Day 16: Left Hand Weakness?

I have broken up those pesky remaining 19 measures or so into much smaller chunks because my left hand just seems to be lagging my right hand through these parts too much.  I will still get there by the end of the week, eight or nine days ahead of my goal for this piece!  I may finally get my hands on a music theory book this weekend and start the other part of my project.

If you're just joining me on my journey, I encourage you to skim through the past two weeks of entries.  I'm still looking for a good tripod to take the overhead video.

Day 15: Time Signatures

Things are getting a little easier with those remaining measures that have been giving me some problems.  I still feel confident that I will have this entire piece locked away in memory again by the end of the week.  I am trying to find a tripod that will crank up way over my head so I can get a downward shot of the entire keyboard.  Anyone know a great place to buy tripods?

Now for your dose of music theory.

The time signature denoted here is 2/4 time.  That means there are two beats per measure and a quarter note gets one count (or beat).  Then it logically follows that a half note, which is counted as two beats, occupies an entire measure such as in the picture above.

Common time (denoted by the C above) is also known as 4/4 time.  That means there are four beats to a measure and a quarter note gets one count (or beat).  Also in this picture is the notation "Tempo I."  This is usually used after a passage of music that is at a different tempo than the composition began with.  Once this passage of music is complete, a composer will often note "Tempo I" to let you know that the original tempo called for at the beginning of the composition is in effect again.

Remember forzando?  I can not seem to track down a definition for fffz, but I can imagine that it is like forzando (fz) but with the most sudden emphasis that you can muster.  This is an intense finish to the piece.  The most intense chords in the entire piece.

A Word About My Buddy Edvard Grieg

I love Edvard Grieg.  He was a truly gifted composer.  His lyric pieces for piano are among some of the best at capturing the emotion(s) of what he was writing about.  It is almost as if you can close your eyes and see him painting a scene with notes.

The short run down on my man, Edvard Hagerup Grieg (June 15, 1843 - September 4, 1907).  He was a Norwegian composer and pianist of the Romantic period.  He and his wife were barely five feet tall.  He was raised in a musical home and studied in several schools during his youth.  He even attended the prestigious Leipzig Conservatory, which was directed at the time by Ignaz Moscheles.

In June of 1867, he married his first cousin, Nina Hagerup.  The following year, their only child, Alexandra, was born.  She died only a year later from meningitis.  They made their home at Troldhaugen, Norway.

He was responsible for many familiar piano compositions including Wedding Day at Troldhaugen, Puck, Butterfly, March of the Trolls, and Berceuse.  In fact, many of Grieg's lyric pieces may be familiar to you from movies and tv shows over the years.  In my opinion, though, Wedding Day at Troldhaugen, is probably his most recognizable work.  These lyric pieces were composed in the 1890s during his nationalist phase.

Although he was in failing health in 1900, he continued to undertake long concert tours.  He loved the public spotlight and could not stay away from his adoring fans.  He actually passed away suddenly in 1907 getting ready to depart for a concert tour in England.

For a more detailed run-down of EHG, please visit the following websites:

http://www.mnc.net/norway/EHG.htm

http://www.classical.net/music/comp.lst/grieg.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edvard_grieg

Day 14: Some Problem Areas

Making this journey without a teacher to help can be a bit discouraging at times.  I feel like I just want to give it up sometimes.  One of the biggest reasons why I chose to make this a public experiment was so I wouldn't just quit.  I chose to keep it anonymous, however, so if I failed to get to the level I wanted to in the end, I would not necessarily have to reveal who I am.  So, in a way, you are taking the risk by following me on my journey that I will not get to the top of the mountain.  It is a small risk, given the amount of determination I have in succeeding, but there will be times where I'll feel like I've hit a blizzard on the way up the mountain and need to turn back.  Today, I just feel like the cold is setting in and I'm wussing out.  I have about 19 measures of WDAT that are giving me trouble.  I know that with diligent practice, they will come out just fine.  I'm just getting a little frustrated, that is all.

So, if these 19 measures get ironed out this week, I will have remastered WDAT ahead of the 30 day goal and will then proceed on to Notturno at this point next week!  I'm still working on a set-up for the video camera to capture the whole keyboard.  Please be patient with me, I know it is important to post videos of some of my progress!

Day 12: More Progress and Notation Remarks

Day 11 sort of fell by the wayside.  That is ok, though, because I need a little break here and there to let things sink in.  I sat down and played, at tempo, those last 17 measures from memory this morning with no mistakes!  Today, I focused on probably the technically most difficult part of WDAT.  It is the few measures that lead up to "The Conversation."  The bass clef is particularly trying on me through this part.  I practiced for about 40 minutes, focusing on the left hand.  I will come back to this later today and practice it some more.  This will take a little longer to master than other parts of WDAT.  I still think I may have this under my belt by the end of next week.  If I do, great!  If not, I will still have time left on my 30 day goal.

Now, for the notation lessons of the day!

The notation fff represents fortissimo.  This is very loud.  As loud as can be played.  The notation fz is forzando.  This is not a notation I see very often.  In fact, of all the pieces I have ever learned, I think this is the only one I have ever seen this notation used in.  Forzando means to play with force.  In other words, these notes are to be played with a sudden emphasis or accent.

Here, we see poco rit. and a tempo.  Poco rit. is shortened from poco ritard and means to play these notes in the first part of the measure a little slower.  A tempo (say ah tempo, not a tempo) means to resume normal speed.  Pick up with the tempo you were playing right before the poco ritard.

Piu means more.  Since it accompanies the notation f for forte (loud), then the intent here is to play this measure "more loud."  As if there were a crescendo, but I believe the intent here is to play this measure a step up from the previous one.  A crescendo would be a gradual build from the previous measure, so I think this is more like jumping the volume up a step instantly.

Day Ten: Those Extra 17 Measures!

Since the bass clef of the last 17 measures is repetitious, I practiced this section tonight hands together.  There is quite a bit of repetition here, actually, so I can confidently say that after about 20 minutes into practice this evening, I had this last bit of WDAT re-committed to memory and at tempo!  After that was nailed down, I returned to the first 30 or so measures since there are still some weak spots there.  I should be moving on to the final 26 measures of the first section (which remember, are repeated in the final section, right before those final 17 measures) starting tomorrow.  By this time next week, I may actually have WDAT back in my memory, but some parts not up to tempo yet.  I expect to have re-mastered this piece by the weekend of next week!  More musical notation to discuss tomorrow and that promised mini-bio of Grieg will be here soon, I promise!

How am I doing?  What do my readers think of this so far?  Please comment!  And if you have not already, please follow me on Twitter (suzukibedamned)!

Day Nine: Minimal Practice, BUT...

...some of WDAT is coming back to me with little effort.  Not all of it, but some of it is.  Some of the problem areas that I had before that I have practiced over the past couple of days with more intensity are coming out very cleanly now.  Feeling great!  I am getting more excited and confident in how this is all going to end up!  I still owe you, my devoted reader, a short bio on Edvard Grieg.  Perhaps I will take the time to do that tomorrow while listening to my Edvard Grieg channel on Pandora.