Group 3
In this two-week initiative, we’re moving beyond the black and white of the keyboard and into the colorful spectrum of instrumental timbres. In week one, you'll hone your skills in spotting orchestral writing in the works of the great composers. Week two will focus on experimenting with a variety of tones and textures in your own playing to illustrate the qualities of the many varied orchestral instruments.
BYOP: Bring your own Piece! This challenge does not rely on specific repertoire, so feel free to pick any piece that best suits your current abilities.
Pianists of all levels are welcome. You may choose how much of the piece you would like to work on. It can be a phrase or a page.
More Detailed instructions coming soon!
- Sign-Up : Monday January 16th at 10 am PST
- Course Period: January 23 - February 6
- Class Size: max. 4 Groups á 10 Participants
- Optional check-In via Zoom: February 2nd at 10:30am PT
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84808836865?pwd=dGhjYkRKRndhSFhvbU5RdUppaENIQT09
Assignment 1
Supplementary material: Beethoven Sonata Op.10 no.1
Part 2
Overview of Week 1: Spotting orchestral writing in your pieces!
Look out for the following:
1. Bass Octaves
2. Sudden shift of texutre
3. Stems of notes going in different directions
4. Melody in the middle of piano/middle voices?
5. Exact repetition (different instrument playing it?)
Assignment 2
Supplementary material: Beethoven Sonata Op.2 no.3
Part 1
Part 2
Overview:
Put together a list of 5-10 descriptive words you can use to express the music you are playing.
Upload a piece or excerpt of your piece where you discuss how you adjust your attack (finger/arm/pedal) to accommodate the instrumentation and expression you chose in video 1.
Upload an excerpt of your piece where you CHANGE the instrumentation and/or expression and note what conscious changes you made in your attack to do so.
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Hi
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I am not clever enough to upload videos to Tonebase…they always fail.
so, here are first thoughts and a first try I uploaded to youtube
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Harry Neuwirth
This is wonderful. I love how you thought about the difference in how the staccato would sound on a piano vs. a violin vs. a flute. That piece was actually my second choice but I thought it TOO involved orchestrally to be succinct.
What do you see in m. 26? I see flute. I can almost hear them taking. breath between 27 and 28, so I lift a millisecond before the downbeat of m. 28 to show 2 statements. In 39 and 40, that's a big chord! So I try to save some space before it to make that a bigger moment, like the whole orchestra has just joined in. I won't touch on m. 46 (just yet-hint). There are so many subtleties in this piece, it's the perfect choice!
I'm eager to see what else you find. Have fun!
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Hi everyone,
Thanks you Daniela for this interesting course and thanks Harry for these brilliant ideas on articulation.
Here is my attempt with the Danse Villageoise by Emmanuel Chabrier (I have attached the score ) I find it quite hard to come with a definite idea about which instrument could play the parts so I would have one question:
Apart from the register, what can help us deciding between brass, winds and strings?
Many thanks -
Gauthier Excellent example. The score looks so orchestral, I instantly questioned if it was originally written for orchestra, so thank you for the note that it was orchestrated by the composer. You kind of answered my question that he probably had an orchestral idea from the beginning.
I agree with so much of what you said. You asked about how to make choices of instrument families and I think it's all in the writing, but keep your eye on the articulations especially-accents, slurs, staccatos. You're absolutely right, in the opening those accents seem as though they would be most effective on a brass instrument, something pointed. The articulation of m. 3 and 4 of the 2nd page seems somewhat awkward for a violinist. You would probably want an up bow on m. 4, but also need an up bow on the last note of m. 3 so would need to compromise something there. On a wind instrument, this isn't an issue. An articulation like we see in the second line on that page m. 1 and 2 seems much more natural for a violinist to execute. Down on the slur, up, up on the staccato and down again for the 16th notes. Trust your instincts though, they are leading you in the right direction.
@ 2'11" Maybe cello, violin, complimented with some brass. That ff seems tough to pull off with just strings.
Absolutely see the bassoon, and then bassoon with basses for the color change. Fingering is a very personal issue, but I may suggest trying 1 on the A and 2 on the Bb for those last few measures.
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Thank you both for your kind words. I had never heard the Chaubrier and it is very charming and orchestral. My teacher has been after me to play some Chaubrier and Chaminade. Maybe it’s time!
I appreciate your thoughts about articulation and taking a little pause in the spots you mention.
I hear what you mean with flutes as well.
Moving forward to the two bar introduction at 45 and then the dolce…which is perhaps strings for the pedal point and the rising theme with woods for the slower descent. But how to get that on a piano? I’m thinking very flat fingers and pedal the B and D arpeggios.
mm59-60 is flute or piccolo so very bright trill and arpeggio (G7? I’m useless at harmony theory). Then a tutti with brass accents on sf beats.
For mm69-70..I tried brass right hand with strings playing the descending left hand scale. The left isn’t marked legato, but it fits my hand perfectly as legato octaves.
The repeated trill theme (bum-bum-tra-la-la) in 77 etc needs some percussion under strings with perhaps muted brass answering laaa-la.
Perhaps the trill on fingertips and then flatten out?
here is a video try at all this. I look forward to your ideas
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Harry Neuwirth Wonderfully thought out, and I agree with so many of your choices. I am thrilled that you are starting to think about WHERE on your finger to play to make these sounds. I especially hear the percussive effect on the trill. We will delve into this in detail next week, but keep thinking about the possible combinations of finger placement and attack. The more different combinations on your spectrum, the more colorful your music.
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Daniela Thank you so much for these answers! I need to give more thought about what is possible to achieve with each instrument, especially strings.
It is also obvious for me now that the forte/fortissimo passages are more suited for brass.
Harry Neuwirth I love Chabrier! He has been greatly inspired by Beethoven. It seem's like the Danse villageoise shows some similarities with the mvt1 of Alla Tedesca Sonata in G Op.79.
Thanks again for your uploads.
Here are some ideas for the last 2 lines of page 2 :-
Gauthier I think I like how you separate the octaves just a touch in between. The accent lends itself to a brief break, and I think maybe the connected pedal might make the RH a bit sloshy. Love the brass for fortissimo accents. Seems to fit well. And I like the oboes for the RH 16th notes also.
Since we’re working on sound this week, how can you make the tutti octaves at the end sound different than the brass octaves from the line before? Maybe fill out the voicing a bit? Have an attack that has an impulse but also a roundness? Lots of fun questions to ask yourself this week. I’m here if you need me!
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Daniela Thank you so much for the feedback! The way you relate the kind of touch(more or les vertical and cushioned) with the instrument to imitate is very clear and interesting to me.
Here is my attempt for 10 words to describe a tone:
1. Warm
2. Round3. Dry
4. Pointed
5. Crystalline, crystal-clear
6. Distant
7. Concrete
8. Harsh
9. Cloudy
10. Singing
Thanks
Gauthier
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b great choice Betty. I was just mentioning in another group that his use of forte-piano at the opening makes me think of orchestral over pianistic right from the first chord here. Tutti orchestra, and then the soprano, alto, tenor move in different directions. If we can see how the cellists would lean into those glaringly chromatic notes, perhaps we pianists may start to shape this opening with a fresher awareness as well.
This is the first example we had with a soloist’s cadenza happening right in the opening. Is there an element of the writing you see here that is inherently authentic to the strings? Or if you continue would you perhaps consider changing the timbre at times for variety? Maybe this could be achieved by assigning another instrument its own cadenza in response to the violin?
Glad you joined us. Looking forward to your next video!
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Hi , this is assignment 2, thanks
This is Beethoven's Pathetique.
I would use the following words to describe it :
Struggle, powerful, Restless, Confrontation, overwhelming and dramatic
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b Wonderful! I love your vision. I would love to hear a recording of it when you are more comfortable executing it.
I figure, why try to say anything when the master has already said it best. I adore this lesson from Leon Fleisher on the movement, to the incredible pianist and tonebase's own, Ben Laude. He gives a ton of insight into how those little details can make the most drastic effect. You might feel inclined to take a listen and decide if you agree or not. Might open your eyes to different ways color and sound shifts can be produced. Looking forward to hearing more
-Daniela
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