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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First take on the Op 67 nr 3. First left hand only, then both.
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Sindre Skarelven Beautiful playing! Even the left hand alone had so much character! What a sweet Mazurka this is.
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Sindre Skarelven I heard bass and chord distinctions until the phrase builds - keep the bass always clear.
For the trio, treat the bass graces as the burczybas, give them a grizzlier feel, and keep the drones more prominent than the choral soprano lines - those are lovely as a second plan and the droning D gives this a more earthy feel. The drum I mentioned before - burczybas - has a pulling function that makes it buzz almost like the whirring in a beehive or engine activating, the entire trio should resonate with this buzzing. Go in the more casual and even directly folkloristic direction here, develop a simple rubato style that accommodates the whirring sounds of the wooden instruments used in folk bands. -
Vidhya Bashyam Thanks Vidhya! Yes, it is a very sweet Mazurka!
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Jarred Dunn Thank you Jarred! I need to go deep into this feel you are talking about!
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Sindre Skarelven Very tender and beautiful, Sindre! Your new piano sounds great.
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Juan Carlos Olite Thank you, Juan Carlos! I choose this particular sound for the Mazurka for it's intimate, clear and warm voice. Glad you liked it!
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Sindre Skarelven you play this in such a sweet and warm way! Lovely playing!
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Natalie Peh Thanks, Natalie!
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Jarred Dunn "grizzlier feel" is a great description!
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Sindre Skarelven Simply beautiful, with the special care to make the simple important!
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Gail Starr Thank you, Gail! Dzięki!
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And the last one in opus 67, nr 4
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Sindre Skarelven Lovely! You are zooming through this opus!
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Sindre Skarelven Sounds beautiful, Sindre! Your playing is so delicate, very deep and with a very attractive fragile mood.
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Sindre Skarelven Good tempo for first performing the piece. Your rubato at 0:30 is a good idea. Dynamic starting point for 0:35 is great, this has the right introspective mood. Good effort at 0:50 to show the mazurka swaying onto second and third beats. I wouldn't slow down at 1:01, but rather wait until the section change before A major to fulfill a rubato timing since the line descends chromatically and vocally this would be more convincing in tempo. At 1:42 you show the fermata without stopping the entire flow of the piece; the trio in general could be slightly faster than the main mazurka A section so that there is a distinction between them. The relationship between bass notes and soprano melody is sometimes very conscious and clear, sometimes not: I'd recommend working on the dynamic relationship between these voices as your next step!
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Juan Carlos Olite Vidhya Bashyam Thank you, Vidhya and Juan Carlos! I've been enjoying this opus a lot, so lovely pieces! I will of course continue to work on Jarred's comments for this opus. Also, feeling inspired, I wanted to add one more Mazurka, so I choose op. 59 nr 1. I will go on a vacation for the long week-end, but I'll have a piano to practice on when there's time for it :)
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Jarred Dunn Thanks again, Jarred! I will of course work on your suggestions!
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Sindre Skarelven Love how you play my current, top, most favourite mazurka!
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Natalie Peh Thanks, Natalie! Yes, this Mazurka is among my favorites too!
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Sindre Skarelven You give this mazurka a human soul. Lovely!
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Gail Starr Dzięki!!
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Hi
My recording for Op 7 No 2. Feedback is appreciated. Thank you!
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Clara LH movements look natural for the most part. Try to hear the dotted rhythm as something very strict for the cadences (not a triplet, but the sixteenth note can be more precise). Don't rush the entrance of the second beat at 0:48 or any other place with the rest-chord-chord figuration. Good effort with in and out movements RH at 1:00 - 1:10, the repeated notes came out clearly. Main melody - 1:41 aim for less punchy accents and more swaying, lyric accents. In Chopin the accent types vary with each dance; we would use a more direct attack for the mazurka's middle section in A-major/F-sharp minor but a less direct attack for the lyrical sections in a minor! Have a think about that as you move forward! Do roboty!
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Clara Beautiful playing, Clara!
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Jarred Dunn Thank you Jarred for listening to that. I have noted your comments and reworked the piece.
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