Whilst learning any instrument is not easy, the piano does sometimes seem to have more than its fair share of technical challenges. If only there were some pieces by great composers that were not so hard to play but made you sound like an absolute pro…
The fact is, there are!
For those in the know, there are some works that sound absolutely brilliant, are played by even the most eminent concert pianists and yet they are surprisingly easy to master. Many early years pianists know this and use this secret knowledge to dazzle (and maybe intimidate) their fellow learners. We feel that this knowledge should be shared!
Here, then, is our picks of some of the best of these works. Prepare to dazzle your fellow musicians (without frazzling your fingers).
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The music of Frédéric Chopin is a pillar of the piano repertoire, including some of the most brilliant, and challenging, music ever written for the instrument ranging from showy polonaises through to whirlwind scherzos – not to mention his notoriously demanding collection of virtuoso etudes. Unlike the other great piano composers of the 19th century, however, Chopin also composed a surprisingly large number of works which can be tackled even by intermediate players (roughly equivalent to grades 5–6 according the UK’s ABRSM ranking system) – although bear in mind that even Chopin’s “easiest” pieces require plenty of musicality and interpretative finesse to bring off convincingly. We’ve chosen ten of our favourites below, ranked roughly in order from the easiest to most difficult.
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