Are you interested in playing classical music, but afraid that it’s too challenging? Don’t worry! Classical piano music can seem intimidating at first, but remember that learning music is about personal enjoyment and sharing music with others. There are lots of classical pieces that beginning pianists can learn, play, and have a lot of fun with. In this article you’ll meet some of these pieces and get tips on how to approach them. Read on to learn more!
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Is classical music hard to play on piano?
As I said above, not all classical music is challenging, and a lot of it can be great for beginning pianists who are interested in expanding their musical palette. With consistent lessons and practice, anyone can learn classical music. Learning something new that challenges you is really rewarding, so remember that it’s important not to give up. Like any other pianist, you can accomplish whatever you set your mind to!
Can you learn classical piano by yourself?
It’s easiest to learn classical music with a teacher’s guidance, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t learn on your own. Online lessons are a very effective way to get assistance. Joseph Hoffman teaches some classical piano music in Hoffman Academy’s free online video tutorials. Check out Mr. Hoffman’s lesson on Beethoven’s famous “Ode to Joy” below:
How do I start understanding classical music?
The quickest way to understand classical piano music is to listen to it. As with any musical style, this will get your ears used to the sounds that are unique to classical music. You’ll also expand your curiosity in its traditions and history. Music recordings can inspire your own practice and performance. Here are some great classical performances to help inspire you!
Moonlight Sonata – Ludwig van Beethoven (performed by Petra Somlai)
Clair de lune – Claude Debussy (performed by Lang Lang)
Nocturne in E-flat Major – John Field (performed by Zoltán Thurzó)
Polonaise in A-flat Major – Frederic Chopin (performed by Evgeny Kissin)
Another great way to understand classical music is finding a teacher who is classically trained. A teacher who understands classical piano music will be able to accurately guide you through any difficulties that you encounter on your learning journey.
What does a beginner need to know about playing classical piano music?
- In classical music, rhythms tend to be more straightforward, as opposed to jazz and pop styles that feature syncopation and swing rhythms. For those who don’t know, syncopations are accented notes off the beat, while straightforward rhythms place accents on the beat. Swing rhythms treat eighth notes as uneven parts of the beat. Instead of playing each eighth note equally, the first eighth of a swing beat is a little longer than the second eighth note, creating more of a shuffling groove.
- Classical musicians are often taught to only play the notes written on the page instead of allowing for improvisation. Improvisation used to be an important part of Baroque and Classical-era musicians, such as J.S. Bach, but this began to fall out of favor during the 19th Century.
- Classical-era music often uses a technique called Alberti bass, which is described in more detail below.
The term “Classical Music” usually refers to music from one of four distinct eras, each with their own style. When learning a classical piece, it’s very helpful to have some awareness of “performance practices” from that era.
Baroque era:
- Composers rarely included any dynamics or articulations so a performer can take some (reasonable) liberty here. It’s common to use a detached touch for quarter notes, and a legato tone for eighth and sixteenth notes.
- Damper pedal should be used very sparingly if at all in baroque music
- Also very little to no use of damper pedal. Classical music tends to sound best with a very clean, sparking tone. Damper pedal will just muddy that.
- Aim for crisp, clean execution of notes with a lot of attention to bringing out the melody line and shaping phrases beautifully
- Go big with emotions! Lots of dynamic contrast. LOTS of use of damper pedal. Now a composer often wants a blurry, sweeping sound. Romantic music tends to have lots of extremes in tempo, dynamics, and color. Find the mood of the piece, and amplify that.
- Rubato is common. Allow the tempo to have some flexibility rather than marching along to a strict beat.
- So many different styles in the last 100 years in classical music. Best to listen to some professional recordings of any new piece you want to learn to get some ideas for stylistic interpretations that are possible.
What is the easiest classical piano piece for beginners?
The easiest classical piece may be “Ode to Joy” by Beethoven, which I mentioned above. If you are interested in learning about a few more elementary/intermediate classical pieces, check out these popular classics. Do you recognize any of them?
Watch these fun videos for an introduction to Musette in D Major, which is an elementary-level piece:
Minuet in G Major, BWV Anh 114 – Christian Petzold – late elementary/early intermediate
Minuet No. 1, K.1. – W.A. Mozart – early intermediate
Prelude in C Major, BWV 846 – J.S. Bach – early intermediate
Prelude in C Minor, BWV 999 – J.S. Bach – intermediate
What are easy classical chords for piano?
The easiest chords that can be used in classical piano music are the I and V7 chords, which appear in nearly every type of music – especially at a beginner level. If you’re a Hoffman Academy student and you’ve learned the song “Dinah,” (Hoffman Academy Lessons 35 through 37) you probably already know how to play the I and V7 chords.
Here is a short review on the I and V7 chords:
- In C major, a I chord is C, E, G (DO, MI, SO in solfège)
- To play this chord in C major, place your left hand in the C major pentascale. Your left pinkie will play C (DO), the middle finger will play E (MI), and your thumb will play G (SO).
- A V7 chord in C major is B, F, G (TI, FA, SO)
- To move to this chord, move your left hand pinkie down to play B (TI). Now, your pointer finger will play F (FA), and your thumb will stay on G (SO).
To play these chords in any other key, simply place your hand in the pentascale of that key, with the lowest note the same letter name as the key signature. Use the same fingering and hand position.
Many classical pieces are written so that the notes of the chords are used to create an Alberti bass. This is a way of breaking up the chords into a special pattern. To do this, the I chord would be played one note at a time, like this:
C – G – E – G, C – G – E – G, etc…
The V7 chord is played in a very similar manner:
B – G – F – G, B – G – F – G, etc…
Try these patterns out one chord at a time, then try moving between the chords. So the Alberti bass arranges the chord notes in a “bottom-top-middle-top” pattern.
Learn more about the V7 chord here.
Enjoy learning classical piano music!
Here at Hoffman Academy, we are absolutely thrilled when students enjoy music, no matter what kind it is! Whether a student is into classical or pop music, jazz or film music, hip-hop or folk, music is such a special part of life and can be a fabulous way for anyone and everyone to express themselves. We sincerely hope that you found something in this article that you can practice at home and enjoy. Happy playing!