Group 2
Welcome to the latest TWO WEEK INTENSIVE on tonebase!
For the next two weeks we will be working through assignments given by Lindsay Garritson to improve your Cantabile Playing
Pianists of all levels are welcome.
More Detailed instructions coming soon!
- Sign-Up : September 11
- Course Period: September 18-October 2nd
- Class Size: ALL are welcome!
- Optional check-In via Zoom:
September 28th at 11am Pacific Time
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84812603822?pwd=DUo16MYAj50zLwbmZ1fco9PKbYh6qb.1
Assignment #1
"Singing at the Piano"
Description: How do we sing at the piano?
This is one of the most difficult yet rewarding things to achieve in our piano playing! We will look at the different technical components which go into creating a beautiful, singing sound. From transparent to rich textures, we will take sections from four pieces by Mendelssohn, Chopin, Brahms, and Ravel, and discuss the considerations required to achieve a resonant sound in each.
Introduction video: https://youtu.be/UezTgcCsp7c
C Major Scale Exercise: https://youtu.be/Ug6BnzuTIHk
1) Record a one octave C major scale very slowly (right hand alone, then left hand alone), applying the "down - up" motion with every note, listening carefully for the quality of sound in each note and using as legato a touch as possible
2) Record the same C major scale in both hands separately at a faster tempo, but applying the "down - up" motion over the entire pattern (not a separate motion for each note)
Mendelssohn Songs without Words, Op. 19, No. 1:
1) Record the melody in the right hand alone (at a much slower tempo) from the upbeat of measure 3 until the downbeat of measure 15, listening for resonance of sound, legato articulation, observing places to "breathe" between phrases; don't worry about using the fingering that you will use when playing all parts together (the focus now is quality of sound and phrasing)
2) Record just the bass line in the left hand (also at a slower tempo), start from measure 3 until downbeat of measure 15, listening again for the quality of sound, special moments of harmonic change, legato articulation; again, don't worry about the fingering in this exercise (do what promotes the most legato touch)
3) Record the melody in the right hand as well as the bass line in the left hand (outer two lines), listening to how the "voices" are interacting (the energy between the two and how the left hand functions as a counter melody), as well as indicating clearly shaping within the phrases
4) Record all parts from upbeat of measure 3 to downbeat of measure 15, again slowly, listening particularly for control in the sixteenth notes and making sure they are at a dynamic which does not overpower the clarity and resonance of the melody in the right hand as well as the bass line in the left hand
Chopin Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48, No. 1:
1) Record the "voicing" exercise: taking a C major chord in the right hand (C, E, G, C) and play the chord seven times in a row, highlighting one note at a time (middle C the first time, then the E the next time, and so forth)
2) Record the melody in the right hand alone (top note of each chord) from measure 25 to downbeat of measure 37, listening for the legato between each note, resonance, attention to shaping within the phrases; don't worry about using the fingering you will be using once you play all of the notes (use what best promotes legato in this exercise)
3) Record all notes in the right hand alone, but WITHOUT pedal, trying to connect each chord where possible from top note to top note (melody); where physically it is not possible, try to give the illusion of legato through careful shaping of the chords (small crescendi, decrescendi, etc.)
4) Record all parts, hands together in the same section, WITH pedal, listening carefully to the voicing in each chord and listening to how well you connect the sound from chord to chord
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WEEK #2 Assignment!
Brahms Intermezzo in A Major, Op. 118, No. 2:
1) Record top melody in the right hand alone from beginning to measure 16, focuses the legato touch, phrasing (important moments you are leading to and away from), adding a different "color" to the places Brahms writes dolce
2) Record the "alto" line in the right hand alone (same material), listening for the same qualities as in the first exercise
3) Record the left hand alone, listening for a richness and depth of sound, particularly in the low bass notes (think of the sound of a cello for inspiration)
4) Put all parts together, slower than the original tempo, paying attention to the quality of sound between the soprano and alto lines (thinking of them as a duet, so one part is not necessarily more important than the other); listening for the depth of the bass notes in the left hand; taking time in moments you feel are important (larger intervals, between phrases, etc.)
Ravel Pavane pour une infante défunte:
1) Record the melody in the right hand alone from beginning to downbeat of measure 8, taking special care in listening to the notes with ties, making sure the notes coming immediately after each tied note are not louder (making sure you aren't adding any sort of accent to these notes); don't worry about using the fingering you will use when playing all parts in the right hand together
2) Record the "alto" line in the right hand alone (beginning to measure 6) WITHOUT pedal, listening to evenness of staccati articulation and seeing how little you can move your hand (relying on the staccato articulation with just the fingertips)
3) Record left hand alone WITHOUT pedal (same measures), taking care to use an articulation that is slightly longer than staccato (almost as if you are adding tiny tenuto marks to each note)
4) Record all parts hands together WITH pedal (slowly), listening to the quality of your legato in the melody, evenness of staccati and softer dynamic of the"alto" line (even though it will not sound short with pedal), and a resonant sound in the left hand
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Hi Priya,
some suggestions…..
1 try ‘playing” the chord on your thigh. Gives you really good tactile feedback as to which finger is the strongest. Keep the others feather light. I find this really helpful. When I’ve established this differentiation on my leg I then take it to the piano.
2 try playing the loudest note a little before the other soft ones. Establish the difference in dynamics then work to reduce the timing gap until you are playing them simultaneously.3 imagine the finger playing the loudest note is of a different material than the others - stronger and faster - perhaps steel compared to rubber? The other fingers are more pliant, less penetrating. Power of the mind!
4. Sometimes it’s easier to get desired effects two octaves above middle C where your hand can be more in line with the arm. So start there and gradually move towards the more central position where your wrist is at a less comfortable angle.hope that helps!
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marina Awesome tips, Marina. :) Thank you for diving into this! Yes, this is all about the weight one is giving the "chosen" note in each chord. You explained it very well in your tips.
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Priya Viseskul How have the voicing exercises been going, Priya?
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Lindsay Garritson I can definitely do with a lot more practise on chord voicing for sure. I find bringing out 3rd finger the most difficult (they are all difficult tbh
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Priya Viseskul I know what you mean. :) Everyone has a different finger that tends to give them more trouble in voicing! Sometimes it is the second finger, sometimes fifth, etc.
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Here Scales and Mendelssohn. I've found very interesting and useful these exercises, we should always apply to the piece we are practicing...
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Juan Carlos Olite Beautiful singing tone as always! What a peaceful piece this is.
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Juan Carlos Olite Your playing DEFINES cantabile!
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Vidhya Bashyam I agree!
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Juan Carlos Olite Hello Juan Carlos! Thank you so much for your videos. I particularly appreciated the quality of your sound, as Vidhya and Gail commented. You've got a great start on these! For the Mendelssohn in the exercise featuring just the right hand melody, see if you can connect even more between each note (holding down each note slightly longer after you have played the next note, creating an almost "blurred" effect). At a slower tempo, it's good to almost exaggerate this. As you continue to get the tempo faster, it will come out with an even better legato than you've been creating. For the exercise with all parts together, I would recommend now (as you get to know the piece even better!) focusing on listening to how evenly you can get those sixteenth notes between the hands. What I was noticing was that the first note of every sixteenth note pattern was getting held down a bit too long compared to the second note, creating a slightly dotted rhythm. Continue to practice at a very slow tempo to listen for the evenness. You are doing a beautiful job in everything though!
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Juan Carlos Olite beautiful, as always!
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Lindsay Garritson Thank you so much for your feedback, Lindsay! Now I notice what you say about the irregular rhythm I create, I'll try to correct it. And, I'll work more and more on the legato. I find the exercises you are proposing very valuable and effective. Thank you for this wonderful course!
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Vidhya Bashyam Gail Starr Michelle R Thank you my dear piano friends!
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Juan Carlos Olite you have a wonderful singing tone which sounds so beautiful in this piece!
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Here are my recordings for the assignments:
C Major Scale: https://youtu.be/H8vlGokGC30
Mendelssohn Songs without Words Op19 No1: https://youtu.be/g3sN4w0o8Ic
Chopin Nocturne Op48 No1: https://youtu.be/iFcGhdj2lho
I find voicing the octave chord pretty challenging and a bit tension-inducing ... practising first with 7th chord seem to helps.
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Priya Viseskul Hi Priya! Looking forward to listening and commenting on these today!
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Priya Viseskul Sounding great!
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Priya Viseskul Hi Priya, thank you for sharing these videos! Lots of good work. For the C major scale exercise, I know that this always feels a bit different on an electric keyboard (doesn't necessarily require the same weight to get a certain sound or dynamic when playing each note), but I can still make some comments on the visual: in you right hand and particularly in the first three notes of the scale, I wanted to see a bit more of that "down-up" motion I mentioned in the video. Again, this is more relevant to a slower tempo when focusing on the sustained and resonant quality of each note. What I was observing looked like you were playing too much on the surface of the keys; again, think "bottom of the key." It may be helpful to also play at a dynamic closer to forte, just to counteract what I mentioned. Eventually, it can also be helpful to practice this slower exercise in different dynamic levels. The softer we try to play with a resonant, even sound, the harder it is!
As for the the faster scale exercise, the overall down-up motion over the course of the notes was looking good in both hands. What I would add is to continue to listen how evenly and most importantly, how legato you are playing from note to note (even at a faster tempo). Particularly in the left hand, I was missed that connection between the notes. Good work though!
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Priya Viseskul For the Mendelssohn, I really enjoyed your musical sensitivity to the phrasing, sound, and attention to the slur markings and dynamic changes! Very thoughtful playing, and it's sounding good. I would say you are definitely ready to learn the rest of the piece and get this first part faster! Good control with the sixteenth notes as well.
I hesitate to comment on this (again since it is an electric keyboard and hence may be more difficult to achieve!), but I wanted to hear even more connection between notes in that top melodic line. As an overall recommendation that could be fun while practicing this, you may go one time through adding and exaggerating small crescendi/decrescendi which highlight a specific note(s) or moment(s) you think are important in this first section. This of course has to do with adding shape, and I wanted to hear a bit more of that (sometimes I exaggerate things when practicing to make sure a musical idea is coming through, whether its shaping, dynamics, etc.). Another recommendation would be that now you have so thoughtfully observed all the slurs, go back through and play it without necessarily thinking about where each slur ends and the next one starts, but rather thinking of each phrase as having one slur. Sometimes this can allow us to be even more free with the melodic line, as if we were singing it and adding embellishments in a spontaneous way (of course harder to do with all the moving parts!).
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Priya Viseskul The Nocturne is sounding beautiful! You're doing a very good job of the voicing and clear indication of your phrasing. Well done! Two very small comments from hands together: even with chords at the end of slurs, I would create a little resonance than you were doing (it's so hard to balance rounding off a phrase but not disappearing too much in the sound! This was especially noticeable in the downbeat chord of measure 26 (end of a slur); I wanted to hear more sustain. For the rolled chords, I personally prefer if the top note of the left hand (downbeat of 29, beets two and three of measure 31, etc.) is played at the same time as the right hand chord. Sometimes it can sound a bit "cleaner" that way. Lastly, I wanted you to keep the energetic tension a bit more between beat four of measure 34 into the downbeat of 35. Chopin does write a slur over these bars, so I wouldn't round off that last chord in 34 so much, thereby losing some of the energy. Very good work!
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Lindsay Garritson Thank you for your feedback on the Mendelssohn
I haven't played on acoustics piano for ages now so I can't tell (also I mostly play with headphone on for like 90% of the time ... it also sounds different with the headphone on) though I agree that it's no way as resonant as the acoustic ones ... I wonder if the disconnection is partly also the choice of fingering for the top line? I tried to do 4-5 finger substitution but tend to fall back to using all pinky when not paying attention.
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Lindsay Garritson This nocturne is my favourite and I actually played recently for last month's "Unfinished Business" challenge here. So good to have your feedback
I will definitely incorporate your suggestions - just gave it a quick try now and it's sounding better already - thank you very much! -
Priya Viseskul This is all very pretty, Priya. I hope you learn the entire Mendelssohn, as your playing is so peaceful and gentle.
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Priya Viseskul Delicate playing, sounds great!
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Lindsay Garritson After listening to others on their beautiful grand pianos, I think my electric one has a faster decay and doesn't quite "ring" after the attack ... and the attack can be quite strong as well.
Looking forward to the next assignment ... I would love if you can also demonstrate how you practise with exaggerating the intent ... like ... how much would be considered healthy/too much?
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Priya Viseskul the melodies sing out beautifully in both the song without words and nocturne!
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