Haydn: Scherzo from Sonata in F Hob XVI/9

[slane]

Hi,

  I'm thinking of sitting the AMEB 3rd grade exam and this was one of the first pieces I learnt this year in my piano renaissance. It isn't on the syllabus anymore (actually I think its a 2nd grade piece now ) so it will be "extra list".

  Now I know I am a poor pianist and not looking to show off here but genuinely looking for feedback in lieu of a teacher, so can you tell me what would be the thing that would improve this performance by 80%? Or at least make the most significant improvement?

ta
Samantha

[pianisten1989]

Play it sloooowly.

Haydn is difficult in that way that, if you don't play it perfectly even it will sound bad very easily.
So slow it down until you can play everything perfectly even. Do that first, then record again, and we can go more into detail, but it's difficult to do that in this stage.

[slane]

OK here it is again "sloooowly"
Not sure what you mean by "even". Even tempo? Loudness? Just generally consistently?

Thanks for your help.

-s

[pianisten1989]

I'll try to post a audio-lesson soon, but I don't have time right now.. I'll explain there

[slane]

Thanks! Meanwhile I keep playing it sloooowly and tying to get it at an even tempo.

[pianisten1989]

And if I don't find the time right now, try to make all 16th note have the same length. One shouldn't be faster or slower than the other.

[slane]

Right! Yes! Thankyou! This was exactly the sort of advice I was looking for. I've been listening really hard and playing slowly and evenly, concentrating on those 16ths, since your post. Will keep it up.

[slane]

So I've been very diligent. Starting at about 1/2 speed and playing as smoothly as I could and my husband even walked in the door and said "gosh that's smooth" totally un-preempted.
But then I got upto about 3/4 speed and the unequal notes started cropping up at the two places where I go over on my thumb on a descending scale. I play totally old school "thumb under" so its back to F major scale and work out a better way to get over that thumb!

[slane]

Ooookkk ... here I am again I think I've made sgnigicant progress. All those little notes are much more distinct and even. Some tempo changes and a bit of thumb banging but ... well an improvement at any rate.

[pianisten1989]

Ok, listen carefully:

Do you have a metronome? If you don't, get one. You really need to get the scales to get even, and you need a way more even tempo. Only after one bar, you have a new tempo..

And play the reprises, or else it doesn't make any sense.

That's what I mean by even. Don't try to fix this in one week, cause you wont. No one fix these things in one week, and it will only take longer time if you think that you will.

Play it slowly.
Make sure the chords aren't louder than the melody. Then the left hand has got the melody, the right hand must play way softer.
Keep playing it slowly.
Don't do an accent on the last note.
Keep playing it slowly. Everything should be perfectly even.
Then play it slightly faster. If you can't play that evenly, play it a bit slower again.
Do that until you get the next tempo right.
Then do the same from that tempo.

And don't rush.

[slane]

Thanks.
I do have a metronome and I have played it slowly and then slightly faster and then slightly faster, over and over every day so you see I did listen carefully. And repeats are not to be played in exams unless requested.
I think I might give it a rest now for a few weeks.
Thanks for your help, I will see if I can apply those principles to something else.

[mousekowski]

Well done for posting up another recording of this piece after a period of intense practice. Do other people regularly do this in the Audition Room? If not, why not?! It must be a great way to make progress.