Week 3 - Into the Fugue: Three Voices at Once
Hey everyone! 🎹
Halfway there! Many of you are still working through the Prelude, and that's completely ok. Take the time you need with it. The threads will be here whenever you're ready.
For those moving on to the Fugue, this week's suggested focus is Sections 8–11 (Fugue, bars 1–20):
- Section 8, Fugue Fundamentals: what a fugue actually is, and articulated legato, the touch that keeps every voice clear.
- Section 9, The Exposition (bars 1–9): the fingering walkthrough, setting your tempo, and giving each of the three voices its own character.
- Section 10, Voicing Gym: the seesaw approach, 2-for-1, exaggeration, ghosting and staggered-note practice. These are short drills you can return to all week.
- Section 11, Development & Episodes (bars 9–20): a structural map of the development, the conversation within one hand, the jumps, double thirds, and those shocking harmonies before the recap.
Open the Track here: https://app.tonebase.co/piano/tracks/bach-prelude-and-fugue-in-c-minor-bwv-847
Jumping in now? No catching up required. Go at your own pace.
Share a clip, a question, or a voicing drill that's working for you (no clip required), and leave a kind word or a tip on someone else's post. Prelude updates are welcome here too!
Question for the week: which voice is hardest for you to keep alive in the Fugue (or, if you're still in the Prelude, which passage is giving you the most trouble)?
Coming up:
- Next Tuesday, Oct 27, 11am PT: Deep Dive on the C minor Prelude and Fugue, live with me. Post your questions in these threads and I'll answer as many as I can!
- Monday, Nov 2, 11am PT: Watch Party featuring your recorded submissions 🎥
17 replies
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Anyone finished their prelude yet?
Myself, keeping the pace exact for the first 24 bars is still a little 'wobbly', as well as some transition bars, i.e., hand position changes, but making progress nonetheless. Years ago I played this, but quite sloppily and I never played the fugue. So this time around, attempting to 'polish' for my own self-respect. 🙂 As for the fugue, have learned the notes by now, and am attempting to add musicality to it, is the stage I am it. There is still a chance I'll finish in time. I enjoyed the track and the challenge very much and am grateful for these track additions to Tonebase and all of Dominic's obvious hard work on our behalf.👋 Anyone else to share their progress?
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I think I am playing the Prelude’s first 24 bars with a quasi-staccato on the inner notes. It took a while to figure out how to do it but today it seemed to click. It seems to give a harpsichord-ish feeling to the piece and helps bring out the melody and the pedal points. I am working on the fugue but haven’t really conquered the Presto of the Prelude yet. This is a great challenge!
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Dominic, it seems that your touch in the Presto of the Prelude is quite different from that of the first 24 bars. Am I hearing it all correctly? Maybe it’s the change in tempo…?
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I have the prelude completed! How does one share a video clip to the group? This is my first time trying to do that.
I would love to get feedback and also advice on how to better shape the melodic line of the first 24 bars. I tend to fall into a monotonous pattern.
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I'm also trying to figure out how to add a video. Good work!
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Here's the how to I found that works:
How to Upload Video:
Go to YouTube Studio.
Click Create → Upload videos.
Select the video file you recorded.
Give it a title, such as Bach – Prelude and Fugue in C Minor | Tonebase Challenge.
Under Visibility, choose Unlisted (not Private).
Finish uploading and wait for YouTube to process the video.
Copy the video's share link.
Return to Tonebase, click Add Video, and paste that link into the field shown.
Click OK, and your video should appear embedded in your forum post.
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Thank you Brandy. I've seen some posted via Youtube and some posted directly too. Appreciated! :-)
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Are you using the dynamic mapping Brandy? Section 4 'Dynamic Map' of the Track video. I posted the Dynamic map below. If you practice from that only for awhile, it can attune one's ear to the different gradations of dynamics on the melody notes, from the highest E flat (bar 5 of the full score), to the lowest E flat (bar 21 of the full score). That might make it more musical as you say. Fantastic work on the full consolidation of the piece! 👋
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just saw the note above. I have been using this same procedure for a few months. Use an iPad or a microphone ( blue Yeti ) then steps to 2 - 9 works well. I take the YT url link and paste the link in the post. Good to know that Add Video also works. The sound is a bit better with the mic. Recording on an iphone is not very good.
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i tried on my phone and it sounded tinny (samsung). So an iPad is better then as per your explanation.? Tx
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yes very tinny sound ( iphone ), ipad is better. A blue Yeti is definitely better than both but will cost $100 or so.
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I figured out how to upload a video! Yay!
Please let me know your thoughts. I am struggling with the phrasing and creating a more musical line in the first 24 bars. And the presto section still needs polishing. Any feedback is greatly appreciated!