Group 4
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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Hello! I am so sorry! I will not be able to participate in this wonderful opportunity due to a fall a few weeks ago- injuring my elbow and shoulder. I didn't understand that I would be playing but rather sitting in. Hoping it's possible for me to watch the replay! Hope I didn't cause any extra work for filling your class. Best!
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My name is Alex; I am an amateur pianist from Columbus, Ohio, and am fairly new to tonebase. I am super excited to join my first ever Two Week Intensive! This course was such a great idea; obviously, a lot of people are playing Chopin's Mazurkas because they're relatively short, usually not too hard technically, and incredibly beautiful - but many of us don't get much specific guidance on them (I know I haven't). And yet, it's one of four categories to which there is a special award assigned in the Chopin Competition!
I have chosen to learn Op. 50 No. 3 in C sharp minor for this course. It's a complex piece - lots of polyphony; many small, alternating sections with different moods and colors, but suffused with a general sense of melancholy. The biggest challenge for me - and that's probably true for many of the more pensive and "sad" Mazurkas - will be to still make it sound like a dance and not let it become mushy and sentimental and have its structure fall apart under too slow a tempo and too much clumsy rubato. That's why I think it's perfect that we're starting out by learning something about the mazurka as a dance!
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Alexander Weymann Welcome! You're right about the Chopin Competition, there's a best mazurka prize! When I was preparing for the competition I was learning late mazurkas like Op. 50 and 59: they're wonderful pieces. I think starting off with a small portion of Op. 50 nr. 3 would work, but also listen to the smaller c-sharp minor mazurkas in Op. 6 and Op. 63. They're helpful in understanding how Chopin deals with the harmonies of this key.
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Jarred Dunn thank you - sounds great; I'll definitely look at Op. 6 No. 2 and Op. 63 No. 3 while working on 50/3. I don't think I have ever thought about how a specific composer handles a particular key and its harmonic environment, so this will be a little journey of discovery for me.
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Alexander Weymann studying the keys will be interesting for you I’m sure!
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Hi! I’m Nancy Brass. This, too, is my first 2 week intensive. I’m not a very good player, but I enjoy playing. I’m away from home and I’m Minneapolis for the summer, but a friend is lending me their electric keyboard and I also will have some access to his piano. I’ve also discovered that you can reserve time at a piano in the main library. I haven’t decided which mazurka to concentrate on.
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Nancy Brass Welcome, Nancy! I recommend starting with either Op. 30 nr. 1 or Op. 67 nr. 2, these might be useful in getting to know Chopin's essential harmonic and rhythmic ideas. Can't wait to hear you play in the next two weeks and help you improve your Chopin! Powodzenie!
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Jarred Dunn I was thinking of Op. 67, nr. 2 or op. 24, nr. 1 or Op. 68, nr. 2, all of which I played around with for a long time.
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Hello I am Charlotte from California. This is my first two-week intensive and I am very excited to learn from Jarred. Thank you!
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Charlotte Welcome Charlotte, can't wait to hear you! What Mazurka have you chosen?
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Jarred Dunn Hi Jarred, sorry for the late reply. I have been playing through more mazurkas and going through the pieces you recommended. There are just too many treasures to choose from Anyway, I decided on op. 17 no. 4 because I heard it before and It is very moving to me. I want to learn how this piece is related to the dance and hear your insights on it. Thanks!
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Charlotte great, can't wait to hear Op. 17 nr. 4!
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Hi, thanks for including me. I’m looking forward to getting a better idea of how to play a mazurka.
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Harriet Kaplan Welcome! Which mazurka have you chosen? If you're having a tough time, let me know and I'll recommend something.
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Jarred Dunn I will try Op. 6 No. 2. One thing I'm wondering is about the accents: how strong should they be in the left hand? Should they be exaggerated or subtle? I also asked a question on the main thread about whether the clapping/counting practice should be the accompaniment or the melody (or both!). Thank you!
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@Harriet Kaplan, depends on where you're talking about. Opening phrase the accents emphasize the perfect 5th (=bagpipes, hurdy-gurdy, drones) indicating that you should imagine the sound to the end of the bar. I play these rather briskly in accordance with Chopin's tempo, although many performers like to take the opening more nostalgically emphasizing the legato articulation in the moving line. In general, the main melody and "gajo" Trio section should be subtler in accents so that the stronger pulse is felt in the middle of the bar.
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Jarred Dunn here is my attempt at the left hand. Thanks for any feedback.
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Jarred Dunn What to you mean by "gajo" in this context? TIA!
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Mark Forry “gajo” is the character marking on the B section (trio) of op6 nr. 2.
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Jarred Dunn D’oh … I was thinking it was a Polish word …
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Mark Forry in PL it means grove!
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Harriet Kaplan for the quints of the opening, keep these on a higher level of sound/resonance: they build rhythmic impulse. I played along with your LH and have two hints for you: (1) let beat two sit for a little longer when the melody emphasizes it (mm. 9, 10), and (2) emphasize the dissonance in pre-cadential harmony with more time (mm. 14 beat 3). In the Gajo section, lighter staccatos and more rugged accent playing - this is lively and rigorous dancing!
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Harriet Kaplan nice! I just had a look at the score- it’s going on the ever growing list of mazurkas that I would like to play!
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Hello All,
I just love the Mazurkas, what perfect miniatures they are. I think I will go for the Op.7s but it doesn't matter if someone else wants to do the same.
Peggy, I hope you are recovering well, take care of that elbow and shoulder.
Newbies, I shall look forward to meeting you virtually and Harriet, it will be lovely to see and hear you play again.
Off to watch the dance videos!
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Angela Fogg Enjoy the dance videos, hope you learn something new about the mazurka dancing. Go for Op. 7, they're perfect starting points!
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