Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Croatian Rhapsody Learning Group

Wade,
You will find that this song sounds hard and looks hard. Give it a chance. Learning the notes is not as challenging as you might think. The biggest barrier to success is the speed. I would guess I spent 10-20% of my time just learning the music the rest was all on building up the tempo. There is a lot of repetition to the point that I couldn't help but memorize the notes. Which was important to me because I don't think I could have reached the correct tempo while still trying to actually read the music each time through.

Thanks for all your encouragement! I looked at the sheet music and all the flats always intimidate me, but at least you rarely have to play more than 2 notes at a time, so I am rolling up my sleeves for this one. I know I can learn it if I go slow and keep plugging away a little bit each day and then slowly getting up to speed bit by bit.

I wanted to report in that the advice I got here from Piano*Dad and Dean has made a huge difference.

First, P*D, you were absolutely right about the pedal. I recorded myself again, this time with more pedal and only refreshing with the chord, and it sounded so much better--fuller & livelier, and the melody stood out a lot more. It seems counterintuitive that the melody could stand out better with more blending, but it definitely does.

Dean, I used your excruciatingly slow then lightning fast practice method, and I can see a big difference in a week of doing that.

I still don't have the syncopation right, but I am going to spend the next few days finding all the recordings of this piece and listening to each several times. I plan on submitting it to the May Recital (better start now getting a clean recording of it), and then I'm playing it for my teacher's summer recital on June 16. I think it will be a big hit.

By the way, I heard Croatian Rhapsody last week between stories on Morning Edition, a National Public Radio program here in the states. I almost dropped my coffee cup when I heard it!

Nancy

Did NPR play the whole thing or was it a snippet between news stories?

Glad the pedaling idea helped. It does indeed seem counterintuitive at first, except that the pedal allows the voiced melody to linger longer above a quieter arpeggiated chord structure.

But what about the dreaded section I? It would seem like pedalling would turn that into mush...

Indeed it would! That's not the section I'm thinking about.

I have gotten most of the notes down the first two pages. There are only two sections where the bass suddenly matches note for note to the RH where I have a lot of trouble. Other than that it is slow but sounds decent.

I think the piece is def. easier than the Entertainer... Of course I only have 2/6 pages down so far. I am not sure which version I am learning... I have two copies but think I am working on the version Dan posted, as I listened to it several times and his play seems to match it as far as I can tell. I think this is the version from the Japanese magazine...

Great work, Wade! That's very fast learning. I agree about the places where the notes are exactly together--an arpeggio in the left hand. I have a hard time keeping my hands together there, even after all this practice.

I've now got it totally memorized and totally up to time, except that I seem to start slowing down about halfway through, even though I don't intend to. Maybe it's stamina or something. I have a few places where the notes I play differ from what's on the page, and it's hard to go back and relearn it the way it is supposed to be.

Piano*Dad--It was played as the interlude between stories on Morning Edition. They also included one by the same composer and same performer called "Hana's Eyes." Here\'s the link to it.

Nancy

Nancy,

I don't remember whether you've recorded it already. If not, do so and put it in the May 15th recital!

Cheers,

David

David,
I did just record it this weekend and have submitted it. I'm not too pleased with it, but I still have a month to work on it before I play it for my teacher's recital. My fingers sound sluggish to me, and it was much worse on her piano today that has stiffer action than mine.

I got a pretty good take early in the weekend, but I recorded next to an open window with the dog barking, so I redid it. There are a few missteps here and there, but it's okay. Recording yourself is very humbling.

Nancy

Speaking of section I, everybody should play it in octaves. That's what I do, and it's great!

Greetings, everyone.

I confess: after the spring recital, I succumbed to the CR craze and decided to learn it. I looked at the score and sight-read the first 2 pages at recognizable tempo (something like 60) - not too bad - I could sight read (with many errors, mind you) up to the point where the 2 hand start playing 16th - then I had to divert to playing chords instead of 16th in the left hand.

Do I understand it correctly that there are 2 different versions of the score? If yes, where can I get the second one?

Thanx,

P.S. This forum is getting addictive. How do you guys and gals deal with it ???

Three versions:

Burrows

Kanemasu

Maksim

Most of us play the Kanemasu version (K version). It's lighter and has that wicked "I" section.

The Burrows' version is a little heavier, and the "I" section isn't as interesting as the K version.

Maksim's version is the heaviest.

Which version do you have?

The Burrows' version is available in SK's first post on the first page of this thread.

Mel

Most of us have the K version. You could PM somebody and see if they have the score.

er...some of us don't!

I know what you mean, YD. Someone on this forum has a signature that says something like: Teacher says, "Practice more. Post less." I laugh every time I see it. On the other hand, I've gotten so much great information and feedback on the forum, that I know it's made my playing better. Plus, it's great fun and there are lots of nice people here!

By the way, I just printed out the Burrows version the other day from SK's post. I play from the K version, but I'm not sure if it's still saved on my hard drive. I'll look and let you know. I didn't realize there was a Maksim version.

Nancy

Indeed, I've only been active here for 2 weeks, and already gor so much great info. What a great bunch of enthusiastic people!

I started looking at Burrow's version - but just got both K and Maksim versions from Mel (Thanx a lot!). Maksim's version is what I'll be learning - it has a beautiful, syncopated bass line played mostly in octaves - I just played through the first 2 pages at half tempo, and it is absolutely amazing! Will take quite a while to master, though, it is much heavier than either K or B versions.

Now, how'bout joining the Libestraum learning group? (sorry for the shameless plug )

I am honored you'd ask me to join the Liebestraum group. I just began Liszt's Consolation, and I think I'll finish that before tackling Liebestraum. I've been reading the posts over there, though, and I'm going to follow along with your progress.

Mel, could you send me the Maksim version also? I don't think I've ever seen it, and although I doubt I'll switch at this point, maybe I could add a few aspects of Maksim to my K version and see how it sounds.

Thanks,

Nancy

Glad to.

Done.

Mel

Thanks, Mel. That is an interesting arrangement--lots of octaves, like YD said. I'm sure it sounds fuller. I notice the I section doesn't have the rests of the K version, so that will sound different.

Which versions have been recorded by our group? I think Piano*Son did the Burrows version with some changes.

Nancy