How to pull out the Melody?

[adodd81802]

So I wanted to start learning this piece. Over the weekend I practiced the notes. Now 2 problems used to result from the previous way I used to learn music.

I hear a song (I really like it) I hear it on youtube or somewhere, I listen to 4 or 5 different versions and start pulling the best bits that I like from different phrases from different performances. I get the music, I start to learn, I try to replicate the phrases as I heard them.

This means, no matter what the rhythm, I can learn a piece as far as copying somebody else goes. Now I understand rhythm, but I don't understand how it affects the music.

Take the 2/8 in the Prelude above. I don't know what that means? I mean physically yes I know 2/8 is 2x 8th beats worth of notes in a bar right? But then when it comes to breaking the song down, understanding emphasis and rhythm, I don't really have a clue.

The second issue, is understanding (particularly in fast passages) what and where the melody is, when learning the song above, I was putting emphasis on the latter section of each bar: the 3rds(sometimes 4ths and 5ths) and then the Octave. I did find this slight uncomfortable but because it's how it sounded in performances it's how I learnt it.

Now Paul Barton posted a great tutorial on this song

in which he explains that as evident by Cortots performance that the emphasis is most certainly on the 1st note on the right hand (even though it is off beat for most of the piece?) and then the echo of the 3rds/4ths etc. Not only does it feel right it makes sense when I'm told it, but if I was handed another sheet of music I would probably fall in the same trap.

Is there any good books (or websites or explanations) on pulling out melody, time signature, to really improve my understanding to pick up a piece, and not only understand better how it sounds, but to pick it apart?

If I hadn't have heard the performances of this piece previously, I probably would have put emphasis on the 1st note left hand, even the Paul Barton explained why not too, I didnt really pick it up. I'll listen to his explanation again, but feel my lacking knowledge in this area will really prevent me from bringing out the areas that are supposed to sing in a song (regardless of hand and rhythm)

[outin]

I don't see how a book would help. The usual way is to study something simpler until these skills develope naturally to the level required.

The basic information is coded on the page by the composer, you have to learn to understand the language and then you can add a personal touch. So better start with the notes instead of Youtube.

[adodd81802]

Thanks for your comment.

From what I understand the combination of triplets and the 2/8 are both quite unusual, so I may have over-reacted on my lacking understanding in rhythm.

I watched Paul Barton's tutorial again and it became clearer.

[rmbarbosa]

You may need and wish to study theory of Music witch is not difficult.
 there are also some rules, the most important are the following:
- an ascending series of notes demands a crescendo, its highest note the strongest accent, the descending a decrescendo
- of 2 notes, the higher is the stronger
- of 2 notes, the longer is the stronger
- the accentuation dependes on the time. In 4/4, the accent is laid on 1 and 3; in 3/4 in 1; in 2/4 in 1; in 6/8 in 1 and 4, etc...
- when one note is repeated or the same phrase, never use the same strenght of touch
- in one phrase habitually there`s a crescendo and then a decrescendo
etc...
Best wishes

PS - you may download for free some books about musical theory.