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Topic: Asturias and Nocturne Op 9-1 (Read 4996 times)

Gambit

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Asturias and Nocturne Op 9-1

on: March 06, 2004, 12:24:30 AM

Im learning those pieces. Asturias by Albeniz and Nocturne in Bb minor Op 9-1 by Chopin.

Any tip? Have any of you played them??

Thanks in Advance

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"There is one god: Bach, and Mendelssohn is his prophet"

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musicman99

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Re: Asturias and Nocturne Op 9-1

Reply #1 on: August 28, 2013, 11:45:19 PM

Hi,

In my experience, try singing the melody line in the Chopin before playing it. Work out all the nuances and then take that to the piano. My tip for the complex cross-rythms is that you should not have to think about the individual hands when playing. You should thoroughly learn each hand and then try to put them together, slowly at first.
Another important thing in Chopin is to not over-pedal. Don't always feel like you need to press the pedal all the way and explore half-pedaling, which is when you press it halfway.

My tip for the Albeniz is to attack the L.H notes with a short, wrist action. Your hands must be relaxed and not tense, as this would really complicate matters. Practise the jump to the big chords slowly, and know where you're going before you need to play them, as looking for them when you should be playing them would take up more time.

Good luck in playing these two beautiful pieces!

Carlos R.

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lojay

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Re: Asturias and Nocturne Op 9-1

Reply #2 on: August 29, 2013, 10:03:11 AM

The op. 9 no. 1 was my basically my first Chopin piece.

When I first learned the piece, I barely played any of the left hand legato (basically only what was comfortable and convenient). If you want this to sound good, unless you already have a very flexible left hand, you're probably going to have to play a lot more than is initially comfortable legato.

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prestoconfuocco

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Posts: 98

Re: Asturias and Nocturne Op 9-1

Reply #3 on: August 29, 2013, 11:07:56 AM

One thing you should keep in mind, is that proper dymanics change really adds a lot to the piece, but if you over-do it it will sound a bit whiny, so try figuring out the perfect balance point

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thalbergmad

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Posts: 16741

Re: Asturias and Nocturne Op 9-1

Reply #4 on: August 29, 2013, 05:58:57 PM

Quote from: musicman99 on August 28, 2013, 11:45:19 PM

My tip for the complex cross-rythms is that you should not have to think about the individual hands when playing. You should thoroughly learn each hand and then try to put them together, slowly at first.

In my experience, thinking about it was one of the worst things I did.

Eventually, it was like a leap of faith and everything just fitted in. Learning to keep a steady pulse in the left hand as 2nd nature helped me immensely.

Thal

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eckrieg

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Posts: 2

Re: Asturias and Nocturne Op 9-1

Reply #5 on: August 11, 2014, 05:35:17 PM

It seems that everyone plays Asturias at breakneck tempo and with metronomic rigidity.
Slow down a little and use a little rubato. It should not be a robotic race to get to the end before everyone else.

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liszt1022

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Posts: 659

Re: Asturias and Nocturne Op 9-1

Reply #6 on: August 11, 2014, 06:45:42 PM

The OP was 10 years ago. The first response was 9 years later. Just saying.

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brogers70

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Posts: 1755

Re: Asturias and Nocturne Op 9-1

Reply #7 on: August 13, 2014, 12:13:09 PM

Quote from: liszt1022 on August 11, 2014, 06:45:42 PM

The OP was 10 years ago. The first response was 9 years later. Just saying.

That's OK. By chance I'm learning the Op. 9 #1 Nocturne at the moment, and I was interested to hear what others had to say about it.

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