Technical assistance for Rach Prelude please!

[patty]

I have just begun to study Rach's Prelude in D Major.  It's very beautiful and I love it, but I cannot figure out how to play one of the chords.  It is in the 16th measure - right hand first chord.  I have small hands and have been playing it as a broken chord with my 2nd finger on the lower c#.  If anyone can assist me I would greatly appreciate it.  I am new to the forum and greatly intimidated by most of you. Thank you
Patty:

[desordre]

  Dear Patty:
  I didn't play this particular piece, but I think I know what chord you're talking about.
Anyway, I'll leave a particular solution to someone who have more intimate contact with that piece.
  I want to comment on something very little considered about chords, but I guess (and submit to considerations) that is very important: which is the musical result that you expect? Do you want a block, an arpeggio, a broken chord, or what? Maybe, the question could be: what do you think the piece requires of that particular chord?
  So, with that answer, you may just pass over details and solve the chord TO yourself. This may include the omission of a note, or whatever. It's very important in that approach to be coherent musically and to understand the harmonic content of the piece.
  Please, notice that I'm not apologyzing the absolute freedom of performance, like jazz to say. And it's nothing about "easy" versions, because if there are too many of these individual aspects that should be changed, maybe the piece is over someone's possibilities.
  Practical examples: a children that plays Chopin opus 28 n. 7 sometimes just can't play the right hand chord of bar 12. Why not cut the A#-3? There is an A#-4 and the overtones of F#-2. See? It's just one note, and the children in question may play the chord and there is no significant change in musical result.
  In the other hand, the Preludes of Debussy, for instance. You found so many large chords, in progression one to another, that if you can't play them, better let it go. The same applies to some Brahms (and the nightmarish left hand of some pieces by him).
  Hope it can be helpful. Of course, there is a value judgement of doing that, but is such a small revision that I think there is no problem at all.
  Best wishes.

[desordre]

 P.S. forget to say that I agree with you: it's a very beautiful prelude.

[patty]

Thanks, I find that solution to be the best for me.  Because of my handicap (small hands) I've had to adjust a few pieces. 
I appreciate your response.
Patty

[nicco]

Its a difficult chord, but you have a few choices. You could leave out the lower c because its already in the upper voice so the dissonance will still be there, although i am never in favour of leaving out notes. There is also a chance of playing both the C# and the D with your thumb at the same time, hitting a point on the front side of the black key while hitting the white one, although you might loose some power. I would maybe play it as a sort of grace-note, just hitting the C# with my thumb right before playing the rest of the chord.

[patty]

Thanks for the advise Nicco.  I sat at the piano trying your method but I kept including the E as well.  It got me trying another option, that if I slid my thumb up between the two black keys and played the c# with the back of my thumb while playing the d with the tip of my thumb it might work.  It'll take some practice but it sounds better than playing a broken chord.  Thanks for your insight!

[baron_von_heimlich]

I play this chord with my thumb playing both the low C# and D, my 2nd finger playing the A, and my fourth and fifth finger playing the top C# together.  I find that this gives me the most stability. 


It is essential that you do not arpeggiate this chord, or leave out any notes!  It does not sound right in this context, you need that dissonance from that minor second sounding together at the same time.  All four notes in this chord are important, it is not simply a matter of doubling in this case, so no notes can be left out.  Of course, it is almost impossible for most people to play this chord with a different finger on each note, so the best solution is to use your thumb to play both bottom notes at the same time (experiment with this a little bit.  The left edge of your thumb should catch the black note and you should be leaning your thumb towards the black note while pressing down on the white note.  Pressing towards the black key will keep it down.)  It's my own personal preference to play the top C# with 4 and 5 together, as I find that this gives it a more equal footing with the other notes, since playing the bottom two with my thumb seems to drain a lot of the force I can apply with my 5th finger alone.

Good luck, it's a hard and difficult prelude....

[desordre]

 I have to agree with Herr Baron if that is the case: the harmonic content would be lost without the harsh minor second.
 Anyway, sometimes it works...

[patty]

Dear Baron,
   Yes, i had just about figured out the c# and d, but your suggestion about the 4th and 5th fingers on the other c# works much better than mine.  Brillant! Thank you for your excellent insight into this.  I won't feel like such a fool next time a have a question.  Thank you everyone!
Patty