The Magic of Chopin’s Piano Music

Why is it that Frédéric Chopins piano music always speaks directly to the heart of anyone who listens to it? I don’t know of any other composer who is always mentioned with so much love and respect in all kinds of different quarters. Whichever country or continent you go to, Chopin is sure to be played in the concert halls, in the radio and in people’s homes.

Even people who aren’t otherwise that interested in classical piano music love and adore Chopin. So what is it about his music that fascinates us and makes us listen so intently? Of course it depends on the performance as well, but almost any competent pianist can move people with a piece by Chopin.

Of course it has to do with the superb way Chopin was able to understand the possibilities of the piano. Nobody before him had made the piano sing quite in the same manner. One of the interesting things in connection with this, is that Chopin was very interested and fascinated by the human singing voice and tried to emulate it when composing for the piano. He went to the opera, listening to works by Bellini, Donizetti, Meyerbeer and others, and studied the amazing technique of the bel canto opera singers of his time. Then he went home and translated what he had heard to the piano.

Something else that has to be mentioned when trying to point out what makes Chopin’s piano music so unique, is the use he made of his Polish heritage. Chopin was born and brought up in Poland, to a Polish mother and French father, but spent most of his grown up life exiled in Paris. He always longed for his homeland and pitied the people there, living under Russian occupation.

The tunes and dancing rhythms that he had heard in Poland as a youth meant a lot to him, and he used them frequently in his own music. Not that he very often cites any particular Polish folk tunes - instead he creates music that somehow evokes a Polish athmospere, a nostalgic longing for the country that Chopin always viewed as his true home. When he died in 1849, his heart was brought home to Warsaw according to his own wish, while the rest of his remains were buried in the Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris.

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Valentina Igoshina plays Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu

Chopin Nocturnes - piano sheet music

Piano Street has published new urtext editions of the Nocturnes by Frederic Chopin. The new editions containing Chopin's own fingering are available from our online sheet music library to download and print.

Read more here: Chopin Nocturnes piano sheet music

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Exciting Time Travels - Exclusive Interview with Ronald Brautigam

Ronald Brautigam talks to Piano Street's Patrick Jovell about his love and interest in period instruments as well as the modern grand piano.

Interview with Ronald Brautigam at pianostreet.com

A Piano Spectacular for 80 Fingers - $1.6 Million Worth of Piano on Stage

The eight pianists will work as an ensemble to perform new arrangements of classical favourites, including Ravel's Bolero, Rhapsody in Blue, Percy Grainger's Merriment, Pictures at an Exhibition, Handel Medley, the Saint-Saens Organ Symphony and a new 80-finger version of Chopsticks!

A Piano Spectacular

How to get the most from your piano lessons?

Are you learning the piano? If so, you already know that you can’t just sit down at the piano and start playing Bach right off the bat. Becoming a solid pianist takes time. More specifically, it takes practice…and lots of it.

A lot of new pianists practice regularly, but they aren’t getting as much out of it as they could be. In this article, you’ll discover several helpful tips that will help you maximize your practice time in front of the piano. By sticking to these tips, your skills should increase at a much faster rate.

• Warm up before practicing—You don’t see basketball players just stroll onto the court at tipoff without stretching and warming up beforehand. The same goes for playing piano. You need to get your fingers loose and ready to play. Start with some basic finger exercises, and play through scales to get in the piano mindset. Do this for a few minutes before you get into actual practice.
  
• Practice regularly—The biggest mistake new pianists make is to only practice whenever they have a lesson. You can’t expect to get better this way. In fact, as soon as your piano lesson is over, you should find time for a practice session as soon as possible, while your teacher’s instructions are still fresh in your mind. Then schedule time each day to practice on your own…even if it’s just for 10 or 15 minutes. A little practice each day can go a long way to making you a better pianist.
  
• When it’s time to practice, truly focus—Don’t waste practice time by fooling around or chatting with a friend. When you’re there to practice, practice. Eliminate all distractions. An hour of truly focused practicing can yield some pretty amazing results.
  
• Work on building new skills—After playing for a while, it’s common for pianists to hit a plateau. This usually happens because you do the same thing every time you practice. Keep building new skills by trying something different. For example, find a piece by a composer whose music you have never played before. Or, buy a book of random piano sheet music, and work your way through it.
  
• Identify your weaknesses—All pianists have things they aren’t great at. Everyone makes mistakes while playing. The key is to isolate your weaknesses, and to focus on eliminating them. If you can turn your weaknesses into strengths, you’ll become a solid pianist. If you aren’t sure what your weaknesses are, ask your teacher during your piano lesson or video yourself playing, and analyze your playing to find the mistakes.
  
• Have fun—This is supposed to be fun. Playing music is a joy. If you truly love it, piano playing will become a part of your life that you can’t do without. So, have fun with it. Don’t view practicing as torture. Cherish the time you get to sit in front of the piano.
  

You won’t become a great pianist over night. Improving your skills at the piano takes time, but if you remain committed to it for the long haul and you follow these helpful tips, you can work your way toward becoming a truly remarkable piano player.

Practice makes perfect, and there’s never a bad time to practice. Start working on your piano music today!