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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!
Oh, and I started 10, 3 today. God help me lol, does this become easier as I practice? Looks like it could take me forever but at least it will be learning something I would love to play.
Waltz - I feel your pain - not so long ago when I was struggling thru Book 2 I spent more time on this piece than any other, trying my best to get it down decently - I'm not sure I finally succeeded or not - you can hear the result of my efforts back on page 1 of this thread - if anything, I would try to vary the dynamics a little more and clean up one section that I won't mention...but, good luck & have fun - it's a great arrangement!
Regards, JF
Every difficulty slurred over will be a ghost to disturb your repose later on. Frederic Chopin
Current favorite bumper sticker: Wag more, bark less.
Waltz – Chopin’s Etude Op 10 No 3 is my favorite piece from Book 2. Here is a recording that I submitted to the ABF Recital a couple of recitals ago:
I continue to practice this piece regularly and would like to think I am able to bring more to it now then I could at the time of this recording. With Chopin you can spend some time learning to play the pice, but can then spend a lifetime learning how to bring out every little nuance of it.
I hope you enjoy the time you spend on this, and continue to find pleasure in making it sound better and better for some time to come.
I don't know if it was me you were referring to or not AWTPP - I can't remember ever saying that about ARB, but it was relatively easy for me personally (compared to some other Book 2 pieces) - it was just one of those pieces that strangely fell into place rather quickly, and I don't know why - there were several other pieces just like that in Book 2: Light & Blue, the Scott Joplin piece (can't remember it's name), Intro & Dance (Those Were the Days) & Hava Nagila, which all came easily - but then other pieces were a struggle (even pieces less demanding than those I mentioned) - this pattern has continued for me in Book 3 so far - who can figure?
Regards, JF
Every difficulty slurred over will be a ghost to disturb your repose later on. Frederic Chopin
Current favorite bumper sticker: Wag more, bark less.
JF, Thank you for your empathy and for the recording. I have a feeling I'll be spending a lot of time with this piece. It is nice to know that you had to put in the time as well and still made a beautiful recording. I will certainly be referring to it as I progress.
Undone, Thank you as well for the recording and perspective on this piece. I have been looking forward to learning this for quite a while and will not sell myself short (so to speak). In fact, once I complete this book (whenever that may be) I would like to record myself playing both this and Canon in D on a grand piano (if I can find one to use). In other words, I plan on playing this piece throughout the rest of my time with Book 2 (at least I hope to do so).
AWTPP,
I think I was the guilty party in that statement. Reflecting further, the first page was not so hard to learn but you are right regarding the second (about which I forgot) --- it was NOT easy (with the octave stretches and tricky fingering). Sorry for making that implication. The only song I'll say WAS easy in AB2 as a whole was "Lonesome Road" (but it sounded nice. . .).
Sorry for asking this (hate to sound as though I am "fishing" for praise) but did I play Dark Eyes correctly? I think I did but it's hard to judge my own playing.
Key Notes – I’m glad to hear that the “not looking†is going well for you, and I too find I need to take a quick glance here and there, especially if there is a large hand movement involved. As Waltz pointed out, I don't think there is anything wrong with this so long as one gets over the initial tendancy to do so, and it doesn't become a crutch.
The timing question in the latter part of HR2 that I was refering to is a small thing. Once I’ve played a piece long enough and gotten it down, any slight difference in sound kind of stands out when I hear someone else play it (something that a person who hadn’t worked on the piece may never notice). Then I have to figure out if I’d been playing it wrong all along, if it’s a question of “interpretationâ€, or something else.
Anyway, as I now have my music in front of me, I see that the part that sounded different to me was after the poco ritard. (where it changes from the A to the B part). The tempo here is marked as “gradually faster and faster to endâ€. What I was hearing was the first bar being played at a steady tempo, the second bar being played much faster, then the third bar going back to match that of the first, etc. Or to put it another way, a slow –fast-slow-fast sort of change from bar to bar. I think that if you concentraight on keeping the left hand steady at four beats per measure (though gradually getting faster to the end of the piece), you’ll hear what I’m refering to.
Once again, this is just nit picking, you did a fantastic job on this piece and my feedbak is only meant in the spirit of “adding an ear†where may be of some help.
Undone
Thank you Undone for taking the time to give me some great insights and recommendations. I knew that the scales and timing in those specific areas would be a great challenge, and that's where your familiarities and expertise with the piece coupled with your impartial and fresh perspective in hearing it was exactly what I needed.
I'll focus on practicing with just the left hand part as you've recommended and see what happen.
Thank you so much once again and have a fabulous day.
Key Notes
Edited to say: I love your recording of Chopin’s Etude Op 10 No 3, and I also can't wait to learn that piece as well, but who knows when I'll get there, if I get there.
And, thank you so much for asking on how I'm doing in regards to whether I'm able to play without having to look down at my hands or the keys.
I have been working on correcting this same problem as well. Weirdly its often happening when I'm playing really simple parts with my fingers already on the keys I'm looking down to check!
Exactly what I did as well. I guess we should trust our own abilities to be able to hear the right notes instead.
How are you doing with your pieces? Have you had a chance to ckeck out the weighted keys feature of your keyboard?
Key Notes, I think it is the only Chopin work in the book. He didn't really write much for beginner students so anything included would have to be "simplified" to a varying degree. Thanks so much for the compliment on P&C.
How sad, I guess I'll just have to work even harder in order to be able to play even just one of his original full length version.
FYI - I made this video available in this thread quite some time back and thought some of you would like to see it now - it's the beautiful pop song version of the theme from Chopin's Etude, Op.10, No.3 adapted into a big 1951 hit for one of that era's best singers, Jo Stafford:
Several of us at that time used it as an approximate guide to playing and "phrasing" this piece.
Enjoy!
Regards, JF
Every difficulty slurred over will be a ghost to disturb your repose later on. Frederic Chopin
Current favorite bumper sticker: Wag more, bark less.
More detail on my difficulty with Alexander's Ragimte Band: I guess I disagree with most of the suggested fingering. I am having an easy time now that I have gone my own direction there.
Key Notes, when you get there, if you have trouble, let me know, and I will tell you what is working (better, if still not perfectly) for me.
Casio Ap-200 Almost midway thru Alfred's All-In-One Book Two Blogging my family's piano learning experiences: http://aw2pp.blogspot.com/
Undone, Thanks, I appreciate the feedback . I actually am "teacherless" and have been for a few months so I really need your advice regarding my playing and potential errors. I actually began this piece ignoring the B flat (oops!). It didn't sound dissonant but adding the flattened B brought out the darker tone of the song. Thanks again Undone for the reassurance.
Key Notes, well, to be honest it's really hard. Generally I'm somewhat "fast paced" with learning the pieces but I've decided to drop anchor here. The great thing though is that since I am familiar with the piece I almost "automatically" add the accents and stress without having to read the sheet music and think to myself "ok, now play this note firmer..." etc. Also the pedal is involved in this piece so that gives some forgiveness. This piece is a MAJOR step up in terms of difficulty than anything I've seen. I mean, Dark Eyes seems very elementary in comparison. If you flip back and forth between the their pages (they're back to back) it is like a time warp or something.
Also, what AWTTP said about pg. 2 of ARB is exactly how I remember it. Kind of all over the place (and I believe the first piece with the full octave stretches).
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