Ranking Piano Pieces from Easiest to Hardest (Ft. Sophie Oui Oui)

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[@tea_and_music]

"Hey guys, welcome back to another episode of OneSet Piano" - Sophie nailed the intro 🤣

[@ckchang-wg2lw]

Interesting

[@ThePapaja1996]

Sponserad by mattias krantz

[@notcriskey8011]

She said it so confidently I believed I'm on a different channel for a sec😣

[@velyh5564]

On point

[@XYZeNxghtmxre]

I would love to see this as an actual channel

[@WeAreOnePiano]

I love how Brett and eddy were more concerned about balancing out the tier list like a construction project

[@notmusictheory74]

I mean, this tier list is no where close to perfect imo

[@sarahmei4243]

It’s not eddy it’s ed-oui-oui

[@pianohelper8873]

Eyy I like your videos dude.

[@ckchang-wg2lw]

Do you agree with campanella being in hard and not ling ling though…DO YOU??

[@notmusictheory74]

@@ckchang-wg2lw not even deserves to be in the upper tiers

[@Jwm367t]

15:15 Hammerklaivier is definitely Ling Ling level. It was for a long time a piece seen as the bashings on a keyboard by a composer going mad and deaf until Liszt some many many years later played it at a solo recital and suddenly for the first time many could see the genius of the piece. If you need the worlds greatest ever pianist to show the value of a piece, I think it safe to say its Ling Ling level.

[@abeliglesiaslitran383]

I wonder actually how it be compared with fantasie Impromptu (Which of course it's very difficult) but nothing compared to hammerklavier, mechanically, intellectually, musically...it got everything.

[@dannymoonie3914]

@@abeliglesiaslitran383 fantaisie impromptu isn’t that hard

[@abeliglesiaslitran383]

@@dannymoonie3914 every chopin's piece it's hard for everyone.

[@cock-asianscamservicegamin3012]

@@abeliglesiaslitran383fantaisie is millions easier than hammerklavier and was made by a dying young man who hated his creation

[@Dragoneen]

​@@cock-asianscamservicegamin3012???

[@sharonwong5688]

I like how Sophie showcases the difference between playing and MASTERING pieces. It gives a good insight into someone who is at a high skill level and what matters at that point.

[@simplytwosetter]

I really like Oui Oui's calm tone and clear explanation of her thoughts. This is sort of like a music professor discussing questions with two mischievous but talented students lol

[@olivialister4869]

I agree!

[@Fernando31611]

She is so ridiculously smart... I would like to have a friend like that to talk for hours.

[@simplytwosetter]

@@Fernando31611 ikr! And also when Brett and Eddy talk about music seriously, they just almost sound like a different person! Really want to talk to these smart people, I bet I'll learn a lot from them!

[@avm3562]

this is kinda unrelated but I love that you just called her Oui Oui, like not even with Sophie in front of it 😂

[@simplytwosetter]

@@avm3562 Oops I actually meant to type Sophie Oui Oui , didn't even notice that I miss her name lol

[@Khyathi_Gnan]

Sophie is right. Playing is fairly easy, but playing it well is really difficult. That makes a lot of difference.

[@Fernando31611]

If you can play it fairly, you can play it well.

[@braedensimon8023]

So true. Many of the low level pieces aren’t necessarily difficult in technique but they get significantly more difficult when you bring in the musicality. I’ve played some of them and none of them are easy

[@averyyoung9088]

@@Fernando31611 “if you can play it slow, you can play it fast”

[@ravell193992]

Well, then, technical difficulties shouldn’t be taken account because there’s not even a single piece that is musically easy.

[@morbidmanmusic]

She never implied "playing is easy", in that literal sense.

[@Jim87_36]

“If you can’t feel the music, you won’t be able to play it well even with 40 hours a day of practice…” This can’t be understated. Sounds cheesy to non musicians… But it’s incredibly accurate

[@SmegmaMale_]

Can you hear the music?

[@cock-asianscamservicegamin3012]

​@@SmegmaMale_no I'm deaf

[@tuscan_raiderx7001]

Clair de lune is actually very hard dynamically, playing it well could be one of the more hard level challenges, along with the arpeggios in the middle

[@legendsxblade4075]

While that is true, many of the other pieces in "Hard" are a decent amount above Clair de Lune in terms of difficulty; not only regarding physicality, but also in terms of musicality too. Perhaps it is comparable to Traumerei, but Traumerei would absolutely win out in terms of the musicality required. And any Chopin etude is a hell of a lot harder than Clair de Lune, so neither really should be in that category anyway.

[@ILoveMathAndCats]

Yeah

[@not_meepington]

Clair de lune has relatively difficult rhythm as someone first learning the piece as well.

[@sue1695]

I am currently learning this piece for auditions and I have to agree with you. Overall, the piece is not impossible, there are some tricky parts, but with practice you’ll get through it. The most difficult and challenging thing is to put the right dynamics…

[@aquafine.2250]

@@legendsxblade4075man i’m just confused about fantaisie impromptu being above ballade no 1

[@fatpun1948]

I found that both Sophie Oui Oui and TwoSet value musicality more than technical difficulties, which makes a huge difference between the educated and the normal audiences. Fascinating, fascinating.

[@RSTDRO]

I agree but I feel like Mozart's sonata in Ling Ling is a bit far fetched. Hammerklavier, Gaspard De La Nuit, Reminisces De Don Juan?

[@cisium1184]

Well, it is called _music,_ after all. If technicality were preeminent, we'd call it _technic_ or something.

[@bencze465]

It's very subjective. If you rate for the top 1%, or 0.1% musicians you're going to rate differently than if you rated for every musician, for instance.

[@frederickoh3677]

Absolutely not. Valuing musicality this highly and establishing it as fact and educated is absolutely bullshit. Ranking Mozart Sonata in C two places above Chopin's Ballade? Then it can be argued that Fur Elise and Prelude in C Major should be placed at the highest tier. In terms of conveying the feelings of the composer, Mozart Sonata is a casual piece arranged for beginners, like the title states, and Fur Elise is about a heartbreak. Excuse me? I don't personally believe in 'sound production' or 'feel the music'. Rather, I believe in a good piano and dynamics. Piano is merely pressing keys with a certain force, and moving the pedals the right amount and time. A world-class pianist on a bad piano sounds a lot worse than a music student on a grand piano. It's all up to 'interpretation'. The most objective way of rating pieces is through technicality (which includes fingerings, staccatos, and dynamics). If it can be written on a piece of paper, an AI can execute it. The only thing holding it back is technology.

[@nanwijanarko1969]

I think it has more to do with your technicality level if you play the instrument (perceived technicality, if one does not play the instrument). When you have the technical aspect mostly under control, they kinda fell into a roughly same baseline and started judging by the musicality aspect. This doesn't mean the all who are judging with more technicality aspect considered are uneducated. It just mean they're technically not there yet. For instance I can play Moonlight Sonata to a decent level because I grind those appreggios for years, yet La Campanella would be harder for me with all those precision jumps.

[@floraf3426]

Sophie actually pronouncing Csárdás correctly brought me so much joy as a Hungarian

[@flowerdolphin5648]

I think most Austrians would know how to say Csárdás correctly. Since Hungary is a neighboring country and due to our history we've had a lot of contact and cultural exchange by nature.

[@heatherhempel4141]

Yes! I'm glad Two Set was finally corrected! (let's hope they remember! hee!)

[@elissahunt]

@@heatherhempel4141 I don't think "remembering" is the issue. They both have some pretty standard Aussie-English accents that seem to override a lot of their speech. Some people are good at proper pronunciation in multiple other languages and some just... aren't.

[@jimmyjamp8440]

@@elissahunt yeah i agree, there's so many different languages and accents that i think it's kinda unreasonable to critise people who can't pronounce things properly. but that's just me

[@floraf3426]

@@jimmyjamp8440 didn't mean my original comment to come off as criticism towards the boys - Hungarian pronunciation definitely isn't straightforward for foreigners!

[@Musicienne-DAB1995]

Yes! I always enjoy watching Sophie Druml perform and discuss piano music. Great video!

[@Visitkarte]

I have heard Pogorelić at his best playing Chopin‘s Piano Sonata Nr. 2. I was literally in tears. I feel so lucky to have witnessed that concert. It was after his „second place“ on the Chopin competition“ that caused a big scandal and he was at his best. Entire evening full with Chopin God Level.

[@cisium1184]

It seems there are three stages of musicianship. The bottom one one is where it is a technical challenge. The middle one is where technically easier pieces become proportionately harder musically, because you've realized you can't just "hide" behind technical execution. And the top one is where perfect execution is taken for granted, it's all about the emotional message, and the goal is not just to get to that stage but to _know_ you're there while you're there so that you can enjoy it. Personally, I would just like to be able to play an entire piece without once thinking, "don't screw this up."

[@JoshuaWillis89]

Perfect execution is never taken for granted, lol

[@bencze465]

so end of 1st stage is the first 20 years for average people. or never achieved.

[@gerardvila4685]

That's fascinating because it kind of parallels what happens in my choir. We're expected to know all the pieces by heart so as to concentrate on the choirmistress (if that's the word) - corresponding to "technical excellence" in an instrument player. On the other hand, the "musical feeling" isn't directly up to us - all we need to do is understand her intentions and carry them out. Anyway the result is that I get to participate in music of a much higher standard than I'm capable of producing on my own.

[@cziffra-eg9st]

Good point, but in reality the three stages aren't progressive. They can occur simultaneously. E.g. one may be at the third stage for a sonata like the Pathetique, but at the first for sth like Scriabin's Sonata no. 5

[@joesweeney9200]

@@JoshuaWillis89 Of course it is, when a professional pianists plays a piece like Bach's prelude in C major at no point do they think they might mess up technically, they have absolute confidence in their knowledge of the piece so can focus just on how they want to portray it. You actually don't have to be a professional to experience this, I did my grade 8 and practiced a piece so much in a year that by the end none of my concentration in performance was on which notes to play - just how. All depends on the difficulty of the piece technically and how much time (of good practice) you've put into it

[@thamthmit8184]

it's so satisfying to hear Sophie pronounce the names correctly!

[@owenschmidt6166]

She is very good with the German pronunciation, however, she completely messed up Sonata Facile which is French. It’s pronounced like Fa-sil

[@mainBaisch]

@@owenschmidt6166 yeah i mean she is austrian after all

[@Furetto126]

​@@owenschmidt6166She probably pronounced in the Italian way, since sonata facile makes sense in Italian

[@E_FoxSnowspirit]

Ikr we need his more often

[@agentdai]

@@owenschmidt6166 not nessasarily, Sonata Facile is often pronounced in the Italian manner

[@satchelhill8220]

Ondine and scarbo are insane pieces and they are so amazing. I pretty much have Ondine down. As for Scarbo, I have a lot of it but not perfectly. Still gotta practice all the repeated notes and arm crossing.

[@geuros]

I'd like to add to the Rach 2nd Concerto as I read Bertenson/Leyda biography of Rachmaninov - the therapist was called Nikolai Dahl and he was also an amateur violist. Once in his lifetime, sometimes in 1920's he actually played viola in an orchestra that played this concerto one evening. Someone noticed his presence in the orchestra and after the performance he was persuaded to take a bow together with the conductor and the pianist and received huge ovations.

[@ummmmmmmmmmmnmmmm]

This list is only for really good pianists. If you're beginner or intermediate then technicality is going to be the biggest obstacle so playing something like moonlight sonata will be easier then la campanella. However once you get to the level where you can play almost anything, technicality becomes less important compared to musicality. For example La Campanella is very easy once you know it but something like Un Sospiro will never become "easy" no matter how confident you are in the piece. You can have unconscious competence in a technically difficult piece however when you play a piece where the melody is exposed and it is very well known then you have to be very intentional in your voicing and phrasing to ensure that it's not a snore fest. This is why Mozart is so difficult. Another factor is stuff like hand size and flexibility. Sophie has smaller hands so she has an easy time playing Chopin Op 10 no 5 and probably has an easy time playing Op 10 no 4 as well because these pieces have extremely tight intervals where your fingers are on top of one another. Someone with large hands would struggle with these pieces but have an relatively easy time with Op 25 no 10 and Op 10 no 1. The Ocean and Waterfall etudes respectfully are extremely difficult if you have smaller hands to a level where you have to play in a completely different way. Chopin had small hands himself so these pieces were designed as exercises to train wrist flexibility however if you have large hands you don't need as much wrist flexibility. Chopin actually showed the waterfall etude to Liszt when they were both 19 and Liszt was able to sight read it immediately. My point is that there are too many factors in piano so this list only really applies to Sophie Oui Oui. Even if you got to her level of piano your list would look completely different.

[@mnels5214]

It seemed a lot of her ratings were based on playing the pieces in concert rather than just learning to play them. A different view of difficulty than I'll ever get 🙂

[@Algorox]

I don't understand how Moonlight Sonata can be above Chopin Ballade No. 1, both technically and musically. And Fantaisie-Impromptu in God level? Liebestraum in Ling Ling level? That's a joke.

[@crippled_kiwi]

Man, imagine how Chopin felt after writing something really difficult and then having your friend (and competitor) just sight-read it

[@ummmmmmmmmmmnmmmm]

@@Algorox The hardest part about Chopin Ballade No. 1 is the coda. Once you can play the coda you can pretty much play the ballade. Moonlight Sonata's third movement is very difficult technically but the sonata is considered more difficult because of the first and second movements. The first movement is very simple both technically and melodically. Everyone knows it. As a concert pianist this puts a lot of pressure on you. If you just play it by the books you will put the audience to sleep however if you insert your own musicality into it you can potentially bring the audience to tears. Chopin ballades are far more difficult from a beginners perspective but as a concert pianist you can just play the ballade as it is written and people will be impressed no matter what. You don't need to insert your own musicality because most people won't even notice. Compare that to moonlight sonata and people will notice every slight change in phrasing and tempo. You're put into an uncomfortable position where the sonata is so well known that if you change nothing you will be indistinguishable from an amateur player but if you change too much people will call you sacrilegious.

[@Algorox]

@@ummmmmmmmmmmnmmmm That's a very thoughtful reply. I am a concert pianist and I still disagree, but thanks for your perspective. The rest of Chopin Ballade No. 1, not just the coda, is still musically challenging, much more so than either of the first two movements of the Moonlight Sonata. I think your argument about the popularity and familiarity of the Moonlight Sonata over the Chopin Ballade to the general audience is the most valid, and I'm convinced that's why Sophie placed it so high. It's not really because of the musicality or technicality, because any Chopin Ballade is superior to the Moonlight Sonata in both. I fully agree with the last thing you said in your original comment. The list is highly subjective like you said. Cheers!

[@CrazyArcher2160]

I love these collabs! Sophie offsets Brett's and Eddie's Aussie craziness with her Austrian flair 😊

[@bluishblow]

her explanation are so clear! loving the collabs

[@sampaguita_dew]

as a pianist, it’s all about telling the music’s story. i may be able to play all the notes accurately, but it is terribly difficult to share the emotions you get from the piece with the audience. thanks for the video, enjoyable as always!

[@nickelliot4301]

Absolutely agree. I know I've nailed it if someone who has never heard the piece before is overcome with emotion! The beauty can catch people off guard.

[@jamesdakrn]

I feel the same way w violin w some pieces like Mozart concerto “Easier” technicaly than stuff like Mendelssohn Concerto but definitely deceptively challenging to get right musically

[@lindsay_ar1598]

me, a seventeen-year-old girl, not going to be a professional musician. Though haven't take any piano lessons for four years, inspired by your channel, I accidentally practiced four pieces in the god level last year😂, which was apparently beyond my expectations. Thank you twoset💕

[@syrusxd]

What were they? Did you end up learning them?

[@hehehehe6934]

"Accidentally practiced" lol

[@cisium1184]

This post made me laugh because I'm 54, have studied music all my life, and still want to be a professional musician when I grow up.

[@wakingtheworld]

@@cisium1184 Do we ever grow up? Lol. Doubt I ever will!

[@elissahunt]

A musician doesn't have to be "professional" to still be a musician. I know a lot of fantastic musicians who don't make a living from their music alone (though many do get paid to play). For some people, the pressure of having to survive on their music is too much, so they play for fun and earn their living another way.

[@quickfingers7062]

I’m learning the first movement of Gaspard de la Nuit, “Ondine”. It’s already very difficult to handle, it’s similar to learning Un Sospiro just because of the flowy watery style, but it’s much more challenging imo. I looked at Scarbo as well. My hands cramped at the sight of the 24 pages 600+ measure movement.

[@cloroxbleach9222]

I remember Mozart's K545 being one of the firsy few serious pieces I learned since I always heard about it being easy. Well yeah it was easy to learn but being such a simple piece, any flaws are just laid bare for everyone to hear. I could never ever be satisfied playing it

[@RannieCRL]

As a pianist who plays a lot of Mozart, I 100% agree with Sophie that Mozart is always ling ling. Sometimes the "easiest" notes are the hardest to play because there is nothing you can hide behind.

[@auntjess]

Agree. I played the Mozart C Maj and I though I was doing ok..then I heard Lang Lang's recording...then I was like...ok..need 40 more hours of practice on that piece ...HAHA

[@GentleTaipan]

Mozart is so annoying to practice 😂 they are just so... so sensitive!

[@mogret7451]

Many players play mozart like a computer, it seem to be hard for many musically.

[@julia-6195]

Rondo Alla Turca is not medium. I have heard it played badly too many times. It's ridiculously fast and has to be with extreme clarity. I heard Lang Lang play it ... and this is how it's supposed to be played.

[@imuien420]

@@julia-6195 alla turca is not ridiculously fast, that is the problem most people fell into. Langlang plays that fast simple becaude he can and he want to flex... Musically, Langlang's version is just too fast that you can't enjoy anything that is in this piece. Most people saw some great pianists plays it ridiculously fast, and think, wow that's cool, i want to do it too. Then people start to play it in presto or even faster, completely ignored musicality and tone quality. It's like the old meme, if you can play it slowly, you can play it quickly lol It's a pretty chill piece, it's allegro.. take you time to play it and enjoy it, bro

[@nikanj]

Sophie is always a cool guest and has great insights. But the title should be "Piano peices ranked by symmetry and OCD" 😂

[@elissahunt]

Yeah, it did seem like there was a bit of OCD going on. 😄

[@ABC_Guest]

"The Lark" by Balakirev/Glinka is a wonderful piece, surprised they weren't familiar with it! I think most of it is actually pretty easy to play on the piano, but there are a few runs which are impossible for me, although I'm not that good myself.

[@FictionWriter95]

I'm currently putting final touches on my orchestration of Chopin's Funeral March, and I can confirm, the middle "trio" section is a big part of why the whole movement is one of my favorite pieces of music of the Romantic era, and possibly ever.

[@tenkochilante1435]

"Mozart piano sonatas are too easy for children and too difficult for adults." - Schnabel

[@inesdeerausquin5658]

YES EXACTLY!! Mozart is so perfect and so exposed that he makes everything difficult even when it's "easy" 🤦‍♀️🤣

[@kiy2347]

I really enjoy Twoset because they are not just funny but they also introduce so many beautiful pieces and amazing composers! I don't play any instruments (only played Japanese harp for few years) and learnt basic music history at school but Twoset make classical music more reachable, fun and enjoyable in many levels. Plus I am learning English from them as a bonus point! I truly appreciate it!

[@gp1925]

I played Gymnopedie 1, 2 and 3. I’ll play anything by Satie! I love him. He was such an interesting dude. Yea, they’re not very difficult to learn but they’re so beautiful. I don’t care about playing something that appears difficult or impressive to the audience. They’re my captive audience!🙈 lol They’re gonna hear my sleepy Gymnopedie and my goofy Gnossiennes and I’m happy to put them to sleep.

[@classiquepiano]

Satie will forever be my favorite composer. I’ve played his pieces in all of my recitals. I think the biggest compliment was when I played Gymnopedie 1 and someone came up to me and said “I’ve heard that piece many times before, but never like that. Im amazed”

[@Salimbaden]

i really enjoy her energy while talking, even though english is not her mother tounge, she has such confidence and is incredible comfortable listening to =)

[@wikemazowski6458]

Yes! Sophie is back! Always a good time with oui oui!

[@sherlyxavier7489]

😂

[@nickelliot4301]

I like what Sophie said about some of the so-called "easy" pieces, such as Fur Elise. How many people can make it sound like a love letter, which is basically what it was? Simple melodies expressing sophisticated emotions and back story. I have hands the size of baseball gloves, so the pieces from Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky are some of my favorite to play, especially when I can (somewhat) capture the sound of the orchestra with just the piano.

[@cziffra-eg9st]

The point is though, Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky are also prone to pianists being overly emotional and bangy, so I don't see how those pieces don't require sophisticated emotions too. Any list that ranks fantaisie impromptu over Chopin's Ballade and equal to the Sonata op. 35 is dubious at best

[@s.c.1494]

I think Sophie's point on bringing out the musicality despite the simple notes is well taken. To make a music sings is not as easy as it seems even when it doesn't involve technical difficulties. That said, I would say that technicality is also not to be slighted, as indicated by some comments. Technicality is the basis upon musicality flourishes. Only when technicality is sufficiently achieved can musicality be meaningfully expressed. Both are essential to a great performance. Also I would argue that technicality can stand on itself on many occasions when audience is mesmerized by the sheer technical brilliance of a performance. But all in all regardless of the technical difficulties of a piece the musicality is written into the technicality as a score so in essence they are not separate entities but individual constructs for teaching/discussion purposes. Hard for me to imagine a fully mature technical excellence that does not reflect some musical beauty of a piece. I haven't seen/heard any first tier concertizing musicians lack either, whether or not I appreciate their interpretations.

[@cziffra-eg9st]

The issue is that the assessment of musicality isn't applied to every piece, while every piece is (theoretically) difficult to interpret, so it's somewhat of a moot point and makes the list inconsistent

[@MotifMusicStudios]

Loved listening in and the aspect of difficulty in those slow pieces too!

[@heroinpleasure2963]

I love it when Sophie invites eddy and Brett as guests they are somewhat entertaining

[@napierlearnspiano]

I really appreciate Sophie's focus on playing stuff musically. I'm a beginner who just learned moonlight Sonata 1 a few months ago and though I had all the notes down in a few months, it took me another month or two after that to feel like I had any modicum of presentable musicianship with it. I've played through more technically demanding pieces that nonetheless feel easier to play. Feels like a type of piece that'll ultimately just grows with you as a musician.

[@tuoshiwan5046]

Here's the problem. She focuses on it a bit too much. Go try playing reminiscences de don juan after moonlight. you're gonna hit a block and just be physically incapable of playing it at all, and frankly outside of the top few pianists really not many people can play it to any kind of acceptable quality. There's a threshold where physical difficulty still outshadows musical difficulty.

[@napilopez]

@@tuoshiwan5046 idk, I thought it was pretty clear she was coming from the perspective of someone for whome these pieces are within her technical grasp. I think once that technical barrier is within reach 'difficulty' can be defined as how hard it is to play a piece exceptionally well. And sometimes that really is hardest with the simpler pieces. Likewise, more complex pieces sometimes expose flaws much more easily. So while this list obviously isn't accurate for someone just starting to learn the piano, it makes full sense to me for someone who is already at a highly advanced level. And it's further complicated by who your audience is, of course.

[@tuoshiwan5046]

@@napilopez at a high level stuff islamey and don juan still literally can injure people. Ignoring musical difficulty that already puts it above 99% of music. That combines with the fact that alot of extremely technically difficult music still has musical depth too.

[@chillmemes5865]

@@tuoshiwan5046I agree. I think it’s good that she focuses on the musicality but she focuses on it WAY too much. Like, putting Moonlight Sonata as harder than La Campanella is such a stretch.

[@Fatalpulse]

I'm a bit dissappointed that they didn't even mention Bach's fugues, I mean those are very fking hard to master and play perfectly.

[@creatorofimages7925]

The whole list tier list is pretty inconsistent because it was not very well prepared. From choices of piano pieces to objective indicators for difficulty. Yes, one can determine difficulty by objective means and not almost only by subjective, Sophie.

[@legendsxblade4075]

The tier list seems to be made to bait comments at this point. Liebstraume is not harder than a Chopin Ballade by any means.

[@creatorofimages7925]

@@legendsxblade4075 Yes, really disappointing.

[@glad_exe]

@@legendsxblade4075 I think it's also biased to ask someone who can play piano very well already. To someone that can play piano very well every piece may seem easy when some are clearly not. The fact that she put Chopin's ballade n0.1 in hard is ridiculous. How is that below moonlight sonata? Sure, it's not the hardest piece in the world to play but it absolutely doesn't make any sense that it's easier to play than Leibstraume, Fantasie Impromptu and Moonlight Sonata.

[@luikanami]

I get they aren't in there since Bach basically wrote for Harpsichord and Organ.

[@MissNoah879]

I get so excited when Sophie is in a Twoset video. 🎹

[@half_sugar_less_ice5714]

I'm no musician, but I really loved seeing Sophie explain her perspective on performing and interpreting feelings and colors into all these pieces. I love these kinds of TwoSet videos and i hope that they do more in the future!

[@cyrissiryc5126]

Hearing this rating has been sooo facinating! Especially love Sophie's explanations, especially when it is the opposite to Brett/Eddy's guesses 😊 it really shows the side of the pianist vs common perceptions

[@lattetown]

I love this one! It's a nice followup from the last piano repertoire by 2SetKeyboard

[@ideasmatter4737]

Now I need to know the best recording of each of these so I can OD on great piano works!

[@luckyman4906]

Regular people: “Schumann’s Traumerai” Brett the intellectual: “Schumann the Traumatizer”

[@pierresauce8307]

I know people have already pointed out how she always takes care to pronounce the names of each piece and composer correctly, but as someone who grew up with European grandparents I want to say she is one of very few people who actually pronounces English words correctly as well.

[@didoum]

She is Austrian

[@angelaoktavianaarpinda370]

I love how the background music changes from Moonlight Sonata first movement to the third movement after Sophie said "Let's put it to God level". The transition is so smooth and sick!

[@turtto]

I appreciate how editor-san played the pieces in the background for those of us who knew the piece but didn't know the name

[@COOL_GEEK_]

"1 Set Piano" Well, at least Sophie introduces and starts the video way better than Brett and Eddy.

[@cyrissiryc5126]

This has been sooo interesting! Hoping there will be a version for other instruments 😁😁😁

[@codmexican2]

i love sophie’s insight on piano pieces. i’m a pianist myself but she provides a perspective that i don’t normally think about. love these vids

[@joshtheviolinist]

I think this should've been a two part video. Part one being how hard it is technically, then part two is how hard it is musically. But it still has the same pieces and at the end they compare the two.

[@Nora-eu3kt]

I admire how Sophie Oui Oui discusses not only the technical aspects but the musical aspects as well and give new insights to mainstream pieces that were mostly discussed as overplayed and beginner-ish. Good job on making this vid and I hope to see more Oneset Piano!

[@niquipseudonym5048]

Oh how I love whenever Sophie guests on a video! So much respect and admiration for her, her skills, and her lovely personality :)

[@coenvo]

Now we need one with cello pieces!!

[@amalkatrazz]

First, twas great to hear Sophie pronounce Rachmaninov’s surname 99% correct. Second, Balakirev, whilst not well-remembered, did say it himself he was competing against Ravel in terms of technical difficulty of his pieces (and like Ravel, he wasn’t really able to play his own compositions). So it’s not surprise that a work of his is there next to the (in)famous Gaspard in the Night

[@caspiano6277]

It's awesome to see professional's perspective and opinion on pieces.

[@pia1945]

I have so much respect for her! I feel like most people would try to downplay how hard a piece is to show off their talent, but she shows no hesitation in acknowledging the musicality of the piece and how challenging it is to play a piece is in such a way that moves people. She’s incredibly humble and her attitude in this video really shows how intelligent and talented she is to be able to discern these things!

[@TheFlamingPiano]

When she said "Mozart is always Ling Ling level," I felt that. Also "there are certain techniques that for some people are very easy where the others can't do no matter how much they practice" because I just can't do Black Keys etude

[@michaelnancyamsden7410]

Thank you for bringing her back.

[@NewFelixTwo]

I'm in love with the explanations..You should really make this a series, a lot of your audience plays piano.

[@DemBigOlEyes]

Ah, more Sophie Oui Oui. I will always appreciate more of her presence in your vids!

[@strawreos]

sophie is very insightful, i love hearing her thoughts !! sophie oui oui content has gotta be one of my fav twoset vid genres

[@julius3377]

You think that Prelude in G-minor is as that hard as Rondo alla turka???? Are you serious?? That means that she has never played Rachmaninov...

[@enie6359]

10:40 oh what she’s talking about is so real. In singing there’s also this because you have so many limitations and things related to your body and physiology. Some singers struggle a lot with singing loudly, or piano, or vibrating notes. When for others for example, vibrating comes basically naturally. So true for the piano as well. For example, you might have naturally flexible fingers, or your 4 and 5 fingers could be more independent than the average, etc.

[@simplytwosetter]

Basically Mozart IS Ling Ling, I mean, he is everywhere! Ling Ling level piano pieces, hard violin pieces, troll classical music (from yesterday's video), spookiest classical music (from their Hollaween video), you name it!

[@yonathantando9432]

I also think the same

[@lordt8184]

Wow your uploads are really good.

[@robhenry4197]

I sat down for several hours learning the first movement of Moonlight Sonata because it has been a decade since I've read sheet music and I decided relearning on the piano would be a good idea. I've been a decent musician for my entire life and I've played a bunch of music right off the page with various instruments... so I was really surprised at how difficult of a time I was having working through it. I clicked on this video knowing there would be a rating for Moonlight Sonata and I gotta say... I feel so much better about my troubles after her explanation 😂

[@rou1775]

They mean third movement bone head

[@robhenry4197]

@@rou1775 was that comment really necessary, especially a year later? Dweeb lmao

[@alexoh205]

@@rou1775 Actually no. Watch the video.

[@rou1775]

@@alexoh205 actually the entire movement every single one of them Is in that catergory. Which ones the hardest? Plus even if your talking about the first movement the only difficulty is playing it softer the core notes a 3 year old with autism can do it

[@aly3002]

As a pianist, I love every video with Sophie sharing her expertise! :) Also have to agree with her thoughts on certain techniques being easier for different people when you play. I fall into the genetically gifted with big hands and have always found huge, loud chords easy to play whereas my sister with smaller hands finds it easier to do runs. Very interesting to think about!

[@sarasate89]

Yay, Sophie :) I love her explanations. Hope it won't be long before you can go on tour again and collab with Sophie and others.

[@musicaldude9429]

this is so good for someone like me who is trying to pick an easy but not too easy piano piece to re compose for concert band

[@mrmaxboypvp5097]

So you're telling me ballade no 1 and la campanella are much easier than liebestraum and faintaise impromptu Yea that's hard to believe, especially the coda of ballade 1

[@alexcoble4234]

Sophie is right about Mozart! I’m learning c major sonata 10 which is technical more difficult than 16 but the phrasing is way more difficult than any of the technical demands. I’ve also asked other pianists and heard them talk about how difficult Mozart is compared to other composers

[@prorl905]

Mozart is immensely difficult because of the delicacy you have to create through phrasing but on top of that Mozart is the most “exposing” composer - what I mean by that is every technical inadequacy (if you have any) is completely exposed, because of the transparency of the writing. Uneven melody lines? Exposed. Weaker left hand? Exposed. Unclean trills? Very noticeable. There’s a reason why some famous professional pianists just don’t play Mozart in public, and why they say it’s hard for a beginner but impossible for a master to play.

[@antimon40]

Mozart is difficult also because if you play a wrong note, anyone will notice it immediately. Hence, having a clean playing is really difficult.

[@nickelliot4301]

I have around 40 pieces I rotate through in my classical set, and Mozart's Sonata 16 is my most challenging to do "just right". When I do manage to pull it off, it's simply majestic.

[@JudyOFarrell]

When practising Mozart you make heaps of progress at the beginning and think you're going to have it nailed in no time, and then it seems to get worse and worse the more you practice and realise all the things you should to be communicating! But he's my favourite composer!

[@jaredstearns6013]

I was so happy she ranked it so high. I took on Sonata in C and it was HARD AF haha. And the whole time I would see "facile" Written at the top of the page. Every time the song would fall apart on me I'd be like "facile????.... really....FACILE... fuck you Mozart" lol

[@pancitpalabok_]

Schumann: Dreaming Brett: T R A U M A T I Z I N G

[@janeczek16]

Super episode! :) thank you guys!!!

[@mini3mayhem]

So I’m usually okay with not crying during most performances. But. Holy shit does choral music get to me. For all that Ave Maria is ragged upon, once you hear it by a legitimately good singer who understands the depth to the piece, it’s an experience.

[@arandompianist7371]

Is it just me or does Sophie look more mature? Like a mentor giving advice

[@sherlyxavier7489]

Hehe 😂

[@nons1206]

I love how sophie is like "in the piano you have... And in the violin its..." WE LOVE A MULTITALENTED QUEEN (idk how does one play 2 instruments at such a high level)

[@pvandck]

Her sister is the same, but on cello and piano.

[@Lafalot54]

As a pianist, Chopin Nocturne Op 9 No 2 is NOT easy. I played that for my college jury when I was a music major and I had to practice so much for it

[@ellaf6916]

This is actually so cool to see, and a video by musicalbasics discusses pianos with smaller sized keyboards that I just learned abt! I wonder if you tried a keyboard of a smaller size it would change your rankings. Plus it’d be a sick video and help gain traction toward wider production of smaller keyboards if you guys try one out!!

[@4eyesinthecorner399]

The amount of Chopin in this tier list just goes to show what a piano god he is

[@arkady3629]

And they didn't even mention ling ling pieces like Ballade no 4, Sonata 3, Scherzo no 3, etc, etc...

[@Alix777.]

Yeah a bit too much Chopin where's Schumann

[@mainBaisch]

and he died at 39, the man was a beast

[@davidschleicher7159]

My teacher always says “if you like Chopin, then you like the piano. If you like the piano, then you like Chopin.” He was (imho) one of the greatest piano composers of all time

[@sithuwin864]

@@Alix777. ikrr his piano works are legendary too. his Fantasy in C is especially a beast (and Liszt composed his Sonata in B minor as a tribute)

[@SuperStarr817]

Always a pleasure seeing Sophie on the channel, best host!

[@lightprohvet449]

I feel offended that La Campanella was only hard. I've seen so many players "play" it and it's just.... bad.... but it is my favorite piece so I am probably just biased. However I think it has the same dificulty of musicality as Fantasise impromptu, but being much more technically difficult and requiring character in those technical parts as well (where as impromptus technical and musical difficulties are rather separate... Im learning fantasie impromptu myself right now tho and it's alot more approachable then la Campanella... granted I've played piano with guidance/practise only 8 years and my goal is to play it in half speed so that may be a huge simplification, but still.... You guys should've given the result a second look like in the violin ranking video... (: But I do appreciate the symmetry

[@edgarkraft2537]

You're not just biased La campanella should've been put higher simply just cause of it having a 9 on the Henle scale

[@mrm0n3yb4gs5]

yeah no it should’ve been higher i was in shock when it was that low. It’s very rare for someone to play it up to speed all the way and expressively. but this tier list is stupid it said easiest to hardest, nothing about expressive or dynamically so this is stupid and irrelevant list imo

[@glad_exe]

@@mrm0n3yb4gs5 Not to mention she put Chopin ballade no.1 below Moonlight Sonata, like what... This has to be the worst tier list I've ever seen lmao. Also Leibstraume above La Campanella has to be a joke.

[@sh_aspking]

@@glad_exe both are same tier tbh

[@dowal199]

Having played some God level pieces and agreeing with Sophie on many of her thoughts makes you feel quite good 😂😂

[@helenwong4230]

It's such a pleasure to have Sophie Oui Oui to explain her thoughts. I always thought piano is like most difficult instrument to play because I have no idea how people can do similar yet different thing on both hands and don't get confuse.

[@lukeharrison8753]

i love her interpretations but i feel she bases them off someone who can comfortably play all of them, and then how hard it is from there. simply because someone who can play moonlight first movement even badly can have no chance for playing pathetique which is technically so much harder

[@lukeharrison8753]

@@mlx39996 yeah exactly, it’s a really cool perspective of how hard pieces are for people with insane technique though!

[@lukeharrison8753]

@@mlx39996 i totally agree, but i take a work like rach 2 and see that it has very technical passages and also huge musical challenges in interpretation and expression,

[@cocoemelie8541]

To be fair the 3rd Mvt. of Moonlight is way harder than pathetique.

[@scarlett-ts2pw]

oh wow this is perfect haha you guys posted a piano video on my birthday, and i play piano :) AND you guys did a piano video last year on my birthday too✋😌 keep the tradition going, guys

[@ilovedlight]

I love this

[@pedrogodinho4649]

It's funny how as a pianist I'd rate some of them so differently! For instance, Beethoven's moonlight sonata would go to hard while La Campanella would top God Level personally. Not saying Sophie is wrong, but just shows exactly what she was talking about, different people struggle with different things. Moonlight sonata's 3rd movement was not too hard to learn and I had a good grasp at what to do (musically) for the first movement pretty fast, but La Campanella was insanely hard in some sections since my hands are on the smaller side, and how much I need to focus to play it technically well makes it hard to focus on musicality, personally

[@AseinCC]

Not gonna lie, I'm kinda suprised that Moonlight Sonata 1st Movement is God Level but La Campanella is Hard :D

[@gerrard1144]

Im honestly not for some reason lol. Like the 1st movement seems to be easy (some people even say its a good beginner piece), but to make someone tear out from that, it's not the easiest thing in the world, infact i think its one of the hardest things to do in music.

[@Itibitydetsku]

Same

[@auntjess]

@@gerrard1144 Agree. When I first played Moonlight Sonata (Nailed the notes, but not yet the musicality), I actually bored myself to tears (So different kind of tears) ...HAHA.

[@fongcity1083]

moonlight first is not easy at all🥺

[@AseinCC]

@@fongcity1083 I think it's easy enough. It was the first piece I learned perfectly

[@Gleenet29]

Brett: "next one we have... what's this? Schumann... the traumatizer?" please I died

[@Nartana037]

Not me out here playing for twelve years and playing pieces Sophie says are for beginners🥲

[@the.violin.noobie]

I am re-learning the Mozart's "easy" sonata, because I had learnt it when I had piano lessons around 14yo and now that I play it again, it is an amazing piece to work on technique. I would always start and finish my piano practise with this piece now, because it helps as a warm up and when your fingers are warm and all ready, it's the moment when you can really play and have fun with it. It is challenging on rhythm, speed, musicality, weight... This piece is SO useful to get better if you learn it well

[@pawfruit4095]

I like how twosetviolin never fails to amaze us and make us happy.

[@billingsleypiano394]

Having played both Grieg's Piano Concerto in A Minor (1st movement) and Liebestraume, I think they're pretty close in difficulty. But maybe that's because Grieg's Concerto is so much longer than Liebestraum lol (Also I have larger hands, so a lot of things that are hard for Sophie are easy for me, and vice versa I'm sure)

[@andrewkobets3919]

As for the first chords in Rach 2, many people associate them with church bells. Rachmaninoff implemented a lot of bells sounds in his compositions cause when he was a kid he liked to listen when the bells were ringing.

[@kuroro4958]

I love how it slowly turned into making the entire list symmetrical lmao! Great video guys, I love Sophie!

[@stew748]

Two set colaborations always feel very organic, I like watching them a lot

[@billbusen]

They don't feel like collabs because of the lively interplay. I think of Chloe, Hilary, Sophie, et al. as part of the extended TwoSet family.

[@Thelaretus]

I came for the music, stayed for the geometry.

[@myname-mz3lo]

ocean etude makes me feel things every time i hear it damn

[@Imilan05]

You know this gon' be interesting when you see "La Campanella" in the middle tier.

[@sankalp_gupta]

And Mozart C major in Ling Ling