Week 4 Beethoven Challenge – Recordings Watch Party 🎥🎶

Week 4 is here, and it's time to share!

For this final week of the Beethoven Challenge, your goal is simple:
record your piece and submit it for our community Watch Party.

It doesn’t have to be “finished” or perfect. In fact, it’s more useful if it isn’t. Record where you are right now with your Beethoven and let that be your snapshot of growth from Week 1 to Week 4.

How to participate:

  1. Record your Beethoven selection (phone video is totally fine).

  2. Upload it to Youtube!

  3. Post the link in the Week 4 thread below with:

    • Piece and movement

    • One sentence: “The thing I worked on most in this piece was…”

We’ll collect submissions and feature as many as we can in the Watch Party, with live commentary, encouragement, and a chance to hear how everyone has grown over the month.

This week’s challenge:
Don’t wait until you “deserve” to record. Hit record, share your current best, and join us for the Watch Party!!

119 replies

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    • Philosophy teacher and piano lover
    • Juan_Carlos
    • Yesterday
    • Reported - view

    Hi everyone!

    Here is my video of the "Tempest" Sonata, 3rd movement (Allegretto). Playing it feels like being on a roller coaster, with the sense that you could fall off at any moment.

    I didn't repeat the exposition, mainly because of the video's length and, you know, to minimize the possibility of mistakes 🙂.

    Like in previous challenges, I wish I'd had more time, as others have mentioned, to refine the interpretation and achieve a cleaner execution. But, well, we are among friends..., and we always have the opportunity to keep playing and revisiting the pieces we learn for Tonebase challenges. At least, I hope a little bit of the Beethovenian spirit comes through.

    The thing I worked on the most in this piece was restraining my use of the sustain pedal, reducing it as much as possible following Beethoven's score.

    Thank you so much, as always, for this challenge!

      • Mom, fitness instructor, lover of music
      • Michelle_Russell
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

       Beautifully played, Juan Carlos! 

      • Pianist, composer and piano teacher
      • Sindre_Skarelven
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

       Bravo, Juan Carlos! It sounds very Beethovenian, and it’s quite noticeable that you’ve been paying close attention to all the markings in the score. Well done on the roller-coaster! 👏🏻  

      • Philosophy teacher and piano lover
      • Juan_Carlos
      • 20 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

         Thank you very much!

      • Philosophy teacher and piano lover
      • Juan_Carlos
      • 20 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       Thank you so much, Sindre! We could call it a tempestuous journey on a roller-coaster 🤔😂.

      • Pianist, composer and piano teacher
      • Sindre_Skarelven
      • 18 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       Yes! Haha 😂

    • Mom, fitness instructor, lover of music
    • Michelle_Russell
    • Yesterday
    • Reported - view

    The thing I worked on most in this piece was ... the first 8 bars, as they encompass the majority of the work!

    Here's my slow rendition of opus 119 no. 9 (Bagatelle). I just put all the parts together last Thursday, and am happy with my progress over the 4 weeks. This amount of progress on a piece typically takes me twice this long. I think in about a week I'll have the tempo up to a decent performance level (50-75% faster than in the recording), and in so doing can find the single gesture I'd prefer for the ascending figure of the first 3 measures.

    https://youtu.be/nRsI4BBIVzA

      • Pianist, composer and piano teacher
      • Sindre_Skarelven
      • Yesterday
      • Reported - view

       Bravo Michelle! It sounds beautiful on the slow tempo as well. I always enjoy your nuanced playing. 👏🏻

      • Mom, fitness instructor, lover of music
      • Michelle_Russell
      • 20 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       Thanks so much, Sindre. I appreciate you listening!

      • Philosophy teacher and piano lover
      • Juan_Carlos
      • 20 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       Very beautiful, Michelle, such a great attention to detail!!

      • Mom, fitness instructor, lover of music
      • Michelle_Russell
      • 18 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       Thank you, Juan Carlos. I tried to find both elegance and playfulness within my performance, and think that will come through better when I'm able to increase the tempo!

    • rebecca_LAM
    • Yesterday
    • Reported - view

    This is my recording for pathetique first movement I have been working on for the last few months. I remember dominic said more contrast on the dynamic so I am working on that. Also, I have to get it up to tempo too. 
    https://youtu.be/ivkyxZ5jC1s?si=j_hgVaZsVH-CS0M-

    • Grace.11
    • 19 hrs ago
    • Reported - view

    Is there still time to submit a video  😬? 

      • Mom, fitness instructor, lover of music
      • Michelle_Russell
      • 18 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       I think as long as you post before tonight it should be good for possible inclusion in the watch party, but there's never really a time limit for posting! So if you post even after the "deadline," we'll all enjoy hearing your submission.

      • Grace.11
      • 16 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       thank you ! I will try to post something here even though it’s just a work in progress.  

    • Paul_Larson
    • 14 hrs ago
    • Reported - view

    Beethoven C# minor Allegretto and Trio

    https://youtu.be/umQWxWuj7Yc

      • Mom, fitness instructor, lover of music
      • Michelle_Russell
      • 10 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       Hi Paul, your video is listed as "private." Could you go back in and mark it to be "unlisted" instead, so we can hear your playing?

      • Paul_Larson
      • 9 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       

      The youtube link should now be unlisted.  Please let me know if it's viewable now.  Thanks!

      • Mom, fitness instructor, lover of music
      • Michelle_Russell
      • 9 hrs ago
      • Reported - view

       Yes, now it's unlisted, thanks. And well-played, too!

    • YMT
    • 9 hrs ago
    • Reported - view

    Here's my submission: opus 26, 1st movement.

    I worked on the Pathetique as well this month, but that seems to be a popular submission, so here is part of the Sonata I finished earlier in the month!

Content aside

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