Help and feedback on Chopin's etude op10 no3

[yubyub96]

Sorry for the poor quality, couldn't do much with this camera recorder.

its still uncomplete, im currently learning the Bravura section and I know its not the best interpretation, or audio recording, but I wish to please give me any feedback you may have.

I have lots of trouble playing certain parts, for example at 1:20 I can't play legato while playing that part, and it makes it sound very very bad.

Please give me some tips on this parts:
1:20 can't play legato very well, nor can I play softly
1:42 & 1:52 same as above, and its harder for me to make it sound soft at the start and loud as I go on ( is it called crescendo? )
1:57 same problem with the piano to forte crescendo. When I play those more complicated parts its harder to focus on the pressure I put on the keys.

I have never recorded before, and I had a bad time making it sound "good", I have a keyboard ( Yamaha, Piaggero NP-31) where I can control the volume, altough the recoder I used wasn't that great as well.How can I make it sound better?

I wish to learn a new piece, I thought of Bach, but I don't know that many pieces for piano of him, any suggestions that are at my level? the etude is the hardest piece I can play.

[sirpazhan]

I feel like you're too tense when playing this etude... try relaxing. it seems like you're on the right track,, but you have at least a couple dozen of hours of practice to get this piece down right.. then you'll be more comfortable with those passages (1:20+)

there's really no science,, just work it slowly, take your time and try relaxing..


ps--to prevent some members from freaking out,, post your future recordings in the 'audition' section,, 

[yubyub96]

OK, thanks, will do.
Thanks for those tips.

[ajspiano]

there's really no science

That makes a lot of assumptions about the OP's ability to practice efficiently and knowledge in general.

...

I wish to learn a new piece, I thought of Bach, but I don't know that many pieces for piano of him, any suggestions that are at my level? the etude is the hardest piece I can play.

Good idea, however, what else can you play? and have you played any bach?

[yubyub96]

before this piece I played "aragonaise" by Jules Massenette, before that I played pretty much Yann tiersen all day.
I have to admit, it took me a long time to learn this piece, but my skill level got almost doubled.
And no, I haven't played any Bach.

[ajspiano]

before this piece I played "aragonaise" by Jules Massenette, before that I played pretty much Yann tiersen all day.
I have to admit, it took me a long time to learn this piece, but my skill level got almost doubled.
And no, I haven't played any Bach.

Ok, so playing the chopin etude is a big deal. However, it does not accurately represent where you are as a pianist the skills required in our field are too broad/extensive and it takes many advanced pieces before you will be able to tackle advanced pieces and face a lesser challenge.

Bach is typically introduced with pieces like those found in the anna magdelena notebook, followed by wilhelm friedemann notebook (preludes and inventions etc). These are mindnumbingly easier than the etude. But in saying that, bach is very different from chopin and so you will still find challenges here and it will be worth your while to play many of them before tackling harder bach such as the fugues of the well tempered clavier, some of which is much more comparable to the chopin.

The most popular of pieces (in my experience as a teacher) would perhaps show up like this, in an appropriate order of learning..
Minuet in G major (not technically bach)
Minuet in G minor (not technically bach)
Musette in D major (also not technically bach i think)
..these pieces were included in the anna magdelena notebook (among others) as pieces bach considered good for beginners.

bouree in e minor
most of the small preludes

invention 1
invention 8
invention 13

sinfonia 15

..see how you go with any of those in that order and find where you start to have problems (they shouldnt take anywhere near the time the etude will have in all cases though). Some of them may seem too easy at face value, consider what it may take to truly refine them though. Especially in the case of the inventions which properly introduce you to counterpoint.

[yubyub96]

Thanks a lot for the help.
Will definitely try those, I have lots of free time to use.

Seeing you are a teacher, do you have any advice for me in the parts I showed? I find it very hard for the first one to sound good since I can't play leggato in such parts, mostly because its very fast.

[ajspiano]

Seeing you are a teacher, do you have any advice for me in the parts I showed? I find it very hard for the first one to sound good since I can't play leggato in such parts, mostly because its very fast.

Well progressing through the inventions and sinfonias will help for starters.

You may like to look at this
https://www.scribd.com/doc/14182617/Cortot-Chopin-Etudes-Op10-Students-Edition

Aside from the exercises which you may find of value, you will see cortot uses pedal in the section beginning 1:20 in your video (which will create a legato when done right) however that doesnt excuse the right physical touch. So don't let that obscure improving in that area.

It is possible to play this totally legato without the pedal, doing so requires not only a suitable fingering but also a well developed quality of movement. By that I mean that your facility to play the notes is impacted by many factors relating to how you move your fingers/hands/arm/body etc. A sense of relaxation (as mentioned by the other poster above) is desireable, but its also depending on moving the right way to allow your body to relax certain unnecessary muscular fixations.

So as a basic "throw you in the deep end" kind of instruction.. you will have to experiment (I can't really tell you that well what to do without actually showing you, or writing an essay - there are more than a few books on the subject though)

you may move your fingers by flexing them in toward the palm from the top knuckle
you may also move them by "unfolding" them, a kind of extension into the key
You may also allow them to "drop" into the keys as much as you may conciously move them into the keys

you may also vary the degree of rotation in the forearm (so the palm may face a bit towards the side of the piano rather than toward the keys (and everywhere in between)

You may allow the hand to move forward or backward into the keys to position the fingers
You may alter how close your body is to the piano, or lean a little to the side to better facilitate the positioning of your hand and arm.

..to name a few of the many options.

Each and all of these "options" for movement may be coordinated together in varying ways to best facilitate a way to play the notes that "feels easy" and sounds good - both feel and sound are to be significant considerations.. in the end you also don't want to have to be overly concious about these things, the aim is more to loosen up and allow them to happen, only that can take some deliberate and concious work first.

[yubyub96]

Thanks a lot for the help.

[chopin2015]

Can you just give bar numbers for parts you have questions on?

I am performing this etude on Saturday as one of my pieces.

[ajspiano]

Can you just give bar numbers for parts you have questions on?

I am performing this etude on Saturday as one of my pieces.

And you don't recognize the exact place in the score just by listening??