Advice

[adeangelis1]

Hi All

I've been looking at this board every now & then and picked up some great tips for executing certain pieces as well as had a few good laughs at some of the comments by the virtuosos with less than 2 years playing experience.

So a bit about myself, I've been playing for over 20 years now as a reasonably serious side hobby. I examined up to grade 6 AMEB (now about 12 years ago) but have kept on playing inbetween and am thinking I would like to attempt the AMEB Certificate of performance or AMusA exam at some point in the near future. I recently restarted with lessons after a few years lull during my first degree. At the moment with my second I probably get to do serious/useful practice 4-6hrs per week (Which would clearly need to increase).

I've just finished learning the Fantasie Impromptu properly (ie. with weeks of slow separate hand practice followed by putting it together and slowly working the speed up with legato) and am now concentrating on trying to get the RH to a p-pp while bringing out the LH etc... I'm currently working on Rachmaninov's prelude which I don't find technically difficult per se from a hit the notes at the right time POV but as always the difficulty is in developing the clarity and the interpretation.

My teacher has suggested for me to learn a Chopin ballade, probably the one in G minor. I personally think that this might be a little crazy... but I've been wrong before with things he's suggested to me being less difficult than I originally thought. I don't have a lot of experience with Chopin having played more Beethoven (Op 49 I & II, Pathetique I,II, Moonlight I,II, Waldstein III, Tempest III), Brahms (Rhapsody in G) & Bach (Various prelude & fugue, Harpsichord concerto D minor), Schubert (Impromptu A flat, Impromptu G flat)

What I would really like would be some good suggestions for some smaller pieces to use as technical exercises and especially concentrate on developing clarity, a deft but soft touch and bringing out melody lines

Thanks in advance

[j_menz]

Some of the Chopin etudes are excellent for this. 10/3 and 10/5 for starters.

[theodore]

Hi Advise:

For a very mature romantic piece why not try the Robert Schumann "Arabesque"  ?
Here are two versions :

Alexis Weissenberg (fast tempo with tension and excitement)

and  Artur Runinstein (slower but very singing)

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There is beauty in both versions ... Theodore