this week's lesson notes

Played Mendelssohn's Spinning Song for Dr. N. Tempo was a bit slower than what's indicated, but that's ok because I started learning this piece last week. Dr. N advised to keep my hands lower to the keyboard to prevent finger tapping sounds. Played the piece through without any pedal. Dr. N suggested places where I could use some pedaling and pointed out areas that really need to be played with legato.

She reminded me to practice slow, medium, and fast.

Afterwards, I played for her Mendelssohn's Songs without Words No. 2 (Regret). Afterwards, she remarked that it was lacking some tonal continuity and that the phrasing could be improved. She recommended places where crescendos and diminuendos should occur. But she stressed the idea of 'putting words in the melody': "I'm going to Publix to buy a tangerine." (from Rebecca Penneys at her Masterclass) into a melodic phrase. But every word is important or else it will lose its meaning.

Then played the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 First movement-starting from the Development section until right before the cadenza. Watch your 2's against 3's as it sounds 'fudged'.

Also, start thinking about summer plans. Dr. N recommended some 20th century pieces to go along with some earlier works. Bring books.

Oh yeah, next week's lesson will be extended (be there at 3:30p).

this week's lesson notes

Played Mendelssohn's Spinning Song for Dr. N. Tempo was a bit slower than what's indicated, but that's ok because I started learning this piece last week. Dr. N advised to keep my hands lower to the keyboard to prevent finger tapping sounds. Played the piece through without any pedal. Dr. N suggested places where I could use some pedaling and pointed out areas that really need to be played with legato.

She reminded me to practice slow, medium, and fast.

Afterwards, I played for her Mendelssohn's Songs without Words No. 2 (Regret). Afterwards, she remarked that it was lacking some tonal continuity and that the phrasing could be improved. She recommended places where crescendos and diminuendos should occur. But she stressed the idea of 'putting words in the melody': "I'm going to Publix to buy a tangerine." (from Rebecca Penneys at her Masterclass) into a melodic phrase. But every word is important or else it will lose its meaning.

Then played the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 First movement-starting from the Development section until right before the cadenza. Watch your 2's against 3's as it sounds 'fudged'.

Also, start thinking about summer plans. Dr. N recommended some 20th century pieces to go along with some earlier works. Bring books.

Oh yeah, next week's lesson will be extended (be there at 3:30p).

i'm listening to an Andras Schiff recording of Mendelssohn's Songs without Words (selected)...in particular, the Spinning Song. He plays it slower than what's expected but with a lot of colors. My playing right now is very staid and I'm focusing more on hitting the correct notes and feeling out the overall shape of the piece first.

I might start practicing with the metronome again. I should figure out where to bring out certain notes.

Listened to a recording of Leon Fleischer playing the Beethoven Third Piano Concerto (with George Szell). Man, does he play it quick. Sometimes he plays things too quick, IMO, esp in the cadenza to the first movement. But still, I could learn a thing or two from his playing.

Practiced the Chopin Etude (op. 25, no. 7) a few times...bringing out the left hand melody more. I'm happy with my overall practice this week despite not having much time to practice. Will write out the fingerings and study the score for Mendelssohn's Spinning Song next week.

so far this week, i've been mostly playing Mendelssohn's Spinning Song. At first I thought that learning the piece would be really difficult, but turns out it's not. However, my professor warned that very few can pull it off [correctly]. And I could see what she's saying..you have to sound nimble yet not strained...don't want that metallic sound. I've been playing it at or near tempo (presto) for the first 2-3 pages...but I think I will slow it down (conscience tells me so) and play it at moderato to make sure everything is played correctly and clearly.

I was asked to do piano jury (where you play on stage in front of a committee of piano professors who grade you on your performance)....but b/c I'm not a degree-seeking student and the jury's at 1pm (I work full-time), it's not required. May decline this time (since I don't think I'll be approved to leave work at that time).

this week's lesson notes

Didn't play scales today. Talked a little bit about Roberta Rusk's performance (Friday evening) and critiqued her playing. Thought that she took too much liberty with the Mozart Fantasy piece. Also, her Chopin Scherzo probably wasn't her best performance. The Chopin Nocturne in C minor didn't sound like Chopin; sounded more like Debussy.

Well, anyway, I confessed that I didn't really practice the Beethoven Concerto; instead, I played a lot of pieces that weren't assigned to me, like the Chopin Preludes 1-4 and Mendelssohn Songs without Words. She then mentioned that she would like to see me play the Spinning Song. She also said that I could try learning the Ravel Sonatine..and work on the Mozart Sonata that I started last year (but set aside).

The Chopin etude (op. 25, no. 7) wasn't as good as last week's playing. I had a memory lapse somewhere near the beginning of the piece (probably distracted by people talking in the hallway), which hasn't happened before with this piece. Dr. N pointed out that my right hand melodies have improved, but my left hand melody seems muffled (by the right hand melodies). So work on bringing out the LH melody! Think of the LH in this piece as a cello or french horn.

The last half hour or so was spent sightreading a Bartok piece (one of the Bulgarian dances), the rondo (finale) of a Haydn Sonata, and a couple 20th century pieces by Robert Muzynski. Cool stuff, I must say.

Haven't posted the past few days. Not that I haven't been practicing...I have, but practicing mostly stuff that's not assigned to me. I figured I'll take a short break from the pieces that I'm working on right now. Set them aside and let 'em "marinate" (as Dr. N so eloquently puts it). I feel like the pieces I'm working on right now are still very 'raw' and I need to listen to some recordings and try out a few things (not produce a facsimile of someone else's playing, but view the piece from someone else's perspective, that's all). I'm also going to sing the melodies out in my head (and out loud when I'm in private, hehe) and work on bringing out the inner voices. Mechanically, I want to loosen up a bit and use my elbows and arms to bring out a more consistently soft sound (that doesn't sound jumbled).

Some of the pieces that I've been playing are Chopin Preludes No. 1-4. The first prelude just makes your heart flutter (but I have to work on bringing out certain notes and not overpedal--which is easy to do with this piece). The second prelude seems so out of place (sounds very dissonant.) To me, it seems so uncharacteristic of Chopin, that it's almost comical! The third pelude (vivace) is very fun to play. It's like a video game. Very addictive. It's almost like a mini-etude with the left hand. Weird thing is that my previous piano teacher (Lois Finlay--who taught me 2.5 years) had written "Oct 27" (1989?). I'm surprised I was assigned this piece back then (must've been 11) since I couldn't imagine myself playing this piece back then (or at least not as fast as what's indicated in the score--vivace). It's funny that I'm erasing the fingering that my old teacher wrote down for this piece and replacing it for my preferred fingerings.....on a sidenote, Pollini's DG recording of the preludes are my favorite, btw. Almost memorized the first, third, and fourth preludes (second prelude with all the dissonance makes it the brusselsprouts of the set). The fourth prelude is melancholy yet sensuous. It's like an adolescent coming to terms with her heartbreak (fortunately or unforunately, not that I would know what that must feel like, hehe).

I also opened up Mendelssohn's Songs without Words. Played a little bit of No.1 (must be tough to memorize this piece!) and played through the second. The switch in tone/mood of the second, three-quarters of the way into the piece is interesting. I have to think more about it. I'm going to lay on my bed to meditate more on this....

this week's lesson notes

Scales: B-flat Major, G minor (next week: F Major, D minor)

Chopin Etude Op.25, No. 7: Spent much of last week memorizing this piece. Played for Dr. N (without the score). Overall, I think she liked my playing. She indicated that she liked how I brought out the right hand as well as left hand melodies. Also, the inner voices are discernible. Which is good news.

A few areas to improve on for this week:

Opening cadenza (don't take too much time/liberty with the dotted note).

b.6, b. 50. Make sure you play the two's and against three's correctly. You tend to rush through these.

b.27. Note the retineuto. Continue working on making the top melodic notes stand out.

b.35. Use diminuendo pedal at the smorz.
b.40. Remember to use pedal in this measure. Count the beats accurately (quarter rest). And then proceed with b.41 with a "sense of purpose" (light pedal here and the opening note--b natural--should come in softly.

b.67. Make sure you lift everything for the rest (not too abruptly though). Count the rest (quarter rest) accurately.

Continue to work on using your arms to create that clean, soft sound. Make sure the top notes stand out (melody).

Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor--First movement

Dr. N liked where this piece was going. It's come along way, she said. A few areas to work on:

b.30. Round off these notes (you tend to play them harsh, loud). Instead, round off to make it soft.

b.162. Don't forget to bring out the slur in te first two notes. Also, don't make the staccato too short. Do a "lazy staccato".

b.200-204. Keep the left hand flat (Dr. N heard some finger tapping on the keys) to prevent 'finger tapping'.

b. C15 (make sure you hit the right hand chords clearly and without the 'metallic' sound that's unpleasant sounding).

b. C17 (right hand chord should come immediately after the A-flat. You tend to pause a bit before proceeding to the chord).
b. c18 (note where the group of fifths start (on the A...not on the E).
b. C75 (make sure to give signal for conductor/orchestra to come in). Take in a breath right before the orchestra should come in to signal).

Played about 1.25 hours today. Practiced Chopin Etude Op. 25, no. 7 and no. 12. With the 12th etude, I need to practice at different tempi--from very slow, slow, moderately slow, medium, slightly fast, fast, faster, fastest. Make sure to play every note correctly and press the keys all the way down and keep the hands flat. Pay attention to each note and watch your use of pedal!

For the Beethoven concerto, I worked on the first movement cadenza and some tricky parts in the first movement. Practice at a slower tempo and be more attentive to details!

This week's lesson notes

Scales: E-flat Major, C minor (for next week, practice B-flat Major, G minor)

Chopin Etude Op. 25, No. 7 in C-sharp minor: Make sure that the soft notes--despite the pp marking--are discernible: "You want to make sure that even the audience in the back row of Carnegie Hall can hear you." (Dr. N). Don't be afraid to project the melodic voices (despite the pp markings). Think of the left hand melody as being played by a cello.

Work on the opening cadenza. Give it shape, character, etc. Note the grace note that connects the cadenza with the opening melody in the first measure of the piece. Make sure the connection makes sense.

Watch your use of rubato. Limit the times your right hand and left hand play asynchronously. Don't overdo it.

b.13-16 (watch contour and melodic shape, character).

b.16-17 (slight ritenuto as you enter b.17.)

b.22, b.24 (not a triplet!--rather, an ornamentation. Play left hand notes after the second chord, not on it).

b. 26-27 (bring out the top right hand notes--in these measures, these right hand notes are playing the melody. "It's too bad that people often overlook this while learning the Chopin "Revolutionary" Etude!)." (Dr. N)

b.28 (inharmonic key change--from D-sharp to B major, seems like). Make sure your playing reflects this.

b.29-39. (Main melody is in right hand. Bring these notes out. Keep the left hand soft. May want to experiment with una corda here).

b.35 (note the smorz.)

b.51 (practice this many times over. Toughest passage in the piece to execute!). Be more judicious with the pedal in this passage. You want a clean 'spray'. )

b.62-63 (note the ritenuto and forte marking), then dim.

b.66-68 (eighth notes in first chord. Use your arms and elbows to create the clean, soft sound. You tend to 'muffle' the soft sound.)

b.68 (note the fermata. your hands should remain on the keyboard despite it no longer pressing down on the keys, while you hold down the pedal and then gradually lift up. If you take your hands off the keyboard, causes a disconnect with the audience and may invite premature applauses).

Start listening to different recordings (Pollini, Arrau, Lugansky, Perahia, etc). Also, use your arms more liberally and don't play 'tentative'. Make sure you can hum the melody in your head.

Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor: While reviewing the principle theme, make sure you use your arms correctly (use elbows and press down) to bring out the opening chords (you don't want to create the 'metallic' noise by banging on the keys here).

b.120 (work on playing this clearly!. Work on consistency).

b.154-159 (watch rhythm. Dr. N noticed that you tend to 'rush' here).

b.188 (make sure you play in unison with the orchestra here).

b.223 (play left hand in sync with the orchestra. The beat is on the note, F, here).

b.276 (watch rhythm. You seem to lose the orchestra at some point. Practice with the metronome).

b.292 (remember that sf is not a dynamic marking; it is really just an accent, so don't play it that loud.

Ran out of time. Will start on the Recapitulation section (section L) to the end of the First Movement (including Cadenza to first movement) for review.