WEEK TWO Updates: Main Thread - Beethoven a master of Variation!

Dominic_Cheli
updated 3 yrs ago
74replies

Hello and welcome to the WEEK TWO 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 September 27 - October 4th I hope to be reading your daily updates in this very thread right here!

Download the music:

Beethoven: 6 Variations on an Original Theme

Please use the following format when commenting (feel free to copy & paste!):

Variation you worked on:
One thing you found easy:
One thing you found difficult:

(Optional): a video of you performing it!

Sample daily update:

Variation you worked on: No. 1
One thing you found easy: Learning the notes, and rhythms were rather straight-forward, and not challenging!
One thing you found difficult: Shifting the Hands was a bit tricky to get smooth!

Feel free to make these updates as short or long as you wish!

- The Retired French Teacher
- Monikainfrance
- 3 yrs ago
- Reported - view
Sept 30, 2021

Since yesterday's (very wordy) post is still pending review, here's another from this morning.

Variation: all

One thing I found easy: I'm beginning to understand what is truly unique and interesting about every variation.

One thing I found difficult: getting dynamic variations just right. And, of course, memorizing, especially the phrase endings that are similar enough between variations to be confusing.
- Pianist, composer and piano teacher
  
  Sindre_Skarelven
  
  3 yrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  Monika Tusnady A great version of the whole piece there! You bring out the character in each variation. Brava! 👏🏻
- Daniel_Chong
  
  3 yrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  Monika Tusnady Amazing performance Monika Tusnady ! 🥰 Clear articulation, played with style. loving it.
- mariannejhampton
  
  3 yrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  Monika Tusnady Wow , that was wonderful and memorized ! I get what you mean about the cadences as everyone is just slightly different . We had a nursery rhyme in the UK called 3 blind mice and I keep hearing that while I’m playing the piece . Wonder if you know what I’m talking about ?
- The Retired French Teacher
  
  Monikainfrance
  
  3 yrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  Brett Gilbert re: Tempo. Have you listened to Glenn Glould’s performance of the 32 variations in c minor? Even just the theme is beyond belief. Boldness and experimentation are good habits to have, and I admire those who have nurtured them in their musical lives.
- The Retired French Teacher
  
  Monikainfrance
  
  3 yrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  mariannejhampton Three Blind Mice - that is absolutely hilarious! Now that you’ve mentioned it, we will all be blind mice-ing the cadences!
- The Retired French Teacher
  
  Monikainfrance
  
  3 yrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  Daniel Chong thank you!!!! I’m loving group learning and have found the process absolutely transformative.
- The Retired French Teacher
  
  Monikainfrance
  
  3 yrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  Sindre Skarelven thank you! Can you believe the diverse learning paths we all take? Yours (speed-memorizing - you do that like an Olympic sport, WOW!) and mine (loving that score) are polar opposites yet we are heading toward the same goal. I don’t know of a better way to learn about others’ learning process than this platform.
- Piano and classical guitar
  
  brett_gilbert
  
  3 yrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  Monika Tusnady Yes, I love the c minor variations and Gould's performance is amazing. Tonebase had a great livestream on this a few months ago that was really interesting: https://app.tonebase.co/piano/live/player/rodolfo-leone-beethoven-32-variations
- The Retired French Teacher
  
  Monikainfrance
  
  3 yrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  Brett Gilbert thank you for that! The depth and breadth of TONEBASE is amazing, isn’t it?
- mariannejhampton
  
  3 yrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  Monika Tusnady Is that a cardinal sitting on your piano keys ?
- The Retired French Teacher
  
  Monikainfrance
  
  3 yrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  mariannejhampton yes, thank you for noticing him. Frank matches the piano, doesn’t he? Now if you are a bird lover, too, we are completely…birds of a feather!
- mariannejhampton
  
  3 yrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  Monika Tusnady I love birds but my husband is the one that takes care of them ! It’s become his hobby !
- Susan_Rogers
  
  3 yrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  Monika Tusnady beautiful! I love your style and the character you bring - and such clean playing as well! Wonderful accomplishment!
- Daniel_Chong
  
  3 yrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  Monika Tusnady Your style and body language is so expressive. 😄 The music is both elegant and beautiful.
- The Retired French Teacher
  
  Monikainfrance
  
  3 yrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  Susan Daniel Chong thank you! Positive and specific comments such as yours spur me on in my thinking and bring about new insights into the seemingly infinite possibilities of these variations!
- Dominic_Cheli
  
  3 yrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  Monika Tusnady Great performance! Loving all of your videos! Thank you for them!
- Richard_George_Littlewoo
- 3 yrs ago
- Reported - view
(165) Beethoven Wo 77 1st var. - YouTube

1st Variation.

Difficult: playing the triplets with the double notes in bar 3 and 4. I think you have to play them softly.

The rest was not so difficult. It's a beautiful melody.
- The Retired French Teacher
  
  Monikainfrance
  
  3 yrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  Richard George Littlewood Well done, Richard! You always write to appreciatively about the music and I can feel your love for it! You really have the double note triplets in m. 3 and 4: maybe lift your hand when your'e done playing them?
- Richard_George_Littlewoo
  
  3 yrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  Monika Tusnady Thank you Monika. Yes I was trying that, moving the hand towards the piano and up, it produces a lighter sound. My technique is well behind the others here on Tonebase and yours. But I am improving doing these challenges.
- Philosophy teacher and piano lover
  
  Juan_Carlos
  
  3 yrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  Richard George Littlewood Well done, Richard! I agree with Monika words!
- Richard_George_Littlewoo
  
  3 yrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  Juan Carlos Olite Thanks Juan Carlos. Where are you, by the way, in Spain? I live in Malaga, and teach English here.
- Piano and classical guitar
  
  brett_gilbert
  
  3 yrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  Richard George Littlewood Making great progress, sounds good! Yes, I agree the little 3 note phrases should be played delicately.
- The Retired French Teacher
  
  Monikainfrance
  
  3 yrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  Richard George Littlewood O MY GOODNESS! That sounds like a wonderful life! I’m just up the road (!) in MENTON! And Sindre in Oslo! We could play two pianos, eight hands.
- Richard_George_Littlewoo
  
  3 yrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  Monika Tusnady I looked you up in Google Maps and it is just up the motorway. But that would be a long drive! You live in a nice part of the world as well!
- Philosophy teacher and piano lover
  
  Juan_Carlos
  
  3 yrs ago
  
  Reported - view
  Richard George Littlewood I live in Zaragoza. Málaga! Very nice city and environment!