Level 7 â Repertoire, Course Lists & Discussion Space
Level 7 description
Youâre capable of playing some of the most dramatic and expressive piano music ever composed, so itâs time to follow through on all your hard work and start realizing your musical goals. Develop your tone production in study pieces from Bach to Schubert, deepen your stylistic awareness from Mozart to Gershwin, and train your fingers to succeed on a more virtuosic playing field of Chopinâs Etudes. Take your musicianship training further and test your general musical senses in âplay and singâ labs for melodic and harmonic ear training.
Level 7 recommended study pieces
- BACH: Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 906
- SCHUBERT: Impromptu in G-flat major, Op. 90 No. 3
- MENDELSSOHN: Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 14
- CHOPIN: âMinute Waltzâ in D-flat major, Op. 64 No. 1
- LISZT: Liebestraum No. 3
- BRAHMS: Intermezzo, Op. 118 No. 2
- DEBUSSY: âDoctor Gradus ad Parnassumâ from Childrenâs Corner
- RACHMANINOFF: Prelude in C-sharp minor, Op. 3 No. 2
- BARTĂK: Allegro Barbaro
- GERSHWIN: Prelude No. 1 â Allegro ben ritmato e deciso
Level 7 recommended courses
- PRINCIPLES OF THE TAUBMAN APPROACH
- INSIDE MOZART'S PIANO SONATAS
- CHOPIN ETUDE TRAINING
- SOUND AND COLOR
Level 7 practice labs
Level 7 complete repertoire lessons
- BACH: Fantasia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 906
- BACH: Fugue from Prelude and Fugue in C major, BWV 846
- BACH: Allemande, Courante, Sarabande from English Suite No. 2 in A minor
- BACH: Allemande from Partita No. 6 in E minor
- BACH: Sarabande from Partita No. 6 in E minor
- BACH: Adagio from Concerto in D minor
- HAYDN: Allegro molto from Sonata in C major, Hob. XVI:50
- BEETHOVEN: Rondo: Allegro from "Pathétique" Sonata, Op. 13
- BEETHOVEN: Largo from Concerto No. 1, Op. 15
- BEETHOVEN: Adagio from âTempestâ Sonata, Op. 31 No. 2
- BEETHOVEN: Andante con moto from "Appassionata" Sonata, Op. 57
- SCHUBERT: Impromptu in C minor, Op. 90 No. 1
- SCHUBERT: Impromptu in G-flat major, Op. 90 No. 3
- SCHUBERT: Impromptu in A-flat major, Op. 90 No. 4
- MENDELSSOHN: Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 14
- CHOPIN: Waltz in A-flat major, Op. 34 No. 1
- CHOPIN: âMinute Waltzâ in D-flat major, Op. 64 No. 1
- CHOPIN: âAeolian Harpâ Etude Op. 25 No. 1 in A-flat major
- CHOPIN: Prelude in B major, Op. 28 No. 11
- CHOPIN: Prelude in F-sharp major, Op. 28 No. 13
- CHOPIN: Prelude in B-flat major, Op. 28 No. 21
- CHOPIN: Prelude in F major, Op. 28 No. 23
- CHOPIN: Nocturne in C-sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 1
- CHOPIN: Nocturne in D-flat major, Op. 27 No. 2
- CHOPIN: Fantaisie-Impromptu, Op. 66
- LISZT: Liebestraum No. 3
- C. SCHUMANN: Scherzo from Sonata in G minor
- R. SCHUMANN: Arabeske in C major, Op. 18
- BRAHMS: Intermezzo, Op. 118 No. 2
- BRAHMS: Rhapsody in G minor Op. 79 No. 2
- HAYDN: Allegro molto from Sonata in C major, Hob. XVI:50
- RACHMANINOFF: Prelude in C-sharp minor, Op. 3 No. 2
- RAVEL: Modéré from Sonatine
- RAVEL: Mouvement de menuet from Sonatine
- RAVEL: Pavane pour une infante défunte
- BARTĂK: Allegro Barbaro
- GERSHWIN: Prelude No. 1 â Allegro ben ritmato e deciso
- GERSHWIN: Prelude No. 3 â Agitato
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Questions & Discussion
â Reply below to ask any questions about this level, or to get a second opinion from fellow users! â
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I wanted to ask other pianists their opinion on a 15 minute program I wanted to put together. My goal was for all the pieces to be preludes, all the pieces to be contemplative in mood though but not necessarily slow, flow easily from once piece to the next, and have some kind of symmetry. I have the two Faure preludes in my fingers already, so I would only be learning four more. Hereâs the proposed program:
- Cui: Prelude No.15 in Db major from Op.64
- Mendelssohn: Prelude No.4 in Ab major from Op.35
- Faure: Prelude No.7 in A major from Op.103
- Faure: Prelude No.4 in F major also from Op.103
- Chopin: Prelude No.23 in F major from Op.28
- Scriabin: Prelude No.21 in Bb major from Op.11
The first and last are both by Russian composers, have irregular time signatures, and are quiet in mood. The second and second to last are both works with more motion and were written in the late 1830s. The middle two pieces are from Faureâs only set of preludes and these two pair together nicely, especially when No.7 is played first. Finally, the middle pieces alternate between 6/8 time and common time. I put a lot of thought (including key relationships) into putting this program together, but I would not mind a sanity check or a suggestion for substitution of one or more pieces if something does not fit well.
Thank you.
Brian
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Brian Melkowits At first glance I love the shape of this little program. Also, it's very tender and uplifting. I think we share a pleasure in constructing programs and especially being sensitive to the flow of key relationships and characters. Even the Ab to A major works nicely since the Faure begins with G-sharps. And it'll be nice to hear the Fdom7 at the end of that Chopin Prelude actually resolve to a B-flat tonic, especially since the Scriabin keeps emphasizing an E-flat in the melody (which will linger in our ears from the Chopin, while the bass has been "resolved").
You might consider swapping the Mendelssohn (which is a perfectly nice piece, but a bit uneventful and maybe needs its Fugue for validation) for the Chopin A-flat Prelude, which is a masterpiece, brings symmetry to the whole set, and fits the general intention of the set, I think. -
Ben Laude
Hi Ben!
Thank you for your feedback, and I think the suggestion you gave, which frankly was right under my nose, is the best one. I really struggled with the piece in the second position, and the Mendelssohn was actually the fourth pieces that I landed on to fill the spot.
My first idea was Rachmaninoffâs g# minor prelude, Op.32/12 as I wanted to get a minor key piece into the mix that was neither stormy nor sad. Even though the tempo is fast, it is delicate with a nostalgic feel that I thought would fit. Also, itâs one of the few Rachmaninoff piano pieces that I really like as most of his piano works, while top notch in melody, harmony, and form, strike me as having overly dense and virtually unvoiceable textures. By the way, I love most of his orchestral music, but he seems to have the opposite problem that Schumann had (Schumannâs piano textures are exquisite, but his orchestral music is thick and blocky sounding). I ultimately passed because 1) itâs technically the most challenging and would take longer to learn than the other three pieces I did not already know combined 2) it does not balance the Chopin F major and 3) it is too much of an attention grabber and would make the program lopsided.
Then I got this idea (sticking with the whole minor key thing) to transcribe Durufleâs Prelude sur lâIntroit de lâEpiphanie, Op. 13 from organ to piano and down a half step. I thought the mood was a perfect lead in to the Faure and added some very well written polyphony to the mix. However, after not having an instrument for over a year, I asked myself if I really wanted a transcription project when I would rather spend my discretionary time in front of my new keyboard (I just received a Kawai MP11SE stage piano after I sold my 1964 Yamaha C3 conservatory grand last year when I moved to Michigan because I couldnât afford the moving cost - almost $5k!). I would love to revisit the Durufle, but maybe itâs not the right undertaking out of the gate.
Later, I flirted with forgetting the whole prelude label (there are so few written in Ab/g#) and use the second of Chopinâs New Etudes, which rarely gets played. Ultimately though, I decided to do a similar cycle of just etudes later that feature two of Schumannâs Canonic Etudes, Op.56 and include the Chopin there.
The main reason I avoided the Chopin Ab prelude is that everyone plays his preludes all the time, but the one I never heard programmed on its own (i.e., without all 24 being performed) at a recital when I was in college was the F major, so I thought I would make the exception for that one.
However, the Ab is a great piece, and it fits the concept well. Who cares if everyone and their brother plays it? Great music is great music whether itâs popular or not. Also, I have played embarrassingly little Chopin during my lifetime, mainly because I gave my professor such a hard time in college. I told her I would only agree to program a piece by Chopin if a Brahms work got programmed on two consecutive student recitals by someone other than me. In the four years I was there, it never happed, and, therefore, I was the only piano major there who never performed anything by Chopin during their undergraduate career.
Thank you for the suggestion, and I am now convinced that nixing the Mendelssohn in favor of the Chopin is a sound decision.
Thank you again!
Kindest regards,
Brian
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Brian Melkowits At least the A-flat isn't the most overplayed of Chopin's Preludes. I'd say I almost always hear it in context of a performance of all 24, unlike the E minor, C minor, and Raindrop for example.
Ii sang the Durufle Requiem in college and remember thinking "this is incredible music, why didn't he write for piano?" Transcribing organ music didn't occur to me!
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Ben Laude
I think I may have found another programming solution to the second piece. I love the Chopin A flat, but I think I want to reserve it for another set that is more âSongs without Wordsâ that will also include the Brahms Op.118 No.2 Intermezzo, Faure Allegresse, and Schubert G flat Impromptu. Even though it is not a prelude, what do you think of using the Debussy Etude No.11? Itâs similar to the other pieces in that cannot be sung easily by a vocalist, and I think itâs fine to call the program âFive Preludes and an Etude.â :)
What do you think about this alternative?
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Brian Melkowits I like the choice, the only caveat being that the Debussy would be the longest selection by a couple minutes so it puts a bit more weight on the early part of the set. But that's not necessarily a deal-breaker! Musically I think its complements the others nicely.
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Hi. So I was wondering with some of the questions if it means you comfortable playing some passages off the cuff or are you comfortable to play some passages confidently with practice? Vague example, but for example I am comfortable with playing complex rhythms, but I am not comfortable to sight-read complex rhythms. I answered the quiz twice, once where I took every question as "are you comfortable to sight read...... xyz" (got a level 7) and once where I took every question as "with a little practice I am comfortable to play... xyz" (got level 9). Obviously some questions were very clear as to if you can do it off the cuff... just curious to know about the others...
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Rolf Rencken Good question.It's one of the vague aspects of the quiz that I could improve. I did mean for members to reply in terms of your current capabilities, defined as what you can more-or-less comfortable execute on relatively short notice. For example, you might need a refresher on some fingerings for some major/minor scales, but could get all 24 together at 2 octaves smoothly by tomorrow, and maybe at higher speeds/4 octaves by the end of the week. If that were the case, I'd grade myself a 4/5 or even 5/5 for that skill.
In your case, I definitely don't think you should judge yourself on the ability to sight-read complex rhythms (I would have used "sight-read", in that case). Yes, it assumes some practice. It's up to you to decide if that practice is routine and within your level, or if that practice would be ongoing over a longer period of time, and constitute a progression to another level. If the former, I'd answer 4 or 5, if the latter, maybe 2 or 3 â or if it feels completely out of reach, and a whole paradigm shift would be necessary to achieve a given skill, then 1/5 makes sense.
So, level 9 is probably right! But, there's not hard science here. This is just meant to give you a reference point!
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Ben Laude thanks! Makes total sense now. Some people are great sight readers, not my strong point, but I can learn music pretty quickly.
A great initiative! I am 31 and after being on tonebase for a little while I am so mad I wasted so much time with the wrong teachers. I run a business now, so I donât have all the time I had when studying. But this is so helpful to get back on track.
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Hi! I'm a new member of Tonebase since yesterday and after taking the level test I realized something I have always tried to evade. While my hardest pieces in my current repertoire, which I can play to a decent and performable level, are the complete Pathetique Sonata, Chopin's Ballade in G minor and the Revolutionary Etude, I cannot play a single two-octave c major scale using both hands at more than 85 bpm, my reading skills in general are quite poor, which has slowed me down when learning new repertoire. And I have also never attempted any Bach fugue or any fugue at all. I was wondering if I should continue to expand my repertoire or stop for a few months and focus on developing these basic aspects and only then continue to approach new repertoire or if I should be doing both at the same time.
For more context, if needed, I'm in my school break until March and can currently practice up to 3 hours a day.
Sorry for the long message and thank you for creating this amazing platform!
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Fabrizio del Castillo Once you have identified what you want to work on, find repertoire which allows you to practice these techniques. Yes, still do the technical exercises, but alongside the repertoire which demands those techniques.
I feel just working on technique all day long for an extended period of time is soul destroying.
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Since you mention Taubman, and I've loved the vids with you and Robert Durso, I also think it's vital to actually engage a teacher who is trained in the method. I've been playing and being taught by various performers (That's the problem) for many decades, doing all the usual things, looking at tips for improvement, spending hours with the metronome on scales and arpeggios.
Performers are great for interpretation and sometimes for helpful hints and guidance, but unless they've been trained as pedagogues, much of the effort I put in turns out to be wasteful.
In just 6 months, my Taubman teacher has revolutionized my playing and eliminated much of the effort in practicing.
To sum up what's different:
We've been working on fast passage work in the Hadyn Sonata 46 in Ab. What I found out was that when I did things correctly, velocity was a choice, not a goal to be reached with effort.
I could say much more, but it's slightly off-topic.
