Group 4
Welcome to the latest TWO WEEK INTENSIVE on tonebase!
What is that pedal on the far left used for? In this Two Week Intensive, Dr. Leann Osterkamp He will join you in exploring the function and correct usage of the una corda (soft) pedal. Meant for all levels of pianists, we will learn and discuss about when to use it, where to use it, what it does to the music, and why it can enhance your performance!
Pianists of all levels are welcome.
More Detailed instructions coming soon!
- Sign-Up : October 30
- Course Period: November 6 - 20
- Class Size: ALL are welcome!
- Optional check-In via Zoom: November 15 at 10am PT
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/5557629304
Assignment #1
https://youtu.be/pho9mNo2-e0?feature=shared
What Should Your Videos Include
Week 1
- Watch the video for Week 1.
- Spend some time learning the short passage provided.
- Practice playing the passage without the soft pedal. Make some notes about its tone, character, color, etc.
- Now, practice playing the passage with the soft pedal, modifying any other musical elements you feel necessary with this addition. Make some notes on the following questions: How does adding the soft pedal change the music? Do you have to make changes to your sustain pedal, articulations, phrasing, or other aspects when adding soft pedal? What does it modify in the passage’s character?
- Film yourself playing the passage twice, once without soft pedal and once with soft pedal. Submit this video for the teacher and your friends to see!
- BONUS: Before you play your version that includes soft pedal, discuss what you think soft pedal adds to the interpretation. Discuss any modifications you make while playing to enhance or highlight the new character and tone.
Assignment #2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=shared&v=1nAgi8-CVCA
This week has three options to choose from (pick one)!
- Find a short passage in your current repertoire that you think benefits from the addition of soft pedal. Practice it with soft pedal and then record it to submit for us to see. (If you wish to include some music from directly before or after the passage to show us how it fits into the larger structure, bonus!) Feel free to also discuss on video why you picked the passage and why you think it benefits from the usage of soft pedal.
- Find a short passage in the broader musical repertoire that you think benefits from soft pedal. Learn it, practice with the addition of soft pedal, and record it to submit to us to view! Feel free to also discuss on video why you picked the passage and why you think it benefits from the usage of soft pedal.
- Find a short passage in the broader musical repertoire that you think benefits from soft pedal. If it feels a little too much to learn and record a new piece this week, just submit a short video explaining what the passage is, where it’s from, why you picked it, and why you think soft pedal makes the section come to life!
TWI Check-in
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Welcome, everyone! I'm looking forward to working with you all for the next two weeks! Let me know if you have any questions. -Leann
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Dr. Leann Osterkamp He Should we use the Ekier edition?
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Gail Starr You are welcome to use any edition you wish. The measure numbers may differ slightly. You can see more regarding edition in the comments below. :)
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Dr. Leann Osterkamp He Super! Thanks!
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Hey everyone. I look forward to learning with you all!
P.S. Public service announcement: If anyone's using the Cortot/Henle editions on IMSLP, it looks like the C#m nocturne passage numbering is different, and the passage would be measures 21 to 29, rather than 19-27. https://imslp.org/wiki/Nocturne_in_C-sharp_minor,_B.49_(Chopin,_Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric)
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Marc M
Thanks for the information. I was lost because measure 19 didn’t look like what she was playing. Starting at measure 21 makes more sense.
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Marc M Henle has two different published editions, one earlier one later. The version you are referencing on IMSLP is a lot more complicated/unclear than the other version, which is why I personally chose to use the other version for reference in the video, just for ease. :) But, yes, the passage would be m. 21-29 in this version. Sorry for the confusion!
If international copyright laws were not so complicated, I would have posted a PDF of the edition/version I used for clarity. Dominic Cheli does ToneBase have the other Henle version already available somewhere on the site? Thank you-
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Hello! I’m writing a message to ensure I’m included in this forum. Thank you!
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I'm a late beginner and I have K300 upright piano. I heard the soft pedal on upright piano is very different from grand ones. It may not be able to create the effect that Dr Leann discussed?
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ALICE although there are some marked differences in capability and tone between upright and grands, the basic function of the soft pedal remains the same. You should be able to still hear the changes in tone/effect/and character that are discussed :)
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Hi Dr. Leann Osterkamp He and Group 4,
This is a fascinating topic for me. I have rarely used the soft pedal before. My previous Roland digital didn't have one. I got used to playing quietly. Now, I have a new Spirio and notice an annoying clicking sound and keyboard shifting whenever I use the soft pedal and also on the recorded artist pieces. The piano technician is due here at the end of the month, so hopefully, it can be fixed.
I've not learned this Nocturne before. I'm looking at the Cortot edition from IMSLP. It is a bit easier for me to read and follow along with the 5 different Spirio artists' recordings (Lang Lang, Jenny Lin, Jeffrey Biegel, LUO Wei, and Claudius Conrad). Because of this clicking noise, I can tell whenever they are releasing the soft pedal. It's interesting that they all use it differently and play with their own dynamics.
Also, I'm working out how to best Airturn (or not?) the page while my left foot is on the soft pedal. Short of memorizing, what do you do?
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Grace Yes, that appears to be an issue with the instrument, I'm glad you have a technician coming to help. Pianos tend to not be too happy at this time of year, when the heat comes on.
Any edition is welcome! I personally love using multiple editions to get the most comprehensive survey of a piece. That is very cool to be able to hear how various Spirio artists utilize the pedals/dynamics differently! It emphasizes my point that soft pedal is meant for color only and can be utilized in many different ways.
If you are struggling with a page turn, I would recommend printing out the two pages so that you have both accessible on the piano stand. :)
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Grace I have the same problem with the firefly page turner!
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Dr. Leann Osterkamp He
I recorded these last week before I went on a trip to Belgium. The headless one is without soft pedal.
https://youtu.be/P1zFW5G2YJY?feature=shared
https://youtu.be/GlGO9FMkqxI?feature=shared
I was hoping to find a piano to practice on, did not find one, despite my hotel being on van Beethoven Straat.
I’m just leaving now and found a piano in BRU airport. It’s even worse and squeaks loudly when applying the soft pedal.
Anyways, I envision in the Nocturne a conversation between two individuals, one who is soft-spoken and the other flamboyant. I’m trying to use the soft pedal to distinguish the two characters.
Of course, I’m needing more practice and am anxious to get home to my piano and the next assignment.
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Grace nice work! Hope your travels are safe and go well.
I like the idea of using imagined characters as inspiration for the musical character. After all, opera and art song were very foundational in how many Romantic composers thought of and composed lyricism. Using an imagined plot can also help in creating a more cohesive larger narrative/flow for the piece, which would obviously help inform where one would like to use the effects of the left pedal.
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Hello!
In this case, I believe the soft pedal enhances the harmonic difference between AM and f-sharp minor. It also gives us the feeling between a very present emotion or scene (AM) vs. a reflection back in time or looking inward (f#m).
As far as other modifications that can be applied when the uc is used, slight differences in tempo and/or rubato as well as overall touch.-
Bradley Marcotte great observations!
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OK, here's my video for week 1. I figured out how to add text titles in my phone's iMovie app, so, hooray.
In the brief discussion before playing with the soft pedal, I kept saying "quieter", which is partly true...it might be more accurate to say "thinner", though. And maybe a little more nasal. (And yes, you can hear a baby cough via the baby monitor somewhere in there, haha. That's our 1.5 year old, who has a cold.)
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Marc M great work! Thank you for such a thoughtful video. So sorry your kiddo is sick :(
I definitely understood what you were saying in the discussion. Musically, I agree with your points! I would be careful with the part where you were discussing how it helped make the "technical" aspects easier. With any pedal (sustain, sostenuto, or left) we never want to use the pedal to bandaid issues in our technique. Many of my students have struggled with how to play soft while still having immense control. Many times, people are taught to play "softly" incorrectly (i.e. pulling up their arms, using too much finger, etc.), with the wrong mechanisms in their hands and arms.... it just takes some work and exercises to retrain how we approach playing softly (requiring arm balance and weight). Obviously, it is a bigger important topic, probably beyond the scope of this intensive. You are more than welcome to reach out to me for a lesson or two on it (https://riopiano.com/start-playing) and/or I am happy to try and show you some things in the optional Zoom class on Wednesday! :)
I thought your tempi and overall vision was very nice! I especially like how you recognized how much the left pedal influenced the section following its use, allowing the sound to have more directness and blossom out of the thinner texture.
Dominic Cheli based on how many students have brought up the topic, maybe it would be fun to host a separate TWI on how to train technique to play softly the RIGHT way, with weight and control? :)
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Marc M PS, it is hard to diagnose piano issues over YouTube... but it sounds like you might just need to have your pedals recalibrated a tad... easy fix for your technician :)
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Dr. Leann Osterkamp He
Yes!! Good idea, might you be interested in leading…?
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Dr. Leann Osterkamp He Thank you! Some tips on the technical aspects of playing quietly would be helpful. Some months ago I remember recording Tchaikovsky's October...I had what I thought was a great take until the very last pppp note, which took three tries to sound, so I had to throw the whole thing out...haha. I'll try to be on the zoom class Wednesday.
On the "mew"ing pedal issue, I'll reach out to a piano tech. I didn't realize it was there until this intensive. (Thankfully the piano is still under warranty, and so the manufacturer pays the tuner to come out to fix issues like that.)
Thanks also for the well-wishes for the baby's recovery (Gail Starr too)! It's that time of year for us all to get colds.
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Dr. Leann Osterkamp He Yes, I think a bunch of us would like a class on how to play softly.
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Dominic Cheli Of course, I'd love to! It is a topic I talk about all the time with my students and have found it makes a HUGE difference in student confidence and technical proficiency.
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Gail Starr let's see what Dominic Cheli and I can do to make that a reality :)
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