What would you like to learn together? Need ideas for the next PIYW (Sept 16)

rsl12 · 2025-08-19T15:57:51+00:00

AUGUST 21 UPDATE: we are currently voting on the jazz piece for PIYW #3. In addition, we have made the following decisions about future PIYWs: In the past,...

rsl12

Nightowl I'll try to remember your vote when it's time for golden oldies!

(if I call my mother's group of friends "oldies", maybe they would be offended, but maybe I could try calling them "golden oldies".)

ShiroKuro

rsl12 Is the Canon PIYW release date being pushed back to Oct 15, or are we still going with Sept 15?

rsl12

ShiroKuro let's leave it at September 15 for consistency. Everyone is welcome to submit after that date! (BTW, we already have one submission!)

ShiroKuro

rsl12 let's leave it at September 15 for consistency.

Sounds good!

BTW, we already have one submission!

Awesome! 🙂

Josephine

rsl12

That Fanny Hensel piece is nice. I printed it a while ago, didn't learn it yet, but it's on my list of pieces I want to learn.

rsl12

Josephine That Fanny Hensel piece is nice. I printed it a while ago, didn't learn it yet, but it's on my list of pieces I want to learn.

Yes, isn't it pretty! Maybe when "classical" rolls around for PIYW, we can do it together.

rsl12

Unless something major changes in the next couple of days, it looks like the October piece will be Autumn Leaves. If you know of any good arrangements (at all difficulty levels), please give me a link to them in the Suggestion Box. It would make my life much easier!

pianoloverus

rsl12 This arranger has many excellent but relative easy arrangements, many of which can probably be played by intermediate level pianists. PDFs of his arrangements used to be free but now I think they cost a very modest around $6. I am almost positive he did an arrangement of Autumn Leaves.

https://www.youtube.com/@rumbol2/videos

diretonic

rsl12 Unless something major changes in the next couple of days, it looks like the October piece will be Autumn Leaves.

If that's not set in stone this might be worth checking out; a basic arrangement of a single chorus of each of the ten 'most requested jazz tunes':-

rsl12

pianoloverus Yes, I see it there. Thank you!

rsl12

Thanks to @TC3 and @pianoloverus for some of the sheet music links! Some other ideas suggested:

@keff SheetMusicDirect.com has a number of different versions. I shall use the one arranged by Brent Edstrom but I see it is vocal and piano and so I will have to edit the vocal melody into the piano right hand part.

TC3 FYI, if folks are looking for easy arrangements, Hal Leonard's "First 50" series is pretty great:

https://www.halleonard.com/search/search.action?keywords=first+50+piano&dt=item#products

It looks like their Jazz Standards volume includes "Autumn Leaves," for example. It also looks like they have volumes for blues, movie themes, musicals, etc.

diretonic linked this video, which shows a demonstration of a possible approach to Autumn Leaves:

HeartKeys

I'm quite into playing movie soundtracks on the piano... for example, Hans Zimmer music (i.e., Lion King, Pearl Harbor, Gladiator, Inception, Interstellar.

other soundtracks could be like John Williams stuff (Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Superman), or even some Aaron Copland stuff like Appalachian Spring.

Those songs are relatively easy to play by ear/chords (for me), and likely easy/intermediate for sight readers.

So maybe a "Movie Theme" could be one of the future PIYW! 🙂

twocats

HeartKeys I'm quite into playing movie soundtracks on the piano... for example, Hans Zimmer music (i.e., Lion King, Pearl Harbor, Gladiator, Inception, Interstellar.

I really like the Gladiator theme!

TC3

FYI, if folks are looking for easy arrangements, Hal Leonard's "First 50" series is pretty great:

https://www.halleonard.com/search/search.action?keywords=first+50+piano&dt=item#products

It looks like their Jazz Standards volume includes "Autumn Leaves," for example. It also looks like they have volumes for blues, movie themes, musicals, etc.

Nightowl

I wasn't familiar with this piece and don't like most jazz music, but having listened to some gentle versions of the song online I've discovered that it's got more of a melancholy blues vibe than a jazz feel, so it's growing on me.

TC3 I have the Hal Leonard First 50 Popular Songs book and it contains a version which looks manageable for me. I might participate, provided that nobody else is doing the same arrangement (because comparison is the thief of joy, especially when there are so many skilled players on this forum who could probably play this arrangement with their eyes closed and mine would sound like c**p by comparison). So, count me in, unless anyone else wants to submit this version, in which case I'll leave them to it.

WieWaldi

What about collecting ideas for December and January?

rsl12

WieWaldi The next PIYW, according to the proposed schedule, is holiday-themed, to be published in December. It would be great if people submitted their ideas for possible pieces to the suggestion box. I'm planning to open up discussion for the piece selection around October 7. I don't want to start the discussion too early. I want the event to be casual, less serious than the pianotell recitals, and if people start taking it seriously and use up several months in preparation, I worry it will deter beginners and the more casual players from participating.

WieWaldi

rsl12 It's getting serious from alone. Especially for us beginners when we pick sheet music that looks easy but turns out it isn't.
Anyway, I made use of the suggestion box, even if it feels like a black hole. ⚫

rsl12

I see your many suggestions! Thank you!!!

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