Hey,
There is some knowledge I seek from those who are know around this forum.
1. I want to start exposing myself to some more music... I am a grade 7 AMEB (Australia not sure what that converts to in the ABRSM thing) and I am not familiar woth all that much music. I know the styles of Bach, Mozart and Beethoven quite well, but I would like to know more Romantic music and 20th century as well.
Can people please recommend some composers from these periods, (and any others) and in particular which recordings are good?
I have a recording of the Beethoven piano sonatas played by Gerard Williams, but otherwise, I don't have much piano music. Lots of orchestral Mozart aswell.
2. There are some trills which are troubling me in a Mozart Sonata (K332 in F maj, 1st movement). Any suggestions on how I can improve these? My teacher wants to cut them down, but I hope that I will be able to play them. I practice them daily in rythms (long-short, short-long) and just slowly. I am able to do them well after doing this, but it's still a strain on my fingers and a very uncomfortable movement.
3. I'm not sure about how I produce sounds on the piano, people say that the fingers are the last in a chain of things. I could so easily pretend I had not read some of the stuff that I have here, but I know better now. So anyway, can someone liken correct playing to something else or try to help me out here? I'll ask my teacher, but I won't see her fer a few weeks, and I was wondering what you guiys thought. Now that I think about it she has said that I'm a bit stiff in the shoulders, and after practicing for long periods of time (say, 2 hours), my lower back does start to hurt. (Hasn't happened recently. You may not be able to help hear since you cannot see me play.
Umm... I think there was some other stuff, but that's all I can think of so, any comments appreciated.