Pathetique sonata SECOND movement, voices.

[mosis]

I'm sure you're all sick of seeing topics asking for help on the first movement. Not to worry, I have no problem at all with the first movement. It's now the third movement that's kicking my ass.

So I thought that the FIRST movement was difficult... I'm blazing right through it, though. My new teacher decided that we should start the second as well. NOW I'm getting my ass kicked.

He assigned the A section to me two weeks ago, and I learned it to what I thought was a pretty good standard. It turns out that that wasn't the case. He showed me how to better bring out the top voice; use my elbow, and push into the key, and then swing my hand back to get the pianissimo alto voice.

So I'm trying this, and I'm absolutely sucking. Everything is WAY too loud, I can't get the chords even at all, and it just feels really awkward. I don't want to go back to him ANOTHER week still stuck and sucking on the same section, so any advice will be appreciated.


Also, going back to the issue I have about getting the chords even, my biggest problem, surprisingly, in the first movement is the Grave sections. I can't get the chords as quiet as they should be, nor as even. My teacher told me that I should keep my fingers tense, but not my upper arm, so that the weight is distributed evenly. I don't know how to do this, though, and my tense left hand is giving me even chords, but they're not as quiet and I'm screwing up the right hand along with this. My teacher was extremely impressed with my performance of this last week, and the tips he gave me are screwing up stuff in the process of fixing others. Help, please!

[Max]

You shouldn't keep your fingers tense - just play them naturally. If you think of the sound you want to achieve, and try to play it from that, you'd be surprised how much good it will do..

As for the second movement, keep your fingers low to the keys (quieter) and only 'push' down with the finger playing the outer note.

[aki]

When I played this, I remember leaning my hand on the top notes of the right hand, so basically I was putting most of the weight on my pinky or the finger playing the melody note.

[mosis]

This is exactly the kind of advice my teacher gave me, but I cannot get the chords even. That's what's killing me. Not the voices, but the uneveness of the chords.

[liszmaninopin]

I remember a few years ago, I performed the Pathetique for a judge-it went really well.  I agree with you, that the second mvt. is perhaps the most difficult of the movements to voice really well.  Perhaps the reason your chords aren't even is because you're trying so hard to make them even.  If one tenses up ones forearms to achieve the ultimate in control, one is inclined to make more sudden, subtle jerks in the finger movement (or so I've found).  Try, instead of struggling to control it, just playing it at a reasonable tempo (don't drag!) very naturally-trying too hard can be a bad thing.  Also, chords can sound uneven when one brings out a voice too much, IMO.  Bring out the top note enough to be heard, but also give volume to the other notes, you don't need to be feather soft with them.  They offer alot of richness, one doesn't need to "pull" at the music-just play it.