Group 2

Phara Paula Jean Never hurts to give it a shot, and I'm happy you decided to join!  

When you say part A and B, are you referring to the first 23 measure?  or beyond that?

If I'm looking at the opening section of the piece I see that our two hands are playing really only one note at a time. The orchestra is really good at playing a lot of parts all at once since there are so many participants.  Since my left and right hands DO sound at the same time, I could say that this may be a duet of 2 instruments, which can serve you if you think about the dialogue between the right hand line and the interjecting left hand line.  If you thought about an instrument playing each hand, which would you chose?  And what type of sound do you think they're be creating?

We will get more into how to produce different sounds next week so even if you picked a less-than-orchestral piece, there will probably be things that you can take away that you can apply elsewhere.

Looking forward to hearing you

Hazel Hi Hazel. Very clear vision and a great example too. I think your idea of violins in the beginning can really help with shaping that legato line. And the articulation at the bottom of the first page says “woodwind” to me too. You’re the first one to mention mutes. FANTASTIC!  
 

Did you notice as you went further your directions got less matter of fact “violin-clarinet” and more expressive “pastorale-full”?  I think you started to get in the mindset of a conductor. I think if you go back to the first page now you can fill in some of those more expressive words as well. 

Daniela Thanks for your earlier feedback. My list of words describing my piece are: Mysterious, enigmatic, ethereal, reminiscence, eerie, calm, dramatic, shimmering, ringing, longing.  I’ve divided the piece into 2 clips. The first is the opening with cellos, basses and then upper strings. I tried to make the melody flowing and not too pointed a sound. The next section with the woodwind, I’m playing with flatter fingers in the right hand and a more pointed quiet sound for the muted horns in the left hand.

The 2nd clip starts with the rustic dance section so I tried to play again with flatter fingers for RH for the flutes with a more connected line in contrast to a more rhythmic short sound in the left hand. (I think maybe I should use less or no pedal here?)

The next section is the fuller orchestral bit so I used a bit more arm and weight and more contact with the keys. For the arpeggiated bit, I decided that I probably need to play that with more relaxed fingers otherwise it can sound a bit harsh. I also thought that too about the last section with the descending chromatic passage ( which reminds me of something sinking in water!). The last few bars also I think remind me of bells or a clock chiming in the distance. That was the effect I was after anyway. I’m not sure that I’ve totally managed yet to capture the mood of the piece and maybe need to work on varying the dynamics more as well as the different tonal sounds? Here are my clips https://youtu.be/zi8I67dM00M https://youtu.be/Us5EdRkZM2c

Hazel Hi Hazel.  The flatter fingers are bringing out a beautiful legato in the opening. You mention mysterious.  That to me usually screams "dark" which may mean that you need to recruit the lower registers a bit more to capture not just the beauty of the piece but also the mood you're after? (just a thought).  

Interesting that it's a barcarolle in 2/4.  Most barcarolles (or Gondolier songs are in 6/8).  Harder to make it sound lilting in 2/4 but still possible if you feel stronger strong beats and weaker weak beats.  And then any time a composer switches meter our audience is instantly lost, unless we make it really clear what our new time signature is, so going into the 3/4, I'd be really clear about the dance rhythm, with not just absolutely precise rhythm, but also metric accents.  (This is beyond orchestral instruction, but it's the coach in me).  So in the folk dance, make sure you RH feels like the strong beat, LF against that on the off-beat.  With Tchaikovsky, no pedal would be considered very dry, but to highlight the rhythmic dialogue I made change it every beat?

When you get to the arpeggios, keep your eighth note constant, again, I know, much harder, but if you use your wrists and arms to swoop you through those arpeggios, they will flow much more freely and actually much faster.  If you need a recording example, just message me.  

Bells to me always imply ringing, which makes me think pedal automatically, so might use a bit more pedal to bring out those bell sounds you hear in the bass towards the end, but really well done throughout.  I love the thought you put into this.  I hope you take my suggesting as just that, suggestions.  Your vision is perfect as-is.

Daniela Hi, thanks so much for your comments and help with this.  I thought that maybe my rhythm in the dance section had gone a bit wrong but wasn’t sure how. I will look at that and sort it out.  If you have time could you send me a quick demo of how to do the arpeggiated chords? I would really appreciate it.  I searched online but could not find a decent explanation of the technique. Just to say also that I’ve really enjoyed this little course and I think it has really helped me and will change how I approach my piano playing in the future.

Hazel My dynamic is not ff because it’s late here but you can at least see the wrist flexibility as I roll the chord

Daniela Thanks so much. That is really helpful.

Phara Paula Jean That's so cool. I never thought of it as inherently orchestral, but hearing it in this way is a very fresh take.

I may suggest in m. 15-16, it seems as though Beethoven transitions back to the main theme in a seamless type of fashion with the repeated Es and then the D#-E.  By switching instruments here, that flow feels a little interrupted.  Unless you are purposefully going for an effect, I might suggest keeping the same instrument through these two measures.

This will be a good example for you to work on sound, even as a beginner, as you can focus on one "instrument" at a time and creating a contrast between the hands.

Phara Paula Jean So, ideally the pedal should come a millisecond after the note, so that you don't get a break, and you make sure you have a completely clear sound for the new harmony.  Left foot for left pedal, right foot for right pedal and yes, they can be used in conjunction.  Left pedal does not need to be changed, so your pedaling at the opening can be done quite easily.  I like the word "hedge" and I think the tip will help get the ping-i-ness of percussion.  The bells seem brighter, so maybe a faster attack.  BTW, the questions are all good.  It's the whole point.  The exploration is what leads to new ways of creating sound.  Happy you decided to join!