READ ME and POST HERE!
WELCOME TO OUR LATEST TONEBASE PIANO COMMUNITY PRACTICE CHALLENGE:
Mini Challenge: Finding Colors in your Sound!
We invite you to participate in this mini challenge leading up to a livestream on
March 8th at 11am PT with Boris Giltburg
Enter a World of Color with Boris Giltburg
Get started in this challenge by:
1. Picking a piece of music!
2. Posting an excerpt of the piece, and describe the color that YOU feel in the music.
3. (optional) tell us how you are trying to achieve this color!
Example:
1. Debussy: Prelude (Bruyeres)
2. I am trying to capture a "sky blue" color in the beginning! Because I find the music to have such an open quality (plus I am imagining an open plain, without a cloud in the sky!)
3. I am trying to achieve this by focusing on a slow attack, and washy pedal (but not muddy!)
When does this take place?
Challenge start: February 27th
Challenge days: February 27th - March 8th!
Why are we doing this?
Because we want to challenge ourselves to practice every day
Because learning together is more fun than learning alone
Because we get to share our progress with others (whether video or just text)
Because new music is wonderful and these pieces were written especially for us!
Because we want to meet our fellow tonebase community members
Because we get to hear new music which we might not play ourselves
ASK ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE BELOW!
-
Here’s a practice video of Rachmaninoff’s Prelude opus 32 no. 12. I’m trying to capture the beauty of varying shades of gray with occasional splashes of brighter colors, only very momentarily. The mood is a bit like the ebb and flow of a tide, with lots of smaller ripples in between. Another image I have is a gray, misty night with a lighthouse, sometimes crashing waves, and the distant call of sirens.
The two things I want to work on — more rhythmic precision, and clearer pedaling.
-
Tammy your technique is amazing! The description about the tide and ripples can be heard well.
-
Tammy Very imaginative playing and what an inspiring room to practice in! Gorgeous!
-
Tammy Great playing! I love this prelude. Rachmaninoff’s music has so much color and imagery.
-
Tammy Beautiful! And I like your imagery--I can see how that informs your interpretation.
-
Tammy Extraordinary and beautiful playing with very attractive imagery!
-
Tammy I think you’re achieving the color and the idea you want to portray.
Is a very beautiful sound the one you got and your technique is amazing.
I really love the bright color of the melody paired with the calmness of the left hand.
-
Tammy So lovely, Tammy! I could certainly see the lighthouse on a gray, misty night. Beautiful playing.
-
-
I’m working on Rachmaninov’s Prelude in D Major Op. 23 No.4.
It has an introspective mood with a shroud of mystery. The bass/left hand envelopes the melody with a range above and below the melody creating that shroud of mystery. I feel it should be like an undulating veil in the wind, and even with the jagged shapes, there should not be any sharp corners in the first section.
First section:
-
Victor Wong nice playing, Victor. The tranquil mood comes through!
-
Natalie Peh thanks! Still working on the left hand to create the right mood, as the notes span such a large range, I find myself still searching for the right note sometimes.
-
Victor Wong Beautifully played! I agree that this is a very introspective piece.
-
Victor Wong A contemplative piece, and well-played. I feel like that movement from below to above the melody and back again would be challenging. You did a marvelous job!
-
Victor Wong You're right, the melody makes its way with beautiful introspective mood; very nice playing, Victor!
-
Victor Wong it’s sounding really good. I think it has a sense of calmness that really shows and that is very nice. I think towards the end, when it starts to open a little bit… you could start a little bit softer.
But amazing job! :)
-
-
Hello!
I’m studying the Etude op.10 no.4 by Chopin.
What you’ll hear is the first part of this Etude.
For me, this piece is a little frantic. I think very unusual of Chopin. So, I’m trying to exaggerate the dynamics of the piece as well as… Making the piece sound grandiose. With a big sound :)
I know it lacks tempo. It’s not there yet. But, hope you enjoy it.
-
Adriana López Fantastic! I think grandiose is a great word, and you captured that!
-
Leah Olson thank you so much! :)
What do you think I could improve?
-
Adriana López I like how the sense firm confidence comes through very well! There is a lot of constant changing patterns in just the first section of this piece and it’s such a challenge.
-
Adriana López great playing! Love the sense of drama in this piece!
-
Adriana López I can't play anything this difficult, so I don't know if I'm good person to ask! I tried to think of what my teacher might tell me. I think she would say to not worry at all about tempo at this point. Instead, exaggerate the dynamics even more, bring it down to a ridiculously quiet level so there is a lot of room to grow, and then play around with it until you find the sound you like. She would also tell me to practice the line of chords separately, pretending that it's all Chopin wrote, in order to give them more shape and personality. Right now you have them growing in sound and intensity, which sounds great, but it sounds like a straight line. Could it be a little more menacing, or surprising, or unexpected? I hope that helps. It sounds great!
-
Leah Olson that's amazing feedback.
Fore sure, my dynamics can be more noticeable. I'll work on it. Thank you so much!! -
Victor Wong thank you Victor!!
Yes!! There's a lot of changing patterns but the masterclass that Marina Lomazov gives on how to practice this etude really has helped me with it :) -
Natalie Peh thank you so much!! It's working then what I'm trying to achieve with the piece :D
-
-
My excerpt is from Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in G Major (Op 32 No 5). This piece creates so much imagery for me. In the first half of the prelude (my excerpt), I imagine a tranquil glen in the middle of a forest. There are deer, rabbits and other woodland creatures relaxing on the soft green grass. There is a small stream running through the glen with birds enjoying the water while fluttering their wings. The sun is shining through the trees. Everything is calm and tranquil. In the next part (not in my excerpt) everything suddenly changes and becomes dark and agitated- a feeling that maybe a wolf or some predator is about to intrude. But after some worry, it is just a false alarm and the animals return to their peaceful time in their secret glen. As far as colors, I see green (grass), blue (water) and yellow filtering in (sun) when everything is good. This gets interrupted by gray/red with the predator and worry. Then back to happy colors again.
I am working on trying to keep a calm left hand and bring out the melody in the right hand. I am using the una corda pedal and also a lot of right pedal. There are tempo/dynamic changes to depict what is happening in the forest. G Major is so tender/sweet to play and helps a lot in the color and imagery.
-
Vidhya Bashyam I definitely can see the forest and the animals there.
You have an amazing color and definitely a good projection with the audience. Your ideas are very clear and it shows.
Love the way you put attention to the melody. Maybe you can show it a little more.
I loved it!!
-
