Chopin - Prelude #15 in Db Major

[feddera]

Recorded this last week. With the exception of a couple of mistakes and some slight hesitation towards the end, I was pretty happy with this performance.

Any comments would be great! 

[gyzzzmo]

The notes are fine, but if i may comment, you should pay alot more attention to the melody. You have to learn to 'think' with the melody and soften the other notes.
People use different kind of tricks to get the melody good, like singing/humming the melody while youre playing, or playing the melody alone to get used to it.

I think that once you start 'thinking' with the melody, the rest of the dynamics will automaticly better too.

Good luck,

Gyzzzmo

[gerry]

Yes, lighten up a bit on the LH pattern - remember this is referred to as the "raindrop prelude" not the "hailstone prelude".

[gyzzzmo]

Yes, lighten up a bit on the LH pattern - remember this is referred to as the "raindrop prelude" not the "hailstone prelude".

Gerry, youre so rude 

[cygnusdei]

Yes, lighten up a bit on the LH pattern - remember this is referred to as the "raindrop prelude" not the "hailstone prelude".

Did Chopin write program music?

[feddera]

Lol, be as rude as you'd like, I don't mind. Maybe I should listen to more recordings of this one. Any recommendations? I assume it's the LH in the first theme you mean. Maybe the right hand could be a little loader too? Anyway, I will fix this, thank you for pointing it out!

[gerry]

Did Chopin write program music?

Some subsequent publishers apparently thought he did.

My "rude" remark was aimed at much the same aspect that gyzzzmo was referring to - that the LH is a gentle ostinato figure and the emphasis should be on the RH melody. You are putting too much weight on the LH A flat - it begins to sound almost metronomic. Also, it's generally accepted that some slight liberties may be taken with the steady LH rhythm to accommodate the two RH figures in meas. 23 and 79; i.e., these needn't be squeezed into the such a strict tempo. I assume your hesitations before some of the large chords toward the end of the middle section were due to note searching - you can work those later. Thanks for sharing and keep up the good work.

[feddera]

I know, I didn't mean you were "rude" literally.  I just meant critique will help my playing get better, and that is what I want. This is my first attempt at playing anything by Chopin, and this is recorded just three weeks after I printed the score. Your suggestions are really useful, and I can hear what you mean now. I will practise more and re-record in a month or something 

[gyzzzmo]

Good luck, im curious about your advancements.

gyzzzmo

[feddera]

Thanks. As it turns out, it seems to me that a loud left hand was present in all my recordings, not just this one. How I haven't noticed is beyond me, but at least now I have a chance to fix it. I'm posting a recording from last month as well, just to be sure.

[gyzzzmo]

I dont know if youre recording it with a microphone, maybe its not placed well or the equaliser isnt tuned well? Or you just play too loud with your left hand :p

[feddera]

Lol, that would make me feel silly, but the recorder is placed at the centre, one foot away from the backside of my piano, so the placement should be fine. I am recording with a zoom H4 in case you're wondering. Another thing is that I haven't really thought about playing with different dynamics with my right and left hand, and most tings you don't think about has a tendency to come out wrong.

[violinist]

Feddera,

Nice one!  I've not played this, but I like your version   You have some nice dynamics going.  Your piano (like mine) sounds a little out of tune!!  You probably knew that - us humble violinists are sensitive to tunings.

Getting that left hand soft is a challenge I think for all pianists.  You have some fancy finger work with the right hand - wow

[feddera]

Thank you! I've only had my piano tuned one time since I bought it a year ago, but I wouldn't know the difference, my pitch is terrible. 

[violinist]

Thank you! I've only had my piano tuned one time since I bought it a year ago, but I wouldn't know the difference, my pitch is terrible. 

What kind of piano did you get?  Yeah, and me too, I only got my piano tuned once.  Then I moved and it was turned sideways and travelled on the road and landed in my new house and was never tuned after the move.  Yikes.  I've been trying to get a piano tuner to come, but I can't seem to coordinate my schedule during normal working hours with a piano tuner.... Maybe I'll hire a baby sitter to let the tuner in.

Take my word for it.  It can use a tuning.  I think your piano will stay in tune longer if you tune it regularly in the beginning.  Don't do as I do... you can do better!  It's especially obvious (to me) that your piano is out of tune when you play those octaves.

With that said, my goal is to get my piano tuned within the next 6 weeks!  I wanted to say that so that I would actually do it.

[feddera]

My piano is a Yamaha B-2 upright. While not a first class piano like your Steinway, it has really been a faithful friend this year, and it is quite possibly the best purchase I've ever done. Besides, last year the hardest pieces I could play were a simpified version of the entertainer, and "jingle bells". Maybe it's just me beeing weird, but I would feel kinda silly playing those on an expensive grand. Now, op10/1 on the other hand... 

Actually, the piano was tuned two months ago(, it's first and only tuning), and the tuner said it should stay in tune for 6 months. If it really is that bad, maybe I'll call him for another tuning in May or something, then it's been 4 months.

Finally my bad pitch pays of. Sort of, lol.

[violinist]

 

Gotta watch out for some tuners.  Some of them can't tune very well for some reason.  I usually warn the tuners that I'm pretty picky, so when their done, I test it out

Sounds like a bad problem to have (for me) I guess.