Group 3
Welcome to the latest TWO WEEK INTENSIVE on tonebase!
For the next two weeks we will be working through assignments given by Lindsay Garritson to improve your Cantabile Playing
Pianists of all levels are welcome.
More Detailed instructions coming soon!
- Sign-Up : September 11
- Course Period: September 18-October 2nd
- Class Size: ALL are welcome!
- Optional check-In via Zoom:
September 28th at 11am Pacific Time
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84812603822?pwd=DUo16MYAj50zLwbmZ1fco9PKbYh6qb.1
Assignment #1
"Singing at the Piano"
Description: How do we sing at the piano?
This is one of the most difficult yet rewarding things to achieve in our piano playing! We will look at the different technical components which go into creating a beautiful, singing sound. From transparent to rich textures, we will take sections from four pieces by Mendelssohn, Chopin, Brahms, and Ravel, and discuss the considerations required to achieve a resonant sound in each.
Introduction video: https://youtu.be/UezTgcCsp7c
C Major Scale Exercise: https://youtu.be/Ug6BnzuTIHk
1) Record a one octave C major scale very slowly (right hand alone, then left hand alone), applying the "down - up" motion with every note, listening carefully for the quality of sound in each note and using as legato a touch as possible
2) Record the same C major scale in both hands separately at a faster tempo, but applying the "down - up" motion over the entire pattern (not a separate motion for each note)
Mendelssohn Songs without Words, Op. 19, No. 1:
1) Record the melody in the right hand alone (at a much slower tempo) from the upbeat of measure 3 until the downbeat of measure 15, listening for resonance of sound, legato articulation, observing places to "breathe" between phrases; don't worry about using the fingering that you will use when playing all parts together (the focus now is quality of sound and phrasing)
2) Record just the bass line in the left hand (also at a slower tempo), start from measure 3 until downbeat of measure 15, listening again for the quality of sound, special moments of harmonic change, legato articulation; again, don't worry about the fingering in this exercise (do what promotes the most legato touch)
3) Record the melody in the right hand as well as the bass line in the left hand (outer two lines), listening to how the "voices" are interacting (the energy between the two and how the left hand functions as a counter melody), as well as indicating clearly shaping within the phrases
4) Record all parts from upbeat of measure 3 to downbeat of measure 15, again slowly, listening particularly for control in the sixteenth notes and making sure they are at a dynamic which does not overpower the clarity and resonance of the melody in the right hand as well as the bass line in the left hand
Chopin Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48, No. 1:
1) Record the "voicing" exercise: taking a C major chord in the right hand (C, E, G, C) and play the chord seven times in a row, highlighting one note at a time (middle C the first time, then the E the next time, and so forth)
2) Record the melody in the right hand alone (top note of each chord) from measure 25 to downbeat of measure 37, listening for the legato between each note, resonance, attention to shaping within the phrases; don't worry about using the fingering you will be using once you play all of the notes (use what best promotes legato in this exercise)
3) Record all notes in the right hand alone, but WITHOUT pedal, trying to connect each chord where possible from top note to top note (melody); where physically it is not possible, try to give the illusion of legato through careful shaping of the chords (small crescendi, decrescendi, etc.)
4) Record all parts, hands together in the same section, WITH pedal, listening carefully to the voicing in each chord and listening to how well you connect the sound from chord to chord
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WEEK #2 Assignment!
Brahms Intermezzo in A Major, Op. 118, No. 2:
1) Record top melody in the right hand alone from beginning to measure 16, focuses the legato touch, phrasing (important moments you are leading to and away from), adding a different "color" to the places Brahms writes dolce
2) Record the "alto" line in the right hand alone (same material), listening for the same qualities as in the first exercise
3) Record the left hand alone, listening for a richness and depth of sound, particularly in the low bass notes (think of the sound of a cello for inspiration)
4) Put all parts together, slower than the original tempo, paying attention to the quality of sound between the soprano and alto lines (thinking of them as a duet, so one part is not necessarily more important than the other); listening for the depth of the bass notes in the left hand; taking time in moments you feel are important (larger intervals, between phrases, etc.)
Ravel Pavane pour une infante défunte:
1) Record the melody in the right hand alone from beginning to downbeat of measure 8, taking special care in listening to the notes with ties, making sure the notes coming immediately after each tied note are not louder (making sure you aren't adding any sort of accent to these notes); don't worry about using the fingering you will use when playing all parts in the right hand together
2) Record the "alto" line in the right hand alone (beginning to measure 6) WITHOUT pedal, listening to evenness of staccati articulation and seeing how little you can move your hand (relying on the staccato articulation with just the fingertips)
3) Record left hand alone WITHOUT pedal (same measures), taking care to use an articulation that is slightly longer than staccato (almost as if you are adding tiny tenuto marks to each note)
4) Record all parts hands together WITH pedal (slowly), listening to the quality of your legato in the melody, evenness of staccati and softer dynamic of the"alto" line (even though it will not sound short with pedal), and a resonant sound in the left hand
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Hello everyone. I’m a beginner with about 6 years of learning (trying to) the piano under my belt. This is my first TWI and it looks somewhat daunting. But I shall have a go. Hope to work on the C major scale and the ex. 1-3 of the Mendelssohn piece.
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Rashmi Lahiri Hello Rashmi! So glad you decided to join at this time. All levels are welcome here! I would love to hear any and all of the exercises. Whatever could be most helpful! If any of it is feeling like to much, just focus one less. Do you have any questions about the scale exercise or Mendelssohn so far?
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Hi everyone! Here my c major scale. Haven’t done something like this since about 40 years. It’s a really good practice.
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Kerstin Hi Kerstin, thank you for sharing this, and I think you nailed it! Great control in each finger with the evenness of touch and resonance in the sound. You got the "down up" motion perfectly in the faster version.
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Here is Mendelssohn. Not as easy as I thought in the first place.
Is there anybody else in group 3?
https://youtu.be/eHOFyuI9Yas?si=N76zgUmeldRgxJJ9
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Kerstin Hi Kerstin, just hopping in from Group 2. I wanted to let you know that was very nice! I am still trying to get it to this level. You have three distinct well balanced lines, with each voiced delicately!
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Natalie Peh Hi Natalie! Nice to meet you here. It’s always good to practice all voices separately. I do it also with the Chopin Nocturne. One can practice this c major part in many ways. Needs time to find the balance with the cords. Have fun. If you need help let me know.
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Kerstin thanks for the reply, Kerstin! I will try and be patient to practice hands separately.
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Kerstin Wonderful job with this, Kerstin! I really appreciated your sensitivity in the phrasing, attention to details with the articulation (slurs, etc.), dynamics, and I could tell you were listening very carefully to each note. It sounds to me like you are ready to tackle the whole piece! Just a few details I'd like to share, but you've already gotten it to a very good level (if you haven't already, work on getting it a bit faster now!). This may be an issue with the specific piano you are playing on (it does have a beautiful sound!), but I was consistently hearing the F# at the beginning of the melodic line (measure 3) as a little bit too soft compared to the G# and following E natural. Small detail, but especially important at the beginning of the piece! I appreciated your phrasing a lot, but I'd like to add one idea: in measure 8, I'd like to feel a bit more that the energy continues to build into that forte. Although Mendelssohn does not explicitly write crescendo in that measure, I interpret that phrase as continuing to build in energy (comparing this moment to measure 4 of the first phrase). If anything, I wouldn't round off that phrase. Another small detail is for measures 12 and 13: we may have different editions, but I believe there should be a slur over BOTH of those measures. You were doing a beautiful job of indicating that there were two groups of slurs over those measures, but I would recommend playing the A# of measure 12 a bit louder in order to create that overarching slur for both measures (it also breaks up the phrase a bit less this way).
I'm glad you took the repeat! Thank you for including that. I think you now start to think about ways you can bring slight variety to the repeated music (perhaps you could find some moments to stretch more/take a little more time, etc.). One moment that comes to mind is taking just a little bit of time between beats 3 and 4 of measure 4, highlighting a beautiful color in the harmony of beat 4. There are many comparable moments in this first part.
Thank you again for sharing, and please let me know if you have any questions!
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Lindsay Garritson Thanks for your detailed answer. For sure I could practice this piece more than one hour but it’s not really my piece. But you choose also Chopin Nocturne- so that’s my piece. Have practiced it some time - especially the last part. What a wonderful piece.
https://youtu.be/wnnEZOZfocY?si=_R9PuFfePyqDAZBwLG Kerstin
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Kerstin Hi Kerstin, so sorry I didn't get a chance to listen yet! Just saw this; I'll listen and comment today. :)
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Kerstin Hi Kerstin! I *finally* had a chance to listen, so thank you for waiting. Really beautiful job with the Chopin! I can tell you love this music, and it sounds like your octaves are very good. :) I really have hardly any comments, as your control in the melody with a beautiful sound in each note, clear voicing of the chords, and phrasing were all great. With all parts together, your pedaling was very good as well as the rolling of the chords between hands. My only comment in regard to that was more of an artistic/perhaps edition-related comment: I have at measures 30 and 31 one continuous rolling of the chord from bottom of the left hand to top of the right hand. I do think this can be a slightly more dramatic effect (even though this is all in a quiet dynamic, it gives it a grandiose, sweeping effect). Perhaps just something to think about! But like I said, you really played all parts of this beautifully. Would love to hear you play the whole Nocturne!
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Lindsay Garritson Thank you so much for your inspiration. For sure it is not perfect but I am doing my very best in the time I have. Yes I love Chopin’s music. Especially since the last Chopin Competition. Now here is the whole piece. And now it’s finished for me, because I played it for my friends last week.
Thank you! LG Kerstin
https://youtu.be/t7boJ4zOd64?si=bEh8cJUh5X4uwLPp
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Hello, thank you for the opportunity to participate in this TWI! I’ve attached a link to my recording of the C major scale. I’d really appreciate any feedback!
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Clare Thank you sharing these exercises, Clare! Great to have you here. I would say you're doing a great job with both of the slow versions! Sound is good, and you got the "down - up" motion perfectly. For the right hand faster version, my only comment was to make sure the E natural - F natural (third finger to thumb) is still legato and connected. Everyone has issues with the particular spot, so it's natural to have to work on! The left hand version was sounding and looking just fine.
If you're up for sharing any of the Mendelssohn or Chopin exercises, I'd love to see!
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Lindsay Garritson thank you so much for the feedback! Unfortunately I haven’t had a chance to record the Mendelssohn or Chopin exercises but your videos have been very helpful and I look forward to revisiting some repertoire from a few years ago, applying the technique you demonstrated.
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I spent last week in LA, trying to get my chum to get his piano tuned. It was awful, and then impossible to record anything. I've never learned any of these pieces before. I need to listen to them a lot before trying to play them. So now I'm home & it's a busy week with 6 piano events, but finally I have managed to practice the Mendelssohn exercises. They are all here:
The Chopin Nocturne's chords are absolutely frightening, so I am going to take more time on that later.
I have been really hoping to learn to improve my cantabile part of Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu which I have excavated after 40 years. Muscle memory is an amazing thing, but I would like to be able to do something different with it. May I post a recording of that for suggestions?
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Grace Hello Grace! Thanks so much for being here and for posting the Mendelssohn exercises. Lots of good things here. My overall comment would be that I wanted to hear more legato in the melodic line. If you didn't have a chance to already, I would highly recommend doing the C major scales exercise I posted. This is very important for the idea I mentioned of "getting to the bottom of the key," as well as implementing the slightly "down - up" motion of the hand and arm (follow through, as I described). I would love to see a bit more of that, especially in the Mendelssohn exercise with just the melody alone. These ideas can promote better legato and a "singing," resonant sound. Another small comment is to take care at the ends of slurs not to play too short; I'd love to hear a slightly rounding off of the sound, which translates to a tiny decrescendo in places like the third beats of measures 3, 4, and 6. I was hearing a bit too emphasis on those notes in relation to the notes preceding them. Please let me know if you have any further questions about these exercises!
Sure, if you'd like some suggestions for the other Chopin, please post. Thank you!
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Lindsay Garritson Thank you for the feedback. I completely forgot about the C-scale exercise. Here it is:
After the Zoom and some more practice, here is another crack at the Mendelssohn;
Any feedback that you can provide on my Moderato Cantabile part of Fantasie-Impromptu would be greatly appreciated. Hopefully, I've been able to apply what you have taught here:
Thank you!
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Grace Hello Grace! Thanks so much for posting. I will have a chance to listen soon and comment!
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Grace Hello Grace! I have not forgotten about your videos. I have a performance tonight, but I'll finally have a chance to listen in the next day!
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Just wanted to apologise for joining but then not doing any videos - just chasing my tail at the beginning of the new school year! I have watched the videos though for week one and will watch the week two ones as well. Thank you, a really good topic!
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Angela Fogg No problem, Angela! Definitely a busy time of year. :) Enjoy the topic and working on the repertoire!
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Thank you for your wonderful teaching.
I have questions upon breathing when I was playing the piano.
I wonder that it is better to check my breathing all the time?
Sometimes my teacher told me I was not breathing.
It is better to breathe through nose or mouth? Do I have to do on end of every phrasing, like the same point when I am singing?
Or that is too much?
Please advise me how to improve breathing.
I am trying to sing when I am practicing but still confused.
I am sorry I am late but I will keep practicing all of your wonderful videos.
Appreciate it.
C Major scale, Mendelssohn melody
https://youtu.be/hVCRT1PFWl8?si=6h1PolHuUdSNMa-W
Mendelssohn
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Ko Hello Ko! Thanks so much for being here. Wonderful questions about breathing. I would say it is always important (of course) to make sure we are breathing normally while we are playing (not being tense and therefore taking very shallow breaths). I also have to remind myself to do this at times! What has helped me when I practice is to actually practice breathing through the mouth (especially if it is a piece that is lyrical and there are places I have decided a singer would breath/between phrases). This way, I am encouraging myself to be even more aware of my breathing. I would also practice, then, breathing through the nose in those same spots in the music where I practiced breathing through the mouth (you probably don't want to get in the habit of always breathing through the mouth either!). So I think practicing both ways can be very helpful, especially when the habit has been to "forget" to breathe!
Thank you for including these videos. I will have a chance to review and comment in the next day!
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