Raindrop Comments please

[highcrappile]

I have made a recording of the Chopin "Raindrop", and I'd really appreciate your input.

I recorded it on my digital Yamaha, I think its a fine instrument. Im well aware that you frown upon digital instruments but for me its pretty much the only way to go, I live in an apartment. A cheap A/D (behringer) converter and audacity on my laptop.

Yes Im a noob, got the piano last new years =)

[mwhite]

Wow, only one year!  How long have you been working on this piece?  I think you did an excellent job.
Mike White

[highcrappile]

Thanks for your kind reply Mike.
I did play some für elise (or that Beethovens other girl) when I was 9, but thats all. Yall know the pinky 4 pinky 4.
 I started playing this piece just before christmas 07. Bought the piano on the 31'st december 06 =) great discount $5k to $3.5 =)
I tried recording it in april and I thought to myself after listening to it myself, this is just the worst. Emotional and rubato and all. So I tried this stricter more unaffectionate Charles Bronson style=)
Im quite happy with it, a few mistakes, the chords after the storm are quite hard to get to sound as one.
Id really appreciate more comments. I have no experience from this at all, any comment is welcome.
tyvm
HC pile

(if anyone cares, when I bought the piano, i had a list of 10 piano pieces I'd like to be able play, this is one of them, 1 beethoven 7 chopin 2 liszt(1 from paganini) )
3 down 7 to go/=)

[steone]

It's a nice interpretation, specially if you have only 1 year of practise. You should work more on your rubato and try to avoid some stiffness in ur play though...

Keep going

P.S : what are the 6 other chopin' pieces and the lizst' one u want to play?

[rachfan]

For one year of piano study, I think you've done a fine job with this prelude.  Good job!

If you're looking for a few suggestions, I would offer these for your consideration:

With the indicator of sostenuto, in addition to playing very legato, I believe you could slow the tempo just a bit, making the pace more leisurely.  You'll find too that it dampens the atmosphere, more like a rainy day.

The main theme in measures 5 through most of 8 would benefit more from "dynamic contour".  That is, in shaping the long phrase, you can play some crescendo aiming toward the high G flat in 7.  Once at the top of the phrase on the G flat, you can then do a diminuendo sloping downward from the peak, tapering off on the D flat.  That produces a flowing and ebbing effect.  Once you've lifted off the phase, there should be a subtle hestitation or break before droping the hand into the following phrase.  Why do that when it's not written into the score?  Because that's where a soprano would take a breath.  Much of piano playing is about breathing.  The melody in this prelude is a cantilena--very song like.  Think of the melody as a vocal part.  The piano, like a violin or flute, needs to emulate the voice as much as possible in a piece like this.

In general I would suppress the raindrop motif in the left hand.  Right now it's quite pronounced.   While the melody is in foreground, the raindrops (an ostinato figure actually) is in the background.  Thus, it is of less importance and prominence.  There is a layering of sound here.  The melody is most prominent.  The harmonies are in a softer supporting role.  And the raindrops are softer yet.  This layering of sound is a step beyond simple balancing of the hands.  Generally speaking, whatever is purely repetitive does not receive emphasis, as a repetitive figuration provides little interest to the listener.  The variety is instead occurring in the melody and changing harmonic accompaniment.  The raindrops are faintly in the background to barely remind us it's raining out.

On page 2, sotto voce (meaning in an undertone), again bring down the volume on the raindrops.  In the left hand you do a superb job of voicing  the bottom notes in the first two double notes followed by the upper notes in the next two pairs of double notes during the first two measures  (28 and 29), and then voicing the upper notes in all the double notes in 30.  That's excellent!

Again, I enjoyed hearing your rendition.  I hope this will be helpful.

   

[highcrappile]

Thank you rachfan, this is exactly what I was hoping for. I'll try your suggestions. The melody as a vocal part hadn't occurred to me, but its an excellent point.
What is an ostinato figure?

Steone, thanks for you suggestion. The rubato anywhere in particular?
My list is
1 - Chopin nocturne op72#1, quite happy with this one.
2 - Chopin valse 64#2, fairly happy with this one, need a tad more practice though.
3 - Beethoven moonlight, happy with first mvmt, haven't started with the second, the third one was a lot easier (in relative terms=) than I expected.
4 - Liszt Hungarian rapsody (#3 i believe it is) Lots of practise required
5 - Liszt (Paganini) La campanella, don't know if its ever gonna happen =) But I'll give it a serious try =)
6 - Chopin nocturne 27#1
7 - Chopin sonate op 35
8 - Chopin nocturne (dont know the number) starts with solo RH  Bb,C,Db,A,Bb,Gb,F,F,F,F
9 - Chopin nocturne C#mi BI49 KKIVa/16 (its says so on the score)
10 - Raindrop.

I'm really curios about Beethoven's appassionata too, and Ive spent a few hours with Chopin's fantasie impromptu op66.

[rachfan]

Hi high,

An ostinato is a figuration within the musical text that is obstinate, continuous, and unceasing.  That's exactly what this falling rain motif is, an ostinato effect.  Ostinatos occur in symphonic works, but sometimes in the piano literature as well.

[xpjamiexd]

This is a very good interpretation, I like it alot (going on my mp3 =D).