Group 4
Video of the TWI Check-In with Borbála!
Have you noticed that most of the time we talk about technique or musical expression separately? We practice technical elements such as arpeggio, fast scales, left hand independence, tremolo, or even legato playing, etc. separately, but never together with the musical elements. Enjoy this two-week intensive to be able to play the basic musical ideas easily such as changes of dynamics and tempo, articulation, accentuation, as well as to improve your musical creativity.
- Course Period: December 5th - 19th
- Sign-Up: November 30th
- Zoom Check-In: Dec 11th, 9am PT
ASSIGNMENT FOR THE FIRST WEEK:Exercises_Expression (1)
Please share a video of yourself playing the first three exercises and at least two variations of the fourth exercise.
1-3. Exercises:
- Take a tempo in which you can play without unnecessary tension and make the musical expressions (accelerando, crescendo) gradually.
Exercice 1: https://youtu.be/lf3aQznZyKQ
Exercice 2: https://youtu.be/PeGYFbXkjuY
Exercise 3: https://youtu.be/gCycBsDb7Xw
4. Exercise:
- If it’s too difficult for you to learn to play in one week, you can perform only the upper voice.
- Make attention, that fingering should be different depends on the desired musical character.
- Try to show the musical elements exaggeratedly, even if it seems to be too much.
- Try to imagine the character before you play the exercise.
Exercise 4: https://youtu.be/FTHMi7xghjg
ASSIGMENT FOR THE SECOND WEEK:
Please choose a short section (at least a phrase) of your current repertoire or one of the following
pieces:
- Fernando Sor: Six Divertissements Op. 2. No. 1.
- Matteo Carcassi: 25 Etudes Op. 60. No. 9.
- Leo Brouwer: Estudios Sencillos No. 5.
and demonstrate it at least in two different variations of musical ideas, musical characters.
You can/should change the fingerings depends on your imagined musical character.
You can use the Cheat Sheet of Observation of musical ideas to control your way of playing.
Cheat_sheet_Observation_of_musical_expression (1) Sor_Six_divertissements_Op_2 Brouwer_Estudios_sencillos_no_5 Carcassi_25_Etudes_Op_60
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Hi everyone!
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Thank you for a such a fun lesson. I'm struggling a bit with staccato. Hopefully will improve over time. Looking forward to week 2. Thanks!
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don Hi Don thanks for the videos.
First exercise: 1, 2 part was great. Accelerando: try to start it much slower tempo. 4 part was also fine.
Generell: Try to relax your pinkie of your right hand, it looks really tensed.
Exc. 2: You shoud take much slower tempo, watch my video again to get the idea of it. Your P finger is most of the time too loud and that is why zhe discant accentuations are not clear audible. Please make also breaks inbetween it will help you a lot. The point of this exc. is not the tempo, but the control of different forces of your plucking fingers.
I will answer you later to the 2. and the 3. video. -
Borbala Seres Thank you Borbala! My pinky always tensed up , do you have any good recommended exercise to fix this? Thanks!
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don 2. Video :
P staccato was fine
Alternated right hand staccato : try to take the same hand position as you have for the p version. Your fingers are too straight, and far from the strings. And try it with free stroke, not apoyando.
Left hand stacc is ok. Just be careful that your strings doesn't make those noises when you lift up your finger!
In generell:your right arm position seems to be very tense here. Try to relax your arm, not to pull the guitar to you too much. And make your wrist also a bit higher, because in this position your fingers don't have enough place to pluck. That is why your pinkie is also compensating.
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don Amorous: It's nice, try to work on the legato more and tone color could be more dolce. Just come a bit higher, closer to the fretboard.
Court: It's still needs work, keep going. It's still difficult for your right hand, try to work on the staccatos.
Carol: It will be good, the tempo could be a bit slower and you need much more legato for this character. -
don First of all you schould use a mirror to control your pinkie. You could take any arpeggio exercise and the different versions of alternated strokes, and take them only on open strings that you can concentrate only on your right hand. Carlevaro book 2 has many versions or Giuliani 120 Arpeggios. Take a very slow tempo, because tempo can tense your pinkie too. While playing these exercises you have to concentrate that you relax your pinkie. The pinkie should move freely together with "a" finger always.
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Borbala Seres Thank you for all your feedback. Really appreciate it. Will try to work on it more.
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Login Details for the Zoom Check-In on Dec 11th, 9am PT:
- https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82982744208
- Meeting-ID: 829 8274 4208
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hello Maestra here is my video link for ex1,2,3 any feedback would be appreciated
thanks
Vilio
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Vilio Celli Hello Vilio, thanks for the video.
Your accentuation is really very nice. Great job!
Exc. 1.: I would suggest you to take a much slower tempo and metronome is not necessary to use. Try to play a bigger range of dynamics and tempo changes.
Exc. 3.: Please take a much slower tempo here as well. Then you can focus more on the way of making the staccatos. Especially for the left hand staccato, you could watch again my video to get the idea how you should do that. RH alternated staccato was better, but sometimes you repeat one finger more time. Try to focus on the alternation. P staccato, when I saw it well, you were doing here LH staccato instead of P staccato. Try not to miss the two places where you have to mute with the flesh of your thumb.
I would say try the exercises in slower tempo, I'm sure it will help you a lot
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Borbala Seres thanks great advice
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hello here is exercise 4
thanks
Vilio
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Vilio Celli I hear the basic ideas of the musical characters which I asked for. I think at the moment you are still busy with the technical execution, and of course that pull you back from the clear musical expression. Amarous: Try to play it much slower, that would fit better to the character. Also the christmas carol should be slower a bit. The court dance tempo was fine but because of the staccatos it's a very difficult one, so I would also slow it down for the practicing and then raise the tempo step by step.
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Borbala Seres thanks yes I have to learn the piece better before playing in different styles
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Assignments for the second week have been posted! See you in the Zoom Call!
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Hello Borbala.
Here is the first exercice (only...). I find difficult to go piano to forte and feel tense when playing forte. The piano is difficult to sound clearly.
Thank you
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GALAIS Olivier Hi Olivier, thanks for the video.
Basically all the three parts of the exercise were good, only you missed the accelerando/ritartando part. It's normal to feel a bit more tension when we play forte, because we need a bigger force to achieve it. Try to take the tempos slower to get it easier for your RH and for the immediate volume change play only one bass for each four group of 16th. It would also help to get rid of unnecessary tension.
For piano plucking I would advice you to experiment with different force of plucking. Listen to yourself and try to find the balance for the necessary force. Keep going!
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Video of the TWI Check-In with Borbála!
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Hello friends and participants of this fantastic TWI with Borbála! She asked me to remind you that for exercise 4, you can also choose your repertoire! No need to learn the three pieces she proposed!
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Hello Maestra here is my second week video. I am playing Sueño by Fransisco Tárrega, the first part legato and the second staccato.
Thanks Vilio
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Vilio Celli Thanks for the video!
The legato and staccato as a direction of a basic idea is good. Pay attention that the metrum is 3/4, not 4/4, that will change already the character and help you to get the dance (mazurka). In measure 5 you play a different bass on the first beat (E instead of D)
I would suggest also to use the other musical tools as well, like volume, tempo changes, tone color, that will help you to get more clear character/mood ideas, which will make the music more alive. The staccato version: You could add even more staccatos on different other notes, but you could consider also to mix staccato and legato where it's possible. Good job, just keep going! -
Borbala Seres thanks great advice
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Borbala Seres This is a really fun homework to do and I learn so much about myself too. I tend to play too instinctly and it is really difficult when you write down all the details to play expressively. Thank you. It is really fun to revisit some memorable bits of music and to think about back story for pieces that I'm learning. Thank you.
This is a piece I'm currently learning. For this piece.
First version (B).I imagine the first version to have a very fast talking guy singng out his argument. I start the mini phrase with the bass first. Then during the modulation. i tried to play more ponti to highlight a different voice presenting a different argument. Then it ends with a more sweet sound.
Second version(A). I start the mini phrase with the pulloff instead. It is one voice throughout 'sweet talking' to his lover.
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don Thanks for the videos!
I liked your basic ideas for the character.
In generell: You always late with the bass melodies with a 16th. It creates too small motives, you always start and stop, start and stop. It doesn't allow the music to flow. Try to hold bigger phrases together. For your first version: If it's an argument, then you should also try to show the bass line louder at least at the enters (for instance Measure 23 A-Fsharp-A, G-D-G). Secco is a good idea for a different argument, but it was not clear audible, you should go closer to the bridge. You could also use extreme volume differnces.
Second version: It could be even slower and mor sweet, try to use also tempo flexibility to be more expressive. From measure 31 you could play complete rubato. Make more experimentation with tempo changes and dynamic changes, different color, so try to be more brave and overdo everything.
P.S.: Your chair is not the best choice in my opinion, because the armrest restrict your arms in natural movements. (Your elbow is too high mostly)
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End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
