Week Two: Rachmaninoff's "Strawberry on the Keyboard"
Hello and welcome to the WEEK TWO Main Thread for this challenge! đ€©
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 March 20 - March 27 I hope to be reading your daily updates in this very thread right here!
Here is this week's assignment!
One of Rachmaninoff's famous statements about piano playing is that
"One must imagine a ripe strawberry sitting on the key - and you have to push through it!"
in order to create that rich sound so necessary for his music!
What does this mean?
In order to push through the strawberry, you must have a firm yet relaxed finger, but also feeling the depth of the key (not playing too "shallow"). The most important aspect however is that the speed of attack will be consistent, yet perhaps a LITTLE slower than you might normally use. This is one of the secrets to creating a round, warm sound.
100 replies
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Hereâs my first video for the week- just the first page. Working my way very slowly through this this piece. Besides the usual challenges, a lot of layers and hidden notes/melodies to bring out. Will try to also work on the âstrawberry attackâ quoted above for my next post.
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Wow! I love how you are sculpting the gentle, playful personality of this pieces. I never knew it until you mentioned it to our group, and now I think I need to add it to my list of future things to learn, too.
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My first video for the challenge: Prelude op. 3 nÂș 2 in C sharp minor.