Crossing over the Gap - Michael's Diary

After dropping the piano for 17 years, I decided to pick it back up over the last several months for several reasons. First, I also cantor for my parish and I want to increase my overall music ability to help develop music in the community. Second, I wanted to challenge myself again at the piano for musical and psychological reasons. Third, I love music and want it to not only be part of my life but my family's life in the future.

I started by learning Bach's Prelude No. 1 in C major as a simple way to get started. As well, I never liked Bach when I was young and found it much more enjoyable now that I'm older. I still work on this from time to time just to see how much I can squeeze out of it.

I moved back onto Chopin who I always loved. Currently I am learning Op. 15, No. 3 and Op. 9, No. 1 in the Nocturnes. I don't have a teacher, however I have been happy with my progress. Playing better in my opinion than when I was taking lessons. Both have one specific part that I have trouble with.

In Op. 15, No. 3 there is a part where there are broken octaves and "interesting" chords played in a somewhat chromatic progression towards the end of the first half of the piece. I'm getting there especially in the right and left hands placing, but my tempo cannot accelerate yet as marked. I really love this piece and think there is a great deal of depth emotionally that can come out that many people gloss over in their performance. Horowitz I think plays it closest to how I imagine it, but I find he plays a little too fast for my liking. I was really influenced by Bernstein in how the romantics described the decrescendo as not wanting to part from the notes or harmony, painfully lingering. I adore the second part though much less technical. A certain pianist said it reminded him of the Folk hymns of Europe in church.

Op. 9, No. 1 I've made less overall progress on but I've been focusing more on the first part of the piece. The middle I don't find too difficult and should get down once I spend more time on it. Recently the first part has become much smoother for me quite happily but the last part marked appassionato I'm still having trouble with. Sounds like broken gongs to me and not a real melody, but hopefully will get there soonish. Its difficult playing that section, loudly, precisely, and not in a blunt but beautiful way. Current problems I would say are finding the right notes at times when playing the dynamics and the tempo of the notes being together rather than broken.

I'm also brushing up on a few of the easier waltzes on the side for fun.

Finally, I am looking at Brahms Four Ballads, Op. 10. Currently, No. 1. After hearing a live performance of them by Yunchan Lim I was hooked. The first part is just amazing to me and I've gotten the first section down but the second section is utterly foreign to me as a player, exciting and frustrating. The right hand cross over into the triplets against the pattern in the left hand is not only terribly muddy, its been hard to have my mind/body connection play it accurately. I think I need a new pedal as well with all three pedals as I have a standard single pedal for my Yamaha right now.

Lastly, I wanted to add, thank you Jeffrey Biegel! Your chord stretches have eliminated years, yes YEARS, of problems with playing chords for me. I almost cried over how easy some things are now after doing the daily stretches. Though my right hand is feeling a bit sore, now I know why my left hand is bigger!