Beethoven

A friend suggested I play something for her “piano party” in September.

(like, a recital?)

Have NOT done anything serious on the piano for 30 years (or, more). Maybe it’s time to try. Giving a shot at Sonata #5 – in “C minor”, by Beethoven.

The wisdom from Maggie, was that you just start… and, the music unpacks a phrase at a time. The encouragement, was meaningful — each series of notes, and phrase. It’s already been working

it’s more… the individual note sequences.

Read them, oh … “Ped”, for Pedal – like that is not cheating? I thought someone would object, but the music is written that way. And, the rest after the 2-3-5 chord

But, seriously, the natural sign on those three notes… which of the three does it apply to? The “B”, are you sure!!?! (Ok, ok, I admit that it sounds best when it’s for the B-flat, rather than A-flat).  [Weeks later, can I admit — “how had I have missed that there are five notes to play in that chord on the left hand?” I only have five fingers on my left hand!!

That was just an example – pulling apart the written music.

And, now, before getting too far with this music…    maybe I’ll watch a you-tube; when I used to take lessons on the piano there WAS NO “YOU TUBE” ..

I was cautioned, to only watch the “you-tube videos” if they are by John O’Connor.

John, is a local celebrity if you live in Vermont — But, even if you do live in Vermont, you may not know about the Adamant School of Music.  More of a summer phenomena. It’s an amazing place to hear students who’ve been working with John for some time, many have come for year-after-year to pick up skills from a Master.

But, back to “preparing a piece” for playing to a group.

Listen to this initial attempt…

[my right hand, alone]

 

Now, both hands (admitting, this is about three weeks later)

The real motivation, was that Jack was coming for Jenna’s wedding which is happening here in Vermont.  And, of course, figuring that most any wedding venue would have a piano (and, likely would mean an opportunity to play a tune on the piano — and, of course, to hear what-ever songs which Jack has been working on lately).   The last time I got to see Jack and Cassie had been in Denver, and he played a couple of new Elton John songs he’d been working on.  He always asks, “have you learned any new tunes?”  — and, I have to admit — ehh, it’s been a few years!!   But, not this time — I have one page, that I have been working on: Beethoven’s Fifth Sonata.

By the way — to follow along…  I especially like the YouTube video where I can see the written music being shown at the same time as the audio file plays:

note: these professional videos, are less than 30seconds, my playing the first page… is almost a minute. (and, it’s just the first page!!!) — it is twice as long; or, half the speed!

 

Here’s another video. Watch her hands:

Or, yet another one:

Oh, maybe that was a mistake. I can’t express how demoralizing it was to see thru a few bars of my careful efforts (over hours and days) just vaporize in the twenty two seconds of lightly dancing keys prancing thru on the way to somewhere important — it was like he lit a fuse on page one just for the purpose of zipping thru to the top of the next page.

But, it’s an experience — I mean, watching the video, when you realize how difficult any one piece of music is;  and, it is humbling to consider how many excellent pianists are all playing these same notes that Beethoven played (who knows, how he really played it!).

In any event — back, to reflecting on the page ONE lessons I have learned:

• count
• fingering
• watch rests

WATCH the Rests,   and Maggie would say, hummming them; or singing ’em. It does help.

• It sounds cliché but, COUNTING, or being sure the consistency of one measure to the next (or, just within the three beats of one measure) nothing makes the smooth flow of the song as the counting. Maybe Elton John can get away with throwing in a measure here’n there that has seven beats or five (or any number he wants), but to learn a piece – properly – requires counting. It just does.
• The fingering matters. Did Beethoven use a certain finger on a specific note? Well, maybe not — but, world class pianists have studied and practiced to pick a good sequence of fingers to reach and simplify the order to use the best fingers …
  I trust them.

To learn to watch rests… as much as watching the notes — however obvious, but goes back to the part about counting. Counting applies to the rests (coming off the notes played) to stop for long enough before playing the next note.

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