http://www.savefile.com/files/1501770

Savefile seems to be down, so hopefully that Angelfire link will be fine. Anyway, I learned most of the expressions/rubato/pedalling during the month of June, so it's still a bit rough. I have a little less than 2 weeks until my piano competition, so hopefully I can get some good feedback on this.

And, again, the quality is not that great since I record with a pretty old video camera. And I already know I made some mistakes (finger slips, pedalling errors).

Enjoy?

EDIT

Savefile is finally back up! Changed the link

I love the opening of this piece. Think about really grouping the left hand chords into groups of two... bum BAH... bum BAH... bum BAH...

I'd make the first chord in each group of two a bit heavier than the second. Imagine a drunkard stumbling along with a really heavy right foot... STEP step... STEP step... STEP step....

Another way to think about it is as a "drop roll" or a "drop release". DROP HEAVILY let go lightly... DROP HEAVILY let go lightly...


(or reverse the accents if you prefer... step STEP... step STEP...)

Actually, I might play the 1st chord heavier and the 2nd chord louder (but lighter).

Great suggestion, Sam. My teacher doesn't really care much for the first section since as long as it shows off musicality, then it will probably go well with the judges. I'll try to vary the left hand see what works well with it!

Download doesn't work anymore.

Can you put it somewhere else?

Savefile wasn't working yesterday, so I had to improvise! Haha, but yea, the new link should work.

Thank you for sharing your recording John.

A few suggestions, feel free to accept or reject any number of them:

1) left hand, please lower the bass level. It has a "drumming" effect, and it shouldn't to the extent that it distracts the melody.

2) please respect the rest markings. Where it says rest on the music, take a rest (aka. leave off the pedal so the note isn't sustained over the rest). If you follow the rest markings you should be well off.

3) i would like to hear more dynamic range. Ebb and flow. Within phrases, yes, and between phrases.

4) please stay away from the general philosophy, "when in doubt, pedal."

5) This is not a suggestion, merely a note. Your technique is excellent.

Hope that helps!

Too slow for my taste. Sorry to say that. Your recording of the revolutionary etude is much better.

And why don't you get a cheap MD-player from ebay, would be much better than the video camera. Or put the mic directly to the computer (if the computer does not make too much noise)

But I enjoy your recordings and wait for more!

Mikester: I'm still a bit bewildered about how I should play that left hand for lento section. I asked my piano teacher last night and she said to mimic the dynamics of the right hand, so louder when the melody is louder. I guess we'll see how that goes as I keep working on this piece! And I totally agree with the rests. My teacher told me to lay off the pedal and pay attention to the rests.

My dynamic range could be better. I do admit that I get a bit reserved while playing this since I'm still not 100% comfortable playing it, but with more practice, I'm sure that I'll be able to make it my own. And I love your critiques! They're not too harsh and your feedback reminds me of my teacher's

Thomas F: I actually worked on speed a bit yesterday with my teacher. She said I shouldn't be too worried by the lento/poco piu lento since nocturnes are more musical than structural. And I agree that the revolutionary is much better. It's more mature and I've been really strained for time on the nocturne.

My sister actually has an MD-player, but she claims that it's broken. I would buy better recording equipment, but I spent most of my money on birthdays! And I'm glad that you enjoyed the recordings

Well, the video camera is just too bad, equalizing the levels and adding noise. A MD recorder/player, these small things you can carry with you, is not expensive at all.

And that's not only good for publishing your recordings here, but also to control yourself. A very useful investment.