# Please Recommend Solo Piano Music **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 20, 2003, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-solo-piano-music/196357 "2003-08-20T03:32:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-solo-piano-music/196357/1 "2003-08-20T03:32:51Z")
Like the title says, I’m in search of good solo piano music. Classical, Jazz, New Age, whatever - let me know your favorites. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-solo-piano-music/196357/2 "2003-08-20T03:42:27Z")
Chopin – Etude No. 1 in C Major Opus 10 Really tough to play, but an incredible piece. —wait… it just occured to me… do you mean SHEET music? Or recorded music to listen to? I was referring to the former–if it’s the latter you’re after, try to find Andre Watts playing it. Brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-solo-piano-music/196357/3 "2003-08-20T03:45:22Z")
Sorry, I was referring to recordings. Thanks for the recommendations. I’ll check it out. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-solo-piano-music/196357/4 "2003-08-20T03:51:58Z")
Some etudes: Chopin: Etude in E Major, Opus 10, #3 Rachmaninoff: Etudes-tableaux, op39 Scriabin: Etude, opus 8, #12 ---
**Author:** ![CyberPundit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@CyberPundit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CyberPundit)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-solo-piano-music/196357/5 "2003-08-20T03:58:44Z")
Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier. Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-solo-piano-music/196357/6 "2003-08-20T04:02:45Z")
Hoo boy. Tastes vary **widely** ; but IMHO, solo piano music doesn’t get much better than Betthoven’s piano sonatas. (I think the Waldstein’s my favorite.) ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-solo-piano-music/196357/7 "2003-08-20T04:04:44Z")
And of course, that would be “Beethoven,” not “Betthoven.” stupid fingers. ---
**Author:** ![Teelo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@Teelo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teelo)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-solo-piano-music/196357/8 "2003-08-20T04:25:14Z")
How I made my millions - Radiohead Must.Download.this.song. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-solo-piano-music/196357/9 "2003-08-20T04:32:49Z")
Check your local library to see if you can borrow CDs. Debussy - Claire de Lune, Arabesques, Preludes, Pour le piano, Children’s Corner Suite, Images I & II Ravel - Valses Nobles et Sentimentales, Pavane pour une infante défunte, Miroirs Satie - Gymnopédie No. 1 Chopin - many preludes, nocturnes, etudes and other pieces. Liszt - Un sospiro (concert etude), Liebestraüme, Hungarian Rhapsody #2 (piano solo version) (used in a Bugs Bunny cartoon and a few others). “Greatest hits” classical CDs are a good place to start. A classical search for “greatest hits piano” at the Tower Records website turned up a few, including this one which looks pretty good: [Piano’s Greatest Hits Vol II/ Brailowsky, Berman, Watts et al](http://www.towerrecords.com/product.aspx?pfid=1072429&cc=USD). ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-solo-piano-music/196357/10 "2003-08-20T04:35:04Z")
Try the [Koln Concert](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000262WI/qid=1061354356/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/104-0268551-4962324?v=glance&s=music) by **Keith Jarrett**. Wonderful, but sometimes remote, free-flowing piano jazz improvizations. ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-solo-piano-music/196357/11 "2003-08-20T04:38:09Z")
I look forward to hearing a lot of the recommendations, and rowrrbazzle, I’ll definately check my local library. Great suggestion. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-solo-piano-music/196357/12 "2003-08-20T04:44:02Z")
For less ‘highbrow’ piano solos, try Jim Brickman. mmmmmmm. ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-solo-piano-music/196357/13 "2003-08-20T06:45:05Z")
Some of my favorites: Bach’s Goldberg Variations, played by Glenn Gould Beethoven’s sonatas, played by as many pianists as you can find Lennie Tristano: The New Tristano Bill Evans: The Solo Sessions (v.1-2) Joanne Brackeen: Live at Maybeck Recital Hall ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-solo-piano-music/196357/14 "2003-08-20T07:11:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CyberPundit \* > Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier. > Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata Specifically, Glenn Gould’s performance of Volume I of the Ill Tempered Clavier. Try and find a recording of Beethoven’s: “Rage Over a Lost Penny” This is a stunning solo piano work that sounds like something written as a duet or piece for four hands, yet is merely one human playing one keyboard (incredibly well). You may wish to investigate some of Bill Evans’ work too. He was one of the more influential jazz pianists. He is capable of almost unbelievable feats. PS: When Keith Jarrett is good, he is excellent. I saw him live and it was stunning to see this man weave solo improvised masterpieces right there, on stage. His less lively stuff can bore you to tears, though. ---
**Author:** ![Dragon\_Phoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Dragon\_Phoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Phoenix)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-solo-piano-music/196357/15 "2003-08-20T07:46:56Z")
Classical, a pick: Bach - Das wohltemperierte Klavier Bach - English suites Bach - French suites Mozart - Later sonatas Beethoven - later sonatas Schubert - Impromptus Mendelssohn - Lieder ohne Worte Schumann - Kinderszenen Dvorak - Humoresque Rubinstein - Melodie Mussorgsky - Pictures at an exhibition Chopin - Everything, esp. Nocturnes, Waltzes, Polonaises Liszt - Liebestraeume Debussy - Preludes, Etudes Ravel - Valses nobles et sentimentales Satie - Gymnopedies Rachmaninov - Preludes New age: George Winston Jim Brickman (older albums) Michael Jones David Lanz ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-solo-piano-music/196357/16 "2003-08-20T12:22:59Z")
Add another voice to the recommendation of Glen Gould’s version of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier. Wonderful solo piano. As for jazz - I have to strongly recommend Art Tatum’s “20th Century Piano Genius”. Kinda surprised he hasn’t been mentioned yet - he is the most technically proficient, over-the-top, yet tasteful piano player to play jazz - he is the standard pretty much any other jazz (and many other musical styles) pianist looks to. Again, Tatum is not like Thelonius Monk, who is a composer and into fascinating chord forms over jazz melodies, nor like Bill Evans, who played with Miles Davis and is more known for “creating space” within his chords and melodies. Tatum is a high speed, complex piano monster - the Paganini of the keys. Oh, and he was virtually blind, and a functioning alcoholic. This recording was made at the home of a producer who had Tatum over to perform for friends, and who pulled out a 2 track IIRC to record Tatum playing standards. Tatum plays them over the top, with embellishments on top of his embellishments, but does so in a way that doesn’t sicken you, the way listening to Mariah Carey over-embellish can. As for rock, the most tasteful piece of mostly-solo piano that immediately comes to mind is Prince’s _How Come You Don’t Call Me Anymore_ which is on his “Hits and B-Sides” collection. Just piano and his vocals, with minor studio edits and finger snaps, the tone and use of his piano is amazing. And the song is one of his all-time best - Alicia Keys covered it on her hit album, but her version doesn’t hold a candle to Prince’s, and she’d be the first to admit it. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-solo-piano-music/196357/17 "2003-08-20T12:36:59Z")
I’ll second the Art Tatum recommendation. Oscar Peterson is as near Tatum in overall skill as any living pianist. There’s another jazz pianist you should at least hear. Michel Petrucciani. Erroll Garner had a distinctive style that is worth a listen, too. Other jazz piano players that come to mind, whether solo albums exist by them or not: Bill Evans George Shearing Dave Brubeck Denny Zeitlin Horace Silver Kenny Barron Bud Powell (along with Monk a key bebop figure) Lyle Mays (plays with Pat Metheny Group) ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-solo-piano-music/196357/18 "2003-08-20T13:26:57Z")
I like the Prelude to the Afternoon of a Fawn and the Sunken Cathedral, both Chopin. Oh and Linus and Lucy (though usually not solo piano) Vince Giraldi (trio) ---
**Author:** ![curly\_chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@curly\_chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curly_chick)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-solo-piano-music/196357/19 "2003-08-20T13:33:39Z")
Jools Holland plays some pretty nifty jazz piano with his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, but on his own he is even better. And I might mention Liberace, for the old _joie de vivre_ factor, if I didn’t think everyone would fall over laughing. ---
**Author:** ![moodtobestewed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ab097/32.png) [@moodtobestewed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moodtobestewed)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-solo-piano-music/196357/20 "2003-08-20T14:03:40Z")
A few corrections to **Zebra’s** post: Debussy not Chopin wrote the pieces mentioned (and I thought the Prelude was an orchestra piece anyway, but no doubt there’s been transcriptions), and the correct spelling of the creator of Linus and Lucy is Vince Guaraldi. But they’re excellent suggestions anyway. The Concord Jazz label has released a series of recordings of many of the best jazz pianists performing solo at Maybeck Hall. [Here’s](http://aasearch.emusic.com/aasearch?rtype=search_album&searchterm=maybeck&cid=emusic&imageField.x=0&imageField.y=0) a list with samples you can listen to. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-solo-piano-music/196357.md?page=2)