If you are a pianist, you know the feeling. You hear a flash of impossible speed, a bizarre rhythmic hiccup, or a hauntingly beautiful melody that seems to glitch out in real-time. You look at the score and realize the sheet music looks like abstract art.
Ligeti uses five staves frequently. He uses beaming that looks like fractal geometry. Trying to read a reduced A4 print of L’escalier du diable (No. 13) is a recipe for a migraine. Large-format paper is your best friend. Are you ready for Ligeti? If you are a professional pianist preparing for a competition or a conservatory student looking to expand your contemporary repertoire, buying these PDFs is an investment in your technique. ligeti etude pdf
Ligeti was obsessed with the music of Conlon Nancarrow (player piano rolls). He tries to replicate mechanical canons where the two hands are slightly out of phase. Try counting this: the left hand moves in a 4:5 ratio against the right. Your brain will hurt. A Practical Tip for the PDF If you have acquired a legal copy of the score, do not just print it on standard paper. Take the PDF to a print shop and have them blow it up to A3 (or Tabloid 11x17). If you are a pianist, you know the feeling