hungarian rhapsody no.2

[mwf]

Hello,

want to learn this piece but it looks very difficult, can anyone tell me its level of difficulty? it looks a pain to memorise also, and near the end theres them huge right hand scales to play at great speed, seems very hard at first glance.

[JCarey]

It's fairly difficult, but frankly, I find the difficulty overrated. Here are some technical issues you will face with this piece -

Lassan:

- Fast runs
- Two-handed trill (not too difficult, really)
- Being able to play 5:4 32nd notes and bringing out the melody within them (is this clear enough?)

The hardest difficulties in this movement are in the interpretation.


Friska:

- Stamina (what I found to be hardest)
- Fast octave jumps, particularly in the left hand
- Fast repeated notes... alternation on fingering (4,3,2,1,4,3,2, etc.)
- Proper accentuation
- The repeated figure in the left hand (G#, E#, C#, E#, F#, F# (up 8va), C#, F#, repeat)
- Fast runs

Obviously there are many more, and I don't know if I made myself clear enough. Please tell me if I didn't.

In the Frisca section, where you have the part where the chords are running up and down the piano (right after the following theme - C#, D#, E#, F#, G#, Fx, G#, E#, etc.), really work to make very dramatic crescendi/diminuendi. The effect is really amazing!

When I practiced this piece, I would always use a metronome. I would start with it set to 60 or lower, and then practice small sections. Once I was able to play a section 10 times through without mistakes (if I made a mistake, I would start counting again at 1) I would speed the metronome up by 10 and repeat the process.

I hope I've helped, good luck!

[JCarey]

Oh, and memory shouldn't be a problem with this piece. It really just comes to you.

[dikai_yang]

well, not nearly as difficult to memorize as any piece by bach...
the good thing about this is that most notes are sharp (left hand)
so not much problem with miss pressing octaves...
where as if everything is not sharp/flat, it's easy to miss-hit the adjacent notes...
---
the trick, memorize (get used to) the left hand motion first...
then you can focus on the right hand...
once the left hand is good, the right hand isn't all that bad...
the repeating note section, it depends on your piano
if you're lucky to have one of those pianos that have fast-repating keys
you'll feel it!!  but i do 4-3-2-1-3-2-1 instead of 4-3-2-1-4-3-2 by the previous poster...
and later in the repeating section immediately following the 4-3-2-1-3-2-1
use 1/5 (octave), 1-2-1-2-1 (for octaves starting on G#)
and 1/5 (octave), 2-1-2-1-2 (for octaves starting on F#)

[dikai_yang]

sorry, another mis-post

and 1/5 (octave), 2-1-2-1-2-1-2 (for octaves starting on ""G#"")
use 1/5 (octave), 1-2-1-2-1-2-* (for octaves starting on ""F#"")

[nanabush]

The most difficult part in the Friska is definately the C sharp note repeating over the melody, especially when it's like    E#  C#  G#  C#  E#  C#  G#  C#  F#  C#  A#  C#...
                                                      B            C#         B          C#         A#        C#

[mwf]

Thanks for the replies, very good. I was wondering whether the double trills consist of using the e sharp and g sharp in the right hand or just one note

[mwf]

Getting through this piece ok, I agree that its not over difficult, perhaps yes a little overated, but I am finding some parts difficult, the start of the friska I think is quite easy compared to the rest of it, the repeating c sharp note over the melody is relatively easy and no way as hard as the fast note runs with the stupidily hard left hand jumping around at the same time, I think that must be the hardest part not to make a mistake on.

 I have also heard a recording, but the performer has changed some of the parts a little, noticably in the left hand, for example just before the main theme in chords starts in the friska, the left hand just does standard chords on the sheet music, but this performer put the theme in with the left hand instead, which produced a better effect to lead to the theme.

Another thing is doing those difficult double notes in the right hand in the friska section, what I am reffering to is the semi-quaver runs in the right hand, for example: B and Esharp alternating with Csharp with G sharp, it requires a lot of stamina I feel.

[jehangircama]

I've been working on and off on that piece for a long time now. What about the grace notes throughout the piece. anyone know any good exercises for those appogiaturas