Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 2

[maddenleaman]

I'm confused about the grouping of the arpeggios in the beginning of Rachmaninoff's Concerto No. 2.  Should they be grouped as they appear in the score (triplets, group of five, group of four, group of five), or should they be grouped (group of eight, group of nine)?  Any help would be appreciated.

[riskarb]

I would LOVE to play them solid (like bells tolling) but my hands are too small.

[jlh]

I'm confused about the grouping of the arpeggios in the beginning of Rachmaninoff's Concerto No. 2.  Should they be grouped as they appear in the score (triplets, group of five, group of four, group of five), or should they be grouped (group of eight, group of nine)?  Any help would be appreciated.

The important thing to think about is not how to group the notes in smaller sets, but to make them fit within the larger beats.  You'll notice there is an accent on each half-note pulse, so in answer to your question, they should be grouped exactly how they look --group of 8, group of 9, etc.  Hope this helps!

Best,
Josh

[maddenleaman]

Thanks so much.  I thought that made more sense. 

-Madden

[orangesodaking]

I would LOVE to play them solid (like bells tolling) but my hands are too small.

I think he meant the arpeggios after the intro, not the introductory chords. I agree with you, roll if you need to! I think jlh is right.