Week 2: Crafting the story, and finding your intent!
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 December 19-25 I hope to be reading your daily updates in this very thread right here!
Here is this week's assignment!
1. Do some research about your piece by reading online articles! Try to find the composer's intention for the composition!
2. Think about what you discover and what resonates with you. What do you want to illuminate in YOUR performance?
3. Write a few sentences about your experience. Anything you learned? Something surprised you? What is the general story you want to tell?
4. Submit a video of yourself practicing (You can combine steps 3-4 where you talk to us about the story and then play for us!).
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I need help with 4:1 trill in Sonatina 2nd movement. Trying to practice in this video but you can see still challenging for me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2ZHgy77Vc0
Appreciate any advice you have on making these trills smooth and beautiful!
Clementi called the six Sonatinas, Op 36, published in 1797, 'progressive', for not-very-advanced pupil. This is the first classical period piece I am learning. For the 1st movement, I want more trumpet sound from the beginning, and make 16th notes scale runs even, and sombre feel when it modulates to minor. For the 2nd movement, I want to have more singing tone, and clean 4:1 trills throughout.
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For the Minuet in G major from the Anna Magdalena Notebook - the composer is Christian Petzold, who was a renowned organist and contemporary of Bach. Very few of Petzold's compositions survive to this day, with the most famous being this minuet which was written as part of a harpsichord suite. Anna Magadelena Bach added the G Major minuet to her notebook - it appears to be unknown whether or not the Bach family knew Mr. Petzold. The pieces within the notebook are presumably written as instructional pieces.
Since the minuet is a dance, quite popular at the time of Bach/Petzold, I spent some time watching various videos of persons performing the minuet in order to get a feel for the dance. The dance is elegant and courtly, with 6 steps. Apparently, minuets played with the intention of dancing are played slower than those intended to be played with no dancing.
My hope is to play the Minuet in G major in a light and elegant manner, with the thought of two courtly people dancing happily to the music.
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I was unable to post a video for week 2 (we had 2 long power outages and after the second one not all of our power came back - half of our house still has no power). But, I do have an audio file to post. I'm trying to work on the repeats, which was more challenging than I anticipated. I have the first section in an OK state, so I repeated it, but do not have the second section ready to repeat yet. There is still so much I want to do (dynamics would be nice! cleaner connection of the repeated section would also be nice!), but I think I am starting to hear improvement on some small areas. I also realized I had been playing one measure incorrectly and had to re-work it. I hope it sounds dance-like, as that is what I was aiming for this week.
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Michelle R Beautiful playing Michelle! Love your ornaments on the repeats. You play so confidently with great dynamics. Hope you had a great Christmas and get your power back soon!
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Vidhya Bashyam Thank you, Vidhya! Once I figured out the ornaments, they were fun. Now to add some to the B part. I hope your Christmas was wonderful, too.
We had to order a part for our breaker box, so hopefully that will come in soon and our entire house will have power again!
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Michelle R That鈥檚 lovely! Nice light ornaments as well.
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Angela Fogg Thanks, Angela.
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I'm practicing the Gavotte from Bach's French Suite No. 5 in G Major (BWV 816).
It is believed that Bach finished composing this in 1723, shortly after he married his second wife, Anna Magdalena. He wrote these French Suites to help her learn the piano. The whole French Suite No. 5 is bright and breezy. The Gavotte is originally a French toe-tapping folk dance with four beats to the bar, and begins on the 3rd beat of the first bar. This piece is full of skips and jumps, and should be played in a moderate to fast tempo. The right hand has 2 voices and the left hand has 1 lower voice that resemble strings.
As I haven't played many Bach pieces before, I found this one a bit challenging at first. I'm practicing it in a slow to moderate tempo right now, and if I go faster I would make a lot of mistakes. The marked tempo is 72-80 BPM for half note, but I think I'd be happy to get to 60BPM. I'd like to play it more lightly and elegantly, and really bring out the different voices.
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AJ Very nice playing, AJ! Already quite elegant. Looking forward to hear your progress threw this piece.
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Sindre Skarelven Thank you for your kind comments!
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AJ Sounds great! Lovely gavotte.
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AJ I enjoyed listening to your playing, AJ! I couldn't help but smile (and tap my toe)! I look forward to your next video.
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AJ sounds very nice, AJ, how you bring out the different voices
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AJ Very nice and cheerful playing, AJ!
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Juan Carlos Olite Natalie Peh Michelle R Vidhya Bashyam Thank you all very much! Hope you are enjoying the holidays!
Natalie Peh This piece has 3 different voices, and I'd like to make the highest voice most pronounced, followed by the lowest, and then the middle voice. I want to practice the different voices using the tips from the 2-week intensive Bach's Polyphony Workshop: play a single voice at one time and record it, then sing along with it, and then play the other hand with the recording. My understanding is that once you can hear all the different voices by themselves it would be easier to play them together in the piece.
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AJ it's good fun, using the our phones this way :)
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AJ that sounds great already! Very well prepared!
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AJ It鈥檚 coming along really well AJ!
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AJ This is such a good thing to do.
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I am a bit behind (didn't get time to record a video for week #1) getting ready for hosting the holidays and work. However, I did have some time tonight to get a recording in. Will hopefully post a followup tomorrow with my story behind my playing. Btw, it's freezing here and my heat isn't working so great (hence the all the layers and hat). Hope you guys enjoy my playing, still have a few weeks let to polish it and make the left hand more consistent and convey the mood I have in my head.
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Michael What a beautiful piece, and you played it so nicely!
Great job on the trills and ornaments. I particularly like the crackling sounds from the fire in the background. This is so perfect for a cold winter night! Thank you for posting. I look forward to hearing it at the community concert! 
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Michael Nice playing!
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Michael I very much enjoyed your playing, Michael. Such a beautiful piece, and you approached it so gently. Thank you!
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Michael Beautiful playing, Michael! Great job with the fiorituras and ornaments. Very cozy with the fireplace crackling in the background.
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Michael nice playing, Micheal! Love how you set up the cosy winter atmosphere.
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