Rach Prelude # IV in D - stupid technical question

[athykay]

This is just driving me nuts.  There are a couple of places in which a right hand D7th chord appears  with c#, d, a and then c#.  How does one play that?   I find it impossible to play the bottom c# and d together with my thumb, and breaking the chord is extremely clumsy.  Do I just forget about the bottom c# or what.

BTW, I think this is just one of the most incredibly beautiful pieces of Rach's repetoire.  I noticed there was a thread on saddest non-classical pieces.  Has there ever been one on saddest piano pieces?  For me, I think this would be it. [sigh]

[e60m5]

I don't exactly recall what I did with those chords... but I definitely remember enough to agree with you that it's one of the most gorgeous works of Rachmaninov's oeuvre.

Looking at it now, though, I can see two things to do... you could try to play the chord without breaking it, but using the thumb for the two bottom notes would be risky. I would do the (very awkward) 1245 fingering there. Alternatively (this is what I would do) you could break the chord, using either the (very awkward again) 1245 fingering or 2135 (sustaining the C# with the pedal).

Let us know what you decide to do!

[dmk]

athykay,

when i was learning this piece that chord drove me nuts!!  I played the C# and the D with my thumb.  It took quite of bit of trial and error and lots of practice get it right, i kept 'clipping' the C#!.  It is also quite a challenge to play it so it doesn't sound like a tonne of bricks has just fallen on those two notes! Its no problem once you have sorted out the appropriate wrist movement and angle which you strike the key at, its just finding the balance that was a pain!!

I love this piece, it is beautiful... do let us know what you decide to do!!

good luck

dmk

[Motrax]

I always played these notes with my thumb, and never had problems doing so - I think it's the right way to go unless you have huge hands which can spare a fourth finger to use for the C#. Rather than hitting the top of the black key, "stick" your thumb onto the side of the key right above the D. Almost any piano (haven't seen any that don't have this) will have black keys which are slightly sloped - there's a very small angle sticking out at the spot where the black key is on the same level as the surface of the white keys.  So when you place your thumb on the side of the key, and then play the D (while keeping your thumb on the side of the C#), you'll be able to catch your thumb onto that little angle, which gives you enough friction to push the C# down along with the rest of the notes.

It's a lengthy explanation, but much easier in practice (I think). Even if your piano doesn't have the "angle" on the black key, your thumb should be sticky enough to make the key go down anyway. It takes some trial and error I guess, if you aren't used to playing that way, but it works wonderfully for me so it just might for you, too. 

Hope this helped, and good luck!

[allchopin]

Haven't played the piece, but I notice that the tenuto marking for the chord is on the low C#, so you should make sure to raise the priority of this note over all the others (ie, make sure to bring out and sustain the low C#, sacrificing the other notes as needed).

[athykay]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!  This is so rewarding! 

Well, now that I know it's not impossible to hit the c# and the d with the thumb, it's coming.  I often get the e in there too (yeek) but I see that it's do-able and seems to beat rolling  in terms of finger acrobatics and most certainly sound.  I think this is going to work.