# Piano playing speedcubers?



## ryanj92 (Jan 6, 2015)

How many of you guys play piano regularly? I know a few people in the community who do, but I'm always up for meeting more 

I started playing back in 2000, and had lessons until 2011. I got to ABRSM grade 6 in that time, and narrowly missed grade 7, because I would have had to do the exam at the same time as my last exams before uni... Nowadays I can only play for a couple of hours a week while I'm away at uni, but this year I've decided that seeing as the syllabus just changed, I'd pick up where I left off and start working towards grade 7 and 8. I managed to learn my grade 7 pieces last term, and I've started learning the grade 8 stuff now...

When I'm not playing exam stuff, I like playing soundtracks, especially those composed by Joe Hisaishi.

What sort of stuff do you guys play?


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## PJKCuber (Jan 6, 2015)

I don't play piano, but play keyboard. I've been begging my mom forever to enroll me in a piano academy.(Pianos are extremely rare in India, I only know like 1 person who plays it). I've played keyboard ever since I was 7 to 10. Then after a 4 year hiatus, I started playing again this year. But I know that TDM plays and he passed Grade 4 or something. I like to play random rock and pop music.


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## Mozart (Jan 6, 2015)

I play piano regularly, and it is in fact my primary hobby before cubing. I play mostly classical music, but also some modern stuff like movie themes etc.

here is a video of me playing Chopin


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## MarcelP (Jan 6, 2015)

I just started to learn piano this year (2015).  Oh and mr Mozart from Denmark.. That is pretty amazing.


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## TDM (Jan 6, 2015)

PJKCuber said:


> But I know that TDM plays and he passed Grade 4 or something.


Haha, how long ago did I say that?  I'm grade 6 now, but I've stopped playing. I stopped enjoying it a while before I stopped.


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## lerenard (Jan 6, 2015)

I play, but sporadically. I never practice consistently enough to really master any pieces. I can read sheet music without "counting up from middle C" or whatever but I'm still slow at it... I can play Moonlight Sonata though


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## AlphaSheep (Jan 7, 2015)

I was completely self taught, and could play at about a grade 4 level. I haven't practised in at least 4 years though, so I don't even know if I can still play.


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## Laradoodle4 (Jan 7, 2015)

I learnt piano from age 7 until just over a year ago (when I was 14), but I had a really bad teacher for many years. I had a goodish teacher for the last year of learning, and I guess I'm around grade 6 at the moment. Took a break cos of school but I still practice regularly, I'm excited to start lessons again next year


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## lorki3 (Jan 7, 2015)

I learned to play august of 2013! I've been playing ever since and think it's awesome.

I play some classical and some video game/movie music.


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## ryanj92 (Jan 7, 2015)

Thanks for all the replies, it's really nice to see that there are so many of you guys 



Mozart said:


> I play piano regularly, and it is in fact my primary hobby before cubing. I play mostly classical music, but also some modern stuff like movie themes etc.
> 
> here is a video of me playing Chopin
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RB0g_oW2Zg


That's great! I feel like the only player of my standard who hasn't learnt a Chopin etude... Is Chopin (or indeed Mozart) a favourite composer?



Laradoodle4 said:


> I learnt piano from age 7 until just over a year ago (when I was 14), but I had a really bad teacher for many years. I had a goodish teacher for the last year of learning, and I guess I'm around grade 6 at the moment. Took a break cos of school but I still practice regularly, I'm excited to start lessons again next year



Welp, I didn't know you played piano too, that's pretty cool!


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## Bh13 (Jan 8, 2015)

I play. Absolutely no idea what grade I am though . I've been playing for 5 years now I think, and just recently won a competition. Mostly classical music, with some jazz/ rag here and there.


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## Mozartcuber (Jan 8, 2015)

I played piano since 2004(4 years old) and now I finally finished Grade 8


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## Mozart (Jan 8, 2015)

ryanj92 said:


> That's great! I feel like the only player of my standard who hasn't learnt a Chopin etude... Is Chopin (or indeed Mozart) a favourite composer?



Actually I don't listen to mozart that much, it's just a nick people jokingly called me at school because, well, I play the piano lol
My favorite composer is Liszt, and others include chopin, bach, rachmaninoff, beethoven, schubert... etc.


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## kcl (Jan 8, 2015)

I don't play, which is ironic because my mom plays piano for a living, and my dad is highly proficient because he's a choral director.


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## uyneb2000 (Jan 9, 2015)

I quit 4 years ago, and I suck now. I play cello now, but I sometimes miss playing piano.


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## MarcelP (Jan 9, 2015)

kclejeune said:


> I don't play, which is ironic because my mom plays piano for a living, and my dad is highly proficient because he's a choral director.



That is ironic! But you do play other instruments right?


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## kcl (Jan 9, 2015)

MarcelP said:


> That is ironic! But you do play other instruments right?



Yes, I actively play French horn and I played violin for 6 years.


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## DuffyEdge (Jan 9, 2015)

I'm grade 8 (started in 2005). Mainly classical


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## EpiCuber7 (Jan 9, 2015)

I play piano, but I only did one grade (2) before I stopped exams.


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## Metalcube (Jan 11, 2015)

I play piano too, for about 8-9 years now, but I had quite often longer breaks in between, so I'm a lot worse than you would think, when you hear 8-9 years. Like the creator of the topic I play Joe Hisaishi (Fantasia and The Wind Forest). Furthermore I can play "Moon", "Sea" and "Woods" from George Winston, although I'm not too strict with myself when it comes to playing exactly like the piano sheet suggests. 
I also learned the 3rd movement of the moonlight sonata from Beethoven, but it took a very very long time to learn and I played it way too slow and finally forgot it after I took a piano break, because of my final exams at school. At the moment I'm learning the first piece of my favorite composer Rachmaninov, Prelude OP 23 no. 5. I never had any exams because I got privat lessons. 

One thing I realised: Playing piano never really helped me with Speedcubing, as well as Speedcubing never seemed to help me with playing piano. I always thought one thing could benefit from the other, but maybe I just don't notice it, however, turning or accuracy in general (on the piano as well as with the cube) was and is always the worst part.


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## Mozart (Jan 12, 2015)

Metalcube said:


> At the moment I'm learning the first piece of my favorite composer Rachmaninov, Prelude OP 23 no. 5



Isn't 23/5 pretty ambitious to learn as your first Rach piece?  I started with 3/2, which is a lot easier and also satisfying to play


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## Metalcube (Jan 12, 2015)

Mozart said:


> Isn't 23/5 pretty ambitious to learn as your first Rach piece?  I started with 3/2, which is a lot easier and also satisfying to play



To be honest, I have no idea about the different difficulties of Rachmaninov pieces, but I already had the piano sheet for it, so I decided to choose 23/5, I'm not sure if I will finish it though. My big goal is to be able to play the first movement of his second piano sonata, which is probably my favorite piece. But it sounds so difficult, so I better stay away from it for quite a while.


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## Mozart (Jan 12, 2015)

Metalcube said:


> My big goal is to be able to play the first movement of his second piano sonata, which is probably my favorite piece. But it sounds so difficult, so I better stay away from it for quite a while.



dude.. so funny, I am learning exactly that at the moment! Well don't be scared it's not too difficult, prelude 23/5 is definitely harder. If you know Grieg's concerto, I can tell you that rach 2 mvt. 1 is about the same difficulty as that, mvt. 2 is easier and mvt. 3 is harder.


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## JemFish (Jan 28, 2015)

Hey fellow pianists,

I thought I might include myself in this thread, although it feels very weird writing about piano in a speedcubing forum. So I'm preparing for a grade 7 ABRSM exam this March, and I cube to warm up for piano, or do my scales to warm up for cubing.

Big fan of:

Chopin
Mozart
Debussy

~ JemFish


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## Ranzha (Jan 28, 2015)

Mozart said:


> Actually I don't listen to mozart that much, it's just a nick people jokingly called me at school because, well, I play the piano lol
> My favorite composer is Liszt, and others include chopin, bach, rachmaninoff, beethoven, schubert... etc.





Mozart said:


> dude.. so funny, I am learning exactly that at the moment! Well don't be scared it's not too difficult, prelude 23/5 is definitely harder. If you know Grieg's concerto, I can tell you that rach 2 mvt. 1 is about the same difficulty as that, mvt. 2 is easier and mvt. 3 is harder.



It really sucks to have Rach 2 as your favourite piece but have hands too small to play even the first chord...
Rach 2 and the Grieg concerto were the first two works I came across that really resonated with me.

I want to give arranging Rach 2 mvt 2 for solo piano a real honest try, but it's so dense!

I took lessons from a truly wonderful instructor from 2001-2009, again for a short run in late 2011 and early 2012, and have been playing independently since. My teacher was very much unconventional in the way he taught me to play in that I had extensive ear training to complement having absolute pitch, but as a result my sightreading ability on piano is atrocious.

At my best, I was able to get through Chopin's Revolutionary Étude. My right hand has nowhere near the velocity of my left hand, which really sucks when it comes to most of Chopin's other études...


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## JemFish (Jan 29, 2015)

Ranzha said:


> My right hand has nowhere near the velocity of my left hand, which really sucks when it comes to most of Chopin's other études...



Hmm...my left hand can stretch a 10th easily, and maybe even an 11th, but my right hand only just spans a 10th.


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## sneaklyfox (Jan 30, 2015)

Mozart said:


> I play piano regularly, and it is in fact my primary hobby before cubing. I play mostly classical music, but also some modern stuff like movie themes etc.
> 
> here is a video of me playing Chopin
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RB0g_oW2Zg



Really awesome playing, Mozart!

I teach music (violin and piano). Classical music only. I've taught up to Grade 10 piano. Can't really say I play regularly nowadays though. Too busy with kids.


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## sneaklyfox (Jan 30, 2015)

Ranzha said:


> my sightreading ability on piano is atrocious.



I can memorize loads of music. My sightreading is also terrible.



JemFish said:


> Hmm...my left hand can stretch a 10th easily, and maybe even an 11th, but my right hand only just spans a 10th.



My right hand is smaller than my left as well, but my right hand just spans a 9th. Some chords are hard for my right hand.


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## ryanj92 (Jan 30, 2015)

JemFish said:


> Hey fellow pianists,
> 
> I thought I might include myself in this thread, although it feels very weird writing about piano in a speedcubing forum. So I'm preparing for a grade 7 ABRSM exam this March, and I cube to warm up for piano, or do my scales to warm up for cubing.
> 
> ...



Ooh, what pieces are you playing for it? I now know A4 (Bach French Suite), B6 (Mendelssohn Gondola Song) and C4 (Dichler Toccata-Etude)... I knew B6 already and I didn't like the pieces from the book so much  (especially list C)


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## Mozart (Feb 1, 2015)

Ranzha said:


> It really sucks to have Rach 2 as your favourite piece but have hands too small to play even the first chord...
> 
> I want to give arranging Rach 2 mvt 2 for solo piano a real honest try, but it's so dense!



It goes without saying that big hands are favorable when it comes to rach, but many great pianists still did amazing despite having small hands. Ashkenazy has a wonderful recording of Rach 2 even though he had to roll the beginning chords  Good luck with the mvt 2 arrangement, it's sooo beautiful!

I'm just like you... awful at sightreading! But I have decent memory and perfect pitch, so learning pieces is not a problem



JemFish said:


> Hmm...my left hand can stretch a 10th easily, and maybe even an 11th, but my right hand only just spans a 10th.



I'm not the only one then!! My left hand only just spans an 11th from C to F, but my right hand struggles with 10th's. I've been playing guitar and believed it might have something to do with that..



sneaklyfox said:


> Really awesome playing, Mozart!
> 
> I teach music (violin and piano). Classical music only. I've taught up to Grade 10 piano. Can't really say I play regularly nowadays though. Too busy with kids.



Thank you. I didn't know grades continued beyond 8? I thought it would just be 8+ or something


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## sneaklyfox (Feb 2, 2015)

Mozart said:


> Thank you. I didn't know grades continued beyond 8? I thought it would just be 8+ or something



Ah, I think this depends on your country's grading level. In Canada, we have Royal Conservatory which goes up to ARCT (basically teacher's level) which comes right after Grade 10.


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