Chopin Etude Op. 10 No. 1

[sislermi]

I think I'm finally satisfied with this.  No audible mistakes, every note can be heard clearly (for the most part), and I implemented more dynamics and expression (forte, piano, rit, accel, etc.).

So this is my interpretation of the piece.

I think I may have accidentally set the acoustic resonance too high and the volume a tad too low on my keyboard when recording it, but oh well.

Tell me what you think.

[prestoconfuocco]

Wow, this sounds great! It's nice to be able to hear every single note!
I'd put more emphasis on the bass notes, they form such a beautiful melody that it's a shame to let them sit in the background. Other than that you have some nice nuances in your playing, though some of them are a bit too much. But overall, you're great.
Try listening to Eric Zuber's version, it can really help you out.

[sislermi]

Gotcha, in regards to the left hand.  Yeah it's unfortunate that I didn't play it louder.  And what do you exactly mean by nuances? 

[prestoconfuocco]

I mean when you sometimes slow down a bit, or emphasize some notes, or use the pedal differently,
Sometimes it really adds a lot and gives you a unique sound, but in a few spots (For example, 1:43) it's a bit too much, and it cuts off the flow of the piece.
I'd give you about a 9/10, if you work on it a bit more it will be perfect!

[awesom_o]

You've done a good job.

The atmosphere and musical character you have created here sound very dreamy and tranquil to my ears.

I don't think Chopin was going for dreamy here.

There are places where it sounds like you slow down for technical rather than musical reasons.

I would love to hear you play this on a real piano.

Don't simply think it needs to be louder or more aggressive, musically. Somehow there is more power to be had in the sound. Yours sounded 'nice' but lacked the musical power I feel it needs.

[pianoman53]

I actually liked that the left hand wasn't banged out. Pianists who can play very beautiful somehow stop to phrase the left hand, and just bang it as loud as possible..
But...

You play it softer, which I like, but you still don't phrase it, which is a shame. You add very strange accents, especially after slowing down. You can't do a long diminuendo, that ends in an accent, it doesn't work.
You need to keep listening to the left hand, so that it's clear even if it's softer. When you play G- F#E D--, the F# and the E are always missing.

And I found your rubato a bit too much. It has to be much more subtle. As a listener, one shouldn't think "Ah, here he does a rit" cause then it lost its meaning.
And keep the legato, don't do those improv like staccato things. It's not an improvisation, even though it might sound like it... At least not that sort of improv.

[sislermi]

Alright, thanks everyone, I'll definitely take all of these suggestions into account whenever I work on it and/or record it again.

[swagmaster420x]

You've done a good job.

The atmosphere and musical character you have created here sound very dreamy and tranquil to my ears.

I don't think Chopin was going for dreamy here.

There are places where it sounds like you slow down for technical rather than musical reasons.

I would love to hear you play this on a real piano.

Don't simply think it needs to be louder or more aggressive, musically. Somehow there is more power to be had in the sound. Yours sounded 'nice' but lacked the musical power I feel it needs.

i agree with this definitely, i think it would be better if your left hand was more robust, there are some parts where it would sound better to me if you sustained the left hand note with pedal for longer, idk
but very nice recording, right hand sounds very pretty

[sislermi]

Gotcha, I really don't want to slam the keys in the left hand though.  I've noticed that when a lot of people play the left hand for this piece, they bang it and it results in a percussive crash FOLLOWED BY finally being able to hear the actual pitch of the two tones.  When I play softer though it isn't loud enough....how do I get louder volume in the bass WITHOUT having to hear that banging percussive sound about a millisecond before you can actually hear the note's pitch!

[swagmaster420x]

Gotcha, I really don't want to slam the keys in the left hand though.  I've noticed that when a lot of people play the left hand for this piece, they bang it and it results in a percussive crash FOLLOWED BY finally being able to hear the actual pitch of the two tones.  When I play softer though it isn't loud enough....how do I get louder volume in the bass WITHOUT having to hear that banging percussive sound about a millisecond before you can actually hear the note's pitch!

you can do so probably by sustaining the pedal for longer, ithink

[andd845]

Good work - notes are indeed clear. I'm working on this - how long did it take to bring up to speed? I've spent 15 minutes a day for a month and am only up to about 96bpm with finger legato, first page.

[hakki]

Ha-ha !!

You don't actually expect us to believe that this is a real performance do you?

I am surprised a few posters are already fooled by your leg pulling.

 

[awesom_o]

I don't know, it sounds like a real performance to my ears. Just not a very good one. Very poor control of the rhythm. Also, almost every single arpeggio you decrescendo towards the top. We're looking for a crescendo towards the top, not a decrescendo. A decrescendo makes it sound like you are backing away from the music apologetically, as if you were afraid to make a mistake.

Just go for it!