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 passageās 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 itās from, why you picked it, and why you think soft pedal makes the section come to life!
TWI Check-in
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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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Dr. Leann Osterkamp He I am a late beginner and interested in learning how to control dynamic (without pedal). The Chopin piece you chose for this intensive is hard for me. I have a hard time to play/read it.
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Dr. Leann Osterkamp He Dominic Cheli Everyone would like a class like this! Thank you.
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ALICE I can try to address this a bit in the Zoom class tomorrow. You are also welcome to reach out for lessons from me at https://riopiano.com/start-playing. Dominic Cheli and I will also see if we can make a class specifically for working on soft dynamic control.
As I said in the video, I would suggest just trying to play the RH only. It is great practice learning how to count various rhythms at a late beginner stage! Even if you feel that dynamic contrast is a bit too advanced for now, just have fun seeing how the pedal makes a difference.
You are also welcome to just experiment with a melody that you already know how to play :)
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Sounds lovely but you probably should ask your tuner about the ācreakyā sound that you mentioned. Hope you sweet baby feels better soon!
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I loved your "rare live clip from 2008", Recorded reel-to-reel in a bathtub? LOL!-
Gail Starr I am a technologically savvy person and after over an hour of failed flashdrive/harddrive transfer attempts, it came down to that LOL
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Dr. Leann Osterkamp He I loved it! But it IS super tricky to dig up old recordings and make them compatible to post online. You are super advanced!
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HiDr. Leann Osterkamp He ,
Iām out getting my tires changed and donāt know if Iāll be able to make the Zoom.
I have recently revived Chopinās Fantaisie-Impromptu after 40 years. I watched your lesson here on Tonebase, but also got a mini-masterclass with Dr. Nicole Presentey. She suggested using the soft pedal on the last 10 bars as well as half the sustain pedal. The edition I originally learned on was the Paderewski one. I still have it but am exploring others.
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I thought to use the soft pedal in Griegās Puck in two main places. First, the sudden pp in measure 18 and similar, to emphasize the difference in color. Second, the reprise of the original theme in measure 60, to make the repeat sound a little different and to make following FF section āpopā more in contrast. Hereās the link! https://youtu.be/dvpRdkafqc4?si=NaXAHvb0Kj8O3VUs
You can see I recorded it in the chaos of normal family life (three girls happened to be jumping off the couch and running around the room). Time being short lately, it was a no-warmup one-take video, so pardon the errors. Iām trying to make a decent video of this one, so if you have any recommendations on the performance, they would be greatly appreciated! Thank you. :)
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Marc M Nice performance! No worries about the "family life" elements of the recording... I, personally, think it is wonderful that the girls get to see you working hard and achieving cool things on an instrument :)
I think your concepts for the left pedal are great!
Performance recommendation wise: I think one of the most immediate things that would make the biggest impact is exploring where you are sitting/ how the bench is positioned/ where your feet are placed. To my teacher eye, you seem to be sitting a little too close to the instrument. This results in your wrists being overly bent to the side at times and a frequent necessity to lean away from the piano. The wrist bending is more of an injury concern over time. The leaning away from the instrument will impact accuracy, tone/dynamic control, and memory slips. When we learn back (either because of how we are sitting or inadvertently for "emotional" reasons) we actually pull our arm weight away from the instrument, which will result in less control and a poor sound.
For example, around 0:56, there is a sudden leap up to the soprano. At that moment, you had a temporary lack or control... and you can see that your torso/hips kind of have a "rebalance" moment, where you don't quite look grounded. That's the kind of thing that can make something sound less polished, even with a correct practice routine and understanding.
1. Try pulling your bench farther from the piano. You should be sitting only on the VERY edge of the bench. If you don't feel like you are sitting on the sharp edge of the wood, you are too far onto the bench. You should feel like you are hinging/slumping forwards onto the keys.
2. Experiment with bench angles. I, personally, angle my bench outwards towards the audience, for a plethora of reasons, one of which being that it enables me to have the best balance.
3. Rarely, will you every be "directly" square facing the middle of the instrument. Think about having a wider foot stance, almost like "butterfly pose" in yoga. The idea is that you should be able to roll/shift side to side on your hips feeling completely balanced in your core.
Again, apologies for the extreme brevity and generalization... just some fun things to think about to help continue to feel more grounded as you play :)
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Dr. Leann Osterkamp He What great ideas about bench placement and reasons for having less control. I learn something cool from you in every single comment!
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Dr. Leann Osterkamp He Thank you for your feedback and recommendations! Pushing the bench back some and sitting more on the edge does feel more relaxed. I've always wondered how open my hips should be when sitting at the piano, so I'll do something more butterfly pose-like. I'd never considered not-parallel-to-piano bench angles before (who knew that could even be possible...haha), so I will do some experimenting and see what works best.
Thanks also for running this TWI! Special kudos for doing it with baby. I'll send up prayers for an on-time, quick and safe labor and delivery!
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Marc M thank you so much! thank you for sharing your talent with us!
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Dominic Cheli where can I see last Wednesday's zoom meeting with Leanne? I was not able to attend live, and would love to watch it. thanks
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ALICE it looks like it is directly above in this session :)
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I don't know what the left pedal is used for and I look forward to learning it.
