Group 2
Welcome to the latest TWO WEEK INTENSIVE on tonebase!
For the next two weeks either start learning OR take a Chopin mazurka in your repertoire to the next level through guidance and assignments from Jarred Dunn! Learn about stylistic advice, aspects of the dance and more!
Pianists of all levels are welcome.
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Assignment #1: Seeing the Mazurka
1) Watch Mazurka Dance Lessons 1, 2, and 3:
http://www.tance.edu.pl/en/lessons/show/dance/720
-Pay close attention to Lesson 3: the lesson builds rhythms from what we hear as a Waltz into a clear accent on 2nd beat, 3rd beat, and both 2nd/3rd beats
2) Learn one Mazurka
Choose one from the following suggested opuses for the whole TWI.
Week 1: Practice the LH:
-Op. 6 nr. 1, nr. 2
-Op. 7 nr. 1, nr. 2
-Op. 24 nr. 1 or 2
-Op. 30 nr. 1 or 2
-Op. 67 any
- or a different mazurka
Practice Activities:
a) Identify/mark all articulation in LH parts.
b) Clap the rhythm, emphasize accents and count aloud (speak louder for accented beats, eg. "one, Two, THREE" or "one, TWO, Three" etc.)
c) Identify/mark any unknown harmonic shifts or chords.
d) Find all cadences and notice unfamiliar accents (beat 2).
e) Voice tops of chords in LH or find a moving line (could be the middle notes of a chord that change).
f) Use RH for chords and LH for bass lines.
g) Circle any rests/pauses - they need to be heard.
Upload videos of your LH practicing/playing.
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ASSIGNMENT 2
Second Assignment: Continue your new Mazurka
Week 2: Practice the RH:
Listen to instruments, timbres, and moods in the following:
Kujawiak: https://youtu.be/RjV1bpxi0bc
Mazurek Dąbrowskiego: https://youtu.be/mTx45S-dQmQ?t=4
Chopin Mazurkas/Folk Mazurkas: https://youtu.be/n8OyddwnVbE
Look For/Listen For:
a) Learn the soprano part (melody), always sing/scream with it when you play. Think of dancers in this video: https://youtu.be/p6svoYBEWCs?t=10
b) Add ornaments after you learned the rhythms of the melody.
c) Dotted rhythms and triplets must sound distinctly different (no slackened dotted-eighth/sixteenths).
d) Accents on beats two and three can be subtle: try different levels of pressure/weight on the keys, to create at least four different accent types: sudden accent, leaning/swaying accent, light accent, heavy accent.
e) Remember that recording yourself is the best way to find out if you're actually doing what you intend. Record your melodic playing/singing/screaming whenever you practice.
Upload videos of your RH practicing/playing.
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- Sign-Up : starting July 14
- Course Period: July 17-31
- Class Size: ALL are welcome!
- Optional check-In via Zoom: July 27th 9am PT
CHECK IN VIDEO!
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Not sure if this video will attach ok:
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Obviously not! I'll keep trying...
In the meantime, It's been so helpful watching everybody's videos, and reading Jarred's feedback on each.
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Hi Mazurkophiles / Cześć mazurkofile! I want to thank you for your videos, questions, and general participation this week. I’m enjoying this TWI and hope you are learning a lot!
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Here is my latest. I am playing measures 33 to the end at 64. I am still learning and getting it in my hands, this is where I am at with it today. I feel like I am learning, sometimes I think I may be overthinking all of it.
I have also included the score, with my analysis (Of which some I am not sure about)
I notice Chopin repeats the melody 8 times, with different chord variations. I am not sure whether he is moving through different keys, or some form of secondary chords, of which I marked. Let me know if I am on the right track. (Score attached)
Measures 49 to 56 (which basically repeats again for four times total throughout the piece with some slight differences.)
Again, I am seeing more of secondary dominant chords here. I know it is staring me right in the face.
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Gary Hamer the bar where you began is a cu-koo bird (C-sharp -- A third) preceded by chirping (grace notes). Good work on 4-5th fingers for the grace notes, I recommend throwing your arm a little faster around those grace notes so they sound slightly subtler and faster. The chords can be much softer to give priority to the leading voice, the dissonances are heard more clearly if the chords have a bit less prominence. I like to sway rhythmically and hang onto the 2nd beat of mm. 51 and 52 to make a gradual stretto - in the final version this passage becomes rather rowdy, more and more stomping in the bass tones and more jumping (skakać) in the choreography. The octaves can be more like shrieks (krzyki) and claps (klaskać) - this'll give you an inspiring mood of the earthy, bawdy inspiration in this passage.
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Hi, I look forward to exploration Op. 6 no 1, or possibly Op. 30, no. 2, both which which stood out for me in connection with study of their L.H. parts. (Apology for my late arrival.)
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Alessandro Simone witaj! Welcome!
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Jarred Dunn Thanks for the second assignment, Jarred! Can’t wait to get started on this. I was trying to see your suggested videos. Two of these links lead to the Polish National Anthem. Was this a mistake? The one that says Chopin Mazurkas / Folk Mazurkas and Mazurek…
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Andrea Buckland I sent an email to Dominic to correct this!
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Hello, thank you so much for the opportunity to participate in this course. I’m learning Op. 17 No. 4.
The resources linked with the assignments have been very useful in understanding the context of the mazurka.
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to start learning this mazurka until a few days ago so the RH in particular lacks fluency in parts and dynamics need work to ensure I’m certain about what exactly I’m doing at all times. I also need to think more about where I’m putting accents to ensure I don’t add extra ones unintentionally/ accent notes that shouldn’t be accented but I really appreciate any feedback. I’m also wondering if you have any tips on how to sound all the notes of each chord at the beginning at the same time while projecting the middle line which I’m play with my 2nd, 3rd and 4th fingers? Thank you.
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Clare słuchałem (I listened)! Three-beat pulse is good. You’re right to think further about accents, especially the cadences, which have a special rubato between second and third beats. If you take a bit of time after the second beat, the octave drop will be more noticeable and it has a beautiful effect (mm.19-20). About voicing, I suggest a set of practice habits that will highlight the melody conveniently for the hand: (1) play melody alone, (2) play intervals around melody separately, (3) play whole chord with melody note repeated, etc. let me know how this works out! The melancholic chord changes could be more highlighted by showing moving voices within them/between them. Powodzenia!
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Jarred Dunn thank you for the feedback! I’ll work on the elements that you mentioned and try the practice habits you suggested for voicing.
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Clare proszę bardzo!
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Hi Jarred, I went to listen to the two following links and they are both to the polish national anthem.
Mazurek Dąbrowskiego: https://youtu.be/mTx45S-dQmQ?t=4
Chopin Mazurkas/Folk Mazurkas: https://youtu.be/n8OyddwnVbE
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Gary Hamer wrote to Dominic last night, he'll fix this!
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Gary Hamer Did you access it at last? I posted below!
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Jarred Dunn Yes I did, thank you very much. Great zoom meeting today, I enjoy hearing from others and their question. Appreciate it.
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Gary Hamer proszę bardzo!
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Hi everyone! This is the link that should be above beside Chopin Mazurkas/Folk Mazurkas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8OyddwnVbE
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Alessandro Simone Op. 67, No. 4 LH
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Alessandro Simone słuchałem (I listened). I think counting carefully in all rests is important here, especially m. 13-14 four full beats to listen and consider the entire soprano line. B Section: try to keep counting on the rests as well. Pulsations on second beat with a slight breath before third beat are good. For the return of main theme, play a richer sound on the first beat such that the second and third are reactions to it. It's not heard as an accent to on the first beat in a mazurek as long as you put another accent, with more weight/time elsewhere. Good sound at mm. 21-24. Super! Jeszcze do roboty!
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Jarred Dunn Thanks for your comment.
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Mazurkas Recorded by:
Ignaz Friedman
Artur Rubinstein
Jan Smeterlin
Tatiana Shebanova
Ewa Pobłocka
Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń
Władysław Szpilman
Aleksander Michałowski
Moriz Rosenthal
Adam Harasiewicz
Lidia Grychtołówna
Wojciecj Świtała
Hlena Czerny-Stafańska
Ignacy Jan Paderewski
Magdalena Lisak
Maryla Jonas
Raoul Koczalski (pupil of Mikuli) -
Regarding some thoughts on accent placement to Op. 7 no. 1, a third beat emphasis seemed to work logically with the second measure of a two bar subphrase. At times, I found the less-expected seventh harmonies compatible with 2nd beat (stronger or weaker) emphasis - such as bar 4. In the delicatissimo section marked by a brief circle of fifths progression, adjusting the accent from beat 2 to 3 seemed to add some charm to the sentiment.
(Phrases in the third, major section suggested possibilities for attention to LH inner voicing.)
