Piano Forum
Piano Board => Student's Corner => Topic started by: leo_t7 on February 12, 2016, 04:35:19 PM
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Hi,
I have been working steadily through Gershwin's piano transcription of Rhapsody in Blue and have been having the most difficulty with the passages with octave chords. The main part I am having a difficult with is right after the first long piano solo (as it is in the orchestrated version). It has a ragtime-ish left hand, and states the main melody in octave chords. Does anyone have any better practicing tips? So far I have just been doing it slowly, with a little bit of progress. Maybe I just need to keep working or try something else?
Thanks,
Leo
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you should work on the Wasserman version/edit. He was Gershwin's piano teacher, and his is considered a top notch solo, he manages to eliminate a lot of the unnecessary and bad transcribing of the 'original' which was actually finished and had a ton of input by some staff arranger at Harms publishing at the time/
Herman Wasserman's version manages to keep the musical and texture and sound integrity of the piece while laying it out in a much more 'pianistic' fashion given the stuff the original has that is hard for difficulty's sake and adds nothing to the music.
You can pick it up cheap, i saw a copy on ebay this morning for 9 dollars. I have it and i agree, score reads much better than the other version which i also have and given the ability to play both with equal technical facility, i would still lean towards the Wasserman.
V
(https://cloud.freehandmusic.netdna-cdn.com/preview/530x4/warner/gerhapw.png)
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If you can more precisely locate the passage you're working in, I can give you some help. There is the main extended piano solo in the middle of the work before the beautiful lyrical theme enters. You're before the extended solo?
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Maybe I could have been more clear. I guess it isn't THAT long, but I was talking about the first piano solo (that lasts more than a few measures). I am working in the part right after that when the orchestra comes back in and plays the main melody. I have attached a screenshot of the page and am working on where it says "Tempo giusto".
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This section, where the piano is silent in the original, I haven't worked on for that reason. But I would work on these chords slowly as you have, with the right hand alone, and work up your way to tempo. But here's a brain gem of wisdom to try. After you've worked on it for 10-15 minutes or so, put it away and work on another piece. Then after 20 minutes or a half hour, return to Rhapsody and start working again, and you ought to feel a marked improvement. The more of these cycles you do, the more improvement you should see, as the brain is processing it during your attention on other practice.
I've worked on Rhapsody a lot since I was a teenager. It's technical challenges are unique, so be patient with it.