# Easy Pieces for the Fumbling Novice at the Piano



## StevenOBrien

Hey guys,
I'm just looking for some brief feedback on a small side project I'm working on. My piano music is often referred to as being needlessly and impossibly difficult, so I decided to try and write some pieces that I myself could play at the piano.

I've come up with four short pieces so far:

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https://soundcloud.com/stevenobrien%2Fsets

The score is here:
http://steven-obrien.net/Portfolio/easypieces.pdf

The goal here is to write pieces that are fun to play and sound much more difficult and accomplished than they actually are. If all goes well, I plan to write about another twenty small pieces. We'll see what happens.

Let me know what you think. Am I expecting too much from a beginner in any particular place?

Thanks,
-Steven

*BONUS MUSIC:*


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https://soundcloud.com/stevenobrien%2Fromance-no-6-in-e-major-op-4f


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https://soundcloud.com/stevenobrien%2Fromance-no-4-in-c-major-op-4d


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https://soundcloud.com/stevenobrien%2Fpiano-theme-concept-1-for-rez


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## Billy

I enjoyed them. They are rocky. I also liked the first of your bonus songs, the Romance.


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## StevenOBrien

Billy said:


> I enjoyed them. They are rocky. I also liked the first of your bonus songs, the Romance.


Thanks. What do you mean by "rocky"? Could you elaborate a little? I'm glad you like my bonus pieces .


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## Ravndal

why not play these pieces at the piano and record? the midi quality is a pain listening to. I liked the one in F major the best, but you have to do something different with the c major piece, it was a bit boring


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## StevenOBrien

Ravndal said:


> why not play these pieces at the piano and record? the midi quality is a pain listening to. I liked the one in F major the best, but you have to do something different with the c major piece, it was a bit boring


I'm shy and I don't like my playing . I guess I could try though, I'll see what I can do. I don't own an actual piano though, so it will still be sampled.

I'm sorry you found it boring. Perhaps it repeats a little too much. Keep in mind that I can't do everything that I'd like to do because I have to keep the music as simple as possible. I guess that's the challenge though!

Thanks for listening.


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## Jord

I can't give much feedback on the piano playing as i'm not very good, but as a composition I stopped listening to the first piece in C after a few bars because i found it boring, No.2 in F was interesting, No.3 didn't really grab my attention but i didn't dislike it, and then No.4 was again very interesting


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## Ravndal

StevenOBrien said:


> I'm shy and I don't like my playing . I guess I could try though, I'll see what I can do. I don't own an actual piano though, so it will still be sampled.
> 
> I'm sorry you found it boring. Perhaps it repeats a little too much. Keep in mind that I can't do everything that I'd like to do because I have to keep the music as simple as possible. I guess that's the challenge though!
> 
> Thanks for listening.


True, but you can spice up the rhythm a bit. And its not so interesting to listen to a c major scale ^^


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## Billy

StevenOBrien said:


> Thanks. What do you mean by "rocky"? Could you elaborate a little? I'm glad you like my bonus pieces .


They are a good foundation to learn from.


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## StevenOBrien

I've become addicted to the idea of playing all of my piano pieces now and replacing all of the original midi mockups on soundcloud with actual performances, since Ravndal suggested it. An older piece of mine was used in a youtube video today which has become very popular, and I feel embarrassed because all I can hear now is how MIDI-ish the performance sounds >_<. Also, don't you just love when people like your old crappy pieces more than your new ones? 



Jord said:


> I can't give much feedback on the piano playing as i'm not very good, but as a composition I stopped listening to the first piece in C after a few bars because i found it boring, No.2 in F was interesting, No.3 didn't really grab my attention but i didn't dislike it, and then No.4 was again very interesting


Interesting. I'm not entirely sure why people find the C major piece so boring. Perhaps if it was performed instead of just a midi mockup, it wouldn't be so bad. No. 3 is really just playing to my undying love of perfect cadences, so I can understand why people wouldn't like that one as much .



Billy said:


> They are a good foundation to learn from.


Ah, interesting. Well I'm glad you think so, and thanks for listening!


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## PetrB

There are numbers of weakness in each, which I will not address, but there is one overriding consideration you must make:

Many a small hand will not make the octaves, let alone a full triad with the fourth note a pitch doubled at the octave. I would immediately remove all and any such which are simultaneously struck: as example, the ending chord in the right hand of the C major would be just fine without the middle c.

Similarly, you will have to choose 'which' of the doubled notes you wish to keep in instances of a triad with a pitch doubled at the octave. Any left hand octaves should be reconsidered as well.

You are writing, primarily, for beginners, yes; they come in all ages but the majority are small children: even the beginning adults are not quite ready in flexibility to strike those full chords within an octave, even though they can play a 'bare' octave readily enough. 

Ergo, hand size and negotiating particular configurations must come to the fore as a practical consideration.


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## StevenOBrien

PetrB said:


> There are numbers of weakness in each, which I will not address


. I REALLY appreciate your feedback, but it annoys me slightly when people tell me there's weaknesses and then don't tell me what the weaknesses are. I'm left wondering what they are, and I don't know what to work on or do differently. Could you briefly go through a few of them if you have the time?



PetrB said:


> but there is one overriding consideration you must make:
> 
> Many a small hand will not make the octaves, let alone a full triad with the fourth note a pitch doubled at the octave. I would immediately remove all and any such which are simultaneously struck: as example, the ending chord in the right hand of the C major would be just fine without the middle c.
> 
> Similarly, you will have to choose 'which' of the doubled notes you wish to keep in instances of a triad with a pitch doubled at the octave. Any left hand octaves should be reconsidered as well.
> 
> You are writing, primarily, for beginners, yes; they come in all ages but the majority are small children: even the beginning adults are not quite ready in flexibility to strike those full chords within an octave, even though they can play a 'bare' octave readily enough.
> 
> Ergo, hand size and negotiating particular configurations must come to the fore as a practical consideration.


Good point. I'll revise.


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## oogabooha

Steven,

Contrary to what the others are saying, I enjoyed the first piece more than the rest. There's some underlying beauty in playing just a scale. It sounds like a beautiful melody even though it's incredibly simple. I'm glad to be able to listen to new material by you. You should probably have somebody record it, though. I'd love to have proper recordings of your music in my library.


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## StevenOBrien

oogabooha said:


> Steven,
> 
> Contrary to what the others are saying, I enjoyed the first piece more than the rest. There's some underlying beauty in playing just a scale. It sounds like a beautiful melody even though it's incredibly simple. I'm glad to be able to listen to new material by you. You should probably have somebody record it, though. I'd love to have proper recordings of your music in my library.


Hah! Differing opinions, I love it . Thanks for listening, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

I've actually been talking to a few friends about taking on the project of turning *all* of the MIDI mockups of my piano works into actual performances (which is quite difficult, considering there's nearly three hours of the stuff to work through).

Here's a sampled performance of my Easy Piece No. 1 in C major, by yours truly. (con molto annoying rubato, as I was really trying to emphasize the fact that it's not merely a MIDI mockup) -

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https://soundcloud.com/stevenobrien%2Fexperiment-easy-piece-no-1-in

How does this sound? Is it still worth the massive extra effort involved in recording a physical piano, or would this sampled piano suffice for a set of performances?

As desirable as the latter option is, with samples alone, we'd also be able to easily construct semi-performances of the much more difficult works (playing it in sections, one hand at a time, slowly at first, but speeding up and correcting errors after the performance). Obviously they wouldn't be as desirable as a well and properly performed version, but in my opinion, semi-performances would be much better than very poorly executed performances, and certainly better than the MIDI mockups that are currently available.

... or is my playing so bad that MIDI mockups are preferable? :lol:

I'd really love to hear your thoughts.


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## Ravndal

Sounds much better already... Now i can appreciate the c major piece. So i think you know my answer  i cant listen to midi quality, and it is even more annoying when it is so metronomic.


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## StevenOBrien

Ravndal said:


> Sounds much better already... Now i can appreciate the c major piece. So i think you know my answer  i cant listen to midi quality, and it is even more annoying when it is so metronomic.


Cool! I know it will never match up to the quality of playing a real piano, but I guess my question is: Would you be happy to put a recording like mine in the same playlist that you'd have your favorite recordings of Beethoven and Chopin? Obviously it's not going to compare in terms of compositional quality or performance quality, but would you notice that there was suddenly a virtual piano playing instead of a real one? Would it bug you at all?


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## Ravndal

It would bug me. It happened once. Ever heard of a "guy" called Claudio Colombo? Well "he" is all over spotify. And that fake guy, has programmed almost every single piano piece from the last 300-400 years. I discovered it, when i added some music by a lesser known composer, and without checking the performer, i got a terrible surprise during my bedtime listening. Programming acoustic/organic pieces destroys the musicality/expression. That is why I'm very picky when it comes to performers.

When it comes to your piece, its not something i would have put in my playlist. But i can say, that i have several books with music like that (written by famous composers, and lesser known composers), but they are primarily for beginner pianists. I use them to improve my sight reading.

I hope i answered your question.. I'm not really sure what you ment!


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## StevenOBrien

Ravndal said:


> It would bug me. It happened once. Ever heard of a "guy" called Claudio Colombo? Well "he" is all over spotify. And that fake guy, has programmed almost every single piano piece from the last 300-400 years. I discovered it, when i added some music by a lesser known composer, and without checking the performer, i got a terrible surprise during my bedtime listening. Programming acoustic/organic pieces destroys the musicality/expression. That is why I'm very picky when it comes to performers.
> 
> When it comes to your piece, its not something i would have put in my playlist. But i can say, that i have several books with music like that (written by famous composers, and lesser known composers), but they are primarily for beginner pianists. I use them to improve my sight reading.
> 
> I hope i answered your question.. I'm not really sure what you ment!




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https://soundcloud.com/stevenobrien%2Fexperiment-easy-piece-no-1-in
 - So you're saying this "recording" wouldn't be acceptable? You notice that it's not a real piano, even though the performance is real?


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## Ravndal

I dont know how to answer this. I cant compare it to anything. I was being nice... The thing i liked about it, was that it sounded organic, even if there was some unpleasant tempo increases. The only thing i can say, is that it sounded better because the piano sounds more realistic and it wasnt metronomic.


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## StevenOBrien

Ravndal said:


> I dont know how to answer this. I cant compare it to anything. I was being nice... The thing i liked about it, was that it sounded organic, even if there was some unpleasant tempo increases. The only thing i can say, is that it sounded better because the piano sounds more realistic and it wasnt metronomic.


Oh, I'm not offended or anything from your answers, if you got that impression. Quite the opposite! I really appreciate you taking the time to listen and answer my questions. Thanks .


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## oogabooha

StevenOBrien said:


> Hah! Differing opinions, I love it . Thanks for listening, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
> 
> I've actually been talking to a few friends about taking on the project of turning *all* of the MIDI mockups of my piano works into actual performances (which is quite difficult, considering there's nearly three hours of the stuff to work through).
> 
> Here's a sampled performance of my Easy Piece No. 1 in C major, by yours truly. (con molto annoying rubato, as I was really trying to emphasize the fact that it's not merely a MIDI mockup) -
> 
> __
> https://soundcloud.com/stevenobrien%2Fexperiment-easy-piece-no-1-in
> 
> How does this sound? Is it still worth the massive extra effort involved in recording a physical piano, or would this sampled piano suffice for a set of performances?
> 
> As desirable as the latter option is, with samples alone, we'd also be able to easily construct semi-performances of the much more difficult works (playing it in sections, one hand at a time, slowly at first, but speeding up and correcting errors after the performance). Obviously they wouldn't be as desirable as a well and properly performed version, but in my opinion, semi-performances would be much better than very poorly executed performances, and certainly better than the MIDI mockups that are currently available.
> 
> ... or is my playing so bad that MIDI mockups are preferable? :lol:
> 
> I'd really love to hear your thoughts.


_much_ better. really glad you did that, although I think it'd sound better without the _intense_ amount of rubato. It sounded like you were rushing to breath (like hyperventilating) as opposed to letting air out in a calm (I actually preferred the melody slowed down), although you already explained why that is there. I'm also aware of the fact that you're not going to perform these. i'd still love to hear other pieces of yours (particularly piano sonata no. 3?) recorded on a real piano.

definitely keep us updated!


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## StevenOBrien

oogabooha said:


> _much_ better. really glad you did that, although I think it'd sound better without the _intense_ amount of rubato. It sounded like you were rushing to breath (like hyperventilating) as opposed to letting air out in a calm (I actually preferred the melody slowed down), although you already explained why that is there. I'm also aware of the fact that you're not going to perform these. i'd still love to hear other pieces of yours (particularly piano sonata no. 3?) recorded on a real piano.
> 
> definitely keep us updated!


Well, if people like the sound of this particular virtual piano (in that it's not blatantly noticeable that it's not a real piano), and like my playing enough to feel that it's acceptable to put in their libraries along with their favorite REAL recordings, I'll do every piano work of mine like this (senza overdone rubato) somehow. I'd really need to be sure of this though before tackling such a massive project, because if people still feel there's something missing from the "recordings", then I just feel it'll be a massive waste of time that could have been spent composing new works instead.

I'll be sure to let you know, however, when I do the third piano sonata .


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## Ramako

I really enjoyed these. Like PetrB I think that you should essentially avoid 4-note chords. I, as an intermediate pianist, find them a pain to play, and would almost certainly just drop the lower of the doubled notes in playing them, at least if they are moving. Final sorts of chords, at the end of the 2nd in F major, for example, are fine with all the notes being played, but the sorts of chords in the right hand in the 3rd in G major I would make 3-note rather than 4-note chords.

I was unsure about all the repeats: I felt some worked but was less convinced by others. I am curious: is there any particular rational you had for including so many to do with the purpose of the pieces, or was it purely musical reasons?

I am not sure about how a true beginner would approach these. I feel that when the tune goes in the left hand at the beginning of the third might be a little more challenging, but probably good from a pedagogical point of view.

Anyway, I really enjoyed these. Very good pieces: makes me think I ought to write some miniatures when I have some time. I can see what others mean about the first one in C, but I thought the effect was more of slowing the pace down in the first piece, because it was going to be the first in a large series of short pieces, in effect implying the scale (you suggested that you might write more). Anyway, good job!


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## StevenOBrien

Ramako said:


> I really enjoyed these. Like PetrB I think that you should essentially avoid 4-note chords. I, as an intermediate pianist, find them a pain to play, and would almost certainly just drop the lower of the doubled notes in playing them, at least if they are moving. Final sorts of chords, at the end of the 2nd in F major, for example, are fine with all the notes being played, but the sorts of chords in the right hand in the 3rd in G major I would make 3-note rather than 4-note chords.


With regards to the G major one, I really enjoy playing 4 note chords (They make me feel big and important for some reason, I guess ), so I guess I wanted to write a piece to give that pleasure to beginners. I guess somehow it was easier for me than most beginners, so I'll be sure to curtail my usage of those in future pieces!



Ramako said:


> I was unsure about all the repeats: I felt some worked but was less convinced by others. I am curious: is there any particular rational you had for including so many to do with the purpose of the pieces, or was it purely musical reasons?


I repeat a lot in my music, and I often worry that it's lazy composing. It's necessary for me though, because some pieces just feel completely unbalanced without repeating certain sections. I could write a variation instead of literally repeating (sometimes I do), but sometimes it just feels like I'm waffling, and it gets very monotonous when I have to force myself to write something new just for the sake of balancing the piece out, which leads to poor music. I'd rather "be lazy" and repeat what came naturally if it's more enjoyable to listen to twice, rather than listen to one good part and then have to sit through a crappier part just for the sake of balance.

In pedagogical pieces though, it's a useful side effect. I think it's motivating for a student to learn a single section and then to essentially have "learned" twice as much, if that makes sense.



Ramako said:


> I am not sure about how a true beginner would approach these. I feel that when the tune goes in the left hand at the beginning of the third might be a little more challenging, but probably good from a pedagogical point of view.
> 
> Anyway, I really enjoyed these. Very good pieces: makes me think I ought to write some miniatures when I have some time. I can see what others mean about the first one in C, but I thought the effect was more of slowing the pace down in the first piece, because it was going to be the first in a large series of short pieces, in effect implying the scale (you suggested that you might write more). Anyway, good job!


You should write some miniatures! I find that miniatures allow you to grow much more as a composer. I'm not sure why, but there seems to be more room to try new things in them.

I think you might be right about the C major piece. The same thing happened when I was doing my preludes. It works out well!

Thanks for listening!


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## PetrB

Ravndal said:


> Sounds much better already... Now i can appreciate the c major piece. So i think you know my answer  i cant listen to midi quality, and it is even more annoying when it is so metronomic.


NEVER QUANTIZE a midi 'performance.' Play it as best you can, then there are editors to correct things -- in editor you can shift some slipped notes or timing, including dynamics and phrasing. The better you can play, of course, the less labor intensive a midi edit you will be facing.

Most score programs allow for 'performance' vs. 'performance from the actual notation' -- the latter, of course what you want for Score -- Will Be Quantized, and Quantize, in music is usually instant death.


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## Ravndal

I agree. Classic is played by humans, not machines.


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## clavichorder

I think you should play these for sure. I'm not an excellent player, but I also uploaded 4 short pieces a while back. I would not have trusted midi, my writing might not have spoken so well for itself anyway. The one that suffers the most from this is certainly the 1st c major one. 

That being said, I like these quite a bit. There is really something to be said for writing easy to play miniatures, and these have the light early Beethoven vibe about them, which I appreciate because the first piece I wrote that I really wasn't ashamed of had that vibe and several since have. I notice some recurring things in the latter three, a downward half step trill(not fast enough to be a trill, but same concept, easy pieces after all) and a sort of consistently square but confident build to the phrases. It sounds like you had fun with them too.

I listened to your etude and it is certainly way more difficult and notier, but there is a sort of similarity. 

The romance no. 6 has some of that Beethoven contemporary sound, but it has some curiosities. The romance no. 4has some clustery/jazzy sounding chords its more obviously different, I like the ideas in that one, and the steady pulse that it has, a sort of polystylism happening with some of the recognizable Beethoven contemporary sound you can find in the etude and. Based on all the bonus pieces, I'd be surprised if you weren't a Schittke fan.

Edit: and I just listening to the version you performed of the 1st one, it does bring out more with less metronomic tempo. And of course the sound of a piano is very nice to hear.


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## StevenOBrien

PetrB said:


> NEVER QUANTIZE a midi 'performance.' Play it as best you can, then there are editors to correct things -- in editor you can shift some slipped notes or timing, including dynamics and phrasing. The better you can play, of course, the less labor intensive a midi edit you will be facing.
> 
> Most score programs allow for 'performance' vs. 'performance from the actual notation' -- the latter, of course what you want for Score -- Will Be Quantized, and Quantize, in music is usually instant death.


I've been trying on and off to create actual performances for the past month, and it's been quite an annoying process which I haven't found to be very enjoyable. I'd rather be spending time composing new works than slaving over old ones.

I've only managed to get one performance uploaded, and I'd be lying if I said I was 100% happy with how it turned out. It's still better than a mockup though, I guess:

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https://soundcloud.com/stevenobrien%2Fprelude-no-23-in-f-major-op-2w

On a brighter note, an excellent pianist contacted me recently and generously offered to record a few of my preludes for me, so hopefully that will speed the "conversion process" up a bit.



Ravndal said:


> I agree. Classic is played by humans, not machines.


Absolutely. I hate having to compromise with mockups.



clavichorder said:


> I think you should play these for sure. I'm not an excellent player, but I also uploaded 4 short pieces a while back. I would not have trusted midi, my writing might not have spoken so well for itself anyway. The one that suffers the most from this is certainly the 1st c major one.


I actually worry that my playing makes the writing sound worse for some of them .



clavichorder said:


> That being said, I like these quite a bit. There is really something to be said for writing easy to play miniatures, and these have the light early Beethoven vibe about them, which I appreciate because the first piece I wrote that I really wasn't ashamed of had that vibe and several since have. I notice some recurring things in the latter three, a downward half step trill(not fast enough to be a trill, but same concept, easy pieces after all) and a sort of consistently square but confident build to the phrases. It sounds like you had fun with them too.


I did have a lot of fun with them! I've been wanting to write more, but my heart hasn't been in it recently, so it might be a while before I revisit the set. I have no idea where the downward trill came from, but it seems to end up in a lot of my music.



clavichorder said:


> I listened to your etude and it is certainly way more difficult and notier, but there is a sort of similarity.


I assume you're talking about the horn etude. It was written/mocked up in 30 minutes for a friend as a challenge, so don't take it too seriously .



clavichorder said:


> The romance no. 6 has some of that Beethoven contemporary sound, but it has some curiosities. The romance no. 4has some clustery/jazzy sounding chords its more obviously different, I like the ideas in that one, and the steady pulse that it has, a sort of polystylism happening with some of the recognizable Beethoven contemporary sound you can find in the etude and. Based on all the bonus pieces, I'd be surprised if you weren't a Schittke fan.
> 
> Edit: and I just listening to the version you performed of the 1st one, it does bring out more with less metronomic tempo. And of course the sound of a piano is very nice to hear.


From what I've heard, I actually don't like Schittke's music too much, but I can kind of understand where you're coming from. 
Thanks for listening, I'm glad you enjoyed them.


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## StevenOBrien

This is the result of about a month of trying to get this process to work, and as you can probably hear, it hasn't been working out. I'm really dissatisfied with how uneven my playing is sounding. A few more months of practicing before I attempt anything substantial, I think . If anyone can offer up feedback, criticism or advice, I welcome it.


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https://soundcloud.com/stevenobrien%2Feasypieceinfmajor-compressed

(And the original MIDI mockup, for comparison:

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https://soundcloud.com/stevenobrien%2Feasy-piece-no-2-in-f-major
)


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## cihanbarut

Hello Steven !

I would like to contribute as well - hope it means something.

Firstly, I listened all of your sounds. 

I doubt whether they should be referred as "Etudes/methods for practice" or "Pieces for beginners". Upto your intention.

For a "beginner", those pieces are complicated frankly speaking. 
I say it is hardly a matter to harmonize both hands and follow up the score with correct timings - if we are talking about beginner. I doubt whether "a beginner" can understand some simple notations etc.

But ofcourse if you mean "a beginner at least completed 6 months piano course" - again final pieces seems hard.
If we put Beyer and Czerny a side, lets take Pischna. That is exactly what beginners should play keeping the pace and having a melody fun.. 

However, I found yours very similar to A.Scriabin's preludes. Love his sound work and beside my addiction to Chopin's valses, I admit that his works are keep singing at my car's audio 

Coming to the quality, I found all great ! I never stuck at your repeats. But I suggest the lift the sustain pedal every each measure. With your notation (chords etc.), keeping the pedal down for two measures make it sound a little wicked. 

You should be able to play them all and improvise them on piano instead of software.
When i "click" play - sounds ok.
When i sit in front of my piano and keep that pedal for that long - not likely to cheer 

I compose with the piano, then register notations at Sibelius to see how to make it more simplified, or check any mistakes at rests etc.

Remarks: 
Easy Piece No.2 in F major - last measure can suggest different chords, possibly from Forte to Piano. I loved the melody at this piece ! Great.

Regards my friend.


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## StevenOBrien

cihanbarut said:


> Hello Steven !
> 
> I would like to contribute as well - hope it means something.
> 
> Firstly, I listened all of your sounds.
> 
> I doubt whether they should be referred as "Etudes/methods for practice" or "Pieces for beginners". Upto your intention.
> 
> For a "beginner", those pieces are complicated frankly speaking.
> I say it is hardly a matter to harmonize both hands and follow up the score with correct timings - if we are talking about beginner. I doubt whether "a beginner" can understand some simple notations etc.
> 
> But ofcourse if you mean "a beginner at least completed 6 months piano course" - again final pieces seems hard.
> If we put Beyer and Czerny a side, lets take Pischna. That is exactly what beginners should play keeping the pace and having a melody fun..
> 
> However, I found yours very similar to A.Scriabin's preludes. Love his sound work and beside my addiction to Chopin's valses, I admit that his works are keep singing at my car's audio
> 
> Coming to the quality, I found all great ! I never stuck at your repeats. But I suggest the lift the sustain pedal every each measure. With your notation (chords etc.), keeping the pedal down for two measures make it sound a little wicked.
> 
> You should be able to play them all and improvise them on piano instead of software.
> When i "click" play - sounds ok.
> When i sit in front of my piano and keep that pedal for that long - not likely to cheer
> 
> I compose with the piano, then register notations at Sibelius to see how to make it more simplified, or check any mistakes at rests etc.
> 
> Remarks:
> Easy Piece No.2 in F major - last measure can suggest different chords, possibly from Forte to Piano. I loved the melody at this piece ! Great.
> 
> Regards my friend.


Thanks for your feedback!

Well, I don't intend for these to be played by beginners who have only been playing the piano for two or three days. I consider these to be more in the vein of Fur Elise or Mozart's Sonata Facile, or perhaps a little simpler. You're probably right though, I was probably being a little too ambitious with these ones. If I do write enough of these to constitute a substantial set, I'd probably move these ones to the end of the set to be mastered after mastering some much simpler ones first (Except perhaps No. 1).

With regards to the pedaling, I actually really like the slightly muddy texture which others seem to despise. I'd be interested to hear other people's opinions on this.


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