Hallo. I'm trying to play Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata, as the title suggests, but I'm currently without a teacher. I plan to get one over the summer, when school gets out and I have a bit more time to practice, but for now, you guys are stuck with me

So, a few questions... I've been playing the first movement, and I can play it ok, but I'm not sure if I'm playing it entirely correctly. I've listened to a few recordings and watched a few on youtube.com, but there are some specifics I'm confused on.

On the first two measures, at the very end leading into the next measures, there's an Ab note and an E note; are those emphasized? or are those barely heard?

On the second page, there are those "tremolo" things. Are there eight notes on the left hand for each measure? My copy of the sheets shows that there are 8 eighths notes (I think that's what they're called :p ) on the first measure, but for the rest of the measures the dot's are white, like a half note (again... I hope that's the correct name, I haven't reviewed the technicalities of piano for years). So do you play four notes on the left hand per measure or eight?

On the third page, there are trills going down on the 57th measure, and some more around that area. How are those played? On the recordings I've heard, they always sound different from what I play. I play it like so: Bb Ab Gb (Gb Ab Gb) F (F Gb F) Eb... et cetera, with the notes in the parenthesis the trills. Is that right?

That's the last question from the first movement, but on the second movement, there are some notes on the left hand that are physically impossible for me to reach, such as the C to F stretch on the third measure. Is there some sort of trick to reaching both notes, or do you jump really fast? If you jump, how do you jump? Because I have no clue how to do a quick jump like that without ruining the song and volume.

i don't play this, but just checked the score anyway. but don't take only my words for it and check with other references.

there's no Ab on the end of 2nd bar. you must mean 1st bar, right? if it's so, it shouldn't be emphasized because it's on the weak beat.

those tremolos are all on LH (1/8 1st bar of Allegro molto section and 1/4 thereafter).

as to those trills (yes, trill!), it's usually start from the main note, but also depends on what's before and after.

for those, you need to group LH notes and RH notes differently so that you could reach. if C-F is not reachable for LH, then put F on RH. if you rearrange your LH and RH notes, you can play it fine.

Ah, thanks for the tips on the second movement, I know how to play it now. It's confusing, but I can work with it.

I was just wondering why the tremolos change from eighth notes to quarter notes. It sounds extremely awkward changing between the two, especially in parts such as 137 and 138: It goes from a single measure of eighth notes, to a single measure of quarter notes. Wouldn't it sound better to just stick with one?

Play the half-note tremolos exactly the same way you play the quarter-note tremolos, that is, eight notes per measure.

The change to half-note tremolos is only to make the score look less cluttered.

You don't play them any differently.

Changing from eight notes per measure to four notes per measure wouldn't make any sense.

Mel