Mozart - Sonata in Bb K.333 1st movement: problem analysis

[cardinals]

Hi everyone...I just recorded a video in a practice room yesterday, but when I listened to it, I found some problems in my hand and arm posture and I think things like evenness of notes, range of dynamics, developing various touches, and voice making (i.e., letting the piano sing), etc, have to do with relaxation of my body but it is still hard to pinpoint exactly and find out how to make an approach to improve it...

Please watch the attached video and tell me any problems in my posture you believe might be causing the music making stuffs...and give me any advice as to some helpful ways of correction...

You can listen to the video at Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvDdVU_4TFA

[thierry13]

Your legato is not enough legato and your non-legato is not non-legato enough. I think you were maybe seated a bit high, but we do not see that very well. You definitely use too much finger action, and not enough shape to the movement. That's why your articulation is not clear (legato/non-legato). You use a too light touch when you try to play legato. It does not mean to play louder, simply that the touch is a bit too nervous and definitely comes too much from the finger. Otherwise I think you are pretty good!

[ramseytheii]

I think it is interesting that you ask us to speak about your posture, but in the video the only thing visible is your fingers and hands.  How can we speak about posture, without seeing the elbows, shoulders, and back?  I think right away this calls up some red flags about how you conceive of the act of playing piano, and I wonder if you have devoted enough thought as to how the body functions as one unit in playing piano, not just the fingers, but the entire mechanism.

Walter Ramsey

[thierry13]

I'd like to add that you have to reconceive how your 2nd finger works. It's not because he's easier to free that he can go on higher than the others and give a percussive snap everytime you need it in a scale or things like that. I would do slow work, close to the keys and being careful you depress the key completly (bottom of keyboard).

[teresa_b]

Hi cardinals,

You are doing quite well!  Your articulation is very clear.  I'm not sure I can say too much about your posture, but my suggestions for you would be:

Softer LH Alberti bass--maybe make it more legato as well, so the LH is not quite so percussive in some parts. 

My concept of the opening line is more legato and flowing, while yours is more prickly--certainly there are different ways of interpreting it, but I would think a bit more "flow" in general.  Beautiful phrasing and grace is so important in Mozart.  Liveliness is great but try to feel where the phrases are going, maybe imagine "masculine" and "feminine" areas (esp. in development sec.).  This can also be a way of intuitively varying the dynamics such that you solve that problem of dynamic range. 

I think you have the details down well, and now think in terms of the whole. 
Good work! 

Teresa