Interactive Class: Best Balance – How to highlight musical priorities
To emphasise one thing often means to obscure another. In music, this is no different and this musical idea can lead us to very practical decisions about phrasing, dynamics, fingerings, and many other questions we might ask ourselves while studying a piece. Join Emmanuel Sowicz as he offers you strategies to approach emphasis and balance in your music-making. This will be an interactive class so bring along any musical passages you would like to work on! Pieces and extracts posted in the forum thread will be given preference.
We are going to be using this thread to gather suggestions and questions!
- What questions do you have on this topic?
- Any particular area you would like me to focus on?
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This looks great, and I think I can attend live this time. I'd love to hear your thoughts on Sor's Op 11 No 6 (attached). In most places, I think it's pretty clear what needs to be brought out, but in other places I'm not so sure. I would love to hear your thoughts. It's relatively short, but if you prefer only to look at a portion of it for the sake of time, that would be fine.
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Eric Phillips what a coincidence! I have been working on this same Menuet in A Major for the last few weeks. I used to play these beautiful menuets in D, G, Gm, A from Sor’s Op. 60 when I was young. I’m working on the two “p i m a” arpeggio sections very slowly with metronome using no-planting. Previously I have only played arpeggios using full-planting and sequential planting so this is a new technique I’m learning as suggested by a new teacher.
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Great class, unfortunately I have an important lab test and review at the hospital scheduled at the same time. Will watch the class afterwards.
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In polyphonic passages, it is often difficult (if not impossible) to maintain the full note duration of every voice. Sometimes a note simply has to be cut short. But there is often a decision to be made about which voice is 'short-changed'. Is there a general rule concerning the 'hierarchy' of voices? Another situation that arises is that all voices can be maintained faithfully if one adopts a difficult or 'unnatural' left hand fingering. I find this often interferes with the flow of the music, so I almost always reject such an approach, although I know many highly regarded players embrace it. Do you have an opinion on the advisability of introducing technical difficulties to maintain the 'integrity' of the score? Thanks!
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I’m at my doctor’s appointment. Will join as soon as I’m done. Please post the Zoom like here or leave the Live sesson open with the Zoom link. Thank you.
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Study 4 by Regondi!
Basically the second/third page, but the first might also be interesting.
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Question - the second page says ben marcato above + sempre ppp underneath. How big a contrast should be made here? Really sempre ppp?
Also, might be a different kind of balance, but I'm wondering about balancing tempi and tone between sections and perhaps repetitions of material.
The first page is not too much of a problem in terms of balance for me, but it might be interesting to discuss because it's 4-note chords of melody+accompaniment all the way.
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Currently working on a Largo section from Bach. Very interested in balancing bass and melody. This is rough. I have been working on bringing out the melody and then then emphasizing the bass. I also have even played the bass with a staccato effect. I want a gentle tone and am now playing at about 50 beats per minute. youtube channel link: https://youtu.be/SffN3KPCQCM
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I sent a piece to your email account in a pdf format. I am looking for how to approach the balance in the penultimate line (ms 41 - 44) with harmonics
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Here is the Bach Largo BWV 1056 score I am using.
End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
