Beethoven Piano Sonata #5 In C Minor, Op. 10, No. 5 - 3. Finale

[bonjing]

Hello! I am having rhythmic problems on this piece. How do I play measure 34? I really don't know how to play the triplets. I keep using the metronome but it doesn't help me at all. When I play hands separately everything is fine but when I play both hands, my counting is not accurate. Please help me on how to play it correctly.

thanks.

[vviola]

One triplet should be equal to a group of four eighth notes. Two triplets should equal one beat. Play the octaves in the right hand slowly, start counting the beats, and then add the triplets. In this case you should think of the triplets as the melody and the octaves as a clock, or a metronome. As an exercise you can turn your metronome on to cut time at a slow tempo, play the octaves, and then practice triplets in C minor. Again, two triplets count as one beat.

[feddera]

Haha, I remember having the hardest time learning this passage. Maybe if I knew how to approach it correctly from the beginning I would have saved some time. What did not help me at all was playing it super-slow with counting to get the rythm correct. At tempo you don't have time for that anyway. Now this is 4 against 3, I'm assuming you know how to play 2 against 3? I did two things to get this down:

1) First practice the entire passage with octaves instead of broken octaves (eight notes instead of 16ths).

2) Just set the metronome to 120, play the first triplet pluss the first note in the next one 5 times. Let the metronome keep ticking, and do the same for the broken octaves, that is, 4 notes and the first one on the next beat. Then just try playing both hands together. Probably it will take a few tries, but after repeating the process several times you will know how to play the first few notes hands together. Then do the same for the next triplet. After playing all of them, you just start combining them, and finally you will have the whole passage down.

This is pretty tedious, but it worked for me!

[nanabush]

Oh my god.  I did this sonata this year, and out of the entire thing, that is the part that I found by FAR the most difficult.  I didn't even see any passages in the Pathetique that I found harder.  I'm fine with the rhythms, but just at that speed it is SO hard to keep the octaves steady while doing the triplets underneath.


I feel your pain!! 

[vanbeethoven]

I remember how I kind of cheated my way through this passage. Being too lazy to figure out the 4-3 rhythm, I just recorded the right hand part  with my phone (at about 120bpm), plugged in my headphones, and practiced the left hand part with the metronome. It was a bit tricky timing the recording with the metronome but after 15 minutes of practise I had managed that passage.

[bonjing]

ahh my piano teacher is going to hate me forever because I always suck at rhythm. I was actually working on the 2nd movement which is the Adagio then I had trouble with the rhythm so he stopped me working the piece and moved on to this last movement. I find the last movement much better because it's more fun and challenging but AHHH measure 34 is killing me..

alright guys,ill keep on practicing and practicing till i get it.