Scriabin etude op.2 no1

[instromp]

Hi pianostreet community,

this recording is from a recital from a few months ago and simply looking for some critique on it. This was my first ever scriabin piece to learn and even though it's only two pages, it seemed like a real monster to learn musically. Not my best but not my worst, there are two noticeable mistakes at 0:33 and 0:53 and the ending may seem a big strange but other than that, I believe I did well with it considering the quake that was going on with my hands 

Cheers

[goldentone]

Very nice, Instromp.  You play with great feeling.  The main thing that stands out as far as criticism is that you need to heed the dynamics.  You start out too loud, and there really is no variation in your dynamics, yet in the score the dynamics change quite a bit.

I look forward to hearing more.

[rachfan]

Hi instromp,

I think this etude is coming along well.  I know you were probably nervous in the recital, but the thing I most noticed here was many wrong notes.  I don't think it resulted from having to play for a live audience as much to do with the nature of the piece and the preparation (although I know you've worked hard on this).  Thorough preparation is always the best antidote for nerves.
 

I've not played this etude, but am familiar with it.  As I look at the score I see some issues that can easily foster problems in getting the notes right.  Here are the factors: 1) The figuration is a moving musical line consisting of double notes, chords and octaves where you also have to worry about voicing the melody. 2) Scriabin decides to change the key signature four times, so just as you get used to playing in one signature, he turns the table around and you have to change into another key while letting go of the prior one. 3) At various times he tosses some accidentals into the mix so that you won't get overly comfortable.  

So what you really need here more than anything, I believe, is a sense of security in your playing.  If I were playing this, here's a practice strategy I would try in this situation:

1) Getting back to fundamentals, first I would practice more slowly, probably adagio in order to work for accuracy.

2) I would start by playing hands alone, starting with the left hand.  Most pianists find that if there are wrong notes, the LH is more often than not the culprit.  Once you play that hand alone, you'll probably find places where it doesn't "know" its part nearly as well as the RH.  That usually comes as a surprise. Once that is going smoothly, then turn attention to the RH alone.  In hands alone mode, for purposes of accuracy, play at mf or f with strong fingers.  Think of this exercise as being more mechanical that aesthetic for the moment.  So disregard dynamics, as you already know them and can apply them later.

3) Next put both hands together still playing at the slower tempo, and still using the mechanical articulation.  If you get to a difficult spot and you are feeling insecure in the notes, slow even more and do not play any notes until you read the score carefully, then look down at your hands to ensure that your fingers are on the correct keys.  In practice never guess at notes!  Wrong notes form a fast habit, which takes far more effort to undo than to play correct notes in the first place.  And, former wrong notes have a nasty trick of resurfacing... in a recital.  

4) Now turn on the metronome matching this slower tempo.  Play the piece through with the metronome. It's human nature that when you approach something difficult, there is a tendency to slow down.  The metronome will not allow this tendency.  If your have learned the correct notes and they are firmly in your mind and grasp, you'll play through the passage just fine.  If it's still a problem, then there be the inevitable stumble.  So let's suppose that you are successful with most of the playing concerning accuracy, but there are three hard-to-fix places in the score.  Take your pencil and bracket those places, including some lead-in notes and some trailing notes at both ends of the brackets.  As you practice those spots intensively, the extra notes will keep it in context so that when you play it in the score, it will be more natural than a purely isolated problem spot.  Turn the metronome off for now.  The goal is never to play metronomically.  So use the metronome sparingly.  

5) Once accuracy is gain and you feel more confident, attempt to play at your normal tempo in andante, but not mechanically.  Play artistically including all the dynamics and expression.  If that seemed successful, turn on the metronome to normal tempo, and play through again.  If there are a couple of stumbles, are they ones you had marked and worked on intensively?  If yes, play them while watching what your hands are doing.  Is a hand shifting with a jerk?  That's likely indicating a fingering problem. Can you find a better fingering that's smoother during execution of the passage?  Was there one suggested by the composer perhaps?  Or, is there a possibility of redistributing the music there between the two hands, allowing one hand to assist the other?  Can the whole playing apparatus help?  For example, if you move the right elbow father from the trunk, does the upper arm then better position the forearm and hand over the notes?  Or, does the hand maybe need to be more anticipatory--that is getting into proper position more quickly in order to be ready to play on time?  This kind of analysis is often referred to as the "choreographing" of the hands, that is, finding the optimal preparation, positioning and timing to best cope with a problematic figure.

6) Once you attain accuracy at the proper tempo, turn on the metronome and push it just a little faster (one or two notches) to see if you can still play accurately.  If so, that means you have some built-in safety margin and should be able to play the piece without mishaps.

This is not the only method, of course, to solving an accuracy problem.  But it gets back to fundamentals and often works well.

I hope this is helpful.

David  

[johnlewisgrant]

This is a good start.   The above crit is very useful; everything is covered.  If you can get a copy of Pletnev playing these, you will hear them pretty much as Scriabin might have intended them (not the Pletnevization that can happen with him).  These preludes are, when recorded susceptable to all the issues inherent in the recording process, much more so than, say, Bach's keyboard music, which can survive the worst technology.  In very general terms, I would think melodic line, melodic line, and again, melodic line.  Imagine the piano is singing, and soften the bass accompaniment.

It's there technically; time to take more emotional risks.

JG

[emma84]

Hi pianostreet community,

this recording is from a recital from a few months ago and simply looking for some critique on it. This was my first ever scriabin piece to learn and even though it's only two pages, it seemed like a real monster to learn musically. Not my best but not my worst, there are two noticeable mistakes at 0:33 and 0:53 and the ending may seem a big strange but other than that, I believe I did well with it considering the quake that was going on with my hands 

Cheers

I like it))

[pianoplayjl]

Not bad at all!