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Topic: Ballade 1 - Chopin - Gm - questions  (Read 2066 times)

Offline reesabp

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Ballade 1 - Chopin - Gm - questions
on: May 29, 2015, 10:24:36 PM
Hi,

I have been practicing Chopin Op 23 No 1 - Ballade in G min for a little less than a year, and the work is for the most part up to performance tempo. I just have two areas that I need to work through to get a really clean and lyrical rendition of the Ballade ready:

1) The Scherzando section - The left hand tends to get a little muddy mainly due to the awkwardness of the jumps.

2) The Coda - yes, this is the part many people have asked about in the past, and I have read some of the previous forums.

For each of the sections above, I was wondering if people had suggestions as to how to practice them so that you can play them cleanly. I can play the scherzando fairly cleanly at 200 bpm, but I feel as though it needs to be faster to get a more playful, dainty feeling across. The problem is as I try to hit 250+, it gets very muddy and the LH becomes very inaccurate at the beginning (b.138-144) as well as at b.154-157. Also, the RH can begin to cramp a bit as it gets near the octave/thirds section (b. 150-153). Note, this section is very clear and clean at tempi near 200.

For the coda, the main problems are again with higher tempi. The LH gets muddy from bars 226-235. The right hand remains pretty clear, though it grows fatigued as it nears the end. This can make the chromatic section a little dirty after going through the strenuous early parts of the coda. Obviously, I can play this very well at lower tempi, again getting it up to performance level is tricky part.

Any tips would be welcome!

Thanks!

Offline chopinlover01

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Re: Ballade 1 - Chopin - Gm - questions
Reply #1 on: May 30, 2015, 01:44:21 AM
I can't give much advice for the scherzando, but I can advise you for the coda. The coda's flying little bits rely heavily on forearm rotation to manage the leaps. Exaggerating the rotation in practice gives a better result with the performance. I can't say much more, it's hard to describe for me, but here is a good video

Offline amytsuda

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Re: Ballade 1 - Chopin - Gm - questions
Reply #2 on: May 30, 2015, 05:28:02 AM
I am re-working on the piece now (coming back to it the third time, but first time to get a real lesson on).

The Scherzando section: The goal is the lightness and playful, not the speed. Increasing the speed may achieve such, but you can also achieve it with your shape and sense of rhythm. Playing the section as if it is a waltz will help to create the feeling of lightness.

Coda: The score has a lot of accents marked and provided by Chopin. There are actually motives hidden in this coda, and when you pay a real attention to those accents, you see them. They are in both hands. Practicing to really play them will help you not to get tired. It sounds strange but it is actually true for me.
 

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