Piano Guidance
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How hard is Moonlight Sonata?

The first movement of the Moonlight Sonata is not very difficult. We are talking about the FIRST movement. If you are fine learning a single movement from a sonata (where generally you learn the whole sonata), then go ahead and work on the 1st movement...but the other movements are NOT for a beginner.

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Hi there,

my teacher and I are considering starting the 1st movement of the moonlight sonata, so I can work it during summer and would like to know how it grades. I have seen in the graded chart list that the whole sonata is graded 8.

What would be the level of the 1st movement? (1 to 10).

I love it, but I don't want to get frustated because of its difficulty. I am an adult beginner, started with 25years and have been taking lessons for 9 months.

Thanks in advance.

Recorded 3 weeks ago:

[VIDEO UNAVAILABLE]

(I can do better though)

One to ten the first movement is an 8 or 9. For one only studying 9 months at least. Some of the geniuses here will tell you that it's so simple they learned it the first time they sat down. Ah say this, not because of the notes, but because it requires a slow and steady tempo and sick voicing. (either that or mah teacher's insane)The hardest parts of the entire piece, ah suspect, will be keeping the thumb quiet in the right hand, the crescendos to subito piano, and phrasing with the left hand. This takes a lot of practice.Personal story:Ah started playing at 16 and started this piece when I was 20. My intention was to walk in the room, slap the third movement on the piano, and get ta crackin, but mah new teacher suggested, "let us start with the first movement" (in that beautiful accent of hers). Ah laughed inside, she didn't. I plowed through the first movement with my usual air of arrogance.Once finished, I folded my arms and looked to her to see what she thought. She smiled. But in that "if you can't say nothing nice" sort of way. I was puzzled by her reaction. This was good considering my previous teacher would have said something, to which I would argue, and sometimes even, win (not good for a starting pianist). This new teacher paused, thought about it, then simply said, "Okay, that was good, but let us try this..." I couldn't argue with that could I. After all, we were just trying it.This chick learned me some piano!There was so much subtlety in this movement; this movement, I thought wasn't even worth going over.Playing all the right notes is to play the piano; playing the piano is easy. However, one must learn to play the music; this is not.One downside is that this pushed my ear to a new level. Ah now hear mistakes in recordings where I never heard them before. Unlike before, if it's too great it becomes distracting.I guess what I mean is: just because something seems simple, doesn't always mean it is. And if you keep up your study, you'll be fascinated by what you learn.Just take if from someone who's been there.Oh yeah, don't let me scare ya. Cause you'll love every moment of dreading this piece.

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Can a beginner play Moonlight Sonata 1st Movement?

The first movement is very easy to play. Even if you have never touched a piano before, you can learn the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata without too much difficulty. Even if you can only practice for a few minutes each day, you can learn the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata in just a couple months.

This course consists of 15 videos that will teach you how to play the first movement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata in its entirety. The first movement of the Moonlight Sonata is a great song choice for beginners for the following reasons: The first movement is very easy to play. Even if you have never touched a piano before, you can learn the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata without too much difficulty. Even if you can only practice for a few minutes each day, you can learn the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata in just a couple months. Despite being very basic, the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata is very popular.

This course is broken into 15 videos.

Here are some of the reasons why you would want to choose this course over other courses that teach the same song: There are no prerequisites for this course. This course will teach you how to play the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata even if you have NEVER touched a piano. The video is filmed from directly overhead, making it very easy to see exactly which notes need to be hit. The panning and zooming during the video make it very easy to follow exactly where your fingers need to be placed. The emphasis is on learning to play the song. You will not be overburdened with theory. Ideally, it's best if you learn the song on a piano, but a keyboard can also be used. If you use a keyboard, it will sound best if you have a pedal. At the end of this course, you will be able to play the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata in its entirety. And with some practice, you will be able to play the song flawlessly.

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