Problems reading notes. (Bach)

[willcowskitz]

I have an interrupting dilemma with this piece now.
I've only played this one part of it with the right hand, and now that I'm trying to figure out the left, it seems irrational, either way you look at it.
I took a screenshot of the notes, and if anyone can help me out here, it'd be greatly appreciated.

https://koti.mbnet.fi/exlex/t&f_iDm.gif

Now you see the red lines.  It looks like they're in exactly the same place, horizontally.  Does this mean they're played at same time?  Well, then there are the blue lines.  It shows pretty clearly that the ball-parts of the notes (excuse my vocabulary  ) fall in between the line-parts (red lines).  Does this mean they're not played at the same time?  
Then there are the dark green lines on the very right.  The notes on the upper 5 lines have turned around, and their ball-parts are still in between the ones on 5 lines below.  Well, I conclude its the ball-part that shows when the note is played?  Now comes in the problem.
The light green lines show a part where the same note is played 3 times in a row, which doesn't sound good at all, its like suddenly running to wall or something.

First, I'd like to know how is it CORRECT to play that part?  Secondly, I'd like to hear any good tips on how to make it sound GOOD, too.

I really, really do love this piece.  Both my mind and my hands do enjoy it, so ain't giving up, hehe.



"The solution is always a built-in feature."

[Diabolos]

Hi there.

You're right, that's some confusing sheet of music, but these colored lines make sense when you realize the fact that, as a toccata, this piece is written in a, uhm, syncopic style. I guess these lines are supposed to remind you not to play any of the notes at the same time (besides the 32s in the left hand, of course).

And don't worry about the sound; the edition you have seems to contain no mistakes, and the Kontrapunkt makes sense, too (or at least the part that exists of it).

Maybe I just told you things you already knew, but I thought I'd just give it a try. Good luck.

[Binko_Binobo]

Pay no attention to how the notes line up on the page. They don't always line up correctly. Look at what the music actually says. In this excerpt of the Toccata and Fugue in Dm, you will note that when the D plays in the right hand, the left hand has a 32nd note rest. So the first note your left hand plays should be a 32nd note after the first note played in your right hand. Then the right hand plays the next note, followed by the left hand, and so on and so on. Basically, this passage up until the arpeggios alternates right hand-left hand.

Do not rely on the exact placement of notes to tell you where the notes should be played. Instead, look at the note values to tell you where they go. Your main visual cue should be that all the notes involved are 16th notes. The right hand begins playing on the beat every bar; the left hand begins playing a 32nd note after the beat on each bar (in other words, staggerred perfectly in between each pair of notes in the right hand.)

And there is no 32nd note that plays at the same time as the right hand.

[Binko_Binobo]

Sorry, one more tip on practicing this part. Actually, this part isn't as difficult as it seems. Now that you've been practicing the right hand, I really wouldn't recomment practicing the left hand separately since, well, it's only one note and placing it rhythmically is very much depending on your right hand. So start off slowly, and remember your hands should be going right-left-RLRLRLRLRLRL the whole time. For me, it feels a bit like drumming my fingers on a table. I (used to; it's been a while) play this section fairly lightly, using more wrist or forearm weight rather than fingers. I found it much easier to be rhythmically accurate and fast this way.