The craft of piano playing

[mah115]

I decided to pick up piano playing after quitting a few years ago to study for college. I've been trying to learn Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu, and here's a video of the first section.

Let me know what you think! I'll read the suggestions and upload a new video a few weeks later (hopefully with a better camera that can take more than 60s of video at a time).

I hope we'll all learn something from this. Have at it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S22EKvc-Vw8

BTW, Can we embed the videos in the post? I don't seem to be able to turn on HTML.

[jocahdj]

I loved it, you can play this piece! Couple of things:

Sixteens in the right hand are not all equal, and they should be.Same with the left hand and the triplets. Try practicing with the metronome for a while until you iron out your rhythm.

Maybe you were busy learning your music, but please pay more attention to phrasing.I am not saying you are not doing it, its just you kinda run through it, without listening to yourself enough.

You feel the music, and you have to engage yourself into this wonderful process of exploration.Try playing slowly and listening to every note, do more legato, overhold the keys and listen to the intervals.
By the way, I love how your hand looks like at the end of the video when you play that chromatic scale.

Thanks for your post, I ll think about allowing html on forum.

Keep us posted,

Jovan
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[mah115]

Progress update:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7NzHTLL24s

[alan fraser]

Difficult to write about it. It doesn't sound bad but it doesn't sound great either. If I had a chance to get my hands on your hands, I could very easy show you by touch where the anomalies are that lead to your somewhat undifferentiated sound, but the external look is not that bad...

I would try very hard for a more differentiated sound and a more precise sound. Use your ear to improve your hand! There needs to be more orchestration - that means a REAL, perceptible difference between the forte of one voice and the piano or pianissimo of another voice. And there needs to be more precision - the notes of the melody are approximately even in dynamic but if they were precisely even, your sound would be totally transformed.

And for that you need to go through my whole overholding shtick, discover where the center of your hand is pooping out even though it doesn't really look like it is that much, and discover how much control your hand could have over the shape and colour of the line...

Good luck!

AFF
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Craft of Piano technique - the synthesis of mind, body and spirit in sound...
www.alanfraser.net
www.craftofpiano.com
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[jocahdj]

It is better but do what Alan told you.Orchestrate more!

I think you are really playing great after a long pause! Keep it up!
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[mah115]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll keep working at it. Hopefully I'll be able to iron out some of the unevenness in a few weeks.