Hello!

I'm new in the forum, just registered, and don't rightly know if this is the right section for this post but to me it seems the most suitable..

My problem is, that I can't seem to find just the right etude for the entrance exams of a local conservatory (don't know the right term in english, but its upper-secondary level) that will take place sometime April next year.

Other pieces that I'm playing, to give you some image of what I can do, will be Bach's d-minor prelude and fugue from WTC-II, Haydn E-flat sonata no. 52 and "Soirée dans Grenade" by Debussy from Estampes. I have been playing for four to five years now. I tried at first to play Chopin's F-major etude (op.10/8?) but it seemed to be just an inch too difficult; had I more time than a few months I could propably do it decently. So, I'm looking for some kind of etude that would be more difficult than the other pieces I'm playing (cause they seem to go quite well, and I know I could play something a bit more advanced,) but then again someting maybe not as difficult as the Chopin etudes, if you catch my drift. The piece doesn't necessarily have to be an etude, but it has to be fast paced, it could also be "corresponding virtuoso piece," as they put it in the info leaflet they sent me. I interpret this to mean that the piece should have a difficultish technical problem, not mere fast scale-runs or so on. But those kind of pieces are welcome, too. It would be a plus if the piece would be somewhat short (3-6 pages?)

Any help will be appreciated, and if someone can recommend me a piece and may also send the score I would be eternally grateful.

Thanks a lot in advance!
-Tuomas from Finland

ps. Can somebody also tell me do I have to post some recordings now in order to stay as a forum member, I didn't quite understand. I may be able to do it sometime in the future, but not just now.

I am looking at the etudes on my DVDs and suggesting what I "see as managable"

Reinecke 24 Etudes op. 121 no. 2
Schumann Etudes after Paganini Caprices no. 5
Thalberg 12 Etudes op. 26 no. 3


I'm sure others here will help you better than I have.

Moi ! Where are you from in Finland ? I am from Czech republic. I study musicology in Helsinki for a year now. Is quite great here

I am solving the same problem! I want to do an organ class examination to conservatory, and etude is the one thing missing in my programme. Probably I choose two of my beloved Czerny op. 740 etudes:twisted: , I hope I can manage it... or maybe op. 10 no. 9 in f minor by my truly beloved Chopin.

Hello parrot. This book:

http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Playing-Que ... _4_rsrssi0

has a section that answers this exact question. Maybe you could find it in a library there?

juufa: Thanks a lot, I will definetely check them out. The Schumann etudes seem to be quite nice though a little too long perhaps. :/ Thanks a lot anyway!

Biggemski: I'm currently living in Tampere and trying to get to the conservatory next year. Etude is too damn hard to find! I mean, there a maybe just too many and for my level in particular its painful to try finding just to right one. I'm also thinking of maybe going with the Chopin f-minor etude, my hand is quite big so its quite easy for me to get the wide arpeggios with the left hand. And the overral mood in the piece is quite nice and I like it.

bclever: Nope, wasn't in the library. :/ Thanks for the suggestion. Seems its not translated into finnish just yet. Seems to be interesting, though, maybe I'll have to order it. But if you have read it, could you sum up briefly what it said about the matter?

Hi deadparrot, welcome. You do not have to post recordings to be on the forum, only when you want to be a pianist on the main site.

I'm not an expert on etudes, but I find much of Bach very suitable as stufy material. Especially the prelude from the second English suite which I am currently working on. This feels like an excellent etude, requiring dexterity, precision, articulation, and stamina. Seems like I can play this all day and not get tired of it. It may be an idea for you.

Ok, thanks for the info. Bach would be nice but since I have him already in the program I don't think its suitable. :/ But thanks very much for the idea, maybe I'll just play it just for kicks.

Btw, does someone here have any experience on Einojuhani Rautavaara etudes? I couldn't find them on the IMSLP or anywhere else for that matter. I'm thinking of Fourths or Sevenths. Any idea how demanding they are, and could someone help me find those?

An interesting choice. If you PM me your email address I can send you the score. I don't know these etudes but they don't look staggeringly hard - though they may be harder than they look. You'll need big hands for sure.

Incidentally last week I was toying with Rautavaara's Six Icons op.6. Not sure yet how much I like them. His Cantus Arcticus, with the sounds of geese and other birds, is quite fascinating.

Hi parrot, I apologize for not responding sooner. This weekend was one of the busiest in
recent memory. Here is a sampling from the book "Piano Playing with Piano Questions Answered"
by Josef Hofmann. This book was originally published in 1908. These were intended to
be easier than Chopin but harder than Cramer and Moscheles (not my knowledge, this comes
from the book).

Edmund Neupert: Twelve Etudes for Technique and Expression
Hans Seeling: Concert Etudes
Carl Baermann: Etudes (two books)
Ruthardt: Etudes
Heller: Etudes, Opus 154
Sternberg: Etudes Opus 66

Good luck finding these. Maybe other people here can help.

Regards,
Brian

Thank you for the quick sampling! Busy here too, I guess its quite universal. The etudes look interesting, now I have even more difficulty in choosing the right one having so many options. Let the search begin!

For techneut: I have developed a sort of liking for Rautavaara, although I couldn't stand him at first. The more I listen to him, more it seems to open up. And somehow I have grown fond of the etudes in particular. Thanks for the help!