Invention 13 is one of my favourites. I was doing a lot of hands separate on that initially but I think (and I'm not a teacher so others may disagree) there comes a point where you have to draw a line and move onto mainly hands together.
i alreay finish BACH inventions, but I have never played Chopin's pieces. I though Chopin's pieces is much harder than Bach inventions ? can someone suggest some Chopin 's easy pieces for me ?
Aaron,I think you will find Bernhard's posts on teaching and learning the Bach Two-Part Inventions quite helpful:http://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,2714.msg74500/topicseen.html#msg74500
Dear Aaron: Sorry, but how can you manage Chopin's opus 9/1 if you don't play the very very very much easier inventions by Bach? If you're using the original, it's quite amazing. Chopin have large span arpeggi, intrincated crossing and polyrhythms, octaves, thirds, sixths, and so on. The Bach pieces have just two very related lines, one by hand, in the case of number 4 conjunt motion almost always. I'm not saying that you can't think that way, but it's surprising. By the way, play either in just half a year is a remarkable achievement. About Bach, normally one should start with the Anna Magdalena's Notebook, i.e., the minuets, marchs and other dances there. Then, come some other pieces, normally non-fugal, such as the little preludes. Then, and normally only then, one play the inventions. Thus, a general order to Bach is, in my opinion: - Anna Magdalena's Notebook; - Little Preludes (selections from the set with 6 and the set with 12); - Two-part inventions; - Selections from the french suites (first, two-voiced; then three-voiced); - Three-part inventions; One remark: no few than three works at each level. After this, there are several possibilities, but the "most wanted" goals are WTC and a complete suite. By the way, the sequence is endless, because until a pianist plays the Goldberg, or the Ricercare a 6 (with a full polyphonic rendering), or other nightmarish works by him, the path is not complete. Best!
I must admit that I find Bach difficult as well. The Inventions are difficult! Iv had far easier times playing apparently more difficult pieces by Chopin.With Chopin, the use of rubato and pedalling makes it alot more 'free' imo. I find this music just happens for me, and sounds good quickly. But with Bach, its far more metronomic and that makes it hard for me.Which means I should probably start playing more of it!SJ
(...)With Chopin, the use of rubato and pedalling makes it alot more 'free' imo. (...)
(...) But with Bach, its far more metronomic and that makes it hard for me. (...)
(...) It seems that many Romantic compositions allow for more freedom than Baroque works. If you look at the music for a Bach work, it looks so simple, so neat, so orderly, yet you almost have to play like a machine to pull it off. (...)
(...)Baroque music is a common misconception, people think it's impossible to play Baroque music beautifully and musically because of it's organized structure. True, it's difficult, that's why it's difficult to play properly and beautiful, because it's hard to express it musically.(...)
(...)You have to have complete independence of the hands and this requires a few months (dare I say "years") of preparation. (...)
(...)It's a journey well worth embarking upon. Have fun - you'll learn soooooooo much!
(...)It's like listening to two conversations at once. I don't think anyone can really do that -- at least not 100% attention on two different conversations.
(...)I find Baroque music more difficult to read because it's got so many independent voices. I can study them and get a piece under my fingers, but I can't concentrate on all voices at the same time. I don't think it's possible -- at least not concentrating the same way you do when you focus on just one melodic line.
Dear Aaron: 1) about your video, I think that's quite good. You just seem a bit stiffy, especially your forearm and wrist. Try to relax, and your playing will certainly come smoother and better. 2) about the trill, anything is better than 34. I would suggest 13, to both hands. Give this fingering a chance and you will see both speed and control enhanced, even more if you combine this with some wrist movement. Of course that sometimes you must use another fingerings, and odd ones (such as 45, or 34 while holding down the 5), but this is my general pattern.
1) Let me disagree with you: rubato and pedalling are both disguises for unsolved technique.
I must confess that it is joining the hands that usually screws me up.This is why Im sure it is not an issue of technique (...)
(...)Some of the Inventions, such as No4 and No11 have metronome marks of 140bpm and above, if memory serves. Imo, that makes them more difficult than some of Chopin's Etudes!
... About all metronome marks in Bach: forget them! Bach never wrote down a single metronome mark because one single reason: it was invented about 60 years after he died. Furthermore, these marks are very relative, and you should disregard them. By the way, it reminds me something: why playing Bach so fast? The invention 4 works very well about 110 to the beat, if you want a MM. And if your HT is not working yet, think of some slow movement (something about 80). If you handle 80 now, let to some future work to speed up. Finally, you're right: these nonsense marks, besides ruining the musical effect, turns the piece into a very difficult coordination and technical game, what is not the case and is very far from Bach's original intentions. Best!
Are the Bach Two-Part Inventions really this difficult? (Read 19329 times)
