3 Reasons You're Never "Too Good" for Burgmuller Op. 100 (with 3 levels of examples)

[@AaronPetitPianoTutorials]

Hitting the nail on the head on so many levels. Thanks for this content!

[@PianistAcademy1]

Thanks, Aaron!

[@bethanywakim6175]

You can really hear the improvement in clarity of the LH sixteenth notes in the third performance! This collection is great; I remember playing Ballade as a kid. Great practice suggestion; I feel the same way about a lot of ‘easy’ classical sonatinas for practicing articulation.

[@aBachwardsfellow]

I agree! I find Clementi is very nice for this -- very musical.

[@PianistAcademy1]

100% to this. I remember that I was working on Ballade the first time I ever touched a Steinway B... I can still remember the piano, the experience, and the room! A massive crystal chandelier was over the piano!

[@clockfixer5049]

I thought I nailed Clementi’s Sonatina 2 mvt. 1 before a lesson with a really good teacher.. By the way, it turns out that prehearing stuff actually helps with technique.

[@PianistAcademy1]

@@clockfixer5049 Prehearing AND making sure your ear is just as tuned in while you play as well!

[@Owensv64]

I was feeling pretty discouraged about my not having mastered these exercises to my liking after a few weeks of practice until I watched this. Good to hear I’m in excellent company. Thank you.

[@PianistAcademy1]

Absolutely! They are by no means "easy" pieces!

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

I watched this one year ago, and had tried to push the challenges, without working on real basic techniques. I quit John Thompson Level 2 and went back to Level 1, for the third or fifth time. And I started singing (long story!!) and this has helped me become more musical. I'm ready to attack Burgmueller again, but I'm approaching this with a humble attitude.

[@PianistAcademy1]

Great! Singing, also, is a wonderful addition to your music studies!

[@hshlom]

The problem is that a self taught player does not have a teacher to point out the differences between how they play it and how it could and should be played. The closest they can get is to record themselves and listen to the playback. This may help them to hear their errors, but not to understand the finer points.

[@PianistAcademy1]

I'd 100% agree!

[@brendamengeling4653]

I’m at that level two. I purchased your class on number 4, and it really helped. I have someone else’s class on number 6. I would love additional classes, especially for the Tarantella, because I’m really looking forward to that. Also, I’m wondering when I should start a new piece. Currently, I think of my learning a new piece divided into three stages: learning the notes and rhythms (20% of time), solidifying (70%) and polishing (10%). In the later stages of solidifying, I start to get antsy, and I’ll want to start a new one to have a piece at the learning stage also. I’m wondering if this is a good practice plan.

[@PianistAcademy1]

Hi Brenda! Perhaps I'll do a class on the Tarantella very soon! I think at your current level you've laid out a good way of spending your time. As you continue to make progress, you will probably spend more time in the polishing stage. As a professional, my time is usually divided like this: Learning (10%), Solidifying (40%), polishing (50%). It's good to have pieces in different stages of learning! Every new piece of music learned opens doors of new ways of thinking about polishing.

[@RolandHuettmann]

I never played Burgmüller, but it seems his pieces receive more attention lately. I will find time to explore. Very nice lesson you gave 👍

[@PianistAcademy1]

Thanks, Roland! Yes, it seems in the last year or so, there's more and more attention going to Burgmuller online, which I think is fantastic!

[@TaoistDragon]

I'm not saying Burgmuller is easy but I do think in general people write off easy pieces. I myself, admittedly still a beginner with only a year under my belt, feel that music doesn't need to be complex. A piece should only be as complex as it needs to be to get it's themes across. Chopin's "Wrong Note" Etude is not more musically valid than Marry had a Little Lamb. And at the end of the day these simpler pieces can be great playgrounds to explore and exercise your craft. For example, I used Marry had a Little Lamb in an exercised where I came up with an harmony that involved chord inversions and have transposed Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to new keys.

[@aBachwardsfellow]

Excellent! I use simple pieces like this as the basis for teaching transposition, harmony, theory, improvisation, and composition -- i.e. take the piece and create variations -- in different styles (baroque, classical, romantic, jazz, modal, popular; waltz, march, major key, minor key, etc.)

[@PianistAcademy1]

You nailed one of the pillars of understanding music and composition on the head here by saying "a piece should only be as complex as it needs to be." 100%, absolutely, positively, YES.

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

What do you feel about transposing Burgmüller?

[@aBachwardsfellow]

Sounds like a great idea for learning harmony, improv. For an extra challlenge, also try it with some of Bach's 2-part inventions ... ?

[@PianistAcademy1]

I think that's a great idea! I don't typically think about transposing pieces in the classical canon, perhaps because my own experience in understanding theory and harmony comes from composition first. But absolutely, Op 100 would be a fantastic place to learn diatonic harmony and a few secondary chords, and learn them in all or many of the keys! And also, possibly to experience why Burgmuller himself chose certain keys for the tasks at hand... many times the same notes in another key, especially a distant one, will prove technically much different for the hand.

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

@@PianistAcademy1 Merci. I haven't really played much Burgmüller yet. But I will try, and will try to give it the respect that it deserves.

[@Bababoboboa-gu3iu]

I think those comments talking about learning the piece in 1-2 day are completely valid. Because for most people it's enough to get to like 80% and then move on. Their goal is not to play it on the same level as a concert pianist. None of the comments are saying that they are playing it flawlessly, but that seems to be your benchmark. They just said they've learned the piece. And you're immediately jumping to perfect articulation, perfect phrasing, perfect dynamics... when that was never what they were saying or trying to achieve. There's no point in comparing yourself to a professional pianist, unless it's your goal to become one yourself. You're basically saying that I have to play something absolutely perfectly and as good as the best players in the world, before I'm allowed to say that I've 'learned' a piece. But I think most people would agree that this point comes way, way before then. By your definition nobody in the world except for concert pianists would ever be able to say that they are able to play a piece. That's certainly an opinion to have, but it's a really weird thing to say.

[@PianistAcademy1]

Thanks for the comment! I’m 100% for meeting students where they are and I never expect more than a “level 2” performance from a “level 2” students… I *do* expect something on the proficient side of level 2, but still… This video is more of a response to an overwhelming sentiment I see online, which is that so many students feel like certain music is “below them” or… somehow they are “better than” needing to revisit anything easier to continue to learn from it. By no means would I expect perfection from a student… even a level 10 student playing a level 2 piece. BUT, when someone presents themselves as a teacher who will be passing on wisdom and education to others… well, they *better* be able to play or demonstrate the repertoire they are teaching perfectly. And for students, I don’t think they are “above” any particular music until… well… they can play it very artistically. Sometimes that means a level 7 student revisiting level 3 or 4 repertoire where they can learn the notes and rhythms extremely quickly and we can really hone in on the rest of what music is, that far too often gets skipped over. Personally, I’ve never understood the mentality of attaining 80% and just being ok with that. I’ve always tried to get as close to “100%” as possible, knowing that the bar of exactly what 100% is continues to rise with each week and each year of practice and study. So yes, an attempt at whatever “perfect” might be at Grade 2 is significantly different than “perfect” playing of the same piece at Grade 5, 8, 10, Diploma, Professional. But why stop/settle for 80% when just a few more weeks of attention could yield, probably, more learning about the true nature of music than was achieved during the learning of the first 80%? As far as all of the “stuff” I mention in the video… well that’s what makes music. Most of my private students (including the beginner students I have) also have the most fun in lessons when we actually get to that point where we can work on phrase, dynamic, articulation etc.

[@jackisinforthewin]

What about his op 109. They are amazing

[@PianistAcademy1]

Op 109 is a fantastic set as well. I'm glad that more people are hearing and playing more of Burgmuller's rep!

[@zhenzhenzhang]

Your videos are awesome

[@PianistAcademy1]

Thanks!

[@Wootwootwooton]

Is there an edition of this music you'd recommend, or warn against purchasing?

[@PianistAcademy1]

The Peters edition online at IMSLP is just fine for a free and easily downloadable copy. If you're really interested in taking the set to new heights, Graham Fitch is creating his own edition of the Op 100 set and you can find it on his website: practisingthepiano.com/new-study-editions-for-burgmullers-op-100/ It seems he's only edited pieces 1 through 5 so far, but I could be mistaken! He definitely has videos about all 25 pieces.

[@ST52655]

I have the Alfred Music edition that’s edited by Willard A. Palmer.

[@Wootwootwooton]

@@ST52655 that's the one I bought (after giving up on the Schirmer version)

[@captainalpaka1551]

Take 'Curent Limpide' from Burgmüller for instance. I'd say you really grasped the piece if you and any audience feel like they are a drop of water in a stream.

[@aBachwardsfellow]

All music is music, and should be played musically :-) Listen to Lang Lang play Fur Elise -- play Burgmuller the way Lang lang would. PS - I purchased your Next Level Piano: Christmas Edition and am enjoying going through it -- an awesome and comprehensive course -- very well done, and useful for many piano students for the broad range and level of depth covered!

[@PianistAcademy1]

Absolutely! And thanks so much! I'm glad you are enjoying the program. I hope maybe there is a tidbit or two in there that is new for you!

[@aBachwardsfellow]

​@@PianistAcademy1 I always find some delectable morsels and tidbits from you on this channel! :-)

[@ilovebach1010]

What. The first 2 are played by piano teachers?!?

[@PianistAcademy1]

And not just teachers, but two teachers with DMAs in piano.

[@MattBartonGoogle]

Makes me feel a little bit better about my own attempts 😊

[@welshwizard55]

I am learning from this book(as well as others) I quite like any of the progressive books being an older learner(retired) 😂😂

[@cablenelsonbabygrandpiano842]

Great! Subscribed! New friend ❤️

[@PianistAcademy1]

Thank you!! Hope to continue to see you around the channel!

[@hetedeleambacht6608]

hm, i can see if he were my piano teacher where this would end 😂 another 25 years of living on bread and butter, scrupously playing and maybe i ll get to beginner intermediate level .....VERY interesting to hear all 3 versions, especially 2nd and 3d. Also Its a great way of refining the listening.

[@PianistAcademy1]

😂

[@seye69]

Video gets a like based on title alone. Watching now - don't let me down!

[@seye69]

And now a subscription! As an intermediate player, I have the notes just about memorised for all 25 of these, and am looking forward to the years of work it will take to get them to anything approaching the quality of the professional recordings supplied with my edition. On a similar note, listening to professional recordings of peices set for early grades can be quite enlightening in terms of demonstrating how these 'easy' pieces are very much not beneath you just because you passed an exam on them once at beginer level. As someone more eloquently than me once said "These easy pieces have a habit of keeping up with you."

[@PianistAcademy1]

Yay! Glad to hear you enjoyed the video and I hope you'll like the rest of the content here on the channel too! What sort of repertoire are you currently working on and do you have any questions you've been having difficulty tackling or understanding? I'm on a quest to do more content for intermediate players, so please let me know!

[@hetedeleambacht6608]

(classical and any) singing is the same (since i am more of a singer with some piano skills).....the most beautiful sung arias sometimes are very simple, on paper they seem nothing and indeed, you could sight read them in 2 minutes, but to sing them really, really well, it takes indeed 20 years of practice....., f. i Ombra Mai Fu (Handel), even well sung pop music, very simple melodies but ....some great singers out took 20 years to polish their technique, and its audible, like anyone could sing happy birthday to you, but how would Ella Fitzgerald sing it, ey?

[@PianistAcademy1]

Absolutely!

[@456death654]

I'm not good enough for burgmuller

[@BertFlanders]

Thanks for this 'motivational' speech. I think you are quit wright.

[@PianistAcademy1]

Thanks, Bert!