High School Talent Show Piece?

January 27, 2012 at 05:12 PM · Hungarian Dance or g minor Sarabande?

January 27, 2012 at 07:46 PM · Czardas, easier sarasate, 1st move spring every one likes the trip let bit

January 27, 2012 at 08:28 PM · Mark O'connor's arrangement of the Texas fiddle tune "limerock" would be great - it's showy, fiddly, and presents a few challenges. You can purchase it for download from markoconnor.com.

January 27, 2012 at 08:35 PM · Hi,

If you can, I advise you to play Csardas. My reccomendation for you is playing something fast. Audience likes fast songs, even if they are easy.

I'm also gonna play on my school's talent show. I better play something popular as smooth criminal or something more tricky and classical as Paganini 24#?

Thank you

January 27, 2012 at 08:37 PM · I agree with the people who suggested something like Czardas

January 27, 2012 at 08:42 PM · If you can play it, the last part of Sarasate's Zigeunerweisen (Gipsy Airs) would be great. Showy, challenging, and definitely something most people can appreciate.

January 27, 2012 at 08:45 PM · What about composing your own gypsy style cadenza and playing it?

January 27, 2012 at 09:17 PM · I think your best bet would be something people recognize. most rock music is way to simple to play solo, unless you can do some pretty good improvisation, to make it interesting. if you go with classical, something recognizeable, maybe eine kleine nachtmusic, or rossini overture to barber of seville, defintely something lively as was previously pointed out.

January 27, 2012 at 09:21 PM · One thing I notice with a lot of solo performance/show offs is that its harder to connect with the audience. Especially if the crowd isnt into the classical stuff. Very often you'd see a technically skilled player showing off, but you dont feel anything from their playing. They may be flashy in their technique, but in the end, they're just pushing notes. Then again many performers can 'click' with their audience playing solo. You know best whether or not you can do that.

Having a piano accompaniment is always a good way set a mood or beat. Something the audience can feel. Drum and bass would be great too. That way you can be the razzle dazzle on top.

I second the Hungarian Dance and Czardas. They're fun pieces and easy to learn. Check out some of David Garett's clips. They're quite entertaining.

January 27, 2012 at 09:36 PM · Thanks for all the feedback

Michael, I'm not sure if I'm ready to play Sarasate Zigeunerweisen, though I do really love that piece.

A lot of people are recommending Czardas. Do you think it would sound nice completely solo? I don't think I'm allowed a pianist, and most recordings I saw had accompaniment.

Can, writing a gypsy cadenza is a cool idea. I'm just not too familiar with writing that style. I may look into that if I do this again next year, when I'm more comfortable writing music

:)

January 28, 2012 at 01:10 AM · I played "Your Mamma Don't Dance" by Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina. And I won first place with a band. If I were doing it all over, I would play a Bach solo piece. Check out the Partita No. 2 Gigue. It's not terribly difficult, but it sounds great for a solo piece. And, I think it's recognizable. Most won't know the name of it, but they will have heard it before. My two cents.

January 28, 2012 at 04:25 PM · Because I also gonna play on a talent show, I'm so involved with this topic :))

There is a "showpiece" category in classical music. Those pieces often are fast and tricky, such as Scherzo Tarantelle by Wieniawski, Caprice 24, and Spanish Dances of Sarasate. If you are ready to play some of those, then give them a try. If you are not, find some fast pieces. For ex. there is a classical guitar piece called Asturias. I transposed it by ear and added sautille to sound it faster. It is not hard for left hand but intermediate or advanced with bowing (sautille and string crossings). You can listen to it on youtube, David Garrett plays it with his arrangement. Also, don't play any Bach. People will get bored.

Another advice: play some of Yann Tiersen pieces. Sur Le Fil is a great one, my friend played it on a talent show last year. Summer (Storm) by Vivaldi is also fine (if you can).

If you can't play that fast, then play 'Godfather Theme'

January 28, 2012 at 09:13 PM · I like the idea of Summer Storm by Vivaldi. As for the Godfather Theme, I don't know it, but all my friends do. I've been meaning to listen to it for a while now, lol

January 28, 2012 at 10:55 PM · Everyone knows, "The Devil Went Down To Georgia". If you can play it remotely well, the crowd will love you. My daughter gets asked to play that everywhere she goes, it's like the benchmark piece for the non-musician.

January 29, 2012 at 12:36 AM · David Garret's Smooth Criminal...they will love it! Also the might like the khachaturian violin concerto. Also some allegro assai or presto movements from solo bavh would be good. It might be pushing the intrest level of the audience but Gavotte en Rondeau from Bach Partita 3 is often a crowd pleaser and fun to play as a violinist.

oh, and Czardas sounds fine without piano.

Praeludium and Allegro by Kreisler is also good!

Hope this helps,

Bob

P.S im a HS student who plays for non-classical audiences a lot.

January 31, 2012 at 08:30 PM · I always get lots of smiles when I play the theme from Super Mario Bros.!

Pluck it. Play it in D major, starting on F# on the E string (I find that's the easiest key to play it in). Don't worry about chords, melody is all you need to please them. Memorize it. Speed it up when you finish playing the theme the first time through, and repeat it faster, like the real game does when you're low on time. And...for a good laugh, end it by randomly cutting it off with the Mario dies theme, followed immediately by the "game over" theme.

Anyone who can pluck a memorized tune quickly can do it, but the general listener doesn't know that, especially if you don't tell them. Besides, a simpler tune is more failproof. You don't want them to see you slip up at a talent show!

Good luck!

February 1, 2012 at 02:38 AM · Play this piece with a piano accompany or if you're lucky a harpist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xK4y2ejNsnc

or this 2 pieces if you want solo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVD1cA0DoUs&list=WLE6F582095916C532&index=67&feature=plpp_video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwdPmSxV_HI&feature=BFa&list=WLE6F582095916C532&lf=plpp_video

Trust me, your audience will love you. It's short and impressive. And anime music always sound good.

February 1, 2012 at 03:42 PM · I think Praeludium and Allegro is a simple audience pleaser, if you have a pianist.