Week 3: Progress Check!
WELCOME TO THE LATEST COMMUNITY CHALLENGE!
For this challenge "A Fresh Start" the goal is to pick a BRAND-NEW piece to work on this month.
This is the time to finally open that score that you have been thinking about and get to work!
WHAT ARE WE DOING IN WEEK 3?
1. Let's share how our practice is going by posting a video, or writing some comments about our past week!
2. Practice your piece!
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Hey guys!
Continued my work on the Prelude, wrapped up memorizing/learning all the notes.
Still need to work on the inner voices of that middle section - really amazing counterpoint!
Also, I have been experimenting with the ending. It is very interesting because Rachmaninoff DOES write "pp, leggiero" but I recently heard a very compelling performance by Lugansky where he plays the ending more "Brusquely" I would say.
Just wanted to try out this idea. But this coming week I am going to experiment with playing it more so as Rachmaninoff wrote.
To be blunt, after the massive energy created in this Prelude, it is difficult to relinquish that incredible drive over a very short amount of time, (8 bars) from the end. But these questions are why this piece remains a work in progress for me!
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Dominic Cheli Thanks for sharing! Very inspiring! I thought the inner voices was good, so looking forward to hear where youāll this further. Also very much loved the build up/increasing tempo! I must say I love the āoriginal pp, leggieroā -ending, but itās refreshing to hear something else. One can mix it up a bit, as Lugansky clearly has done.
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Dominic Cheli really great; I agree with Sindre that the tenor voice in bar 41-45 is beautifully brought to the fore and expressive already. I also love the particularly crisp march rhythm in the last four bars before that final leggiero passage.
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Dominic Cheli Wow!
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Dominic Cheli just incredible your so inspiring to me
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Dominic Cheli You totally nail the tenor of this piece. Lugansky's entire interpretation is pretty brusque so it makes sense that he'd end with a more "martellato" feeling. But since you balance the lyrical sections more beautifully than he does, using the Rach dynamic markings makes total sense, IMHO.
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Dominic Cheli Absolutely great, inspiring!
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I have gotten to the place where I can play my whole Haydn Sonata movement at a reduced tempo with only a few missed notes. The next step will be to memorize it so I can get it up to speed. I hope week 4 will be solid enough to sound like Scherzando: Allegro con brio.
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This is where I am with the Scriabin Etude Op. 8, No. 8. Warts and all as the saying goes. I track my time and have worked on this for 21 hours over 19 days. A big goal for me is to learn faster. I think this challenge puts a spotlight on that for me. For me to get to this place this fast is a big deal. I spent lots of time this week on phrases using rhythm patterns, dotted 2 notes, then chains of 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 notes. Then measure by measure with a hard stop at each bar line. (If you look in the lower right corner you see dog's paws under the piano. She is a very patient listener.
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Jack vreeland Wow! That was great! Your hours of practice really shows. So nice you have your patient and sweet dog to keep you company while practicing!
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Jack vreeland I like your progress just as much as your sweet pooch! Keep up the great work.
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Jack vreeland I agree wholeheartedly with everything you said. It sounds like your process is working - you're making great progress! Piano pet pals are the best
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Jack vreeland very nice! So much progress.
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Jack vreeland Beautiful playing, Jack! All your hours of practicing is paying off, and Iām sure you have found a method that works great.
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Jack vreeland This is coming together very nicely!
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Jack vreeland what a gorgeous piece and you play it so beautifully Jack! I am with you on the amount of practice time too I have some pieces that I have been working on all YEAR and I donāt know that thatās out of the normal but I am aware that I also donāt make the best use of time when practicing. Sometimes when I have just a couple of nagging measures I still may play the entire section just because I love it so much even though my rational part of my brain tells me that Iām dilly dallying LOL. I also love the little fur baby audience!!! Dogs are truly the best!
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Jack vreeland Sounds great, Jack! And what a loyal and musical dog!
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Jack vreeland Sounds nice! I can't help noticing your piano. I've never played a Mason & Hamlin before. Wish I'll have a chance to try it.
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Andrea LeVan I spent years (decades?) starting at the top and hoping for the best over time. Wish I had those years to do over! But you know the proverb: "The best time to plant an oak tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today."
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Heng-Pin Chen I love the M&H tone, touch, and dynamics. I've had mine for 5 years now. It is a 1915 AA that was fully restored by Lindenblad in NJ.
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Hi Guys! I'm a week behind since I wasn't home at the beginning of the challenge. Still have to work on memory, dynamics, wrong notes, etc. but I'm starting to get the feel for it.
I need suggestions, please!
Which other Preludes would make a nice set? This is #11, so I'm thinking of starting #12 (Puck) but need at least 1 or 2 more. Maybe some slower ones? I gave up on "La Cathedrale" for the moment (but I'll get back to it sooner or later).
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Gail Starr Bravo! Sounds amazing (and so clear as always). You more than got the feel for it and I didnāt hear any wrong notes! Love the playful, march-like quality to this piece.
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Vidhya Bashyam Thanks! (but, I'm pretty sure there are some wrong notes here and there). Now, I need to pick some additional preludes to make a little set. Any ideas? You are my repertoire guru!
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Gail Starr Amazing progress and sounding great! You handle all the rhythms and the feel of the piece very well. I enjoy it :)
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Priya Viseskul Thank you, Priya!
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Gail Starr I really admire your articulation! So varied and well-considered. Looking forward to what you pick next - I really should expand my horizons re: Debussy...
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