Chopin nocturne

[jono]

Hi
How difficult would you say that chopin's nocturne op. 9 nr. 1 is, compared to other of his nocturnes? And do you think it is overplayed? How overplayed?
Thanks  /Jono

[Rockitman]

I'm currently working on this one.  I'm not an advanced player so have not tackled the bulk of his nocturnes yet.   I do have 4 others in the bag and this one is maybe a bit trickier than them.  (9-2,  72-1, 15-3 and Posthumous).  At first I was daunted by the right hand runs against the walking left hand eighthnotes on the first and last page, but as they say, practice makes perfect, and it is getting much easier.  That, really, is the only technical difficulty of the piece that I can see.  The very beautiful middle movement with the right hand octaves is really quite easy and repetitive. 

[SteinwayTony]

The right hand runs against the more constant left hand part is one of my favorite aspects of the nocturnes.  When the notes and rhythm in the left hand is solid, the right hand comes somewhat naturally (though this is not to underestimate decent fingering andmeticulous phrasing).

[dinosaurtales]

I'm currently working on this one.  I'm not an advanced player so have not tackled the bulk of his nocturnes yet.   I do have 4 others in the bag and this one is maybe a bit trickier than them.  (9-2,  72-1, 15-3 and Posthumous).  At first I was daunted by the right hand runs against the walking left hand eighthnotes on the first and last page, but as they say, practice makes perfect, and it is getting much easier.  That, really, is the only technical difficulty of the piece that I can see.  The very beautiful middle movement with the right hand octaves is really quite easy and repetitive. 

Boy!  You guys have bigger hands than me!  i had to give up on this one BECAUSE of that middle section.  Right hand octaves are killers for me, and I had trouble "walking" them appropriately withoiut killing my forearm and wrist.

[Rockitman]

Dinosaursan,  you must focus on relaxation.   Much too much tension Dinosaursan. 
You get to use sustain pedal throughout also, so don't fret too much on "walking the octaves".  Hit em all with 1-5 if you have to.   Feel the relaxation of this movement,  it's like a lullaby.   

[dinosaurtales]

ah, Rokitmansan.  My teacher is EVIL and MAKES me do these vile things.  I attempted the zen approach to the nocturne and was raked over the coals. 

She is now making me work on a Ballade just to put me in my "place"

[Rockitman]

Piano teachers are like dominatrixes.   They both bring you pain and you pay for it to boot!   But they both know what's good for you, you bad bad boy you.
I just hope for your sake the ballade isn't the Ballade of Davey Crockett.

Daveyyyyyy, Davey Crocket, king of the wild frontierrrrr. 

Just think, when you master that one, you can say "I kilt that baar with ma bare hands!"

Remember Dinosaursan,  wax on wax off.

[allchopin]

Jono,
From my impressions only, this nocturne is played enough because it is the first of the set and thus a good starting point, but I feel that it is relatively underplayed.  More often played is the Db, C minor (Op. 48), the posthumous', #2 in Eb, and E minor.  I would say that this is the easiest nocturne next to the E minor and posthumous C minor.  It was my first 

[rodrk352]

    The melodies in Opus 9 No. 1 sound like a Venetian gondola song. The first theme is very tender and restrained, but the piece really takes wing in the second section, an impassioned declaration of love under the moonlight. The women must have swooned when Chopin first played this one.
     This piece is dedicated to the pianist Camille Moke Pleyel. She is the woman who was engaged to the composer Hector Berlioz. While he was staying in Italy (he had won the Prix de Rome) she met the successful manufacturer of pianos, Pleyel. With her mother's approval, she dumped the penniless Berlioz and decided to marry Pleyel instead. This caused Berlioz to snap, and he returned to France in a rage with the intention of a double murder/suicide.         
     Fortunately, he came back to his senses and went on to finish the score to the "Symphonie Fantastique."