My Works in Progress...

[perfect_pitch]

Hey Guys - hopefully I'll be able to start uploading snippets from the works I am currently studying... the first one I would like to present is a WIP version of the first movement from Stravinsky's 3 Movements from Petrushka.

I know it's rough around the edges, but I don't need help in regards to the notes or anything... I just need help on the character of the piece. And any tips that will help me to relax or tips to help me with speeding it up. I'm currently doing it at about 70% of the tempo which I can usually get almost accurate practically... but yesterday was the first time I wanted to get a taste at playing it at the real speed.

Any comments would be appreciated - This exam I'm studying for is in September.

[go12_3]

You know, I'm not in the position to recommend what you need to do for improving
this piece, but you sure kept it lively and interesting with your technique which is
impeccable.  What amazes me is how this whole piece kept the same tempo and
then suddenly a pause....that's when I took a breath, and then it resumed to the
fast paced tempo.  To give this piece more color, how about diverse dynamics, I feel
it sounds the same during the fast passages,  probably cresendo and decresendo
(I can't tell you specifically where though).  Perhaps, work on the right and left hand
interchanging dynamics, play the right hand a bit louder than the left. 
Over all, this piece has an energy and you conveyed that through your playing, keep up the good work, Perfect Pitch and best wishes on your exam in September.   

[rachfan]

Hi perfect_pitch

First, I enjoyed listened to your Petrushka.  At the slower tempo it's amazing to hear the details in the piece!  I think you've made fine progress.  You've got those scalar leaps in the LH under control too.  Regarding increasing the tempo, here are some thoughts:

1.  In practice, for a change, whatever is legato, play it staccato, and whatever is staccato and nonlegato play it legato.  This should provide you an even surer touch which will be more conducive to faster playing.

2. Try metronome drills whereby you nearly imperceptibly and incrementally increase the tempo, only two or three notches at a time, so as to fool the brain into thinking that there has been no increase.  (Don't actually play with the metronome, just get the higher tempo and play.)  When you start making mistakes, make a note of the setting and go no higher.  Isolate the place(s) where the breakdowns occurred and give them intensive therapy.  At the next session, start working the tempos upward again.

3.  The movement is marked stringendo (accelerate the time) with a marking of MM = 100.  However, when many composers played their own works, it's suprising how many proceeded to ignore their own metronome markings.  So perhaps you only need to approach 100, but not necessarily attain it.  I do understand performance practices, but then again there can be some latitude for reasonable interpretation or variance within a tempo marking.

4.  Play fast music to the extent possible with flatter rather than curved fingers.

5.  When it comes down to it, just will it to happen!  

6.  Remember, in the end it's far better to play at a tempo considering your own technique that allows for accuracy, musicality, musicianship and artistry, rather than having the piece suffer from too fast a tempo. This becomes the artist's judgment call on where to draw the line.

I hope there is something here that will be helpful to you in your quest.  Good luck and keep practicing!

[perfect_pitch]

3.  The movement is marked stringendo (accelerate the time) with a marking of MM = 100.

Really - I have the marking on my sheet music which states MM = 112 (one said MM = 116)...

I am currently still practicing the piece at MM = 78 which I can play almost perfectly - although I only posted this to see if I was getting close to having the endurance to play it at full speed.

Thanks for the comments rachfan, go12_3 - don't worry - I'm still working on it and will do until September.

[emill]

As part of the general public who loves to regularly watch and listen to whatever concerts we have in this part of the world, I would like to say that you seem to be an excellent pianist! Although you must forgive me for not daring to comment on the technical aspects for my utter lack of qualification.  But still my ears which I feel would qualify to the upper 10th percentile of the concert going public tells me you are really good!  

[perfect_pitch]

Thank you - and to think I still have 8 months to continue working on this - I hope to bring a truly perfected performance around middle or late july.

[rachfan]

Hi perfect_pitch

Please bring the piece back again later on so we can hear it again.  You're doing a really fine job with it! 

[perfect_pitch]

I will - hopefully in April, or possibly July.

[jeroen991]

I like it 

[perfect_pitch]

Okay - This is my recording of the 2nd Movement... The middle section is still a little slow, but I'm working on it.

And this is my recording of most of the 3rd Movement... The whole thing is a little slower, since I was aiming for accuracy for this recording and cleanliness...

Hopefully I'll also be able to post a few variations of the Brahms Paganini... and the Bach Partita soon.

[perfect_pitch]

Okay - Here's the first video of a selection of the variations I am working on for the Brahms Variations on a theme by Paganini...

Some of them are just a little slower than the recommended speed, but I plan to continue spending the rest of the year until September speeding them up and polishing them off.

Any comments to help me with either the Beethoven, the Brahms or the Stravinsky would be greatly appreciated.

[perfect_pitch]

So no one has any advice they can give regarding the Stravinsky Mov 2 & 3... or the Brahms???

I am asking for help and I would love any you can give.

[Steffen Fahl]

YOu shold not be without comment. I chose to comment the Brahms, since I played this pieces the longest time of thoses you practices right now. OK I dont say anything about the instrument which is at least OK for practicing. It seems to me quite reasonable to hold back the tempo and obviously for the Variations 6-8 thats still not slow enough. If you should play this in september I would recommend to put now your absolute priority on correctness and on the colour as you do already quite well.Just some short remarks to the previous variations, of which I am happy to see you mastering the Var 1+2 quite well. For the theme I would show more  that almost every chord is arpeggiated. Right now you play those arpeggiations if you play them at all so fast, that a violinist would hardly manage on his instruments. Since Brahms try to mimic the violin here I think the arpeggiation of the chords should be better perceivable. In Variation 3 you may perhaps take still abit more care of the sforzati, meanwhile the quite romantic if not impressionistic piano you give this variation is quite charming. I wished you would have spent a bit more of that also to the accompagniation of Var.4. Im my opinion the Quarternote beats are here at the moment to stritly accentuated meanwhile I think the melody of the trills and chords disappeare somtimes behind those accompagning octaveleaps. 
In Var 10 be aware not to establish two totally different tempos of the bars when the left hand is in the bass region (to fast) and when it is in the discant (to much rubato). The Andante I would not take to slow.  Var.12  I would mark and arpeggiate the Oktaves at the end of each phrase  a bit more. Some of the decimes in Var. 13 are arpeggiated good some not enough in my opinion. I must not remark the Octaves in the right hand. I think you know what has to be done. Why did you skip the wonderfull Var.14. For me op.35 are two volumes. The first Var of the second deserves more technical  work than the one of Vol I.  all in all it seems to me quite ambitious to try both volumes at least as they sound right now. The decimes in Var.4 are not arpeggiated! and why did you skip Var.7 -10 (why not also 11?) but Paganinivariation just with lyrical variations  is not the same thing.  I would try to avoid so strong marked quarternotes in Var.13, to let it better flow.
I hope you found some helpful hints in my remarks
best
Steffen

[perfect_pitch]

WOW... Holy crap - good to see you ARE actually capable of giving good feedback...

For once, I shall not criticise your comments. I know there are a number of mistakes due to my tempo choices right now, and the reason for that is I'm trying to push the level of stamina I have for these pieces. Playing the Stravinsky Petrouchka and the Brahms Paganini in one setting is bloody hard, so in this recording I was seeing how far I could push the tempo without making (too) many mistakes.

The theme however I have been told explicitly by my teacher that they are to be fast almost, but not quite to the point of playing them as a chord. Plus - if you actually listen to the 24th caprice by Paganini, there are no arpeggiated notes in the theme.. Paganini wrote them simply as a single note, which Brahms decided to ornament and put in the arpeggiations. A violinist may not be able to play them that fast, but they don't technically have to play them at all... the piano player can.

But I'm just going by what my teachers telling me - I do trust her however, greatly.

I did also choose to omit a few variations simply because they are BLOODY hard at this point in time, and I barely have control over them even at a slower speed.

I thank you for your very constructive comments. There seems to be a bit of musician behind you after all.       Good to know...

OK I dont say anything about the instrument which is at least OK for practicing.

Wait a minute... What do you mean it's 'at least OK for practicing' That's a 6-month old brand new Yamaha C5 worth about $40,000??? What's wrong with it?

[Steffen Fahl]

WOW... Holy crap - good to see you ARE actually capable of giving good feedback...

I hope it might help you to react on my music a bit more civilized to. 

For once, I shall not criticise your comments. I know there are a number of mistakes due to my tempo choices right now, and the reason for that is I'm trying to push the level of stamina I have for these pieces. Playing the Stravinsky Petrouchka and the Brahms Paganini in one setting is bloody hard, so in this recording I was seeing how far I could push the tempo without making (too) many mistakes.

I think that is pretty clear, everybody understands and I hope that I didn't stress that aspect to much.

The theme however I have been told explicitly by my teacher that they are to be fast almost, but not quite to the point of playing them as a chord. Plus - if you actually listen to the 24th caprice by Paganini, there are no arpeggiated notes in the theme.. Paganini wrote them simply as a single note, which Brahms decided to ornament and put in the arpeggiatwith ions. A violinist may not be able to play them that fast, but they don't technically have to play them at all... the piano player can.

Of course you are right that the tempo of those arpeggiations is a matter of interpretation, and I admit I may be a bit corrupted by playing also the Liszt-version of those Variations which force with much larger arpeggiated Chords more perceivable arpeggiations. To me that doesn’t seemso unreasonable for Brahms to. But of course those subtleties are a matter of personal decision.

But I'm just going by what my teachers telling me - I do trust her however, greatly.

I would do it the same way if I were in your situation.

I did also choose to omit a few variations simply because they are BLOODY hard at this point in time, and I barely have control over them even at a slower speed.

Who ever tried the Paganinis know that this absolutly true. So to play the first Volume well already deserves respect.

I thank you for your very constructive comments. There seems to be a bit of musician behind you after all.       Good to know...

In my opinion with open mind and open ears you would have been able to recognize that earlier to.

Wait a minute... What do you mean it's 'at least OK for practicing' That's a 6-month old brand new Yamaha C5 worth about $40,000??? What's wrong with it?

Oh nothing, - we have discussed that theme earlier and I know that you count on unplayed grandpianos in concert halls and I think it is not the place here to discuss this question again, better hold on to practise and try to be more careful in your judgement of other Forummembers next time.
Best
Steffen

[perfect_pitch]

In my opinion with open mind and open ears you would have been able to recognize that earlier to ... /// ...and try to be more careful in your judgement of other Forummembers next time.

I should have recognised this earlier??? No... the impression you gave off in your other thread was that of a pompous prick... and so far I had no idea that you were a civilised person, up until your last post.

And don't lecture me about my judgement of other members... So far you've written almost 100 posts and only one of them so far has shown me that you're not a complete arsehole... so at least there's some good in you.

Maybe you might stop pissing off the other members also and try to get along... if your first post in my thread is anything to go by, you could actually add something to this site that you haven't done so far... Prove to the other members that your worth of being here... You've taken the first step by saying something critical but opinionated, without insulting or derogatory comments... Don't spoil it.

But I thank you for your comments about the Brahms... What did you think of the Stravinsky?



PS... Whats with all the quotes though? I know what I already wrote...

[Steffen Fahl]

I should have recognised this earlier??? No... the impression you gave off in your other thread was that of a pompous prick... and so far I had no idea that you were a civilised person, up until your last post.

Sorry, it definitly was not at all me who slammed anyone, it definitly was not at all me who became colloquial. And as I directed your submission here precise and detailed, I did it also in my thread.
Study the whole thread. You will find no inconcrete, overgeneralized judgments without any concrete relation to the music itself. But for every mentioned musical aspect serious discussions of the aspects mentioned. If I would have posted here as you did in my thread I would not even mentioned a single bar you played, but posted with primitiv wording and so on what You seem to think would be "fun to criticise". So perhaps you think me guilty for the misbehavior of others. And please If you can show anything I said here might be proved to be wrong let me know, otherwise I would prefer if you try to criticise my music as I did it with yours: honestly and without palliation, but still respectful.
I think this is not such a monstrous demand.

... So far you've written almost 100 posts and only one of them so far has shown me that you're not a complete arsehole... so at least there's some good in you.

If it were like this, just show me any of my posting that might justify those still harsh assaults. Like

complete arsehole, pissing off the other members

I personally wont make any use at all of those kind of words and thaughts. That is why I cant understand those reactions of the other paticipants
If I might be wrong. Please show it, prove it otherwise allow yourself, to reflect on your own opinions.

But I thank you for your comments about the Brahms... What did you think of the Stravinsky? 

I prefered the Brahms, since 1) there was more need for a response, 2) I like the piece and played it for a long time. In 20 century I am more the typ of Messiaen-guy. I think other would do a better job to judge your Stravinsky-interpretation.
best
Steffen
P.S.: Quoting does not mean anything critical in it self, it is just the way I am used to precisly answer.

[prongated]

Wait a minute... What do you mean it's 'at least OK for practicing' That's a 6-month old brand new Yamaha C5 worth about $40,000??? What's wrong with it?

...it's not money well spent by your university. Really. And actually, I'll go one further and say avoid practising on it, unless you REALLY have to or can't find any other grand piano.

Where I study presently we have a bunch of them, and they give the piano technicians (yeap, the school's got 2 employed full time ) a hard time. The hammers don't behave to voicing works as they would expect. As for me, I find their bass lacking in character and definition - there's a lot of volume, but it's shallow. Even the significantly smaller Kawai RX-2 has a much better bass sound. Not to mention tone, touch responsiveness, dynamic possibilities...anyway, those Yamahas absolutely limit one's musical perception, creativity, and imagination, and also consequently technique.

You know, recently my school orchestra gave a performance of Poulenc's concerto for 2 pianos with my colleagues on brand new Steinway and Yamaha concert grands, and really, the Yamaha is at most about 1/3 a piano the Steinway is - completely different level of sound refinement, absolutely no comparison!

...anyway, that's material for the "instruments" board, and in any case probably a biased view (I really do believe that any real musician will find Yamaha pianos are not good musical instruments though, although their bikes and boats...). But I remember asking about the piano for your Beethoven op. 109, and indeed it's not a surprise that I find myself wanting more variety in tone colour.

[and sorry...no comments from me for the Stravinsky - I hate Petrushka! - or the Brahms Pag - don't know it well enough to comment properly!]

[perfect_pitch]

...it's not money well spent by your university. Really. And actually, I'll go one further and say avoid practising on it, unless you REALLY have to or can't find any other grand piano.

Well - right now it's the only thing I have to practice on... I can't get onto the Yamaha C7 because it's always locked... and the steinway apparently is 20 years old and going to be replaced soon... but again - don't ever get access to that either.

And sadly enough that seems to be the only grand piano I can get access to... Plus it beats the sh*t out of the upright pianos they have there.

I'm doing my best with the equipment I've got... i do however hope to upload a proper performance of my pieces in April, and again in July, which will hopefully be on a better piano.

But I remember asking about the piano for your Beethoven op. 109, and indeed it's not a surprise that I find myself wanting more variety in tone colour.

No problem - you made some very good critical comments which I paid great attention to... so thanks for your help in that.

[prongated]

Well - right now it's the only thing I have to practice on... I can't get onto the Yamaha C7 because it's always locked... and the steinway apparently is 20 years old and going to be replaced soon... but again - don't ever get access to that either.

You mean the room it is in, or the piano? If just the piano, bring a piano key, or borrow from someone who has one - it's universal across Yamaha, and other makers too I'm sure!

...and why are they replacing a 20-year old Steinway? That's crazy, unless it's been bashed to bits and never gets the maintenance it needs! Not that I'd refuse a brand new Steinway of course ^^

I'm doing my best with the equipment I've got... i do however hope to upload a proper performance of my pieces in April, and again in July, which will hopefully be on a better piano.

I'm sure you absolutely are - otherwise I think why else would you continue uploading? Keep it up! And to be fair, the Yamaha isn't totally dead wood - you can get tone variety out of it, but you just have to work a little harder to get it

[perfect_pitch]

Thanks man... and the reason they're replacing it apparently is because it has been bashed to bits... You have university piano students playing on it constantly and it has been performed on thousands of times...

And it has actually been maintained fairly well by the technician who keeps the pianos in top condition. I know they guy - he's brilliant at what he does.