The Piano Trio: Why I Love It (& Why It's Difficult)
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- Опубліковано 3 жов 2024
- The Piano Trio is one of the most popular chamber ensembles in classical music. In this video I discuss how composers write for it and why it's difficult. Along the way, I look at one of my own compositions along with examples (with sheet music) from Telemann, JS & JC Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Ravel, Rachmaninoff, Schubert, Clara Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Andriessen, Morton Feldman, Gordon McPherson, Donnacha Dennehy, Jonathan Harvey, etc. I also describe my own writing process too, drawing on a great performance of my work by the Fidelio Trio.
Support me on Patreon:
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Twitter
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Discord (Server name: Tantachat)
/ discord
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THE FIDELIO TRIO
Albums
www.fideliotrio...
Twitter
/ fideliotrio
Spotify
open.spotify.c...
OTHER LINKS:
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THE ATOS TRIO (featured in this video)
www.thomashoppe.com
www.atostrio.com
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OTHER
Description of Mozart’s relationship to the emergence of the PianoForte
www.nytimes.co...
LITERATURE
The Piano Trio: Its History, Technique, and Repertoire - Basil Smallman
www.amazon.co....
An experiment in variation: The finale of Mozart’s piano trio in G, K.496 - Ivanovitch, R.
www.researchga...
The Effect of Scoring on the "Sonata-Form" in Mozart's Mature Instrumental Ensembles - N. Lee Orr
www.jstor.org/...
Donnacha Dennehy’s ‘Bulb’ Score
issuu.com/scor...
Morton Feldman’s Trio Score
www.universale...
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THE IRISH COMPOSERS COLLECTIVE
irishcomposers...
Hey everyone, although my channel is still growing nicely, it's is not yet at the level where I can dedicate the sort of time I think it deserves and, as YT does not supply even a 50h of what I'd need to live on. So, if you have a bit of spare coin, I'd ask that you please consider become a Patron to support my channel. If not, don't worry. Thanks a lot for watching, regardless! www.patreon.com/Tantacrul
I don't have any spare money(or more accurately any money I'm able to put into patreon), but I think I'm good enough at animating to make something like that Humpty Dumpty animation from Corporate Music, and for a joke even a quarter as good as that one was, I'd be willing to do it for free, so on the (somewhat-off) chance that humpty dumpty animations are really a significant part of the price on your videos and that wasn't just a one-off joke, I thought it'd be good to mention that.
Thanks for mentioning your patreon. I appreciate your work a lot, so here.... take my money
@Rosas Rosas I think blender has one of the best interfaces for 3D
unfortunately that's what happens when you make quality stuff, rather than clickbait with a bit of edutainment and shillshare ads
Tantacrul: "The uninitiated might think that in a piano trio, the piano is the lead instrument."
Me: "What do you mean it's not three pianos?"
Yeah that was me too
That would make for a rather uninteresting ensamble
@@yonatanbeer3475 I don’t know. The sheer number of notes accessible with three simultaneous pianos is itself very impressive.
that's just a touhou track
Lol
To sum it up, difficult people like difficult things 😂😂
I expect nothing but loyalty from you, Bruce, and then you do me like this. This is not based.
BETRAYAL!!!!
did tantacrul just say based holy shit
@h David Bruce Cringoser
@@Tantacrul it may not be based but it just might be red-pilled
So my kettle started to go off during your piece and I didn’t realize that it was my kettle so I was trying to figure out how you were getting a high pitched whistle in the music until you started to speak and I realized I had put the kettle on and I’m just an idiot.
No. It was all part of the plan.
This is the same energy as "I accidentally had two of Sevish's pieces playing at once and didn't notice"
Can we start calling it a piano quartet for all the loyal page turners?
faxxxxx
Our pianists use an iPad and a foot pedal
@@jacobbass6437 this is a truly saddening example of how technology stole people's jobs and replaced true work and dedication with a cold, heartless machine
@@alexandertheok9610 Well aren’t you overly dramatic. I don’t know of a single person who uses a foot pedal that doesn’t love it. Not having to use a sprawling set of stands or have to rely on a page turner to be at EVERY rehearsal is a huge plus and allows the pianist to focus on the music. Also, page turners are usually the stage hands that would still have their jobs no matter what.
@@jacobbass6437 i... i think that was supposed to be a joke
Your "capricious and unnatural" moment turned out to be stunningly beautiful, even without having all the context
That makes my day. Thanks!
I love when youtubers give composing tips as if all viewers are composers. Now I feel like writing my own piano trio, even though I have zero background and talent in writing music :D
@@valkyrie5579 I recommand frescobaldi / lilypond
If you like playing music, there’s nothing I can recommend more than writing it. It doesn’t take that long to get reasonably good and it’s extremely rewarding if you have the patience.
Trust me, as someone who went straight from watching Tantacrul and other music youtubers to composing my own music for fun, nothing is standing in your way. Music programs are abundant and anyone who appreciates music should be able to get something out of making their own :]
Write 2 part before 3 part
Ahem, I quote:
"JUST DO IT!"
Two things:
1. Nothing beats a Tantacrul video - not even collabs with Tantacrul which seem to be abundant as of late.
2. That Shostakovich trio... When my kids grow up and start asking about what was that Holocaust thing - I'll just play them this piece, then explain Holocaust and then play it again. Emotional gutpunch is how you go from statistics back to tragedy. And it's all thanks to you!
PS: One can hear an homage to the Shostakovich piece in your own composition (the "low C" cello part) which was very fine indeed.
Playing Shostakovich with my piano trio was one of the best desicions I've ever made
Love that the viola concerto was chosen for “solo instruments that get all the attention”
♥️👄♥️
XD
This. Soooo much this.
I had the pleasure of writing for The Fidelio Trio for a competition when I was studying at Surrey University. Incredible musicians!
what a privilege! i listened to them live just a few days ago and they’re truly world-class
In a sense, the restrictions of a musical legacy are illusional, the old composers were also creating their art for different listeners. The space for experiments is much wider how. Thanks for a great video - a documentary on the piano trio... :)
When I read piano trio, I was thinking composition for literally three pianos. Now that would be a sight to see and hear.
Actually, by "piano trio" I thought you meant three pianos D:
The "pianoguys" makes much more sense now
Yeah, it is definitely in need of a marketing agency that finds a suitable new name that will appeal to the customer by removing any ambiguity while conveying strong emotions.
They'd be a 3 person piano ensemble. :)
Me too lol
Next you're going to tell me a String Quartet doesn't consist of a violin, piano, trombone, and bass guitar
One small wish for future videos of this kind: please let the bottom scroll with the info of the sample (composer, title, interprets) stay for the entire duration. My eyes were always drawn to the main text first, and by the time I wanted to check who wrote the piece, the info was often already gone again.
In TV industri the rule of thumb is that text should be kept on screen for at least as long as i take to read it out loud twice. Longer if other parts of content compete for attention. Feels like an eternity for the editor but its proven good.
Also, the subtitles cover text at the bottom of the video, which is a glaring design flaw.
Indeed, I've been thinking the exact same thing when watching the video. Small but important editing choice.
Came here to say the same... captions overlap with the info... a UX designer might want to consider these issues in future videos :)
You know, there is like, uhh, how do I put it... 2 small rectangles that appear when you touch the screen? Well, you can press those. Its called "pause".
I know, I know, you dont want to interrupt the music... but this isnt tv. :)
8:22 my man butchered that page turn.
(It's ok we've all been there)
i can't help but think the piano provides the scenery, the strings are creatures within the environment and that the three musicians are demonstrating the relationship between each.
I liked Ravel's "SEGA" trio
Thanks for pointing that out! All I had to do was sing 'SEGA' to myself, and I instantly knew what you meant, lol.
im so glad i wasnt the only one. why are so many sounds and two note phrases able to immediately put concepts and brands and whatnot into my head. Is that reification acting on 5 yr old me. genuine question, im dumb in these places
So I wasn't the only one who heard the "Sega Lick".
Love that trio so much! And Ravel in general, but can you enlighten me on what part of it resembles something from SEGA?
@@robinvanrenselaar7142 You probably don't want to not be able to unhear that
Sega Logo Intro while you still can, especially since it's just 2 notes, so I won't.
Hes just flexing that musescore supports piano trios isnt he
edit 21/01/2021: this comment was dumb but im leaving it up to remind people what cringe looks like
edit 2: just realised its the 21st hour of the 21st day of the 21st year of the 21st century
oh absolutely
Does sibelius not?
which notation software doesn't? lol
Fun fact: he actually played through some of his piano trio during his MuseScore video. It was when he was trying to explain how he’s able to do certain things in Sibelius that he couldn’t (at the time) do in MuseScore.
@@ec0ec0ec000 lol good point idk
I wrote a piano trio a couple months ago without even knowing it.... I had started a piano piece and thought it would sound nice with a violin and cello so I added those parts and found out about 2 months later that its already an ensemble and now there's this video on it lol perfect timing
Sounds like a genuine witch flying with a broom in rain while experiencing cluster headaches.
LOL, this is why some music isn't programatic😆
My piano teacher is part of the really fantastic Amara piano quartet! Before I went to one of her shows for the first time, I'm embarrassed to say I half expected to see four pianos on the stage.
I feel like tentacrul started this by grabbing my hand and leaping into the deep end of the pool, then swimming out into the musical equivalent of a deep lake
“A bit like a small anvil” I can never get that out of my head now
It sounds exactly like something hitting a metal I mean wow
"it's difficult to write a piano trio"
Beethoven: Hold my beer
*wrote the triple concerto in C major
Out of all piano trios, Ravel's just draws me in the most. It's such a mysterious and sweet piece of music, and large portions of it remind me of the scent of burning incense.
Beautifully put!
Fun, I find it very cold (but absolutely magnificent nontheless!)
Well, now I actually believe your muse is Shosty. Piano version Of String Quartet 8 in the bg
Asking for a heart does not get you a heart. Just this once, lol.
@@Tantacrul Thanks
A
Lot
PS. r u british?
@@mareomanojdominic1498 Irish
That is what we might call "a big oof"
I absolutely love your videos; they tell me things about music related history that I didn’t know, they introduce me to new music; for example, I hadn’t heard of Shostakovich until I watched your Shostakovich under Stalin video, which was also very interesting, and now he’s one of my favourite composers. Your editing is extremely well done and engaging. Hope you keep up this great work Tantacrul:).
This is the first time I hear that piano trio is a "difficult" combination. I had heard that about the piano quartet, though.
That being said I'm totally with you on the Shostakovich Trio No.2.
It was a performance of its finale by some schoolmates of mine that finally made me open up to chamber music, which I had shunned for the more "interesting" orchestral music.
2:52 i believe the Sibelius team designed the mic placements for the flute trio, in which the performers are seen as in a wood, a wood of micstands. if you look carefully, you can see through the reeds that there are instruments.
What do you mean "Horrendous transition"? I would love an entire song with that sound!
Horrendous in the best possible way. I love Gordon McPherson's work :)
1:40 harpsichordist here, the main reason for the harpsichord being an accompaniment instrument was not necessarily because of a lack of expression (there is a massive range of expression to be found from an experienced player) but for it’s increased range and compactness compared to a string section.
How did u get a chance to learn the harpsichord I’ve only ever seen two in person also does the reversal of the key colors affect u playing piano or keyboard
@@samcox6156 I went to a music school to study piano and organ, but I got the chance while there to learn so I took the opportunity. In terms of the reversed keys, not all harpsichords have reversed keys, but the colours being reversed means nothing cause the notes are the same and so are the positions.
@@samcox6156 Keyboardists play by feel, not by sight.
The key colors are traditionally reversed compared to the piano because coloring keys white used to be more expensive than coloring them black. This doesn't affect the playing for most people. As long as you can differentiate the keys by feel then it shouldn't matter.@@samcox6156
@@thekathalwhat do you mean by reversed keys? do the black keys (white on a harpsichord) play different pitches than you'd expect them to?
You just contributed to my suddenly new view that making an actually good piece of any sort is as hard as making a good multiplayer kaizo level with as many players as there are instruments.
If you haven't got the idea yet, it's about as difficult as it is absolutely tedious to play Pirate Passage on Lumosity with ADHD because it takes like 10 minutes to finish that one game and I have to keep counting my moves and checking where every single ship will go on it's respective route at that time, and pretty much putting my dang fingers on the screen (which is horrible on touchscreen) for every ship at an iteration.
Look I haven't even tried, but I might be biased because I'm currently a piece on GarageBand that has like 10 instruments playing multiple sections at a time and I want every single one of them to be coherent and hearable at once, resulting in the piece gradually getting louder and louder as instruments I can't really hear repeatedly compete for attention, and it's like the first one of it's kind. It also has a structural limit since it's supposed to be symbolic, so I can't just move things over too much, and I don't really feel like removing anything. Whoops, looks like I'm ranting again. Anyway yes, it's easy to feel bad about yourself when you're a logician with ADHD who hasn't actually done much, partly because there are so many niches to explore in a mere century or more when humanity is evolving incredibly fast, and partly because I'm just lazy and keep missing out on opportunities. On top of that, I always seem to be overstandably dumb in the past. Like, I'm convinced I made a lot of the decisions I did just a year or two ago (not to mention more) unthinkingly, somehow. Do you know how many channels there are just about music that I'd have to watch to get good just at music? I have so many other things to do I just feel so inadequate sometimes. Yeah I think I'm just lazy - there's some things I'm meant to be and can be doing even now, yet I'm not. Why is mental stamina a thing? I don't have much empathy for my future self, which correlates with my lack of empathy for other people in general (very...emotionally defensive lol) and a study that showed that you have about as much consideration for your future self in 10 years as you would a stranger. Like obviously, how are you meant to plan 3652 days ahead? And if you can just do something now, why not do it? (Long-term projects don't count as although they can technically be "done" now, they CAN'T be DONE _now._ That's the kicker, you see. Also they're tedious to do.) Obviously I have no sense of accumulation. I just have a deadly combination of impulsivity and inflexibility. Anyway, yes, maybe I'm just biased because I haven't actually been doing stuff, so I actually don't have the amount of experience necessary to be truly inadequate apart from in general life. Oh yeah, another thing... It's easier to just...compose...music, vocally, rather than spend hours in a DAW trying to get inspiration for a few seconds over such a long period of time. But my voice always sounded terrible in recordings (though I prefer my younger one now, not too young though). I guess the spontaneity required to do that forces me to make decisions more quickly, which combined with my total naturalness at just doing that rather than getting into a DAW and trying to test out different notes, allows me to just compose more effectively. I think once I get the hang of that, it's mostly the arrangement I need help with...is it? It seems easy now, but IS IT? I mean...I can generally get how I want the...overall flow to go, but...coming up with individual layers, is, difficult as hell. I have like 40 or so GarageBand projects that are just intros I got inspiration for. Then I'm like, "where the hell do I go from there?" Like, I need something awesome to come after the intro, obviously. Every attempt at doing everything sucks. I need to learn music theory
Yeah, I turned out to be ranting about myself in this comment section like a total pseudocrybaby trying to get attention. Deal with it :P
Wow this video was actually brilliant. I really enjoy this sort of content - it's such a fascinating deconstruction of topics that I'd never normally explore. Thank you for making this!
Thank you!
As a drum player, your trio piece almost sounds like a beat! Especially the piano. Constantly "keeping" time with quarter notes. Same with the low C of the Cello. Really cool!
A friend of mine wrote a piano trio for piano and two baritone saxophones. It was incredible and the naming of the ensemble was so spectacularly tricky it was really fantastic
Are there any recordings of it on youtube you could link?
It took me entirely too long to figure out that the cellist playing with Rubenstein and Heifetz was Piatigorsky. I used to play the cello. I should know this stuff.
And I really liked the ending of your trio. The relatively "normal" harmony (major chords!) felt like being able to exhale -- finally -- after a long stretch of tension.
I was so glad to see a video from you that I literally watched the whole 2 minute ad to support you!
What a fascinating and well researched video!! Also I really enjoy the music examples you used in here, definitely added a lot of them to my listening playlist. Thanks man!
I don't know if you know of the duo "Infected Mushroom", but their songs are made up of very diverse parts that they can fit together well. They seem like something you would at least enjoy listening to.
Oh yas, they are great. They took one of the most minimalistic genres of electronic music and made it so explorative and diverse
My favourite Piano Trio is Clara Schuman's Trio in G minor - the first movement is a masterclass on romantic music for this ensemble.
Question: are you listed as Tantacrul on the sheet music, as your personal name, or both?
On the sheet music. His name is Martin Keary. (Not Kerry, autocorrect!)
Wow, what a deep dive, very informative video. :) I'm not sure if you consider this to be in a new style but I do, and if you find this kind of content fulfulling I encourage you wholeheartedly! Thanks for all I've learned.
when the mid-register piano chords came in after the beginning: "alright, this slaps"
Next to Tim Smith, Beethoven and Shostakovich are my favourite composers. Lovely to see them both so well represented in this. The chamber music of both these composers is amazing.
*Talks about peacocky solo instruments* - uses viola concerto as background example
👌
Wohooo new Tantacrul video! Very excited to watch! Keep doing what youre doing man, much love from the Netherlands! :)
I watched this video years ago, and just watched it again. I recently composed a waltz in rondo form for trio with oboe and clarinet… it was a thoroughly fun experience, but challenging. Specifically, the imbalance you mentioned. Attempts at working with that imbalance pushed me musically, due to me being at the beginning of my journey… but that is how we learn.
Great video!
You're terrible, and you're being taught by someone equally terrible, it's a human centipede. Nothing to gain.
I thought this was a jazz themed video. It was even more interesting. Huge fan of the Tchaikovsky trio.
Halfway in and I've returned to the conclusion I made the first time I heard it: Ravel's piano trio is absolutely perfect, and I love it every time I hear it. (Lots of other great stuff here too... but that Ravel though!)
I fucking love Tantacrul's opening but god _damn_ it is so tonally dissonant to everything they make.
The opening fucking _screams_ foreboding sci-fi, but then all of the content is a mixture of deep musical analysis and "classical time! :D" I quite enjoy the content and the opening, but they always feel weird together.
Addendum:
_FUCK_ speaking of _foreboding,_ the piece you arranged for this video is such a fucking perfect musical embodiment of dread. This song you've composed is a perpetual state of tension and unease, I fucking _adore_ this atmosphere you've created!
The ending is fantastic as well, resolving to a more calming sound overall while still having undertones of the same uneasy feeling evoked throughout the rest of the song.
My favorite ensemble!
Although i often like the harpsichord's timbre over the piano's and the difficulty of balancing dynamics with it.
16:55 “Just add it to the mix and half-bake to perfection.”
You drop the pancakes, and they have to go in the bin. Pay attention. I want clean pancakes this time.
Also I don't think String Quartet will even get old. Its too perfect.
I'd like to advocate for the Trout Quartet: violin, viola, cello, and bass. It's the string section used in Schubert's "Trout" quintet, minus piano, hence the name. What you gain with the addition of a bass may outweigh the loss of the second violin, or not. It depends on what you want to accomplish and I use both.
@@mal2ksc yesssss!! As a bassist i approve!! If you are interested in String Quartet music, i recorded one recently it's on my channel
@@Tylervrooman I noticed whatever software you use isn't smart enough to break up your triple stops, which you might want to address as it breaks the immersion a bit. I didn't want to append that to your actual videos, because it's nitpicky and separate from your ability as a composer.
So many of the issues I ran into when I wrote my own Piano Trio are mentioned in this video.
Paul Schoenfield has some great ensemble pieces, I especially enjoy his two piano trios, Cafe Music and Trio for Clarinet, Violin, and Piano.
One of my favorite recordings of all time is the Schumann Piano Trio #1 in D Minor by Rubinstein, Szeryng, & Fournier. The Rubinstein chamber music is exceptionally interpreted. His performance with the Guarneri Quartet of the Brahms Quintet in F Minor is also one of the most amazing things I have heard in this life.
why does this video feel expensive
Innit, I think it's the frosted background of the diagrams and smooth animations
wut
Ik it feels like an episode of some series i should be paying for. Maybe it's just because it's one of those rare UA-cam videos that are actually well made
Because he obviously puts an enormous amount of effort into them, and he's also really good at it. If he were being paid, it would be expensive.
I was looking so forward to this video. I guess I'm a difficult person because I really like piano trios. My all time favourite is the Piano Trio No.2 in E flat major by Franz Schubert (second movement).
I love how you describe something as a horrendous transition, then says you like it. It's funny, but a very relatable feeling. It's similar to genuinely liking a movie you know is awful.
Tantacrul: Talk about Jankman!
Discord: We are!
Tantacrul: MORE!!!
Those lovely harmonic changes have a bit of a videogame feel, having a trio playing them is just the best, keep it up!
I am interested in history and music.
I never thought I'd be so interested in music history.
At first I thought this would be a video about the jazz piano trio like the Bill Evans trio. But I learned a lot that I didn't know about the classical piano trio!
nice, funny seeing that after discovering the amazing piano trio in G minor from Smetana. Lesser known piece, but it's so good and emotional. Give it an ear if you've never listened to it!
Now the question is, where can I hire Tantacrul as a private composition and music history teacher? Where???
Always nice when youtube does it's job and notifies me of your uploads.
6:26 ;-)
Hello Master
I know this sounds completely random, but this piece gives me good Black Metal vibes. I've never even heard of Piano Trio before, I guess I have to check it out cause I've been sleeping on some epic music! Great Job!
The video is absolutely brilliant. It’s very refreshing to see a piece composed and explained from the ground up.
I really wanna put my trio out there, but I'm too intimidated by the greats out there. AAAAAAND I fucking knew Schostakovich was gonna be here. Love you Tantacruel, thank you so much
The dvorak dumky piano trio is one of my favs. Performed it w a couple friends for fun last year
I am the cellist in a piano trio so I was very excited when this came up in my recommendations! Saving it to send to my trio mates!
That’s so cool! Glad you liked it!
That fkn Shostakovich trio man… dude was mad af and I love it. Makes you wanna open up the pit and spin kick a bunch!
Shout out to that Clara Shumann trio. :)
This might be the perfect example of why your videos are my favourite of... whatever you call this genre on UA-cam.
Also, your description of Musical Inertia is a much more fleshed out concept of what I've struggled with in the past with my own private attempts at composition/arrangement, so I really appreciate your discussion there!
Have you ever heard of Swiss composer Jochaim Raff? His four piano trios are truly top notch yet not very well known at all. Definitely worth checking them out. Raff's skill at writing slow, major key movements is nearly unparalleled amongst piano trio composers.
The way the strings just absolutely DIG into it in Shostakovich's piece is metal as fuck lol
What an incredible look into your process-thank you so much for making this video! Makes me want to dig into your entire compositional catalog.
you made me love it too now
Great video! That Shostakovich is probably my favourite piece by him as well as my favourite piano trio.
Wow those examples you showed were so experimental! That's awesome how you really are able to appreciate the creativity of a lot of these pieces.
This is such a fantastic video. I love the mixture between history and compositional tips. As a cellist this was a treat to watch!
All else aside, this video is terrific, celebrates something I have a special fondness for, and really brightened my day. I appreciate the care you put into making it.
8:12 Woah that page turner is huge.
The Archduke trio is so brilliant. Great video!! love all the collaborations with David Bruce too!!
I've written two trios, and I have to say they are really really fun to write.
Thanks! I'm in the process of writing my second attempt at my first trio, and this was exactly what I needed.
At the beginning of the video, but had to say I love the piece you start with. Specifically the one with Richter, Kagan and Gutman. The pianist gets so animated.
Is there a full video of your piece performed by the Fidelio Trio anywhere? It sounds incredible, and I'd love to give it a listen in its entirety, but I can't seem to find it online.
so excited to finally see this video after seeing all the progress on twitter! love your work so much dude
Damn that ending is delirious 💕💕💕👍
Thank you. This was fascinating. I loved playing in a (pretty good) youth orchestra during my school days, but never pursued this. Now retired, I love learning the theory and history of music. You explain things wonderfully well. This film plainly took a lot of work to make and I think it worth every second of your time in its making. I shall treasure it and watch it repeated - there's a lot of meat here!
Interesting what you said about the repeat chord in the top register of the piano. As I was listen I was put in mind of "The Iron Foundry" by Mosolov (great fun to play!) which, inevitably, used such a figure extensively.
When will youtube finally introduce a love button because I LOVE this video!! Your content never ceases to amaze me! Oh and thanks for throwing in a Dutch element by showing the Andriessen, much appreciated
Urgh.. seeing the 'Fidelio Trio' gives me traumatic flashbacks to studying at Royal Holloway
My favorite trio is piano bass and drums in a jazz combo setting
Tantacrul: piano trio is difficult
Piano quartet: _hmm intensifies_
Piano quintet: hmmmmmmmmm intensifies
I know it's a meme, but I feel like those feel a bit easier because you have more strings against the power of the piano, more options for doubling/compounding the strings' sound etc.
@@SeverusVergiliusMaro what this user said, piano quintets are great because it's basically just a string quartet + piano
More instruments does not mean more difficult! See it this way: it's more limiting, and creatively demanding, to write with fewer instruments. Whereas a symphonic orchestra offers the most sonic flexibility, it's much harder to compose equivalently with just a piano, cello and violin (especially when it comes to crafting the right timbre).
Love Tailleferre’s piano trio, a great showcase of some the techniques you mention like doubling string melodies or rhythm.
You have really showed something special in this one, and not only your own competence. I make electronic music that's a bit stripped down (Bergatroll on SoundCloud if someone is interested) and I can relate to this dilemma of wanting to change something in a song without being very obvious about it. But at the very same time wanting to hide it in broad daylight so to speak, and find that balance without destroying the core feel of the song.
You describe that struggle very well and I just wanted to say, you are not the only one having "problems/issues" with this.
Anyway. Loved the video from start to end!
I just had to write this comment talking about the balancing act with rhythms and song progression. I find it hard, but interesting and a fun challenge for myself.
Thanks for reading!
I liked the Discord bit at the end! Especially that Soul guy. He seems cool.
Piano trios are my favorite chamber ensembles!