Chopin´s Nocturne C# and Debussy´s Claire De Lune

[nik0]

I see that people here aren´t too eager to comment those blues things, so I decided to warm up some old classical pieces..


Debussy: Claire De Lune https://koti.mbnet.fi/niko87/claire_de_lune.mp3

Chopin: Nocturne in C# minor https://koti.mbnet.fi/niko87/nocturne.mp3

[simoncowellforclassical]

I quit classical piano two years ago. My teacher didn´t believe too much in me and maybe I had some lack of confidence.



Anyway, comments and critique is welcome! Thank you for listening!

p.s. The end of Claire De Lune is crap, I didn´t remember it at all, so just ignore it



Debussy: Claire De Lune https://koti.mbnet.fi/niko87/claire_de_lune.mp3

Chopin: Nocturne in C# minor https://koti.mbnet.fi/niko87/nocturne.mp3

Edit: I just listened them through and noticed that the volume is very low! I´m sorry, I´m not so good to use those programs.. Just turn your speakers to south-east

[emmdoubleew]

I can only comment on the nocturne because it's the one I know.

-The rythm is all over the place  . This is extremely easy and tempting to do with Chopin because you get lost in the emotion but it's almost obnoxious to the listener. It's just very exhausting to listen.

Maybe this will change your mind on consistent rythm:

One of his students, Friederike Muller, wrote the following in her diary about Chopin's playing style:

    His playing was always noble and beautiful; his tones sang, whether in full forte or softest piano. He took infinite pains to teach his pupils this legato, cantabile style of playing. His most severe criticism was "He—or she—does not know how to join two notes together." He also demanded the strictest adherence to rhythm. He hated all lingering and dragging, misplaced rubatos, as well as exaggerated ritardandos ... and it is precisely in this respect that people make such terrible errors in playing his works.

Otherwise, you definetly can pull it off! You have good technique and good tone, you just need a little extra confidence to iron out the mistakes in the difficult parts. You can do this by just playing them over and over and over again. Also, watch the phrasing. This is so crucial in Chopin. You seem to pop off the last note of every phrase, making it louder than the others, when in reality it should be much softer. Also, make sure that when you finish the B with that climbing g-minor arpeggio, you finish the sound before you take up the main theme! Right now you hold the pedal down through it and never give the audience a break.

And I can't stress the rythm enough. Especially the rushing >.<. That very last arpeggio, I'm waiting for for a soft, rit. finish, instead youc opmletely blasted through it leaving the end a little unsatisfying.

Although it may not seem like it from my comments, I do think you did a great job with it! You obviously have the skills to do it correctly. I think you need to confer with a teacher who knows about Chopin to be able to perform it even better, because it's very specific.

And don't give up and lose confidence!

[invictus]

Ok, those 2 were probably the worst recordings of the quiet pieces i have ever heard in my life.

I could not stand listening to it twice, its just too horrible.

The rhythm is all over the place, the dynamics have not be followed, the tempo changes like every 2 bars, you make it sound like prokofiev+rachmaninoff on crack.

The phrasing is messed up, sounds like a bunch of notes crumpled together, the last notes were messed up and unmusical, i see no musicality, the notes were rather correct, but like britney spears, the tone sucks

[nik0]

Wow! WooowW! Harsh comments! But you are right. My rhythm and phrasing sucks, now when listening to it after reading your comments.

But I´ll try to hone these up, and I´ll send new versions soon.

Anyways, thanks for long comments!

[qwerty quaver]

spam

[instromp]

Ok, those 2 were probably the worst recordings of the quiet pieces i have ever heard in my life.

I could not stand listening to it twice, its just too horrible.

The rhythm is all over the place, the dynamics have not be followed, the tempo changes like every 2 bars, you make it sound like prokofiev+rachmaninoff on crack.

The phrasing is messed up, sounds like a bunch of notes crumpled together, the last notes were messed up and unmusical, i see no musicality, the notes were rather correct, but like britney spears, the tone sucks

Umm Whoa !! That is being way too critical i have to say...There is something called Constructive critism, how about you use that other than discouraging someone. You listed the bad points now where is the advice to be followed.

Umm i only listened to the nocturne,my connection is being slow so i didnt have time to listen to the other. but your rhythm is all over the place, its kinda hard to keep it right knowing that most Chopin pieces(ones i know of) are expressive.Try listening to a GOOD recording to see where you can improve.as for the tempo get a metronome.Thats all i can offer.

[nik0]

Umm i only listened to the nocturne,my connection is being slow so i didnt have time to listen to the other. but your rhythm is all over the place, its kinda hard to keep it right knowing that most Chopin pieces(ones i know of) are expressive.Try listening to a GOOD recording to see where you can improve.as for the tempo get a metronome.Thats all i can offer.

I enjoyed this piece in the movie "the Pianist" so much, that I just had to learn it myself. The version in the movie is very expressive and the tempo runs around, maybe too much, compared to other versions I´ve heard of it. But I like it that way, played kind of freely. I know that my versions is WAY too free. So I´ve practised it with metronome (not too strictly), and I´m going to record a better version soon. Thanks for listening!