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Topic: Ballade 1 - first post - too ambitious?  (Read 1527 times)

Offline chopes

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Ballade 1 - first post - too ambitious?
on: December 26, 2016, 08:13:14 AM
My previous teacher advised not starting this, my current one didn't question it... so with another thread here on the same topic in mind, I thought Id risk posting a recording to canvass opinion about whether I should have listened to my first teacher... and if not, any tips for improvement.

Shame about the last run in 10ths. Every time I practice it in isolation, it's OK after the first time, but played in the piece, it always turns sour. Any tips for this especially welcome.

(This is played on my N2 with 50% of the sound coming from Pianoteq)

https://soundcloud.com/chris-warren-369635170/ballade-1-opus-23/s-asWgU
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Offline vaniii

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Re: Ballade 1 - first post - too ambitious?
Reply #1 on: December 26, 2016, 11:23:22 AM
First off, well done, this is a mammoth piece to play, not in so much in terms of difficulty, but rather, stamina, and the fact that it is so well known, everyone will have a definitive version in their mind when they listen.  Again, first off I want to say well done!

I listened right the way through, my only major criticism is your clarity, simply because you are playing faster than your fingers can comfortably manage.  There were moments where notes were simply missed because your fingers could not keep up and skimmed them over.

Your pulse during the more-busy sections was erratic, changing in each measure, sometimes within the phrase, making the music some sometimes in-cohesive.  Question: are you counting?

You clearly understand the forces at play here within the music, but at this current time perhaps lack the technical ability to refine them.  I would love to hear this piece played a while from now after putting it down, and picking it back up with (hopefully) new skills and a fresh perspective.  The easy bit is over - learning the notes - the hardest part is refining the music.

I enjoyed your posting, thank you for allowing me to listen.

Offline chopes

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Re: Ballade 1 - first post - too ambitious?
Reply #2 on: December 26, 2016, 11:55:18 AM
Thanks Vanilli - I really appreciate the time taken to listen and comment. When I listen again objectively, I can see what you're saying. The inaccuracies even extend to easy sections like the opening page where I've managed to miss the second of the base D's in some cases...I think I'll try slowing down much more and checking I'm playing all the black squiggly things!

Thanks again.

Offline lamadoo

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Re: Ballade 1 - first post - too ambitious?
Reply #3 on: December 26, 2016, 03:51:51 PM
First off I would like to congratulate you on learning this elephant of a piece.

I truly believe even if one was not ready for a piece yet but has the motivation and dedication he can gradually perform it very well. Especially if its a piece you love, it will truly motivate you to learn. You do not simply build a house from nothing but if you work on it each day brick by brick it will hold very well with the foundation you have made. It may even take a whole year or two, maybe more but it all comes down to your dedication and refinement. Don't skip on the details, take as much time as you need to perfect even one articulation. Treat mastering each phrase as a completely new piece so you can grind it down piece by piece.

Offline preludetr

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Re: Ballade 1 - first post - too ambitious?
Reply #4 on: December 26, 2016, 05:04:16 PM
As far as amateur performances of this piece go, I thought it was pretty good. Sure, there were mistakes, but not most of the piece was held together pretty well. Only in the most difficult sections, the Scherzando and Coda, did the mistakes and lack of clarity start to get distracting. I think some of the "skimming" notes in these fast sections can result from not being fully comfortable with the fingering or not having all of the notes solidly memorized. I've had good luck with taking small sections and repeating them many times in a row.


As a side note, I always seem to screw up the 10ths scale myself no matter how many times I practice it. If anyone else has suggestions for that, I'm all ears.
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