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 Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 8:27 pm
Okay, so I have a "competition" tomorrow at 3:30 pm, and it's the 1st level to making it to State piano in Houston.
I've never been so nervous!
My program is a little over 10 mins long (required less than 10 minutes) so I am a little worried they'll stop me before I finish.
I'm playing:
Chopin's Ballade No. 1 in g minor, and
Debussy's Mouvement from Images.
I have technical problems on both pieces, and I know I'm going to pass the Local portion (which is tomorrow) because I'm the only one playing. sweatdrop
HOWEVER,
4 weeks from tomorrow is the District competition, and I don't know if I am going to be prepared for it.
So, I need some suggestions on practicing:
On the Chopin:
At the Coda (Presto con Fuoco), I keep hitting the wrong keys.
I practice with the metronome from 40 BPM to 170 BPM and I play it 2 eighth note to 1 beat. However, once the metronome starts, that part just falls apart. What's wrong??!! (You might wonder why I'm not asking my teacher, and it's because she only tells me: SLOW PRACTICE!!) I am practicing SLOW!! I play like.. 10 times each beat change (10 times for 40, 10 times for 50, etc.)
On the Debussy:
I'm having trouble making an even sound with the 4th finger (There are some parts that I have to hold a C and G with the thumb and pinky and play D-E-F with my 4th finger, middle, and 2nd) Does anyone know any good exercises to let the 4th finger more flexible??
I need you guys's help, because I know you are all very experienced in music and know a lot more than I do!
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Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 7:53 pm
Yah, so the competition yesterday was.. EPIC FAIL'd times a HUNDRED MILLION.
Fortunately, I was the only one in my category so I advanced to district.
I have 4 solid weeks to practice.
Anyone have any advice? 3nodding
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Le Aristocrat Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 1:25 pm
[Asian Trix] Yah, so the competition yesterday was.. EPIC FAIL'd times a HUNDRED MILLION. Fortunately, I was the only one in my category so I advanced to district. I have 4 solid weeks to practice. Anyone have any advice? 3nodding Well done! The only advice I can offer is to work tirelessly (and very slowly) at the Presto con Fuoco. To be honest, that's an incredibly difficult piece to play, and that last section is a nightmare. If you can give a fair performance of the piece I congratulate you. If you want some very advanced piano exercises to help with both pieces (especially the even tone in the Debussy) I would recommend the Dohnanyi exercises. They're very difficult, but the first one should help. You have to hold down a chord while the other fingers play freely. I'd suggest them. Also, you'll do amazingly anyway. Don't overwork yourself, and take time to listen again and again to the pieces. If you can't innovate, emulate, as I often say... Do you have a longer time for the next one, or is it still 10 minutes?
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Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 2:38 pm
Thanks for the advice.
Yes, I agree, I've played the Presto con Fuoco countless times, and I have yet to perfect it.
Once I have, though, I will most definitely post it on youtube so i can go, HAHAHA Look what I can do! XD
Dohnanyi? Hm... I don't seem to have those. D:
Do you know any other good exercises? sweatdrop
D:
Unfortunately, it's 10 mins for the whole competition. (Mine was 11:40) so I don't know if they'll stop me before I finish or not. D:
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Le Aristocrat Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 12:56 pm
[Asian Trix] Thanks for the advice. Yes, I agree, I've played the Presto con Fuoco countless times, and I have yet to perfect it. Once I have, though, I will most definitely post it on youtube so i can go, HAHAHA Look what I can do! XD Dohnanyi? Hm... I don't seem to have those. D: Do you know any other good exercises? sweatdrop D: Unfortunately, it's 10 mins for the whole competition. (Mine was 11:40) so I don't know if they'll stop me before I finish or not. D: Well, it depends. Czerny wrote many good ones, but the Dohnanyi Exercises are the only ones that I can see really helping... 11:40? Gosh, that's quite a bit over and neither of those pieces are ones in which it is easy to up the tempo...
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Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 8:08 pm
1:40 over isn't that bad. If you're like 3-4 minutes over or more, then they'd probably cut you off, but you have a chance to finish if it's only 1-2 minutes.
Good luck!
This is extremely late, but another suggestion for the presto con fuoco section is to isolate the leaps and train your hands to reinforce kinesthetic memory. Work out the snags before you tackle the mess, in other words.
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Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 8:13 pm
Yeah, I guess... but I'm just worried about Chopin in general. like everything.
what are some good ways to practice... artistically? i guess
and on the Debussy... how are ways to just... play it extremely quiet w/o using soft pedal, and to keep it balanced? 'cause my 4th finger is like.. dead.
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Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 2:18 pm
It's good you can do the first ballade at...16? or are you still 15?
Anyways, I kinda mess up at the presto also, but just think downbeats. That's all that may matter, that you keep a steady beat. So I would focus on playing downbeats of the piece with the metronome and then adding up beats.
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Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 6:48 pm
biggrin
Thanks that really helped.
Okay, so this is the program for Saturday:
1. Etude Op. 10 No. 3, Chopin
Piano Sonata, Op. 31 No. 1 (Tempest), Mvt. 1- Beethoven
2. Fantasy in D minor, Mozart
Piano SOnata, Op. 13 No. 1 (Pathetique), Mvt. 3, Beethoven
3. Ballade No. 1 in g minor, Op. 23, Chopin
Images, III. Mouvement, Debussy
Just by looking at those, which one is more likely to win? neutral
I still need help from you guys!! you are so much help!
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Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 9:53 pm
If the technique, expression, etc. are all there, I'd go with option 3 (which is your program)
Option 1 would be my second choice; in terms of difficulty, the 2nd program is the easiest, so unless you and the first person screw up badly, it stands less of a chance (unfortunately).
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Le Aristocrat Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 11:21 am
Wings If the technique, expression, etc. are all there, I'd go with option 3 (which is your program) Option 1 would be my second choice; in terms of difficulty, the 2nd program is the easiest, so unless you and the first person screw up badly, it stands less of a chance (unfortunately). I agree, but I think that program 2's success depends on if they pull off the interpretation in the Mozart...That's if the judges are marking it in that sense. But unless they happen to be Mitsuko Uchida, I think that your program is the strongest, Trix.
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Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 1:04 pm
Le Aristocrat Wings If the technique, expression, etc. are all there, I'd go with option 3 (which is your program) Option 1 would be my second choice; in terms of difficulty, the 2nd program is the easiest, so unless you and the first person screw up badly, it stands less of a chance (unfortunately). I agree, but I think that program 2's success depends on if they pull off the interpretation in the Mozart...That's if the judges are marking it in that sense. But unless they happen to be Mitsuko Uchida, I think that your program is the strongest, Trix. It depends. Both Mozart and Chopin require great artistry to truly impress people, but the Ballade also have the advantage of being much harder technically--this usually gives the performer brownie points in festivals. I'd have more confidence in pitting the C minor Fantasia against the Ballade, honestly.
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Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 6:01 pm
YAY!
That makes me very happy >w<
Wish me luck tomorrow!!
Wait.. Wings: do you mean the d minor fantasy? neutral
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Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 6:44 pm
[Asian Trix] YAY! That makes me very happy >w< Wish me luck tomorrow!! Wait.. Wings: do you mean the d minor fantasy? neutral Nope, I'm talking about Mozart's Fantasia in C minor, K. 475, often paired with the Sonata in C minor as an introduction.
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Le Aristocrat Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2008 12:49 pm
Wings Le Aristocrat Wings If the technique, expression, etc. are all there, I'd go with option 3 (which is your program) Option 1 would be my second choice; in terms of difficulty, the 2nd program is the easiest, so unless you and the first person screw up badly, it stands less of a chance (unfortunately). I agree, but I think that program 2's success depends on if they pull off the interpretation in the Mozart...That's if the judges are marking it in that sense. But unless they happen to be Mitsuko Uchida, I think that your program is the strongest, Trix. It depends. Both Mozart and Chopin require great artistry to truly impress people, but the Ballade also have the advantage of being much harder technically--this usually gives the performer brownie points in festivals. I'd have more confidence in pitting the C minor Fantasia against the Ballade, honestly. Quite, they are the most easily misinterpreted, and I agree that the C minor Fantasia would be better matched with the Ballade, but last year at a music festival that I went to, in the Concerto Competition the three finalists were playing Chopin's 1st, Mozart's 24th and Shostakovich's 2nd. The Mozart won, even though the Chopin was well played and the Shostakovich was superb. So while it was technically the easiest, well played Mozart wipes away a lot of opposition, with the reason that it's something that very few people can do well.
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