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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Good evening, Group 5 Mazurka Friends! I just started learning Op. 59/2 this week. So far, I'm having a tough time with the LH because of the octave chords. I'll try to post a small video clip tomorrow.
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Gail Starr Wow! Good luck with that! Not an easy pick! Looking forward to hearing it!
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David H. A. Fitch Yup...I think I picked one that is a bit too difficult for me, but I'll give it a go anyway because I think it is lovely.
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Hi! I think I replied to a different group just now...oops! Anyway, here's my first attempt at Op. 7 Nr. 1. Although I tried emphasizing beat 2 (at least sometimes), I'm not sure it shows. Anyway, here's my attempt (.mov file attachment).
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David H. A. Fitch I don’t see anything available to view. Are you able to upload to YouTube and create a link?
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Hello everyone! So excited to be working on Mazurkas with all of you and Jarred’s guidance.
I just started working on Op 67 Mazurkas- will do 67/2 for this intensive. -
I'm not sure what it means to "mark all articulation" in the LH parts?
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Gail Starr I think it means to take a pen (or digital pen) and circle around it, to be very aware of all those markings :)
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Sindre Skarelven Thank you! But I guess what I really don't know is what the word " articulation" refers to?
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Gail Starr I see! I've been marking accents, sforzandi and also taking note of dynamic markings that's happening on the 2 or 3 beat.
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Sindre Skarelven Ah ha! That's a great explanation. Thank you. I also marked up the sections into little 4-measure (or 6 or 8) mini passages to see where the phrasing is. Some of the beats are really curious because he'll "hold" the second beat over into the next measure...and I find that a bit confusing. I think I'll have to listen to a few recordings to understand how that works!
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Gail Starr great question. Articulations in LH voices/chords are symbols indicating how to strike each sound (staccato dots, wedges, short accents, long espressivo accents, tenuto lines, portamento). In Mazurkas they can also imply how we should release a note (fast, sharp cutoff or delicate tapering). Articulations also appear in words, e.g., "sempre legato", "legatissimo". Hope this helps!
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Jarred Dunn Perfect explanation. Thank you!
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Jarred Dunn In a lot of these mazurkas, there is an 8th rest after an 8th note, which suggests a quick release, but often there is a pedal marking that results in sustaining that 8th note through the rest. Doesn't make sense to me. Can you explain that seeming paradox of notation?
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David H. A. Fitch masz racje, to paradoks (you’re right, it’s a paradox). The eighth - rest - sixteenth is a slight lift or breath between the tones and the usual dotted eighth-sixteenth is singing without a break or rest in the line. We need to acknowledge the rest version by lightening or lifting pedal in some cases but to really advise you I’d like to hear you in a specific example of this paradox! Świetne pytanie!
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Hi everybody, I always loved the mazurkas of chopin. Since I was a teenager, when I heard for the first time the recordings of Antonio Guedes Barbosa. I'm gonna attempted the Mazurka in B flat major B16 number two. I'm gonna start reading this week. I hope I can play in the best way I can.
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Bruno Andrade de Britto Great choice! I was practicing B16 this morning!
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Hi piano friends! I'am just learning op. 63 nº 3, but I'd like to work on op. 17 nº 2 too. I'm very excited to share with all of you these two Chopin weeks.
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Juan Carlos Olite great choice! Op. 17 and 63 have vastly different characteristics, looking forward to hearing you!
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Hello Mazurka lovers! I will learn the Op 67 for this intensive. Looking forward to it!
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Sindre Skarelven marvellous! Looking forward to hearing your op. 67!
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Hi my mazurka friends! I'm playing Op 7, no 2 for this assignment. Looking forward to learning more about mazurkas!
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Natalie Peh FYI Op. 7 nr. 2 is a surprisingly optimistic mazurka - look for the hints at this in the harmony of A theme. The Trio is a real mazurka dance party!
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Jarred Dunn thanks, Jarred! Will keep these tips in mind!
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Jarred Dunn here's my video of where I've gotten to so far. I'm still trying to get it to sound as lively as possible, so I hope there's at least a bit of sunshine peeking through!
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