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Topic: Accents in Rachmaninoff Prelude C# Minor  (Read 2310 times)

Offline puppetmaster

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Accents in Rachmaninoff Prelude C# Minor
on: March 18, 2005, 05:32:29 PM
Can anyone offer some advice. In the middle section after it speeds up, towards the end there are a bunch of chord triplets going down the keyboard pretty fast. The first chord of each of these triplets is accented. Slowly I can manage, but as soon as I speed up it starts sounding like a jumble of chords again. Does anyone have any help for this. The problem is not the chords(I have them down), but the accents are giving me trouble.
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Offline steinwayguy

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Re: Accents in Rachmaninoff Prelude C# Minor
Reply #1 on: March 19, 2005, 09:17:12 PM
Can anyone offer some advice.

Doesn't look like it.

Offline nomis

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Re: Accents in Rachmaninoff Prelude C# Minor
Reply #2 on: March 19, 2005, 10:08:13 PM
Well, the first chord of each triplet is accented, so break the passage up into threes, so that you're only practising one triplet. Now, play the first chord of the triplet very loudly and the other two as softly as possible. Repeat this so that you get the feeling of the triplet figuration. Then move to the next triplet section and do the same, as it is the Left Hand that has the accent this time. Once you get the feel of both of them, you should be able to accent the triplets correctly.

Offline Awakening

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Re: Accents in Rachmaninoff Prelude C# Minor
Reply #3 on: March 20, 2005, 02:45:59 AM
Can anyone offer some advice. In the middle section after it speeds up, towards the end there are a bunch of chord triplets going down the keyboard pretty fast. The first chord of each of these triplets is accented. Slowly I can manage, but as soon as I speed up it starts sounding like a jumble of chords again. Does anyone have any help for this. The problem is not the chords(I have them down), but the accents are giving me trouble.

I ran into similar problems when I realized that these accents alternate hands.  I essentially did what the last guy said and slowed it down and split them up.  It's actually quite a difficult thing to do at high speeds, and even after practicing this specific section many times with the intention of accomplishing the given articulation, it never sounds as good as professional recordings I have heard.  I'm actually performing this piece tomorrow at a recital, so I've been practicing it like crazy. 
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