Avoiding problems when playing Bach

[diwang99]

So I have grown to be quite fond of Bach music and it forms the heart of my repetoire. I understand the benefits of playing Bach, but I'm starting to have a "this is too good to be true" feeling. So, what are the negative effects of such a repetoire?

[brogers70]

Not sure what you are asking. There can only be positive or negative effects relative to some goal you have. If you like concentrating on Bach, there's no negative effect of concentrating on Bach. Bach himself never learned the Beethoven piano sonatas or the Chopin Etudes. If your goal is to perform a lot of Romantic music then concentrating too much on Bach might be a negative, at least to the extent that it kept you from getting experience in the Romantic repertoire you want to play. But without any further information, I can't see why you should spend most of your time playing Bach if that's what you like.

[flashyfingers]

To truly understand playing Bach…


Let me just spit some ideas real quick.

Bach fugues are amongst the most challenging Baroque works for a pianist to perform on a piano. And so, they are intriguing projects to take on, indeed.

In my experience (college), you often get just a month or two to learn on a fugue or a couple of fugues. And yes, you can look at a fugue as a style of composition based on elements and counterpoint, multiple independent voices. However, you only have two hands. And your ears can only follow so much. It is important to prioritize, so that you can show that the voices are communicating (it is like a sophisticated improvisation by a quartet…). It is possible to play all the notes, but to play each voice with meaning, down to every tedious detail…it is impossible. You can't just shrug off things that you can't reach or can't hold, in Bach. The release of notes is just as important as attack, in Bach. How will you show that?

There is a lot of musical skills you learn by studying Bach fugues properly. There isn't much technical virtuosity displayed in these short popular works by Bach, but the compositions are very much composed with virtuosity. So understanding this very important facet in Bach is important to performing the music. In Chopin, the music has more intricate harmony but still with a strict melodic component that must be emphasized, and rhythm is very important but in a different way. This is very intellectual type of music. It appeals to emotions and senses, because you can literally see the music! (That was a weird thought, but I mean what I say.)

Some people dislike Bach. I think the music teaches a lot (if not everything) about music, but without the importance of piano school type studies (such as technique).  

Also, Bach is the first time I ever used a thumb on a black key, and ever crossed over/under the thumb, on a black key. Crazy stuff!

So, yeah. Not much technique practice in Bach. Unless you really think that holding notes (without pedal) and outdated fingering technique is directly applicable to Liszt and Beethoven. Articulation is a different story, though. And I may or may not have much to say about that. Bach is also great for conditioning the mind. Memorizing Bach teaches a very structured way of memorizing pieces, by teaching visualization…etc.

Sorry about the rant. I hope there was some value to this input, if not…I love to rant about Bach.
 

[dima_76557]

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