You don’t have to be a concert pianist to take the time and effort to develop a substantial repertoire. What does “directory” mean anyway? Ultimately, the repertoire is a body of works or songs that form the core or base of the pianist. (Technically, a “song” has lyrics, while a “work” or “piece” has no lyrics. The word “song” is often misused). Many pianists believe that one should keep all pieces “under the fingers” or easily playable at all times and that this constitutes one’s repertoire. I think, however, that the repertoire implies something more encompassing. Let’s now examine the term and explore the most efficient ways to develop, expand, and nurture it:
Five Golden Rules for Building a Substantial Piano Repertoire
1. Practice, practice, practice
2. Microcycle jobs that you are currently practicing
3. The macrocycle works throughout its life
4. Note that no job is “finished”.
5. Constantly add books and sheet music to your library
The first rule of practice needs little explanation. To be better and more competent at anything, one must do it, do it often, and love to do it with all one’s heart and soul. Tiger Woods didn’t become a great golfer by nibbling on sandwiches and watching television. The best surgeons in the world didn’t get there by hanging out in bars and drinking beer. Similarly, an aspiring pianist who wants to have fun and be successful playing hundreds of songs or works will never get there if he doesn’t practice regularly. Ideally, one should practice not out of obligation, but rather out of a love of music and a burning desire to improve.
The second rule of thumb for microcycle jobs is the pianist’s short-term plan, which can range from a few weeks to several months or perhaps a year at most. This is what most people mean by the word “repertoire”, since it is the interval of time in which one can sit at any time and play (preferably from memory) a specified number of works. I have found the best results for microcycling by focusing on about five jobs at a time. For example, I often spend an entire week practicing exclusively one job (like a Joplin rag), the next week exclusively another job (like a Mozart sonata), and the next week exclusively another job (like a Liszt study). So you may not even touch them for two months and going back to one of them feels like “meeting an old friend” accelerating your re-learning phase. What once took a week to accomplish now only takes a couple of days. Ideally, the pianist should strive to learn, forget, and then relearn the works in monthly, weekly, and daily cycles. This is the eternal, never-ending plan that I follow when I practice and prepare for my YouTube videos.
The third rule of macrocyclic works constitutes the pianist’s long-term plan, which can range from one to ten years. A thirteen-year-old who is just starting out, generally does not realize that what he learns in these formative years lays the musical foundation of his life. Writing this article at the age of 47 and having started playing the piano at the young age of 6, I am constantly amazed at how resilient and powerful the human brain really is. For example, I started practicing Mendelssohn’s “Capriccio Rondo” this week after being inactive and totally intact for 27 years, and I was amazed when I got it back to memory in just three days. What took up to three months to learn well at the age of 20 took me just three days to re-learn as well or better at the age of 47. This is one of the intriguingly satisfying aspects of music and the piano repertoire. . Ultimately, all music remains in your consciousness and forms your “musical identity” until the day you leave this earth. It is never too late to learn to play the piano, develop a repertoire, and harness the power of musical memories. After working on the “Rondo Capricciosa” for a week and recording it for YouTube, chances are, I won’t play it again for several years.
The logical successor of the third rule of the macrocycle is the fourth rule of considering that a work is never finished. When I was a freshman in music at the university at the young age of 18, I thought that the works were “finished” after performing them in a recital or concert. My usual action plan was to work on a set number of pieces during a semester or year, “finish” them, and then move on to the next pieces my teacher assigned me. Now at 47 I can’t help but smile at my youthful innocence. As my “Rondo Capricciosa” experience has shown, I have learned over time that no job will ever be finished. Never. The repertoire of micro and macro cycles for piano is the bread and butter of the pianist’s musical life. These cycles continue to the end just like food and water. I am constantly resurrecting works that were once thought finished, and I have never been happier with my musical evolution and progress.
While the first four rules constitute the mental or immaterial components of the development of a great piano repertoire, the fifth rule of constantly adding books and sheet music to the library constitutes the physical or material component. Just as you cannot wash dishes without purchasing or acquiring plates, cups, and utensils, a pianist will never be able to develop a large repertoire without purchasing or acquiring printed music. Most people refer to all printed music as “sheet music”, however this is really a misnomer. Technically, “score” refers to individual works of up to four pages maximum. For example, I recently commissioned “My Heart Will Go On” from my favorite music company, Score Plus. (Although I am primarily a classical pianist, I also enjoy practicing pop music from time to time.) As it is a single title, it is correctly known as a score. On the other hand, “Complete Rags For Piano” by William Bolcom, which I also commissioned from Score Plus, it is not a sheet music at all, but rather a “music book” or a “music volume” because it is thick and contains 21 titles. (Excuse this clarification, but the term “score” is often misused).
I love my music library and still play books that I have had since I was 10 years old. I always find new books and sheets to buy, appreciate, and add to my library. I am constantly branching out and exploring a new repertoire. In the internet age, in my opinion, the use of free PDF files has become too rampant. PDF prints often last only a few weeks at most because they are easily lost or broken. I sometimes rely on free PDF files, yet 98% of my music library consists of sheet music and books that I paid for. Although any music released before 1922 is in the public domain and therefore legally free for all, one is fooling oneself by relying too heavily on free PDF files. Books last a lifetime and can be used and reused until the end of life. Refusing to buy music and trying desperately to get it all for free is like eating from paper plates and plastic utensils. A pianist will never tremendously expand his repertoire without acquiring the physical accessories (i.e. books) along the way. Let’s conclude with a story.
Once, when teaching piano at a university, a student came to his lesson with the first movement of Beethoven’s “Appassionata” copied onto twelve thin sheets of fax paper. They didn’t stay on the music shelf and constantly fell to the floor. This went on for a whole semester until I almost pulled out all my hair and had a heart attack. Thereafter, I banned the use of PDF prints in my studio and started encouraging students to buy the music from a store like I did when I was in college (before the internet, imagine!). If my student had invested a little money in a volume of Beethoven’s sonatas (as much as it costs to go to the movies and order popcorn), he would have had the “Appassionata” as well as thirty other great sonatas for the rest of his life. . . However, instead of investing in his future, he chose the cheapest way. The moral of the story is that quality and longevity prevail and that it is in your best interest to develop and nurture your music library throughout your life. The immaterial and the material work in unison. Physical and non-physical. Yin and yang. (In Chinese philosophy, “yin” or “feminine” equates to the immaterial or ephemeral aspect of cycling and riding, while “yang” or “male” equates to material accessories such as music books and sheets).
So there it is in a nutshell: practice, microcycle, macrocycle, no work ever done, constantly adding music to one’s library. These are the five golden rules for building a substantial piano repertoire. Thanks for your time and happy practice!