practicing rachmaninoff's prelude in c-sharp minor. Op.3 No. 2

[alonbi]

hello. my name is alon and im 15 years old.
I've been learning this piece since the beginning of the year and tomorrow i have a preformance with this piece.I'm searching for the best way to practice the middle part (agitato), where the up-stemmed melody notes should stand out against the bass line while the second and third notes of the triplet are softer. i found a suggestion to practice it by blocking the chords, playing all the notes on one beat at the same time.. does someone have a better suggestion?

[andreslr6]

hello. my name is alon and im 15 years old.
I've been learning this piece since the beginning of the year and tomorrow i have a preformance with this piece.I'm searching for the best way to practice the middle part (agitato), where the up-stemmed melody notes should stand out against the bass line while the second and third notes of the triplet are softer. i found a suggestion to practice it by blocking the chords, playing all the notes on one beat at the same time.. does someone have a better suggestion?

That's a good suggestion.

Also, playing the second and third notes of the triplet with finger stacato helps a lot. Practice that passage like that a few times, up-stemmed notes you play them normally, a full crotchet, and while you're holding those notes the 2nd and 3rd are played finger staccato. After you do it like that, do the same thing but in the way you mentioned, as chords, playing finger staccato on every not except the up-stemmed notes (right hand crotchets). Then play it normally, as it's written, and you'll notice a different.

What happens is that by practicing playing finger staccato on those less important notes, you transfer more weight to the notes you're holding in the 4th and 5th fingers, thus, resulting in a melody that stands out greatly from the other notes.

[alonbi]

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[alonbi]

That's a good suggestion.

Also, playing the second and third notes of the triplet with finger stacato helps a lot. Practice that passage like that a few times, up-stemmed notes you play them normally, a full crotchet, and while you're holding those notes the 2nd and 3rd are played finger staccato. After you do it like that, do the same thing but in the way you mentioned, as chords, playing finger staccato on every not except the up-stemmed notes (right hand crotchets). Then play it normally, as it's written, and you'll notice a different.

What happens is that by practicing playing finger staccato on those less important notes, you transfer more weight to the notes you're holding in the 4th and 5th fingers, thus, resulting in a melody that stands out greatly from the other notes.

ok, i will. thank you very much!! from where is this knowledg??
and what should i do in this part? :

sorry for the bad quality..

[austinarg]

Strange, I have the C# and B# in the second quaver of the triplet:



Which one is the right one?

[alonbi]

Strange, I have the C# and B# in the second quaver of the triplet:



Which one is the right one?

I'm pretty sure mine is the right one..i'm using an "Alfred Masterwork" edition.. that was edited by Murray Baylor.. and i listened to rachmaninoff's recording of this piece and he played it like my edition.. but your version is good as well, in you version the eighth, who is a part of the up-stemmed melody, sounds better, you can notice that it's a part of the up-stemmed melody line.. in my version if you don't play it right you won't  notice his role here..

[austinarg]

I'm pretty sure mine is the right one..i'm using an "Alfred Masterwork" edition.. that was edited by Murray Baylor.. and i listened to rachmaninoff's recording of this piece and he played it like my edition.. but your version is good as well, in you version the eighth, who is a part of the up-stemmed melody, sounds better, you can notice that it's a part of the up-stemmed melody line.. in my version if you don't play it right you won't  notice his role here..

Well, perhaps my version is as good as yours, but if yours is the correct one then I've been playing the wrong note for months!

[alonbi]

Well, perhaps my version is as good as yours, but if yours is the correct one then I've been playing the wrong note for months!

lol... it's just one measure that repeats itself twice.. don't be upset listen to rachmaninoff's recording, you tell me
 https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b9/Sergei_Rachmaninoff_performs_Rachmaninoff%27s_Prelude_in_C_sharp_minor%2C_Op._3.ogg

[danhuyle]

i found a suggestion to practice it by blocking the chords, playing all the notes on one beat at the same time.. does someone have a better suggestion?

That's one way.

The other is to interpret the melody and decide how you want to shape the phrase. Just the play the melodic line and then when you put it together, you have an easier time practicing this passage.

This is just how I do it. There are other ways.

[j_menz]

The other is to interpret the melody and decide how you want to shape the phrase. Just the play the melodic line and then when you put it together, you have an easier time practicing this passage.

I agree. You need to have the melody you want to bring out clearly in your mind, after that it will be easier to emphasis it and not the other bits. If you can't see and hear it clearly when playing the notes all together, play through just the notes with the upstems a few times to get a clear idea of what they sound like, then try again together.

[andreslr6]

ok, i will. thank you very much!! from where is this knowledg??
and what should i do in this part? :

You're welcome. That's a common practice by different teachers, my current and the one before both gave me that resource for practicing and solving this type of problems, as well as other teachers from friends, they all apply that way of practicing.

For this second part you mentioned, it's the same as in the others, just with the rhythm that's marked.

Also, what the others have been saying is a good help. There are many ways for solving everything in piano, and it's always better that you apply as many resources as you can and know. You can even invent one, just make sure it solves the music, and that it doesn't hurt you . Try also practicing with dotted rhythms, and then dotted rhythms while playing stacato the triplet notes, or in other words, not only apply every resource you know, but also, combine every resource you can, that will give you a new resource.

[alonbi]

That's one way.

The other is to interpret the melody and decide how you want to shape the phrase. Just the play the melodic line and then when you put it together, you have an easier time practicing this passage.

This is just how I do it. There are other ways.

I agree. You need to have the melody you want to bring out clearly in your mind, after that it will be easier to emphasis it and not the other bits. If you can't see and hear it clearly when playing the notes all together, play through just the notes with the upstems a few times to get a clear idea of what they sound like, then try again together.

of course, i've been doing it since i got the sheets, my first practice, when i am getting to this part, is to play only the melodic line, only the up-stemmed notes, and than i try the "hide" the triplets.. every part has a melodic line who needs to be detected, and to be sounded a little louder than the othes.. and often even more than one melodic line.. thank you very much!

You're welcome. That's a common practice by different teachers, my current and the one before both gave me that resource for practicing and solving this type of problems, as well as other teachers from friends, they all apply that way of practicing.

For this second part you mentioned, it's the same as in the others, just with the rhythm that's marked.

Also, what the others have been saying is a good help. There are many ways for solving everything in piano, and it's always better that you apply as many resources as you can and know. You can even invent one, just make sure it solves the music, and that it doesn't hurt you . Try also practicing with dotted rhythms, and then dotted rhythms while playing stacato the triplet notes, or in other words, not only apply every resource you know, but also, combine every resource you can, that will give you a new resource.

ok, i will.
and i always combine every resource i can, you are totally right!

[alonbi]

hello every one, thank you for your advices! it helped a lot!
here's a recording before my recitle, wish me luck!!

[slobone]

hello every one, thank you for your advices! it helped a lot!
here's a recording before my recitle, wish me luck!!

Time for a piano tuning...

[alonbi]

Time for a piano tuning...

haha.. no i tuned my piano 2 month ago.. it's the recording quality..

[andreslr6]

haha.. no i tuned my piano 2 month ago.. it's the recording quality..

Yeah, too bad, but I think I can give you one more suggestion, again with the stacato, not only practice the middle agitato section like that, but also the A and A1 parts with the chords. Play the 7 notes of each chords stacato except for the melody on your right hand pinky. Again, do that once in a while, play the whole section like that, that will help you again to bring out that specific note of each chord so that it doesn't just sound like block chords and in the end will help you work on the melody horizontally instead of vertically.

BTW, with the little I could hear, sounds like you're doing good. wish I could hear a version with better recording quality.

[alonbi]

Yeah, too bad, but I think I can give you one more suggestion, again with the stacato, not only practice the middle agitato section like that, but also the A and A1 parts with the chords. Play the 7 notes of each chords stacato except for the melody on your right hand pinky. Again, do that once in a while, play the whole section like that, that will help you again to bring out that specific note of each chord so that it doesn't just sound like block chords and in the end will help you work on the melody horizontally instead of vertically.

BTW, with the little I could hear, sounds like you're doing good. wish I could hear a version with better recording quality.

ok i will. too bad i already had a recital today with this piece. thank you very much! i will record it in a better quality.