Excerpt from Beethoven's Sonata 32 in C Minor, 2nd Movement: Arietta

[robatsch]

I had originally posted this in the "Performance" section of the forum but it seems more appropriate here.  I'm an amateur pianist with very little understanding of proper hand or finger technique.  I spend a considerable amount of time "playing through" my favorite Beethoven pieces, albeit poorly.  I would appreciate if you could give me some tips on becoming a better player based on where I stand right now.  Thank you very much for your help.  Michael  

[philolog]

I think you have an instinctive understanding of the piece and of what you're trying to accomplish but you're perhaps hampered by your technique here and there. I'm sure those deficiencies will be overcome in time if you continue to apply yourself (how long have you been playing thus far? Are you completely self-taught or do you work with a teacher?)

Towards the beginning of your selection I think you lose the thread of Beethoven's repetitive upper-register musings-----they become somewhat shapeless and the rhythmic undercurrent turns a bit flabby. Not sure if that's a technical issue or a simple matter of inattention?

I like the way you handle the ending---a suitably ecstatic re-iteration of the theme followed by well played "heavenly" trills-----so much harder to execute than they sound (lol). I think they're not completely continuous, though, but that's understandable considering the extreme difficulty of trilling in the upper portion of the hand while holding down the thumbs (if I'm remembering the notation correctly).

You have good speed on the trills which suggests a fairly high level of digital control----apply that to other "sloppy" bits and all should be well.

When you get your hands off the keyboard to play louder (towards the end) the sound could be a bit better----weight transfer could be improved?

On the other hand, in general I like the relaxed position of your arms and hands----this will serve you well as you progress.

I hope my comments make sense-----I haven't taken the trouble to pinpoint the bar numbers.

Also, it's difficult to evaluate certain aspects of someone's playing at a distance. Still, take from it what you can (if you think any of it worthwhile)

[robatsch]

Hello philolog,

Thank you for your detailed analysis of my playing.  I agree with all of your suggestions, which I would not have been aware of on my own.  I am completely self-taught (never had a teacher), and I have been playing for about four years.  I was surprised that you feel I generally have a "relaxed position of the arms and hands" since I've long felt that this was a deficiency in my technique (not using the fingers enough and relying to heavily on arm motion).  The "upper-resister musings" are certainly sloppy as you said.  I have a final question about my dynamic range.  I am never aware of this while I am playing, but as I listen to my recording, it seems like I am consistently playing too loudly throughout the entire piece, with little dynamic contrast between sections.  Do you agree with this conclusion?  Thanks again for taking this time to help improve my playing.  I really appreciate it.  Regards, Michael

[philolog]

As to my comment about the relaxed arms and hands, I suppose it's possible that your sensations are not in accord with what I thought I could see. Also, you should remember that complete relaxation isn't possible. More accurately it might be described as an attempt to minimize tension so as to allow maximum flexibility and agility. All these ideas might be better illustrated in person by an accomplished teacher----maybe you'll decide to try that path someday.

I believe that while there should ideally be a balance between the fingers, arms, wrists, etc, in actual practice, now this or now that part may take precedence over the others. It's a tricky series of interactions, one that probably has to develop slowly over time.

As to your dynamics, I didn't hear a uniform "insensitivity" resulting from incessant loudness. On the contrary, I thought the softer sections were nicely delineated. Of course I always have to consider that I might be wrong-----see what some of your friends say (if you ever play for them) and listen to your playing with an open mind----Preferably at a distance vis-a-vis recording-----I believe it was Glenn Gould who said that the tape recorder was his most important musical instrument (paraphrase)

Anyway, keep up the good work, I think you're on the right track.