Gershwin - Prelude x 3

[mikeowski]

I got a recital coming up in about three weeks and I thought I'd share some recordings of what I'll play. Namely, the Gershwin Preludes.
The recording quality isn't particularly good and I made a few mistakes, but I hope they're 'listenable' enough.
Feedback is very much appreciated.

[awesom_o]

mikeowski,

Very well done, and thank you for posting!

For the most part, I think you captured the zany feel to these preludes highly effectively. Good rhythmic drive, clarity of sound, and feel for musical atmosphere.

Extremely listenable!

Don't 're-stroke' when you make errors, however. This is detrimental to the audience's enjoyment of the music-more so than if you simply keep 'playing over' the wrong note in a more seamless manner.

The 2nd Prelude wants to have greater artistic expression.... you have to be both the singer and the band underneath her. The singer must have greater freedom and comfort over top of the band, and the band must have greater comfort and freedom under her. Exaggerate what you are already doing. Take it to the very limits of sanity and beyond!

The 3rd requires a bit more work on the LH alone, I think. Try to deliver your musical ideas to the audience without being overwhelmed by feeling them yourself.

Excellent work! With almost 3 weeks to go before your recital, you are well on track to blow them away with these. Don't re-stroke! Playing a wrong note in the heat of the moment is not a mistake!

Re-stroking, so that the music stops for a split second in time for all who hear it, is a mistake.

[beebert]

mikeowski,

Very well done, and thank you for posting!

For the most part, I think you captured the zany feel to these preludes highly effectively. Good rhythmic drive, clarity of sound, and feel for musical atmosphere.

Extremely listenable!

Don't 're-stroke' when you make errors, however. This is detrimental to the audience's enjoyment of the music-more so than if you simply keep 'playing over' the wrong note in a more seamless manner.

The 2nd Prelude wants to have greater artistic expression.... you have to be both the singer and the band underneath her. The singer must have greater freedom and comfort over top of the band, and the band must have greater comfort and freedom under her. Exaggerate what you are already doing. Take it to the very limits of sanity and beyond!

The 3rd requires a bit more work on the LH alone, I think. Try to deliver your musical ideas to the audience without being overwhelmed by feeling them yourself.

Excellent work! With almost 3 weeks to go before your recital, you are well on track to blow them away with these. Don't re-stroke! Playing a wrong note in the heat of the moment is not a mistake!

Re-stroking, so that the music stops for a split second in time for all who hear it, is a mistake.

+1

Truly enjoyable playing! How old are you mikeowski? You have a a lot of talent!

[mikeowski]

mikeowski,

Very well done, and thank you for posting!

For the most part, I think you captured the zany feel to these preludes highly effectively. Good rhythmic drive, clarity of sound, and feel for musical atmosphere.

Extremely listenable!

Don't 're-stroke' when you make errors, however. This is detrimental to the audience's enjoyment of the music-more so than if you simply keep 'playing over' the wrong note in a more seamless manner.

The 2nd Prelude wants to have greater artistic expression.... you have to be both the singer and the band underneath her. The singer must have greater freedom and comfort over top of the band, and the band must have greater comfort and freedom under her. Exaggerate what you are already doing. Take it to the very limits of sanity and beyond!

The 3rd requires a bit more work on the LH alone, I think. Try to deliver your musical ideas to the audience without being overwhelmed by feeling them yourself.

Excellent work! With almost 3 weeks to go before your recital, you are well on track to blow them away with these. Don't re-stroke! Playing a wrong note in the heat of the moment is not a mistake!

Re-stroking, so that the music stops for a split second in time for all who hear it, is a mistake.

Thanks a lot for your reply!
I'm aware of the problem with re-stroking, and right now I'm in the process of working it out. Actually I think it's my biggest problem while performing. It always feels like I won't be able to continue after hitting a wrong note. Probably because I don't think ahead far enough while playing. It's kind of like looking at the asphalt right in front of you when driving a car, and every little mishap feels like a traffic accident.

You're speaking almost exactly like my teacher about the 2nd prelude, right down to the gender of the singer. Yes, I agree, at places I'm just playing the notes without much thought, without taking time to enjoy the moment, and without abusing enough the "poco rubato" Gershwin was so generous to put in the tempo indication. I hope I can get this piece to swing like crazy until the recital since it's my favorite of the preludes.

The 3rd prelude I have practiced the least of the three, so you're probably right. This one just still needs the most work done on it in general. But I'm very positive I can get this thing to a very high standard aswell in the time I have left.

Thanks again for your nice reply.

+1

Truly enjoyable playing! How old are you mikeowski? You have a a lot of talent!

Thanks! I'm 23 right now, and have been playing for about 3 1/2 years, in case you were wondering.

[awesom_o]

I'm aware of the problem with re-stroking, and right now I'm in the process of working it out. Actually I think it's my biggest problem while performing. It always feels like I won't be able to continue after hitting a wrong note. Probably because I don't think ahead far enough while playing. It's kind of like looking at the asphalt right in front of you when driving a car, and every little mishap feels like a traffic accident.

My goodness! You have accomplished MUCH in a very short time. It never sounded like you were merely playing the notes without much thought.....but.....more thought is always good!

Your analogy about driving and accidents is very good. You need to keep a cushion of space around your vehicle in order to avoid accidents. You need to keep your eyes on the road in front of you, where you want to go. If you only look at the asphalt immediately in front of your car, you'll get into accidents all the time!

Don't over-think it too much, especially right now with your recital coming up. All 3 Preludes sound really charismatic, and your best bet at this point is to not worry about re-stroking-simply get out of the habit of allowing yourself to do it in your practicing.

Good luck in the recital! You'll do well. Even if you re-stroke once or twice, it's not the end of the world. It happens LOTS to people who have been playing for over 10 years (which is the least amount of time I would have guessed you had taken lessons for based on hearing these recordings).

[faulty_damper]

Prelude I:
A slightly faster tempo may help with the phrasing of the melody.  It sounds like you are focusing too much on each note instead of the whole sentence.

 II:
Pedal needs legato.  Melody disjointed like the first.

 III
Same phrasing issue.  Could be played faster.

[mikeowski]

My goodness! You have accomplished MUCH in a very short time. It never sounded like you were merely playing the notes without much thought.....but.....more thought is always good!

Your analogy about driving and accidents is very good. You need to keep a cushion of space around your vehicle in order to avoid accidents. You need to keep your eyes on the road in front of you, where you want to go. If you only look at the asphalt immediately in front of your car, you'll get into accidents all the time!

Don't over-think it too much, especially right now with your recital coming up. All 3 Preludes sound really charismatic, and your best bet at this point is to not worry about re-stroking-simply get out of the habit of allowing yourself to do it in your practicing.

Good luck in the recital! You'll do well. Even if you re-stroke once or twice, it's not the end of the world. It happens LOTS to people who have been playing for over 10 years (which is the least amount of time I would have guessed you had taken lessons for based on hearing these recordings).

Thanks a lot, man!
I've already begun forbidding myself to re-strike during practice and it's working very well so far. I was probably over-thinking the issue, but I'm glad I now found a method that seems to work.

Prelude I:
A slightly faster tempo may help with the phrasing of the melody.  It sounds like you are focusing too much on each note instead of the whole sentence.

II:
Pedal needs legato.  Melody disjointed like the first.

III:
Same phrasing issue.  Could be played faster.

Thanks for your comment.
Yes, I agree to all of this. Especially in the first prelude it's really hard to keep the phrases coherent. The music is written a bit "fragile" in places. (Also it's hard )
But I've already made a big step up since I did the recordings, so keeping all this in mind I hope I'll do my best during the recital!