Saens - The Swan (arranged), Piano Adventures Level 5 Performance book (regular piece at my level)
27 Frank Mills - Music Box Dancer, Piano Adventures FunTime Popular Level 3A-3B (quick study)
28 Telemann - Gavotte, The Best of Grade 1 Piano (quick study)

WieWaldi

Nightowl they seem like ideal material for this exercise

They are. If you are fed up with Alfreds pieces, check out this site.

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