Week 3: Expression over Perfection
At this point in the challenge, you've likely become more comfortable with the notes and structure of your piece. Now it's time to shift focus toward interpretation and emotional depth. This week is about exploring what the music means to you and how you can communicate that meaning through sound.
Assignment:
Define the Emotional Landscape
Take a moment to reflect: what is the emotional world of your piece? Is it reflective, playful, tragic, or unsettled? Write a short reflection (1ā2 sentences) describing the feeling you want to convey and how that shapes your approach.Record a Passage with Intention
Select 8ā16 measures that feel emotionally significant. Focus on tone, voicing, and timingānot technical perfection. Record and share your performance, along with a brief note on what you aimed to express and why you chose that section.Engage with the Community
Watch another participantās video and leave a thoughtful comment. Offer one observation about what worked well!
Guidance:
Schubert's music often blurs the line between clarity and ambiguity, joy and sorrow. Rather than striving for a ācorrectā interpretation, embrace the nuance and let the music unfold naturally. Sometimes the most moving performances are the ones that feel the most personal.
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I havenāt posted anything yet so here is the first part of my Schubert op90 no3. Iāve been trying to concentrate on bringing out the shape and phrasing of the melody and making the bass sound supportive. Itās definitely improved after using Dominicās practice tips. I think I need more contrast between the calm and more stormy passages and work on the transitions between these sections.
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Hazel Hereās the link https://youtube.com/shorts/fDv0yMO0oMs?si=tyWsT0iiUksZhJ-d
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Hazel that is really quite beautiful and I agree with you about a bit more contrast.
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Hazel Welcome! It's fantastic to see you sharing your progress with Schubert's op90 no3. It sounds like you're really focusing on bringing out the expressive qualities in the melody and creating that supportive bass, which is so important in conveying the character of this piece. Your intention to explore contrasts between calm and stormy passages will add so much depth to your performance! Have you considered experimenting with dynamic markings? Sometimes, even small changes in dynamics can make a huge difference in transitions. Often we need more dynamic contrast to reflect the character better.
Keep up the great work, and I can't wait to hear more about your progress!
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Hazel Very beautiful already!
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Hazel wow just beautiful and your voicing in those calm sections is just gorgeous
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Andrea LeVan Thanks, Iām still working on the not so calm bits!!
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Hazel really lovely. I like how you play the accompaniment, and I agree that thereās a bit more contrast to add, but it sounds so nice already!
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Hi everyone, just posting a very short excerpt this week. I think these 8/9 bars represent a turning point in the piece with the turmoil in the preceding section giving way to a more generally more calm and accepting mood for the remainder of the piece. I'm still working on the voicing for this section as some of the chords are a little awkward to play. Derek
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Derek McConville Nice work, Derek! I enjoyed the ebb and flow in your playing. Looking forward to hearing you play the entire piece.
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Derek McConville Very nice. It flows nicely! I look forward to hearing the whole piece. Thank you
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Derek McConville Hi Derek! Your insight into these 8/9 bars is so refreshing! For voicing those awkward chords, have you considered breaking them down by focusing primarily on the melody first? Sometimes, it helps to play the melody alone with the left hand just doing simple root notes or even accompany lightly to emphasize the voice. It could bring out the calmness youāre seeking! Looking forward to hearing how it progresses!
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Dominic Cheli Thanks for the tips on this!
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Derek McConville Enjoying the clarity of your playing and the balance between the voices!
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Derek McConville wow your voicing is already amazing to me it really just sings above the other notes. This is more of what Iām striving for with my piece as well. Beautiful job and I canāt wait to hear more!
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Dominic Cheli great advice Iām going to try this with my piece as well
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Derek McConville so niiice!
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First, Iād like to echo Michelleās thanks for the inclusive spirit of Domenic and the tonebase community. I too have only been playing for a few years and agree it can be very intimidating to participate after hearing the advanced performances of others.
Iāve been working on the Kupelwieser Waltz, primarily the A section. It may be too advanced for me, but I do love it. Iāve had a few notable challenges. First, I had just upgraded my piano from a Yamaha digital Clavinova to a Kawai K200 and second, having never played in G flat, I found staying on the black keys difficult, making fluid playing even more challenging for me. I did practice exaggerating the melody, but need to do more of that.
Regarding the emotional intent, the tone of the A section is very lyrical and flowing. The listener is meant to imagine two lovers waltzing around the room, with such grace they appear to be floating, completely and delightfully absorbed in each other. Needless to say, I do not achieve that intent ;)
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Dora Burak Youāve made a good start with this, especially upgrading the piano, with a totally different touch. Keep with it! It will be worth it and will make your playing so much more enjoyable. I could hear the melody in this. Keep going, youāre doing great!
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Jennifer Mehta thank you so much for the encouragement!
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Dora Burak Hi there and welcome! We are all in this together, so I really appreciate you sharing with us!
I completely resonate with your experience; the Kupelwieser Waltz is such a beautiful yet challenging piece, and itās great to see you diving into it! Transitioning to a new piano can indeed feel daunting, but it sounds like youāre embracing the change wonderfully. Practicing the melody and exaggerating the phrasing is a fantastic way to develop your interpretationādonāt hesitate to keep exploring that! Remember, every musician struggles with similar hurdles, especially when it comes to voicing and fluidity, so you're not alone in this journey. The imagery you paint of the two lovers waltzing is so poetic; Keep up the great work!
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Dominic Cheli Thank you!
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Dora Burak Great job Dora! This piece is well worth the effort. Looking forward to hearing more.
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Vidhya Bashyam Thank you ! I will definitely continue to work on it.
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Dora Burak for only having been playing for a few years your progress is amazing to me! Determination will win the day here because youāve already got such a great start and a beautiful touchā¦ā¦as you get more comfortable and can play it with the ease that youāre striving for I can certainly see where itās going to sound like dancers floating on their feet. When I need to work out little hesitations the metronome is my go to. Beautiful work so far!
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Andrea LeVan Thank you! Alas, I have not befriended the metronome - definitely something I need to work on in addition to the piece.
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