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Topic: Rhapsody in Blue variants  (Read 1609 times)

Offline ardith

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Rhapsody in Blue variants
on: December 26, 2014, 08:59:38 PM
I'm learning the (a?) piano solo version of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. I listened to a couple of recordings online, by Andre Watts and Eder Giaretta, and I'm very confused, because they are playing some measures that I cannot find in the score I have.  The mystery passage comes after measure 137.  My score says it's possible to cut at that point to measure 197, but that is not what they are doing.  Does anyone know where I can find a copy of the score that will show this missing passage?  Is it some sort of cadenza?  The score I have already shows a cadenza in another place.  Any help on this will be greatly appreciated; thanks.

Offline bonesquirrel

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Re: Rhapsody in Blue variants
Reply #1 on: December 27, 2014, 08:14:01 AM
Have you considered downloading Synthesia and finding a MIDI file for it? If the scores you have has missing well notes or entire measures etc. Then I recommend finding a MIDI and learning that part(s) this way.

Can you link me the videos you are talking about?

Offline ardith

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Re: Rhapsody in Blue variants
Reply #2 on: December 27, 2014, 09:08:01 AM
Thanks for responding.  Here is the video (actually audio only with album cover) of Andre Watts playing it.  The point I'm referring to is at 5'31":   

And here is Eder Giaretta: 

I downloaded the score online at
https://www.free-scores.com/download-sheet-music.php?pdf=31021
Right at the end of page 10 (pagination referring to above score), both of them add some measures, and then proceed to play from the top of page 11 as shown.

Offline bonesquirrel

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Re: Rhapsody in Blue variants
Reply #3 on: December 27, 2014, 09:38:16 AM
Yes I see exactly what you mean. I even tried downloading a MIDI (https://www.kunstderfuge.com/-/midi.asp?file=gershwin_rhapsody_in_blue_(c)oguri.mid) and it does the exact same thing.

I have no clue on what to do from here, if I was you I would just forget about it and keep learning it from where you are. Since the 'version' your learning of your score would be considered just a legitimate.

Offline amytsuda

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Re: Rhapsody in Blue variants
Reply #4 on: December 27, 2014, 03:01:53 PM
I also tried learning it this year. If you listen to all sorts of concerto versions, you notice they are always different too. I remember reading online (Wiki?) that it is written in a way it works even if you switch around orders of different sections - obviously Bernstein criticized it saying it's not a classical composition since classical composition assumes there should be logical orders of how music evolve, or something like that :D You can take any segment out and the piece still works as feel good as before.

It's jazz infused, you are supposed to add your own flavors and you are free to improvise too. Anyway, piano solo score (I downloaded online so probably I have the same one) is different from the most concerto versions I found on YouTube.  Since I am so new to Jazz, I couldn't figure out what I wanna do with this piece, I put it on the shelf and am back to my good old Romantic music now.

Offline ted

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Re: Rhapsody in Blue variants
Reply #5 on: January 05, 2015, 08:53:02 PM
It is probably worth repeating that Garageband or something similar can print a very reasonable score from a Midi, good enough to learn from anyway. If the missing bits are in the Midi file, then just obtain a score that way.
"Mistakes are the portals of discovery." - James Joyce
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