Group 5
Welcome to the latest TWO WEEK INTENSIVE on tonebase!
For the next two weeks either start learning OR take a Chopin mazurka in your repertoire to the next level through guidance and assignments from Jarred Dunn! Learn about stylistic advice, aspects of the dance and more!
Pianists of all levels are welcome.
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Assignment #1: Seeing the Mazurka
1) Watch Mazurka Dance Lessons 1, 2, and 3:
http://www.tance.edu.pl/en/lessons/show/dance/720
-Pay close attention to Lesson 3: the lesson builds rhythms from what we hear as a Waltz into a clear accent on 2nd beat, 3rd beat, and both 2nd/3rd beats
2) Learn one Mazurka
Choose one from the following suggested opuses for the whole TWI.
Week 1: Practice the LH:
-Op. 6 nr. 1, nr. 2
-Op. 7 nr. 1, nr. 2
-Op. 24 nr. 1 or 2
-Op. 30 nr. 1 or 2
-Op. 67 any
- or a different mazurka
Practice Activities:
a) Identify/mark all articulation in LH parts.
b) Clap the rhythm, emphasize accents and count aloud (speak louder for accented beats, eg. "one, Two, THREE" or "one, TWO, Three" etc.)
c) Identify/mark any unknown harmonic shifts or chords.
d) Find all cadences and notice unfamiliar accents (beat 2).
e) Voice tops of chords in LH or find a moving line (could be the middle notes of a chord that change).
f) Use RH for chords and LH for bass lines.
g) Circle any rests/pauses - they need to be heard.
Upload videos of your LH practicing/playing.
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ASSIGNMENT 2
Second Assignment: Continue your new Mazurka
Week 2: Practice the RH:
Listen to instruments, timbres, and moods in the following:
Kujawiak: https://youtu.be/RjV1bpxi0bc
Mazurek Dąbrowskiego: https://youtu.be/mTx45S-dQmQ?t=4
Chopin Mazurkas/Folk Mazurkas: https://youtu.be/n8OyddwnVbE
Look For/Listen For:
a) Learn the soprano part (melody), always sing/scream with it when you play. Think of dancers in this video: https://youtu.be/p6svoYBEWCs?t=10
b) Add ornaments after you learned the rhythms of the melody.
c) Dotted rhythms and triplets must sound distinctly different (no slackened dotted-eighth/sixteenths).
d) Accents on beats two and three can be subtle: try different levels of pressure/weight on the keys, to create at least four different accent types: sudden accent, leaning/swaying accent, light accent, heavy accent.
e) Remember that recording yourself is the best way to find out if you're actually doing what you intend. Record your melodic playing/singing/screaming whenever you practice.
Upload videos of your RH practicing/playing.
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- Sign-Up : starting July 14
- Course Period: July 17-31
- Class Size: ALL are welcome!
- Optional check-In via Zoom: July 27th 9am PT
CHECK IN VIDEO!
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Hi
My recording for Op 7 No 2. Feedback is appreciated. Thank you!
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Sindre Skarelven Thank you for your encouragement
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Clara Nicely playing, Clara!
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Natalie Peh Thank you Natalie.
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Clara Lovely job giving the different sections their own special personalities! And I love your rubato.
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Gail Starr Thank you Gail. God bless.
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Hi Jarred and everyone! Here my attempt with op 17 n2 (while I'm working on op 63 n3...). I don't know why, but I've always considered op 17 n2 as one of the more special mazurkas, with those mood swings in a very short page. I would say that it's like a musical haiku.
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Juan Carlos Olite what a beautiful mazurka this is. Good melodic focus for the first phrase; at 0:21 I would recommend the grace note struck with the bass note, but this is personal. Good rubato at 0:43. Let the sections at the cadence converge in a seamless flow at 0:46: this shouldn't feel like a sudden start into the Mazurek like snapping out of the Kujawiak. Much softer from 1:15-25; let this build more to a lyrical forte arrival in the return of A theme. Some harmonies in tenor voice aren't correct - have a look for c-natural at 1:41 (m. 59 and m. 6 with the same chord).
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Juan Carlos Olite I love the emotion and nostalgia you are bringing out. Beautiful Mazurka! Such a mood contrast to energetic/happy Op 17 No 1.
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Jarred Dunn Thank you very much, Jarred! I will work on all your remarks, we really appreciate all your interest and motivating attention to this intensive.
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Vidhya Bashyam Thank you so much, Vidhya! It's one of my favorites mazurkas, a little musical gem.
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Juan Carlos Olite So nostalgic and beautiful playing! I have to agree with you, this is one of the more special ones. I can't imagine anyone not falling in love with this one.
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Juan Carlos Olite Your rubato and "breathing" are simply perfect. I love listening to you!
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Juan Carlos Olite Bravo! I'm finishing this Mazurka as well, so I'm acquainted with it. I love the crispness of the dotted notes in the A section - they have such character! As well, you created so many contrasts within two little pages. Thank you!
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Sindre Skarelven Gail Starr Monika Tusnady Thank you so much, piano friends
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Juan Carlos Olite Beautiful playing! This mazurka is beautiful, and you play it with nostalgia.
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Natalie Peh Thank you very much, Natalie!
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Hi everyone! This is the link that should be above beside Chopin Mazurkas/Folk Mazurkas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8OyddwnVbE
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Here is my right hand only recording of Mazurka 67/2. Recording RH only has been great- I definitely thought I was playing with more dynamic contrast than my end result. Will keep working at it and hopefully put hands together soon.
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Vidhya Bashyam Well sung with the right hand, Vidhya! Yes, recording is very helpful. I remember Boris Giltburg has a great Tonebase lesson on the benefits of recording. I think for myself I should do that more.
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Vidhya Bashyam good work varying the lengths of grace notes! When you leap at 0:29, be sure not to stretch your palm all the way but rather use your arm to reach the B-flat. Mazurek at 0:35 tempo change is good. Never race to downbeats, let the second and third beats elongate for as long as needed to let listeners hear and discern the descending rhythm (faster rhythm becoming slower throughout the bar). 1:01, this is an interesting placement Chopin likes in several mazurkas: the mazurek typically begins with a przyśpiewka (ditty) hummed or sung to a small band of players, who then turn the przyśpiewka into a piece for dancing. Chopin moved this into the middle of the dance to act as a transition between B section and return of A section. Here, make more the timing of rising intervals based on singing (imagine sliding tones between the larger intervals, space them out more expressively). Dobra robota!
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Jarred Dunn Thanks so much for the valuable feedback that will help me in other pieces as well! Great context on the przyśpiewka section. I really like this concept and will look for it in other Mazurkas. Will work on your all comments for my next iteration. Thanks again!
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Vidhya Bashyam proszę bardzo!
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Vidhya Bashyam I can certainly echo Sindre’s words about the melodious right hand. Lovely! Like you, I am experiencing the enormous benefits of practicing hands separately, when all of our headspace devoted to details of articulation and timing.
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Vidhya Bashyam Beautifully sung, Vidhya!
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Sindre Skarelven Monika Tusnady Juan Carlos Olite Thank you! Now I need to put the hands together!
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