Progress Video 1: Relearning Chopin's 1st Ballade (tried 6 yrs ago, gave up, restarted 1 month ago)

When I restarted learning piano almost 7 years ago, Chopin's 1st Ballade (Opus 23) was one of my wishlist pieces to be able to play. I tried learning it soon after, but clearly wasn't ready for it and my teacher kindly hinted this was the case. Not just technically, but also from a musicianship & theory standpoint.

So I put it aside (and watched with envy as countless classmates worked on it). For years.

But now I'm ready to pick it back up. And I'm so glad I waited. Because now I understand the music and know how to practice the "cruxes" (challenging spots, in climbing speak). I also have more confidence after learning Chopin's 4th Ballade earlier this year.

My near-term goal is to "comfortably" perform this piece in a Zoom concert at the end of August. My medium- (or long-?) term goal is to be able to "comfortably" perform all 4 of Chopin's Ballades from memory.

In this take, I tried to create some extra mental & physical challenge by playing Chopin's 4th Ballade immediately preceding (which is already rusty after just 3 months 😭). Really helpful to see what "breaks" under pressure and needs more reinforcement/practice! Obviously the coda, especially with the heavy keys on my piano, but there are several other areas that also need more focused work.

PAST PROGRESS VIDEOS: (unlisted)
6 years ago (June 20, 2018) after spending a couple months on it, with score:    • Chopin 23 2018 06 20 3playthruCLP Pix...   (lol so cringe-y)
1 month ago "starting point", with score:    • Chopin 23 2024 06 17 2playthruACLA Pi...