Bach And Tchaikovsky

Bach - Little Prelude(BWV 939) - 6 days of practice(started last Thursday and finished it this Tuesday) Tchaikovsky - Old French Song(#16, Album for the Young) - 5 days of practice(started last Friday and finished it this Tuesday as well) Things to improve...I would like some opinions...I am curious what Alan thinks. Maybe I crammed them up in a too short period of time.

Overall this is pretty good for less than 1 week of practice. Both pieces should eventually be faster (I have an edition with a suggested tempo of 120 for quarter note for the little prelude). Nevertheless, this is a good practice tempo for you. You can also try to start playing at full speed or close to it (hands separate first) so you can start getting a musical idea of how the piece is going to sound like. Then go back to the current speed and practice those ideas. At the current stage the performance sounds too "controlled" and metronomic, but I think this is actually a good thing for this stage of practice. I have some more specific feedback on the pieces. Please keep in mind that these reflect my personal opinions and I am not a professional. However, I did study both these pieces in the past year and I think I have a fairly good musical understanding of them. Bach: 1) I think the octave left hand at the beginning should be louder. It is a long note that should sustain to the end of the right hand phrase. Maybe this will resolve on its own when the right hand gets faster. 2) I like that there is some dynamic contrast in your performance and I would like to see more of that (for example, a more extreme crescendo when phrase with the left hand ornaments starts). Also, I would like to see more differentiation between left and right hand as the melody shifts between them. Some people might disagree with me about this for Bach but in my opinion it is still a piano and not a harpsichord. Tchaikovsky: 1) I really like how you start it. A clear melodic line singing above a softer accompaniment without being too loud, and I like how you handle the 2 voices in the left hand. 2) The bass note at the end of the first phrase (0:44 sec in the clip) is too loud and short. It's too sudden and out of character for the way you started the piece. I think it should be much softer and sustain a bit longer - think of it as an echo of the end of the phrase. I think the jump might be the issue that gives you trouble here - you are rushing to get to that low bass note and then rushing back to start the next phrase, and as a result it comes out too loud and too short. I personally don't think it is a big deal if you even pause a bit before the next phrase begin, it doesn't have to be exactly on the beat (like a singer taking a breath) 3) The 2nd phrase is a repeat of the first - try to vary dynamics here - some ideas could be to start p and move to mp, or start mp and move to p, or start without pedal and add pedal on the repeat, etc. Choose your own style but don't repeat them exactly the same way (My edition suggests to start p and move to pp). 4) I like that the 3rd phrase (with the staccato LH) is very different in character from the first 2 phrases. I think it will get more exciting when it gets to full speed and will give those left hand notes a march like quality. I like how you emphasize the bass note at the beginning of each LH bar. You could also try making it a bit longer and maybe pedal it (experiment and decide for yourself what you like best). 5) I would like to hear more crescendo during the 3rd phrase. When the left hand reaches the half note C minor chord it is really the peak of the phrase and should be much louder (between mf to f - I think you are still doing it around mp). from there it should go softer. 6) The 4th phrase should go back to softer dynamics like the first 2 phrases and should end on a soft note in my opinion rather than a loud note, as if dying away. You could also rit in the end. I am looking forward to hear more from you Zack

I can't imagine playing this piece at 120 bpm. The highest tempo I have reached is 60 and some passages already start to lack precision. The fact is that a couple of days ago I never imagined I could play it at 50 and now I have already reached 60. I think speed doesn't really matter as long as you don't play it with clear accents and a good interpretation. It will sound messy whatever the speed is. That's why I prefer waiting to work it with my teacher(she is off for a week or so) than increasing the speed on my own. Anyway I will post a new recording with the prelude played at a higher tempo. All on all...120 seems way too much....with regard to my taste. Bach: 1. Yes. It should be louder but it is hard...at least for now....to play loud at slow speeds and soft at high tempos. 2. I will try to add more dynamics. Tchaikovsky: 1. I never proposed something like that. It just came as it is. Maybe it depends on whether you understand the piece or not(emotionally). Thank you. 2. I was very tensed and I realised I made a mistake but this seemed to be the best take. Now that staccato improved and is really soft. Now I sometimes have problems getting that note to sound. I got to the other extreme. 3. I agree with you. The sheet actually indicates a pp at the repetition. I tried integrating that today and it felt really weird. Maybe it will take some time until the muscle memory relearns the change in dynamics. 4. March quality? Moderato assai = ? 90?80?100? 5. I tried that today and it worked pretty good. The problem is that it sometimes adds tension in the hands and wrist. I recently "escaped" forearm and wrist tension and the old reflexes try to get back from time to time. Maybe it will be solved with practice and time. 6. Ritenuto also simplifies that counterpoint ending. It is pretty difficult. At least if you're looking for a "perfect" or "Alan" legato.

I can't imagine playing this piece at 120 bpm. The highest tempo I have reached is 60 and some passages already start to lack precision. The fact is that a couple of days ago I never imagined I could play it at 50 and now I have already reached 60. I totally understand that you can't play it at 120 right now. Don't sacrifice accuracy - practise at a comfortable tempo and the speed will come later. I looked again at the sheet music at it actually recommends 100~120, and I think it will also sound good at 90, so you are really close. I think speed doesn't really matter as long as you don't play it with clear accents and a good interpretation. It depends if you are talking about practice tempo or performance tempo. For practice, it is very beneficial to play slowly, even if you can already play the piece at full speed - you will pay more attention to detail. For performance - I think speed does matter - the composer had a certain intention with this piece, and if it's played significantly slower (or faster) the meaning is lost. Specifically for this Bach prelude, I think 60bpm is too slow for performance (and I know that in an RCM exam you would lose points for playing too slowly), but please keep it for now as a practice tempo - it is a great achievement for 1 week of practise (it took me 5 weeks or maybe more to get this piece to tempo if I remember correctly). All on all...120 seems way too much....with regard to my taste. I tend to agree, I like playing it at 100. 2. I was very tensed and I realised I made a mistake but this seemed to be the best take. Now that staccato improved and is really soft. Now I sometimes have problems getting that note to sound. I got to the other extreme. That's actaully a good thing - we need to learn how to go to extremes and then fine tune it so it's less extreme and we get more control over that. 3. I agree with you. The sheet actually indicates a pp at the repetition. I tried integrating that today and it felt really weird. Maybe it will take some time until the muscle memory relearns the change in dynamics. Playing pp is hard at first. Try starting a bit louder (mp) and move to p, so that you get the same effect. When your technique improves pp will get easier. 4. March quality? Moderato assai = ? 90?80?100? Maybe a slow march. This youtube clip shows a tempo I like for this piece: Again, don't push your speed, keep practice at a comfortable tempo and the speed will come by itself. 5. I tried that today and it worked pretty good. The problem is that it sometimes adds tension in the hands and wrist. I recently "escaped" forearm and wrist tension and the old reflexes try to get back from time to time. Maybe it will be solved with practice and time. I think you need to try to identify the exact note where pressure starts to build up and stop there - don't keep playing. You need to train yourself to be loose regardless of playing loud and stop, and if you keep playing with tension you are actually practising how to get used to tension, which can lead to many problems. You might need to practise in ultra slow motion to figure out exactly what you are doing wrong - does the arch collapse? do the shoulders rise? does the wrist jump up to compensate for something? If you practise with this kind of awareness, THEN it will be solved with practice and time (and yes, old reflexes will get back from time to time). 6. Ritenuto also simplifies that counterpoint ending. It is pretty difficult. At least if you're looking for a "perfect" or "Alan" legato. At this stage I wouldn't get too picky about perfect legato for all the voices. The melody is the most important one to keep connected. The rest is refinement you can add later - you might get that wrist tension again if you try to be too "perfect". Zack

Maybe a slow march. This youtube clip shows a tempo I like for this piece: Again, don't push your speed, keep practice at a comfortable tempo and the speed will come by itself. Yes. Cubus rocks! His interpretation is really great. He has a recording of the prelude as well.

I like his "Old French Song", but I don't like his interpretation of the Bach prelude. There is too much echo and I don't think his rubatos really add to the piece. It seems to me more like trying to be different for the sake of being different and adding some "emotion" to the piece. This link shows someone playing it on a harpsichord. Naturally the tempo is faster because the instrument has less sustaining power, so you could play it a bit slower on a piano. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVIXINvPB3g&feature=related