Fantasie Impromptu Project

[candlelightpiano]

I'd love to watch you play it. I think it's possible for someone in Gr 5 to learn this piece. You certainly learned it FAST! Do you have a YouTube Channel with other pieces you've played? I'm having a bit of trouble with the fingering from bars 29 onward. What edition are you using? I have Alfred Masterwork, Willard Palmer. I think I'll go and check out some other editions online to see what kind of fingering they have for those bars.

You're 14 hours ahead of me so I will wish you a very Happy and Healthy New Year! Do you celebrate Chinese New Year?

[caioramos]

I am from Muar,Johor. Well in all honesty I dont know what grade I am supposed to be in. I have been told that I am learning Grade 5 but the teacher still taught me FI.

Besides, I dont play with a metronome. Its more like I dont know how to use one. I am gonna post my video performing it right after I perfect the ending.

wow it´s hard to believe a grade 5 can play this and moreover learn it in a about just a month, but if you can you are surely NOT level 5 to begin with or your teacher got your grade wrong or I don´t know, tell me about your last pieces your learned, also how long do you play the piano? If you don´t know how to use the metronome is hard to believe your playing it correctly. I would love to see your playing

Kyle

[idreamofpiano]

i will try to get one up next weeek. this is just awesome. and i'm glad more ppl think like i do. 'consistency! =) hope you have an awesome new years! @twirler, since you have worked on this particular piece as well. any positive criticism would be welcome. hope you all have a happy new year! ~~

[candlelightpiano]

wow it´s hard to believe a grade 5 can play this and moreover learn it in a about just a month, but if you can you are surely NOT level 5 to begin with or your teacher got your grade wrong or I don´t know, tell me about your last pieces your learned, also how long do you play the piano? If you don´t know how to use the metronome is hard to believe your playing it correctly. I would love to see your playing

Kyle

Welcome back, Kyle, and a very Happy New Year to you! I wish I had his teacher when I had a teacher. I was bored with piano lessons back then because my teachers always made me play boring pieces that I wasn't interested in.

[candlelightpiano]

i will try to get one up next weeek. this is just awesome. and i'm glad more ppl think like i do. 'consistency! =) hope you have an awesome new years! @twirler, since you have worked on this particular piece as well. any positive criticism would be welcome. hope you all have a happy new year! ~~

You, too! You have a very happy and healthy new year! I'm happy to say goodbye to 2011. I'm hoping to do a video next week, too. It's still quite messy but I think it's better than it was last week. I'm hoping to have learned the new passage from bar 30 to the end of part A by the time I do the video. Look forward to your video.

[twirler]

Well Kyle would you like to see my playing now, though not perfect and alot of mistakes, or would you like to wait till I mastered the piece first? I learned rondo alla turca before this piece if that is what you are asking.

Maybe I had to learn grade 5 since I never took any theory exams before, since I saw someone post about you cant take further exams grades if you havent pass grade 5 theory.

[caioramos]

I would like to see it now, its ok its not mastered yet, when you master it you can record again to see your progress.

[candlelightpiano]

Twirler: I look forward to your video. Rondo Alla Turca is also a fairly difficult piece. You must be very talented or your teacher would not have you playing all these difficult pieces in Gr 5. Do you have perfect pitch? I can't remember what theory grade you have to do before you can move on forward for the ABRSM. It was so long ago. Have you done any of your practical exams?

I only wish I had a teacher like yours when I was taking piano lessons. The only teacher I liked was the one who took me from beginner to Gr 4. After that, the other teachers were so boring!

[caioramos]

yeah maybe he has theory grade 5 but his playing is higher, which is something usual from what I've seen

[candlelightpiano]

Well Kyle would you like to see my playing now, though not perfect and alot of mistakes, or would you like to wait till I mastered the piece first? I learned rondo alla turca before this piece if that is what you are asking.

Maybe I had to learn grade 5 since I never took any theory exams before, since I saw someone post about you cant take further exams grades if you havent pass grade 5 theory.

Instead of asking what piano grade you're in, perhaps I should have asked how long you've had lessons?

[candlelightpiano]

yeah maybe he has theory grade 5 but his playing is higher, which is something usual from what I've seen

Also, Gr 5 piano is not the same as Gr 5 in grade school. He may be very talented as well. Kyle, you learned Fantasie in two months and you've only been playing piano for one year or less!! If you can do it, surely Twirler can, too!

[caioramos]

The only difference is that I learned grade 5 pieces, grade 6 pieces, grade 7 pieces, grade 8 pieces to finally learn Fantasie-Impromptu which is  a 8+ piece. So its a progressive path. A person who is playing just grade 5 stuff which consists of for example Bach inventions and Mozart sonata 545 and then suddenly tackles Fantasie-Impromptu I can't see how this person can succeed you see?

Twirler said he plays Rondo alla turca, which is around a level 8 piece, so that's ok! But he is not grade 5 to begin with. But if he does play alla turca and his teacher misplaced his playing grade level, than surely he can play FI! Otherwise is hard to believe.

Even child prodigies go through easier grades, the thing is that they progress really fast, learn fast, but it's not like one day they are playing a minuet and the other a concerto.

[candlelightpiano]

Yeah, I understand what you're saying. I, too, was surprised when Twirler said he or she was in Gr 5 and doing FI! And finished it in 5 weeks! Well, I look forward to Twirler's video. I have a feeling he or she is playing at a much higher level than Gr5. I know that when I was doing Gr 5 pieces, I couldn't have done FI, even if I wanted to. And my teachers always told me I was a very fast learner.

So do you plan to do a video of the Rev etude this week?

[caioramos]

Yeah! I will record my video this week hopefully! Ill let you know when its up! =)

[twirler]

Sorry, I missed a post by candlelightpiano. Yeah I do celebrate Chinese New Year. Gong Hei Fat Choy! Actually my theory is only Grade 4, just starting out. And no I never had any piano examinations before, that's why I don't which grade I should start out when I first take lessons.

[caioramos]

Just posted my second video Choo!
go take a look at my topic!

Also, looking forward to your next one!

[candlelightpiano]

Yeah! I will record my video this week hopefully! Ill let you know when its up! =)

Yours will sound better than mine! I seem to be in a slump. I was doing quite well yesterday so I thought maybe I should record a video and you know what happened when I tried!    So I am slowing it ALL down again and hoping to record something, anything, this week!!

[candlelightpiano]

Sorry, I missed a post by candlelightpiano. Yeah I do celebrate Chinese New Year. Gong Hei Fat Choy! Actually my theory is only Grade 4, just starting out. And no I never had any piano examinations before, that's why I don't which grade I should start out when I first take lessons.

  Oh, it's not CNY yet, right? I just received an email from a gift shop in KL about their CNY hampers for Jan 23. Wish I could be back in KL. I miss Malaysian food big time! I always have a craving for it. How long have you been taking lessons? My Fantasie is kind of in a slump. It was better yesterday but now, it's worse! I don't plan to allow it to defeat me, though! Still hoping to do a video this week. Don't hurry with yours. Take your time. We're not in a race here.

[caioramos]

I still need to record my Fantasie-Impromptu for you Choo!

[candlelightpiano]

I still need to record my Fantasie-Impromptu for you Choo!

YES!!! Before you come up north! I'd like to hear it very much. Are you still practicing it? How many hours do you practice daily?

I'm going to record mine this week, regardless of how good or bad it is (it's BAD!), just like you did with your Rev Etude. I have been procrastinating for too long. I just started working on bars 30 to 40. I'm impressed with your progress in the etude. Now you'll have one more piece for your repertoire. I'm proud of you. You'll do well. Someday, I'll attend your concert performance!

[candlelightpiano]

Well, guys, this is it! I've had it! My play has regressed. I've decided to take some time off from the piano completely. Don't know when I'll be back! But I shall return. Thanks for visiting my blog and thanks for your continued support.

[caioramos]

Nooooooo! This is soo sad Choo =/
I was not expecting for this, tell me you are not giving up! 

[ajspiano]

This is extremely sad..

 

[williampiano]

I'm sorry to hear about this. Hopefully you'll be back soon.
 

[candlelightpiano]

Hi guys:

Don't be sad! I'll be back! I just need some time off. I'm tired and burned out. I need to recharge.

But ...I'll be back. Not giving up!

Choo

[candlelightpiano]

Well, I'm not back yet, as far as getting back to practice but I had an idea last night that I thought would help me get over this slump.

     First, I will break this piece into 5 parts, like a puzzle:

    Section 1: Bars 1 to 24 - this is the section I've been beating up the last two weeks.
    Section 2: Bars 25 to 40
    Section 3: The lyrical middle section - I've got this part memorized
    Section 4: Bars 83 to 102 - Oh, the dreaded Section 1 again but even worse, now at a faster   tempo!
    Section 5: Bars 103 - 138 - Finale

     So, when I'm ready to return to the piano, I plan to work on Sections 2 and 3 and only work on Section 1 when I'm in the mood for it. I've also decided that I will post videos of passages I'm having trouble with and get feedback rather than beat those areas to pieces and burning myself out.

     What do you think? Does this sound like a reasonable plan?  I'm still taking a break for now but I'll be back!

[caioramos]

Hello Choo!

Sounds like a good plan to me.. as far as you don't give up, I'm all good for you planning!
Don't let the piece beat you! Gather forces to continue practicing after you come back from your trip.

Also, I liked the idea of posting little videos with small sections and phrases, it's easier to give advice I guess! You can record at fast and slower tempo, would give us a good view of what you are doing!

Now it's just 11 days till I go North! How's the cold?

Kyle

[candlelightpiano]

Kyle:  Yeah, I got a bit down the other night and realized I had to take time off. I don't think I'll take a month off. I've only been at this piece for 5 weeks, though it may seem like 5 years to some people!    So that's probably why I got burned out, plus I was working on getting that section so bad that it just got worse and worse. And I forgot that I was at the learning stage where I'm bound to have problems with it. After all, it's not the easiest piece on earth! So when I return, I'll work on small sections and videoclip them for feedback. I look forward to hearing you play it. You've been working on it for about 3 months now, right? Though you probably didn't work on it much when you were working like a demon on the Rev!   

We're having a mild January, well, mild for Canada. Right now, it's 2C in Calgary. Oh, tropical!! It's -1 in Winnipeg. You should be fine!

[caioramos]

Kyle:  Yeah, I got a bit down the other night and realized I had to take time off. I don't think I'll take a month off. I've only been at this piece for 5 weeks, though it may seem like 5 years to some people!    So that's probably why I got burned out, plus I was working on getting that section so bad that it just got worse and worse. And I forgot that I was at the learning stage where I'm bound to have problems with it. After all, it's not the easiest piece on earth! So when I return, I'll work on small sections and videoclip them for feedback. I look forward to hearing you play it. You've been working on it for about 3 months now, right? Though you probably didn't work on it much when you were working like a demon on the Rev!   

We're having a mild January, well, mild for Canada. Right now, it's 2C in Calgary. Oh, tropical!! It's -1 in Winnipeg. You should be fine!

I play the FI every other day, sometimes I practice the end section more because it's still quite bad. But yeah, I'm focusing more on the Etude and on the Haydn sonata my teacher there asked me. But Choo, this piece is quite advanced, you don't have to feel bad for having problems, it's not easy piece at all!!

Yay! Thanks to the global warming we have a milder winter in Canada! Here in Brazil this year in the winter we had a minimum of 4 at night and 7 at day. Pretty cold, guess I have an idea what is it like -1.

[idreamofpiano]

choo~don't give it up for even a week. get this piece mastered. at least for me! i started on this selection last year and gave up on it in july. just now starting back because of you! keep working on it till you get it learned and then put it down for a week. and then start memorization. my problem with this piece is that i wanted to memorize the first day, and my anxiety got the best of me, which is why we started these blogs right? just take a deep breath, and keep informing! =) it will be worth it in the end~

[ajspiano]

I read one of bernhards posts yesterday, will quote..

"there are two types of pieces, easy and impossible - the difference is in how you practice them"

I think the point about making videos of smaller trouble sections, both at speed and in slow motion is a really great idea.

Also, I dont think you should feel like you can't post a video because you are having trouble with the piece..  the blog idea is to keep you thinking about your problems and allow others to comment on the problems. Self teaching this kind of thing is a large challenge and you can't expect 100% smooth sailing.

[candlelightpiano]

I play the FI every other day, sometimes I practice the end section more because it's still quite bad. But yeah, I'm focusing more on the Etude and on the Haydn sonata my teacher there asked me. But Choo, this piece is quite advanced, you don't have to feel bad for having problems, it's not easy piece at all!!

Yay! Thanks to the global warming we have a milder winter in Canada! Here in Brazil this year in the winter we had a minimum of 4 at night and 7 at day. Pretty cold, guess I have an idea what is it like -1.

Sound cold in Brazil!! You should have NO problem up here! Of course, there's plenty of winter left and in Calgary, due to the chinook, it can be -30 one day and 20 the next!!!! I'll probably play the piano tonight mostly because there's nothing else to do! Winter nights are so long and it's too cold to be outside. But I will probably play other pieces. Not FI. I'll let you know if I practice Fantasie tonight. I might, on a whim.

[candlelightpiano]

choo~don't give it up for even a week. get this piece mastered. at least for me! i started on this selection last year and gave up on it in july. just now starting back because of you! keep working on it till you get it learned and then put it down for a week. and then start memorization. my problem with this piece is that i wanted to memorize the first day, and my anxiety got the best of me, which is why we started these blogs right? just take a deep breath, and keep informing! =) it will be worth it in the end~

Oh, I'm not planning to give it up! I just needed a little break because I was tearing it to bits!! Chopin would have turned over in his grave! But I feel better and tonight, I might even play it, a bit, anyway, to see how I feel about it. Well, I have nothing else to do with these awfully long, cold winter nights. It's too early to go to bed. I'm a night owl. So what else is there to do but play piano? So I'm going to play, in a moment, but only for a short while.  

I enjoyed your video very much. Thanks for posting it. I'm not the authority on piano playing so my feedback is probably not going to be that helpful for you but I watched your video twice and I think your L.H. is a bit too stiff. Also, you're not coordinating the 4 notes in the RH with the 3 notes in the LH well. I think, too, that you might want to just concentrate on the first page, getting the 4 in 3 note passage right before you move on to the next page because this 4 in 3 note coordination is just about all over the piece, except in the middle lyrical passage so it's important to get it right at the beginning.

Birba made an excellent video to help me with the first page:

The Piano Sage also has a good video by Paul Barton, which will help you coordinate the 4 in 3 note passages:

https://pianosage.blogspot.com/2011/08/how-to-play-chopins-fantasie-impromptu.html

I hope this helps and keep it up!!

[candlelightpiano]

I read one of bernhards posts yesterday, will quote..

"there are two types of pieces, easy and impossible - the difference is in how you practice them"

I think the point about making videos of smaller trouble sections, both at speed and in slow motion is a really great idea.

Also, I dont think you should feel like you can't post a video because you are having trouble with the piece..  the blog idea is to keep you thinking about your problems and allow others to comment on the problems. Self teaching this kind of thing is a large challenge and you can't expect 100% smooth sailing.

Thank you, AJ! You're absolutely right. Somewhere along the way, over the last 5 weeks, I lost my way and forgot about the blog and what it was supposed to be about. If I couldn't play a passage well, I couldn't bear to videotape it so I procrastinated and eventually, destroyed the passage with my frustrations. Now, having taken a day or two to pause and reflect on my journey, I realize my folly and I will remedy it. Thanks once again for your encouragement and support.

[candlelightpiano]

I decided that it was high time I did a recording so here it is. This is what I've been struggling with over the last two weeks.

[ajspiano]

Great to see a new video choo ...tonight I have been playing the first section of FI, up to just after the bars you have focused on in your video. I broke it up into a million pieces so to speak, worked on the transitions between every single note. As a result I have MOUNTAINS to say. - probably enough to fill hours of video and last you years in practice on this and other pieces. Tomorrow evening I will try to put a few things into a video for you.

AJ.

[candlelightpiano]

Goodness gracious!! You sure do a lot for us!! Thank you! I look forward to your video very much.

[caioramos]

Choo!

Why do I always have an impression that your left hand is so much louder than the RH? I'm starting to think it's not your fault, even thou you moved the camera position to your right side, maybe it is the recording or the camera mic I don't know, but I can barely hear your RH when you play HT.

Anyway, I'm very happy you recorded a new video! such a surprise! Keep going!!

Kyle

[candlelightpiano]

Kyle: I don't know why my LH sounds so much louder to you. Maybe it IS louder! I'll listen again.

COMMENT FROM DIRE TONIC

"Regarding bars 17-22. I suspected there was a trick to this, that some players (all players?) were producing their accents on the pinky by synchronizing the pinky notes with the quarter note accents. Birba confirmed this in his 2nd video where he points out that the pinky note becomes the new downbeat. I’ve messed around with the score for bar 17 to demonstrate what I think he’s advocating and I certainly found it works well for me. Do try it out for yourself. I’d recommend working on just cycling bar 17 alone but first of all make sure that you can cycle bar 13 (HT) so that you can play it on autopilot, accent on the thumb.

Now, for bar 17, cycle this instead.




These are the exact same notes you were cycling in bar 13 but the entire RH pattern as been shifted a 16th note earlier. The pinky accents should now be quite easy once you get into the loop since they correspond exactly with the dominant LH notes which fall on the quarter notes. Once you’ve got into the pattern you should then be able to launch yourself into the remaining bars (omitting the transitional G# which is there only for cycling).

Also, my video can be viewed on my blog:

https://projectfantasie.blogspot.com/2012/01/fantasie-impromptu-section-1-accented.html

[caioramos]

Haha, there is someone called ZoeCalgary on pianoworld!! it's a sign for me!! 

[candlelightpiano]

Haha, there is someone called ZoeCalgary on pianoworld!! it's a sign for me!! 

You're too funny! Zoe is great. Perhaps I should tell her about you going to Calgary.

[caioramos]

Yes! tell her, maybe she knows Mount royal conservatory or even studied there!

[candlelightpiano]

OK! I'll leave her a message now. It would be fun for you to know someone there. Do you know anyone there at all?

[caioramos]

I don't, not in person at least, but I have been talking with my teacher there already via email. But that's all.

[candlelightpiano]

I just posted a message to Zoe. Can you please take a look at what Dire Tonic suggested in the post above? Is that how you've been practicing those off beat measures? (on the beat instead)

[birba]

Of course! I thought I had said that, too.

[candlelightpiano]

Of course! I thought I had said that, too.

I'm sorry. Obviously, I didn't understand that I was supposed to play them ON the beat so I played them off beat and it was HARD! I'll try it on beat tonight. Thanks for your feedback.

[ajspiano]

Goodness gracious!! You sure do a lot for us!! Thank you! I look forward to your video very much.

dont feel too special.. its not as if it doesn't improve my own playing..  and its a lot of fun..

[candlelightpiano]

Okay, I feel less special then! LOL! I'm glad you have fun doing this. Well, I'm now practicing the off beat passage ON the beat. It's not hard to switch but it's not that much better as far as not stumbling all over the place. I'll try a few bars at a time to see if it will help with the stumbling.

[costicina]

I’ve followed with great interest your FI project (what a good idea to show the steps of a work in progress)
. I didn’t write before beacuse honestly I couldn’t have added nothing of constructive or useful to the wonferful advicese/support Birba as well as other forumeers are giving you.
But seeing your last video  I felt the urge to praise and encourage you: your progresses are astounding!!  What I appreciated more is the  attention you pay to the “logic” of fingers/hands/forearms motion, and above all the way you try  to incorporate a musical intention in your practice.
You are doing well, very well, so  please, don’t give up! I bet you’ll soon be able to post a nice recording of the whole piece.
Good luck, and brava!!!!
Margherita