As I've grown older, it seems that I'm more interested in musicality and making a piece beautiful. Speed should not be the goal, even if you can play it fast. Maybe when I was 20, I thought differently. I heard Arthur Rubenstein play when he was about 88, and he played with all of his heart. That's my goal.
I never learned to play this piece, but I have heard my fellow student play it many times. I remember I got to my session early one day and my piano teacher was in a session with her. The lesson he taught her - it was really the same as your fourth tip, that the middle section can be more expressive and less restricted by tempo. My teacher then played that part to show her and it was beautiful indeed. Hearing your understanding and rendition of this piece really brings me a lot of nostalgia.
What a real gem this man is. Videos with so much good content. Structure so good. It’s really more than worth it to listen. Thank you so much. God bless!
Yes, excellency I find you for a long a time this is the right speed to enjoy such beautiful song by Chopin some parts of this song made me crazy all the time
Great tips! The harmonies and the beauty of the piece are more clearly heard at a lower tempo. "Impromptu" implies a sense of searching. Perhaps, a kind of searching attitude in the beginning could be employed as well. It's like answering the question: where are we going? It's as if the piece was composed in the moment of being played.
I agree completely! I always play slower when performing for 'non'-player enthusiasts in order to aid their musical consumption, digestion, metabolization, and more fully-accounted appreciation of any given work. Otherwise, they appreciate the performer instead of the music, generating 'fans' (such as are everywhere on UA-cam) rather than actual lovers of music. Blinded by the flash of technique, those who have not interacted with the piece themselves fail to discover the other...'greater' Chopin that pianist come to know: not the one who says banal things beautifully, but the one who says beautiful things profoundly. "Cannons in flowers!" To fail to 'evidence' the profundity is to fail Chopin. I teach my students that the correct speed is approached as the phrases begin to appear and the individual notes begin to disappear (unless their is 'intended' contrapuntal intent). Correctly phrased, nuanced and pedaled, on a fine instrument, it is always a much slower tempo both than you'd expect, and than the composer 'ever' indicates; for suffering the obligation to suggest at, or give opportunity to virtuosity and a license to advertise itself; usually above or at the expense of the music. Liszt himself said that, "Chopin can't play as fast as he seems to." LOL...Liszt! Reduced tempos also more effectively evidence the oft unaccounted harmonic and contrapuntal genius of Chopin (who is too often dismissed as a shallow melodist) that, otherwise, only the performers experience, for having come upon each chromatic 'shading' at much slower speed while learning the piece, and therefore too becoming sensitised to their presence in the undergrowth of the rich humus of its harmony played at speed. This revealing point is also the speed at which, ironically, if it is precise, sounds the most exciting even though it is not particularly fast. Bernstein said this to us in rehearsal of the Bartok 2nd, and John Browning talks about this too, likely as he received it from the Lhevinnes.
Thank you Dr Duane. I'm going to come back to this piece now after 40 years emboldened by these tips! I really enjoy and appreciate your efforts. Thank you.
Thank you so much for this video! It is very encouraging, because i couldnt play this peace so fast, i nearly gave up on peace, and waching your video it gave me hope that peace can be also beautiful in slower motion and played beautifully as you explain. Your video encourage and gives hope not to give up and to give life to notes and not only technicly. All blessings!
Very good tips indeed! I agree with everything you said here. The first part must never sound like it’s being rushed. And the second section can definitely afford some rubato and expressiveness! Excellent video!
Thank you for these tips! I think I have to re-study this piece completely again. Specially the repeat of the melody at the end I use to play completely different. And indeed I used to play the piece too fast.
Said it before, gonna say it again.. the tone from your piano is absolutely magnificent.. and of course, it goes without saying, your playing is fantastic!
Nice! You helped me think of playing the Thumb more legato (tip no. 2) and then the little finger more legato to bring out the melody rather than just relying on dynamics. I have the same feelings about the Waldstein: It's much more beautiful at a slower tempo. Beethoven wasn't much of a Horseman (which is what the first movement is all about: a Triste on horseback during a Hunt, Beethoven riding the beautiful chocolate mare the Count had given him specifically for the purpose) so breaking into a gallop wasn't natural to him and really all he could manage was a very fast trot.
Fun fact: most of the stuff you point out isn't actually what Chopin wrote, but what Fontana changed after he died. I recommend checking out an urtext edition.
First of all, I found your 5 tips very informative. The trouble with Chopin is that many editions are heavily edited and I fear the edition you are playing from is one of those. I do not know whether it is available in the US, but the 'go to' edition for Chopin's works are published by PWM and edited by Jan Ekier (who is now dead). This is the only edition which is accepted for the Chopin Competition held in Poland, which as we all know has been won by the likes of Marta Argerich and Marizio Polini to name but 2 winners. His edition does not have any 'off beat' accents in bars 17 - 22 and there is no 'pesante' marking for the introduction of the middle section. However, I am aware they are in Schirmer's edition edited by Mikuli.
I really want to learn this piece, but I can never grasp the rhythm in the right hand for bars 13-24, playing the thumb and pinkie first before the index and middle finger messed up my rhythm so badly, and I always ending just jamming the index and middle fingers with the pinkie subconsciously. No matter how hard I practise, I couldn't nail the timing. Any suggestions?
I assume that you're talking about the four-against-three rhythmic pattern between the hands? If so, the composite rhythm is quarter, 8th, quarter, quarter, 8th, quarter....thus the pattern between the hands using R for right hand and L for left hand should be: RL(hands together) , R L, R, L, R. If you do it correctly you will have 4 quarters and three triplets in each pattern. I hope this helps.
@@LearnLoveMusic Hi, thanks for the reply. Unfortunately I was not talking about the left hand at all. I was referring to the right hand notes only in bar 13-24, where it alternates between an octave (using the thumb and the pinkie), and two consecutive notes (using the index and middle finger). No matter how hard I try, I ended up jumbling up this sequence and ended up playing it as 1235-1235-1235 instead of 1523-1523-1523. Are there any tips on how to resolve this conundrum?
But it is an allegro, not a presto or a prestissimo. Whole Beat metronome practice makes so much sense, 1/2 note = 42. or if you consider it a fast 4/4 piece, then 1/4 = 84.
So nice to hear you say speed isn't everything. This is a piece to be performed for its beauty, not to show off gratuitous keyboard gymnastic skills.
As I've grown older, it seems that I'm more interested in musicality and making a piece beautiful. Speed should not be the goal, even if you can play it fast. Maybe when I was 20, I thought differently. I heard Arthur Rubenstein play when he was about 88, and he played with all of his heart. That's my goal.
I never learned to play this piece, but I have heard my fellow student play it many times. I remember I got to my session early one day and my piano teacher was in a session with her. The lesson he taught her - it was really the same as your fourth tip, that the middle section can be more expressive and less restricted by tempo. My teacher then played that part to show her and it was beautiful indeed. Hearing your understanding and rendition of this piece really brings me a lot of nostalgia.
What a real gem this man is. Videos with so much good content. Structure so good. It’s really more than worth it to listen. Thank you so much. God bless!
great performance ❤
Bonjour Monsieur
Merci pour vos conseils.
I like your style, its clear....
Very nice! I had never picked up on tip number 5 before, but i will now.
Yes, excellency I find you for a long a time this is the right speed to enjoy such beautiful song by Chopin some parts of this song made me crazy all the time
This has been such a moving emotionally filled detailed description of how to play this amazing piece by such an amazing teacher . Thank you kindly .
Just one word: love!
Great tips! The harmonies and the beauty of the piece are more clearly heard at a lower tempo. "Impromptu" implies a sense of searching. Perhaps, a kind of searching attitude in the beginning could be employed as well. It's like answering the question: where are we going? It's as if the piece was composed in the moment of being played.
I agree completely! I always play slower when performing for 'non'-player enthusiasts in order to aid their musical consumption, digestion, metabolization, and more fully-accounted appreciation of any given work. Otherwise, they appreciate the performer instead of the music, generating 'fans' (such as are everywhere on UA-cam) rather than actual lovers of music. Blinded by the flash of technique, those who have not interacted with the piece themselves fail to discover the other...'greater' Chopin that pianist come to know: not the one who says banal things beautifully, but the one who says beautiful things profoundly. "Cannons in flowers!"
To fail to 'evidence' the profundity is to fail Chopin. I teach my students that the correct speed is approached as the phrases begin to appear and the individual notes begin to disappear (unless their is 'intended' contrapuntal intent). Correctly phrased, nuanced and pedaled, on a fine instrument, it is always a much slower tempo both than you'd expect, and than the composer 'ever' indicates; for suffering the obligation to suggest at, or give opportunity to virtuosity and a license to advertise itself; usually above or at the expense of the music. Liszt himself said that, "Chopin can't play as fast as he seems to." LOL...Liszt!
Reduced tempos also more effectively evidence the oft unaccounted harmonic and contrapuntal genius of Chopin (who is too often dismissed as a shallow melodist) that, otherwise, only the performers experience, for having come upon each chromatic 'shading' at much slower speed while learning the piece, and therefore too becoming sensitised to their presence in the undergrowth of the rich humus of its harmony played at speed. This revealing point is also the speed at which, ironically, if it is precise, sounds the most exciting even though it is not particularly fast.
Bernstein said this to us in rehearsal of the Bartok 2nd, and John Browning talks about this too, likely as he received it from the Lhevinnes.
Very informative, thank you.
Amazing content. Found you a couple days ago and all your videos have great depth into the songs you choose. Can't wait for this channel to get big.
Thank you! I hope you've continued to watch!
Thank you Dr Duane. I'm going to come back to this piece now after 40 years emboldened by these tips! I really enjoy and appreciate your efforts. Thank you.
Hope the tips help. It's a piece worth learning!
Very nice video! Keep going!
Thank you so much for this video! It is very encouraging, because i couldnt play this peace so fast, i nearly gave up on peace, and waching your video it gave me hope that peace can be also beautiful in slower motion and played beautifully as you explain. Your video encourage and gives hope not to give up and to give life to notes and not only technicly. All blessings!
Thanks for the video, I just learnet to play this piece.
L’ho appena scoperto e trovo che lei suoni in modo davvero emozionante. Grazie per i preziosi consigli e complimenti davvero!
Very good tips indeed! I agree with everything you said here. The first part must never sound like it’s being rushed. And the second section can definitely afford some rubato and expressiveness! Excellent video!
Thank you, Michael!
I like you, Sir. You're all-right.
Good teacher
This is one of the most beautiful piece I’ve ever listened to. Glad to listen to your thoughts on that.
Very good tips thank
Incredible video, your teaching style is so helpful!
Thank you for these tips! I think I have to re-study this piece completely again. Specially the repeat of the melody at the end I use to play completely different. And indeed I used to play the piece too fast.
I'm glad this was helpful!
Amazing ❤
Said it before, gonna say it again.. the tone from your piano is absolutely magnificent.. and of course, it goes without saying, your playing is fantastic!
Thank you!
Amazing tips. Thanks for sharing 👍
Hello 5 tips.you are best tip
This is amazing 😍
I just subscribed, sir.
I wish there are more videos to come.
Most interesting.
Having listened to your lesson, I think you should be forced by demand to play the whole piece. How beautifully you play.
...uma das mais belas de Шопен!
Nice! You helped me think of playing the Thumb more legato (tip no. 2) and then the little finger more legato to bring out the melody rather than just relying on dynamics.
I have the same feelings about the Waldstein: It's much more beautiful at a slower tempo. Beethoven wasn't much of a Horseman (which is what the first movement is all about: a Triste on horseback during a Hunt, Beethoven riding the beautiful chocolate mare the Count had given him specifically for the purpose) so breaking into a gallop wasn't natural to him and really all he could manage was a very fast trot.
good video
my left ear is grateful.
Please show how put hands together 3 against 4 et al.
Yes yes! This is the real challenge here!
Tx heaps for the helpful tips!! 👍👍 Can you please give us some tips on Chopin Etude Op10 no5 too? 🎹🎹🎹
Fun fact: most of the stuff you point out isn't actually what Chopin wrote, but what Fontana changed after he died. I recommend checking out an urtext edition.
Would you know where to find the urtext edition?
"Fontana changed it AFTER he died" lol.
Fun fact, it wasn’t published until after he died.
💐
I would like to know how to play the 4:3 polyrythms. Is there a good way that doesn't bogle the mind?
Count aloud while playing. 1-2-3-4,1-2-3, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3.
Duane Hulbert could have video about chopin`s balades
First of all, I found your 5 tips very informative. The trouble with Chopin is that many editions are heavily edited and I fear the edition you are playing from is one of those. I do not know whether it is available in the US, but the 'go to' edition for Chopin's works are published by PWM and edited by Jan Ekier (who is now dead). This is the only edition which is accepted for the Chopin Competition held in Poland, which as we all know has been won by the likes of Marta Argerich and Marizio Polini to name but 2 winners. His edition does not have any 'off beat' accents in bars 17 - 22 and there is no 'pesante' marking for the introduction of the middle section. However, I am aware they are in Schirmer's edition edited by Mikuli.
I'd love to take a look at the PWN edition. It's fascinating to see how different editors interpret in subtle ways a composer's work.
how do I play the 16 against 12???
Learn to play 4 against 3 first. (both right-left right left-right). good luck with that!
I really want to learn this piece, but I can never grasp the rhythm in the right hand for bars 13-24, playing the thumb and pinkie first before the index and middle finger messed up my rhythm so badly, and I always ending just jamming the index and middle fingers with the pinkie subconsciously. No matter how hard I practise, I couldn't nail the timing. Any suggestions?
I assume that you're talking about the four-against-three rhythmic pattern between the hands? If so, the composite rhythm is quarter, 8th, quarter, quarter, 8th, quarter....thus the pattern between the hands using R for right hand and L for left hand should be: RL(hands together) , R L, R, L, R. If you do it correctly you will have 4 quarters and three triplets in each pattern. I hope this helps.
@@LearnLoveMusic Hi, thanks for the reply. Unfortunately I was not talking about the left hand at all. I was referring to the right hand notes only in bar 13-24, where it alternates between an octave (using the thumb and the pinkie), and two consecutive notes (using the index and middle finger). No matter how hard I try, I ended up jumbling up this sequence and ended up playing it as 1235-1235-1235 instead of 1523-1523-1523. Are there any tips on how to resolve this conundrum?
But it is an allegro, not a presto or a prestissimo. Whole Beat metronome practice makes so much sense, 1/2 note = 42. or if you consider it a fast 4/4 piece, then 1/4 = 84.
I love how he misses some notes and he doesn't give importance, even if he can do the shot another time, I wish k had that much confidence on myself 😅
All music is an 'etude' or study until you learn it and then it's not an etude anymore, but music to be enjoyed, yes? Except, joyfully, Hanon et al.
Should play with emotion instead like finger drilling exercise!
Wow, 84bpm was way too fast. Like he says, it’s not an Etude.
It sounds like watching s small dog chase his tail...
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