Group 4
Welcome to the NEW TWO WEEK INTENSIVE on tonebase!
Improving your Lyricism (feat Chopin)
Post your progress with videos and written commentary on how things are going for you!
- Course Period: June 26 - July 10th
- Class Size: ALL are welcome!
- Optional check-In via Zoom: July 2nd at 11am PT
- ZOOM MEETING Recording!
- https://youtu.be/Fl-ExGT9aZY
Assignment #1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQpw6fZBOlE
- Pick a short piece (Mazurka, Nocturne, Prelude) or excerpt of a longer piece (Ballade, Polonaise, Scherzo, Sonata, Concerto). Focus on lyrical/slow sections.
- Learn bass carefully, labelling all chords and cadences.
- SING melodic line. Practice singing until your voice can identify the melody instantly.
- Submit a video: playing the Bass while singing the Soprano.
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Assignment #2
https://youtu.be/ri2UD1z8sKE?si=w36XWzqb_rao3RAu
-Label all breathing points with an apostrophe between phrase markings. Practice deep breaths between significant points or use a regular breath for phrase changes.
-Sing Bass notes of all chords while playing Soprano melody.
-Submit a video: playing hands together (performance).
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Voila! My recording of the first page of Mazurka Op 67 no 2. Singing helped me learn the melody much faster than I had expected. Of course, singing it is a whole different matter.
I struggled with labeling the G minor chords. Not sure where to begin with that. If anyone has any advice I’d appreciate it!
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Eliza Davis great start: you're able to sing it without using RH to provide reference points. Practice the notes mm.3-4 to check intervals. I suggest that placing the upper note in your voice is a big part of the next step: practicing singing/breathing/listening so that placement of the tone is comfortable. Your voice should know exactly where to sing the next note - this is key to producing natural timing when RH plays. You'll feel a bit of resistance in your voice at times, these are where more breath support and deep breathing are needed to reach high notes. Mazurka expression is another layer: make a special rhythmic lilt between beats 2 and 3, then beats 3 and 1. The accents alternate bar by bar, use LH to produce this. It can be difficult to master but I'm sure you will be able to figure it out!
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Jarred Dunn
Here is my attempt number 2, which I tried to include better breathing techniques. I took deeper breathes before the longer phrases which allowed me to hit the higher notes. Still working on the chord analysis.
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Here’s my recording of the Prelude and an attempt at harmonic analysis. Struggled with labeling measure 12 - it’s some kind of diminished chord, but could also be an F#m chord. It feels like that’s the summit of piece. And then a quick resolution.
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rtansf m. 12 is a dominant seventh chord, F-sharp dominant seventh, the dominant of b minor (V7 of ii). M. 13 bass has this as the root and second beat; then in beat 3 of m. 13 Chopin adds the 7th (A) to the b minor chord. You're right, it's the summit of this Prelude and then a quick resolution. Good work singing it! Work on breathing enough to sing the high C-sharp of m. 11-12 confidently, you can take time to really breathe for and support your sound - this will be a key feeling to translate into piano playing when you add the RH to your performance. Great work!
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Zoom Check-in: Tuesday July 2nd at 11am PT. Bring any questions you have so far or important lessons/skills you're learning. Hope to see you there! Keep singing..
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https://share.icloud.com/photos/053lH1Izuv7E_BNNXE3s_-krQ
Hi I just sent my recording and analysis. Thank you for any helpful feedback you might have.
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Karen Wood your analysis is on point, well done. Singing and playing bass are fluently in tempo. One observation I have is about your breathing: Chopin’s phrasing often comes with the necessity to breathe mid-way through a phrase. The way you move into new phrases is loyal to the bass line but with a bit more time you could take more natural/longer breaths between sections. Deeper breaths would make your phrasing more elegant. Same applies to high notes - when Chopin reaches to the high D in m15, measure your breath support level and make sure you can reach it in RH and voice with natural dynamic support - the hand playing should reflect a voice with ample breath support. I suggest exploring the beauty and nuance of different lengths of phrasing, slurs, and how they can be shown by your singing.
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Hi, this is a bit of the Nocturne Op. 48 No. 1.
Please correct whatever mistakes I made (also where the ???) is.My voice is not in good shape right now, I know the rhythms and pitches are wrong in some places.
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springgrass good start, you're using your upper tessitura and following the melody's direction. Next steps: a bit more specific in tone on the 8th, 16th, and 32nd notes (m. 2, 4, 6, 7-8) - practice singing slowly and carefully, with attention to the upward or downward flow of the line. This will give you a lyrical inflection when you play. Keep working - your singing is great!
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Hello there!
I did a beginner-level harmonic analysis on the central part of Fantasie-Impromptu op.66.
Please correct my mistakes! Thank you!
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Hi - here's my submission for week 2 assignments.
Sing the bass root of the chords (in treble register ...) https://youtu.be/OHvOOG8tPic
Hands together https://youtu.be/kGLhghbwQv0
And labelled breath markings
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It is really quite a soothing piece - I will definitely work through the entire piece after this TWI :-)
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