Week 1: Dancing with Liszt and Schubert!
Hello and welcome to the WEEK ONE Main Thread for this challenge! 
Alright everyone - this is the thread where we'll all be posting our daily updates.
Make sure you've read the rules before replying (<- click)
Twice a week between August 16th and August 21st I hope to be reading your daily updates in this very thread right here!
Download the music:
Liszt's: Soirees De Vienne No.6
Please use the following format when commenting (feel free to copy & paste!):
- Section you worked on:
- One thing you found easy:
- One thing you found difficult:
- (Optional): a video of you performing it!
Sample daily update:
- Section you worked on: 1
- One thing you found easy: Learning the notes, and rhythms were rather straight-forward, and not challenging!
- One thing you found difficult: Playing the trills/ornaments in an elegant way was what challenged me the most.
Feel free to make these updates as short or long as you wish!
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- Section you worked on: 1-4
- One thing you found easy: Less technique required so far than the Handel (last challenge) and so seems easier.
- One thing you found difficult: Consistently hitting the octaves at speed. Plus my hand gets tired, probably because I'm too tense/stiff on octaves.
I've enjoyed everyone's videos so far! I hope to make a video of sections 1-4 this week (or early next) if I can practice enough. My plan is to work on 5-9 the last 2 weeks of the challenge because that will require more time.
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Brett Gilbert Great to hear that you are working on this piece! I hope my livestream offered some help today, and I look forward to seeing some of your videos of this piece if you are comfortable. I always enjoyed your playing from the past! As always, if you have any questions let me know!
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Dominic Cheli The livestream was brilliant, I'm already improving on my octaves/chords based on your suggestions and re-thinking a lot of the other sections too as I continue. Thank you.
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Hello everyone! A little update from me.
First I must say that I very much enjoy this piece, and really all the Soir茅e de Vienne. This is a really beautiful work I did not know of before. So grateful for that enrichment.
There will be no video with this update, but I will make one for the next.
So the official lines:
- The section you worked on: All sections (1 - 9), but most attention to 5 and 7.
- One thing you found easy: I would say the left hand is pretty easy throughout the piece.
- One thing you found difficult: I prefer to use the word challenging. First thing that comes to mind is the 2 against 3 in the the ending of the piece. I鈥檓 gonna take Ben鈥檚 advice from his rhythm-class, and let my hands work independently.
PS: really enjoyed the video鈥檚 so far! Very inspiring, and great stuff! Looking forward to contribute.
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Sindre Skarelven Awesome that you are working on the ENTIRE piece already! Yes the ending is a bit tricky with 2 vs. 3 but it should be very atmospheric and not an EXACT feeling of 2 vs. 3. Liszt basically wants a wash of sound that creates a "tinkling stars" effect to conclude the piece!
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Dominic Cheli Thank you for your comment, nice to have that reassurance that it doesn't have to be exact ! I think I have that effect down now, and I listen closely to the 8-notes in my left hand to hear if it's steady. Have not completely decided on how much pedal to do on the last to chords yet. We'll see!
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Sindre Skarelven I absolutely love your playing and you are SUCH a speedy learner! WOW! Great job.
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- Section you worked on: 1-6
- One thing you found easy: Most of the 1st section since I鈥檝e played that Schubert waltz
- One thing you found difficult: keeping the chords straight on m. 3 and 7
It鈥檚 a really charming piece. I鈥檓 happy to be learning it!
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Susan So happy you are joining us for the challenge!
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- Section you worked on: 1-4
- One thing you found easy: I don麓t find any of it easy as such... But it is within my reach.
- One thing you found difficult: I麓m working hard on the rhythm in the first section
I麓ll send in a video soon.
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Richard George Littlewood Looking forward to your video! As always, let me know if you have any questions!
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Hello everyone!
I am new at Tonebase and new in these challenges. I am very glad to participate and I find Tonebase a wonderful discovery for me.
So, first week with Schubert-Liszt:
路 Section you worked on: 1-4
路 One thing you found easy: harmony and melodies are very clear.
路 One thing you found difficult: pedaling and tempo, the dancing feeling that unify the different sections.
I have enjoyed your videos and I am very happy to join people who love piano music like me. I try to do this video, but it is very soon to play the piece well. It would be much better next time.
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Juan Carlos I enjoyed listening to your playing very much! Nice touch and phrasing
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Juan Carlos Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! I simply loved your interpretation. Very controlled and am incredibly beautiful touch. Bravo!
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Sindre Skarelven Thank you very much, Sindre. It's great participating in this community challenge.
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Bruno de Lorenzo Thank you very much Bruno. It is very stimulating your message, it encourages me to practice more and more.
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Juan Carlos Beautiful, very expressive. It looks like you even memorized it!
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Brett Gilbert Thank you Brett. Yes, I always try to memorize the pieces I play. It allows to focus on the music.
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Juan Carlos That was so lovely and made me smile. Even though you weren鈥檛 so practiced in the last movement you played I liked that one the best.
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mariannejhampton Thank you Marianne for your kind words! Now it is the turn of section 5..., Ufff...
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Juan Carlos BRAVO! You sound fantastic! Already you have captured such a wonderful spirit for this piece! I look very much forward to hearing MORE from you!
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Dominic Cheli Thank you very much for your kind words! I am delighted to participate in these challenges, it has been a great discovery for me. I love Tonebase! Yesterday, I attended your workshop, it was wonderful and I took a lot of notes to improve my playing of the piece. I'll try to show it in the next video (week 3, of course..., much work to do...). Thanks a lot!
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Juan Carlos Olite Simply gorgeous! Your playing inspires me to try this challenge. And I am amazing at how beautifully memorized it is.
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Gail Starr Thank you very much, Gail! And your words inspires me to work hard the rest of the piece. I know you start learning it a bit late, but we are looking forward your video! Cheer up!
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Hi my second post this week, and so nice to see more people posting comments/ videos. I鈥檓 enjoying this growing and committed community!
- Section you worked on: 2-5
- One thing you found easy: 2-4 still relatively straightforward so far, though the rubato in 4 gives a lot of freedom but then it means more decisions to make!
- One thing you found difficult: moving from vertical chordsh to the fluid triplets in 5 was a little disorientating, Still experimenting and working out the fingering that suits.
- Posting video on 2/3. (Now I鈥檓 a bit less shy and you鈥檒l see a bit more of me! )
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Ching Lee Goh It sounds beautiful! Enjoyed listening.
