How to develop an opinion about a piece?

[marijn210999]

Hi guys,

I am not sure where to put this but whenever I watch a video or listen to an interview of great pianists (alive or dead) I hear them saying such resourceful things about the music which is at that particular moment discussed, and I really think like, how did you come up with that? So, that is also basically my question: how does one create an original and personal opinion about a particular piece? Because if someone asks me why I play a particular (set of) note(s) very loud, and I say: because I like it. That does not really feel like a thoughtful answer.

Thanks in advance,

Marijn

[dogperson]

Hi Marijin:

Welcome to the forum!  It is difficult to answer, as it is not clear what genre you are playing and at what level.  For music you are learning, it is generally best to follow the dynamics written by the composer, until you develop the experience to know where it is appropriate (or not) to vary the score.  If you listen to really good recordings, there are personal interpretations, but all within the general framework of the written music. How much latitude can be taken depends on the type of music as well as the period it is written.

Analyzing music well comes with both experience and education. 


If this is not helpful, could you provide a little more information, such as what you were playing when the note dynamics were questioned? 

[dcstudio]

how to acquire the words to form a thoughtful opinion about a piece..  is that what you are asking? That comes from education... theory...terminology...  you study that stuff not only so that you can understand music but so that you can communicate efficiently with other musicians. 

that was your question as I understood it... I think..

[marijn210999]

Hi Marijin:

Welcome to the forum!  It is difficult to answer, as it is not clear what genre you are playing and at what level.  For music you are learning, it is generally best to follow the dynamics written by the composer, until you develop the experience to know where it is appropriate (or not) to vary the score.  If you listen to really good recordings, there are personal interpretations, but all within the general framework of the written music. How much latitude can be taken depends on the type of music as well as the period it is written.

Analyzing music well comes with both experience and education. 


If this is not helpful, could you provide a little more information, such as what you were playing when the note dynamics were questioned? 

Hi dogperson,

That already was really helpful. Thanks. Nevertheless, allow me to give you some background information.

I played the piano since I was seven or eight but only became really serious about it when I was around ten. Right now I am sixteen and my level is fine for my age I think. Things I am playing right now are:

Bach:

• English Suite No. 1 in A major, BWV 806
• Pretty much all of the French Suites, except for some movements
• Art of Fugue, BWV 1080: Contrapunctus 1, 9 and 14
  

Beethoven:

• Piano Sonatas Nos. 1, 9, 10 and 25
• Piano Variations in F major, op. 34

Mozart:

• Piano Sonatas Nos. 1, 2, 4, 9, 13, 17
• Rondo in A minor, K. 5 (and I forgot the rest)
• Piano Concerto No. 5 in D major and No. 23 in A major

And also some romantic music. Mostly Brahms and Schumann. I know about Chopin and also know I do not like his music too much. And I actually think that is an excellent example. If someone asks me why I do not like his music, I simply have nothing to say.

But for the rest. Does this help you to give a more specific answer. I mean, if I am going to work on a piece, after a not too long time, I can PLAY it, but I have not a very clear idea about how I am going to project it too my audience, friends, family, etc.

Marijn

[dogperson]

There a couple of questions here:  What composer resonates with each of us is very personal-- thank goodness, or all of us would play Chopin and none would play Brahms.  Sometimes, you can express those feelings and really sometimes not... just like some people prefer chicken to beef. 

The second question is how to interpret music beyond the notes.  Start with the score because you want your interpretation within the framework of the composer's intent.  For instance, if the tempo is marked 'allegretto', you have a wide range within that, but no one would understand if you played it 'adagio', as that was not the intent of the composer.

Listen to how good pianists vary the interpretation based on the score-- does one play the rit. a little more pronounced?  If the score accents notes, is the amount of accent varied?  Use your music as a reference while you listen.  You will develop your own style--- within the framework of the composer's intent. 

I would guess you don't have a teacher as I have these discussions with mine all the time.  Since you can learn these notes and are looking at 'polishing' and interpretation, you should consider getting one.

I hope this helps-- like you, I am a student, so I hope others will fill in with other thoughts.

[bronnestam]

I think dogperson gives very wise answers to the question, which was a very good question by the way.

The interpretation, and the way we interpret, has to be very individual. As been said, first you must follow the composer's writings. But nothing is holy ... what matters when a pianist plays a piece, IMHO, is if the pianist in question HAS made some thinking or is just a "robot". This is here we often distinguish the experienced, skilled pianist from the beginner. I am often less impressed by young progidies than people around me, and this is because the musical interpretation. Playing the piano is certainly about a lot more than being able to pressing the right keys in super speed.

So if you really take your time and decide how you want to play each and every bar, then you should not worry if your interpretation is "wrong".

I am a fiction writer and I use this "talent" of mine when I interpret some pieces. My teacher encouraged me to do this. To some pieces I can think up whole scenes, with action and emotion, which I then try to "describe" with the music. Some people are perhaps more visually oriented and want to "paint a picture" in music.
Then, of course, you will get a lot of help from other people who already have made their analyses, and perhaps have a profound knowledge about the composer. For example, I recently learned that the third movement of sonata Patétique was originally intended as a piece for strings. What if you try to hear the violins and violas "behind" the notes? Wouldn't this affect your playing quite a lot?
Another example: Rondo C Major by Beethoven. I decided to interpret it as a piece written for an opera duo, where a woman is having a dialogue with her husband, an argument which ends where they have made some kind of agreement, even though their interpretation of this agreement are quite different ... (yes, I used my imagination here). And so I play with "his voice, her voice, his mood, her mood" in mind. This is something I must play in my head BEFORE I try to play it for real, as I am technically not that advanced - afterwards I often must conclude that it did not sound as I wanted to, and then I must work out solutions to get the sound I want, everywhere. But by then at least i have this musical image in my mind: this is what I want to achieve.

If you don't enjoy the idea of making up scenes in your head, then you can always just "hear" the music in your mind, over and over again. Sing it to yourself - if you don't have a good voice, then just sing it inside yourself, until you really know and really FEEL the music within you. There is you interpretation. Now, go and make the piano sound like that.

[dogperson]

Very true Bronnenstam,

When I was learning Chopin's "Raindrops" nocturne, I read the maybe anecdotal and inaccurate story of how it was written, and therefore then viewed the middle section as not just the torrential storm, but also what might have been Chopin's despair that those he loved were out n the storm and might not survive.  Torrent + despair in the interpretation... the notes, phrasing and dynamics within the framework of the score... but a different mood than just a heavy storm.

[dcstudio]

Very true Bronnenstam,

When I was learning Chopin's "Raindrops" nocturne, I read the maybe anecdotal and inaccurate story of how it was written, and therefore then viewed the middle section as not just the torrential storm, but also what might have been Chopin's despair that those he loved were out n the storm and might not survive.  Torrent + despair in the interpretation... the notes, phrasing and dynamics within the framework of the score... but a different mood than just a heavy storm.

I know most of them are inaccurate... but I love the anecdotal stories...  I heard that one about the Raindrop too.  Maybe they add to my interpretation... how I feel about the piece...  I am not sure... but I do like to read them. 

[indianajo]

Age and experience help in forming emotional novellas to pieces.  I am technically not much better than I was when I was 16 and quit piano lessons, but I've had a lot of life experiences since then. 
Back then, I just followed what markings were in the score. JS Bach was my favorite as a student in part because his music is so cerebral, mathematical relations worked out with random tempered interval hits and misses.  My brain lit up like a video game every time a fifth or fourth interval went by in all those polyphonic runs.   Beethoven didn't mean much to me age 16.  He does now; he led a frustrated life. 
So follow the markings in the music for a while and observe the people around you. Talk to them about their wants, needs life stories.  In a few years, you will have comedies and tragedies of your own to think about.