Waltz, op 64 #2

I've decided to continue with romantic era piano pieces, and that means it's time for Chopin. With so many admirers of his unique style, we couldn't forget about him. Even one who has heard very little classical music will have come across a Chopin nocturne or waltz at some point. "Favorite" or "most influential" composer lists can never be proven "right," but whenever one is made, he is usually in the top 5.

Somehow, I didn't know much about Chopin for my first, say, 5 years playing the piano. At that point, I had not learned any of his compositions yet. I remember having little to say when my teacher made a pun regarding a "Chopin board." Granted, I was very young during those years. This was the time when I didn't know how to pronounce Liszt and all I knew of Rachmaninoff was that he had big hands. As I noticed from my folders of sheet music, I have played a lot of Chopin since then.

Listen to the song here
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Waltz in Gb

Welcome back to Tea with Liya! Today, I'm playing another song by Frederic Chopin - this one is a Waltz in Gb major. It turns out that if the instructions in Chopin's will had been followed, this song would never have existed today. Maybe there could be a good reason to not follow someone's instructions ... or is there? I hope you like listening to it!


Listen to the song here
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Nocturne in G Major

I know... I'm straying from the jazz theme, but I couldn't come up with another reason not to share with you this beautiful song by Frederic Chopin. This song sounds quite different from the ones I usually play, but every type of music has something in common - that is, patterns of rhythm, melody, and harmony working together.

This piece has two main themes that repeat, but they are played in many different keys. (At least this isn't a jazz song where I would have to improvise in all those keys!)

I've been working with this song for several months, as it's on RCM's highest level list of repertoire. When I finished learning the song, the next stop was my "recording studio" (a.k.a., a computer, an electric piano, and some wires), so that I could keep a record of the song and eventually post it here. Of course, even if I had the highest quality equipment and had spent years practicing the song, it still wouldn't sound perfect. That brings me to a point that might have randomly splashed over the side of my teacup, but it's still important.

Listen to the song here
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