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Gretchen Saathoff

~ Collaborative Pianist/Vocal Coach ~ forging partnerships, making memorable music together

Monthly Archives: March 2011

Two cool articles that might change your mind

31 Thursday Mar 2011

Posted by GretchensPianos in article, music, new approach, performing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

James Levine, Music, NY Times, WQXR

My Listening Ears

Image by niclindh via Flickr

Why It Was Time For James Levine to Step Down from an orchestra member’s point of view,  WQXR.com

The Critic Returns, As the Performer NYTimes.com

What do you think?  Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

E-books

Goal-oriented Practice
Review by pianist and conductor Andrei Strizek

When You Buy a Piano

How to Maintain Your Piano

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Are you a lefty?

31 Thursday Mar 2011

Posted by GretchensPianos in learning, left hand, music, page turns, piano

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

left-handedness, Music, piano

Your Hands

Image by Toni Blay via Flickr

Perhaps you have wished from time to time that you were left-handed, as I have.

News Flash:   being left-handed is not an advantage in piano playing!  I have this on irrefutable authority.

Why?

Since you asked ;), left-handed players’ left hands still take longer to learn parts.

Being left-handed makes turning pages with the right hand harder because the right wrist doesn’t flip as fast.  Typically, a left-handed player will move the music way over to the left, then turn with the left hand.

What’s your take on being left-handed?  Advantage?  Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

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E-books

Goal-oriented Practice
Review by pianist and conductor Andrei Strizek

When You Buy a Piano

How to Maintain Your Piano

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Looking forward to ginger ale

30 Wednesday Mar 2011

Posted by GretchensPianos in Uncategorized

≈ 6 Comments

Looking forward to ginger ale and popsicle delivery when a friend gets off work.

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Flu. :( New post when

30 Wednesday Mar 2011

Posted by GretchensPianos in Uncategorized

≈ 10 Comments

Flu. 😦 New post when it goes AWAY.

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How to edit a piano reduction

27 Sunday Mar 2011

Posted by GretchensPianos in career, chorus, editing, goals, marking the score, music, piano, preparation, priorities, process, serving music, tools, work

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

edit, Mozart, piano reduction, Regina Coeli

Piano reduction of the Wedding March written e...

Image via Wikipedia

The program for an upcoming chorus concert includes Mozart’s “Regina Coeli.”  I am currently editing the piano reduction.

Download “Regina Coeli” for $2.44

It is not necessary to play a piano reduction as written.  Publishers are not always pianists, and some reductions are practically impossible to play.  Different publishers and editors make different conclusions about how to reduce orchestral scores, so you will see wide variations between reductions of the same piece of music.

The intent is what matters, as well as support for the solo and chorus parts.  And, as always, clarity is more important than playing every note printed.  After all, this is not piano music!  No points are handed out for playing piano reductions exactly as written.

​Types of piano reductions in collaborative piano playing

  • opera
  • oratorio
  • vocal/instrumental solo with orchestra
  • chorus with orchestra

Notation in piano reductions

  • often misleading ~ instrumental solo lines may not be accurate ~ listen to recording, also look at full score if possible
  • chords often arpeggiated when not performed as such in orchestra
  • parts sometimes written in a different octave for piano
  • stretches too wide to be played on piano

Editing

Listen to a recording for orchestration and sound (articulation, length of notes, how accents are performed, etc.)

Provide full orchestral sound when needed

Rewrite for clarity in piano sound

Retain composer’s style

  • arpeggiated chords appropriate?
  • broken chords possible or disruptive?
  • melody must be in a clear register
  • what sort of sound are you hearing?  Brilliant top?  Substantial bass?  Important inner parts?  Subdued?  Sharp attacks?  Sustained?

​What to strive for

complete chords ~ exception possible when chorus sings full chord

  • character of phrasing
  • supportive, consistent bass line
  • counter-melody
  • inner harmonic parts
  • clarity

​What to change

  • anything that interferes with playing important elements ~ put it in the other hand or simplify
  • doublings when difficult to reach
  • wide stretches can often be rewritten as triads, for example.  If that sounds convincing, it trumps a broken chord.
  • arpeggiated chords ~ reductions frequently contain arpeggios when there are none in the score.  The notes are plunked into the reduction at their original pitches, but since no one can stretch far enough to play them as solid chords, the editor adds wavy lines to indicate arpeggios.  Don’t buy it!
  • separated tremolo (i.e. a 2-note chord followed by a separate 2-note chord) when solid tremolo sounds more orchestral.  It’s only notated separately by an editor, not the composer.  Play a solid chord to start, then tremolo.

Mozart’s “Regina Coeli,” K. 276, Kalmus edition

Download “Regina Coeli” for $2.44

My changes:

Page/Bar​

​

2/18

​

​Omit ”D” in RH to accommodate trill.  Altos sing ”D,” so the pitch is heard anyway.

4/21

​

Omit 2nd ”E” in RH to accommodate leap of a 10th in melody.  Although ”E” is missing from the harmony temporarily, upon practicing the passage this way several times, there seems to be enough going on so it won’t be missed by the audience.  Every 16th note is still present rhythmically.​

5/36

​

Move 16ths in beats 2 and 3 to LH, down an octave, to accommodate melodic leaps in melody.​

5/37​

​

Add ”C” to RH under trill, add ”B” under ”G.”  Omit 2nd “middle C” and ”B” from LH (wide reach).  Open 5th on beat 3 for LH would be unacceptable, as would omitting low ”G.”​

6/45

​

Play ”C” and ”E” with left hand, same octave, to accommodate trill.​

6/47

​

​Drop lower RH part down an octave, play with LH, resume as written with dotted chords.  The accommodates RH trill.​

7/49

​

​Fast tremolo, not 16ths.

​

10/81

​

Divide 16ths between hands as necessary to accommodate trill and bass line.​

10/83

​

3rd beat, drop 16ths down an octave, play with LH.

​

10/86​

​

Play 16ths with LH.

​

10/87

​

3rd beat, play ”C” and ”B” with LH.

​

11/96​

​

Beat 2, drop 16ths down an octave, play with LH.

​

11/100

​

4th beat, omit lower octave in LH.

​

12/101

​

Omit lower octave in LH through low ”C” on 3rd beat.  2nd beat, drop 16ths down an octave, play with LH.​

12/102

​

Tremelo in LH.

​

12/108

​

Omit ”G” in RH.

​

14/123

​

Play root position triads in LH.

​

16/145, 146

 

Divide middle part between hands as necessary.​

16/148

​

Beat 4, drop RH “F” down an octave, play with LH.  Omit low ”D” in RH.  Trill doubles, don’t need.​

16/149

​

Beat 1, end trill on ”C” in RH, omit remainder of RH chord.  Chorus sings complete chord anyway.​

16/150

​

Beat 4, omit ”F” in RH.

​

16/151

​

Beat 1, finish trill on ”C”, omit remainder of RH chord.  Full chorus is singing, piano plays ”E” octave in 2nd 8th note of bar.

Bottom line

The “piano part” you play should sound like the piece was composed.  Don’t introduce sounds that are not in the orchestra if you can help it.

How do you approach playing piano reductions?  Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

E-books

Goal-oriented Practice
New review by pianist and conductor Andrei Strizek

When You Buy a Piano

How to Maintain Your Piano


Related articles

  • Q&A: sight-reading in chorus rehearsals (gretchenspianos.wordpress.com)
  • Basic piano skills: the ultimate guide to why you need them (gretchenspianos.wordpress.com)

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New review of “Goal-oriented Practice”

25 Friday Mar 2011

Posted by GretchensPianos in directed practice, performing, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

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book review

With many thanks to pianist and conductor
Andrei Strizek!

Review

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Update: James Levine adjusts schedule

23 Wednesday Mar 2011

Posted by GretchensPianos in article, career, ethics, health, music

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Boston Globe, BSO, James Levine, New York Times, Tanglewood, Thet Met

Metropolitan Opera

Image via Wikipedia

In looking at his extremely busy conducting schedule vis-a-vis his health, James Levine has made several changes in his schedule.

Articles have appeared in The New York Times and the Boston Globe, providing detailed information about the most recent changes:

You: Levine Cuts Back on Work for the Met (nytimes.com)

James Levine withdraws from remainder of BSO season (boston.com)

Letter: Missing James Levine (nytimes.com)

Previous articles on this blog:

Update: James Levine
14 November 2010
Boston and James Levine
5 October 2010
James Levine, cont. Someone finally said it!
4 August 2010
What’s YOUR story?
12 June 2010
Tanglewood Review: the James Levine Saga, Cont.
13 July 2010

“James Levine Withdraws from Tanglewood”
18 June 2010

More articles of interest:

Classical music news: Does the case of James Levine show that maestros, money and media are too tilted toward celebrity?(welltempered.wordpress.com)

James Levine Cancels Another Performance
(artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com)

Mr. Levine has cancelled more and more frequently over a period of ten years.  With that in mind, I find his recent decision to be a positive for all concerned. Both the Met and the BSO recently made plans for conductors to be available in case of cancellation.

What do you think?  Has this gone on too long?  Or should major institutions be expected to continue to be accommodating at all cost?

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below!

Back to top

E-books ~ take a look!

Goal-oriented Practice 

New review by pianist and conductor Andrei Strizek

When You Buy a Piano

How to Maintain Your Piano

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Learn music like a crossword!

20 Sunday Mar 2011

Posted by GretchensPianos in constructing a piece, crossword, directed practice, fun!, learning, music, new approach, outside the box, practice, process, teaching, tools, variety

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

crossword, flexibility, learning, practice

The first crossword puzzle, created by Arthur ...

Image via Wikipedia

The first crossword puzzle, created by Arthur Wynne,
published in the New York World on December 21, 1913.

While solving today’s New York Times crossword, the various methods people use inspired me to write this post.

Do you do puzzles?  How do you go about it?

Some people:

go across first, then down, always in order

do the reverse

skip all over the puzzle

do the long clues first

do all the short words first

Sometimes I like to solve one word across, then down, alternating until I get to the bottom of the puzzle grid.

Do you have a consistent approach?  Or do you mix it up?

Not every puzzle works the same way.

Flexibility rocks!

All of the above can be applied to practicing.

If every piece is approached the same way, practicing is boring.

A Saturday morning student brought a book of Irish tunes for flute with piano accompaniment this week, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.  We had a great time doing something different!

She showed me how she had practiced the tune (flute part) with the right hand of the piano part.  I thought that was an interesting choice ~ not what I would have chosen, but who says you can’t do it that way?

After she played her version, I wanted to see what happened if she switched around.  So she played the tune and the left hand, then both hands of the piano part.

Then I asked her to play the piano part while I played the tune.

When we switched to a different piece, our final version for the day was with her playing the tune and the left hand while I played the right hand part above the tune.

My student found that she could be more flexible than she ever thought possible.  I think that came from doing something different in the first place ~ she had to let go.

So learn music like a crossword!

Skip around.  Don’t do the same thing the same way every single day.

Sometimes:

Practice hands alone

Start with the development section

Nail the key changes by starting before and continuing past a key change for a couple of bars

Nail the meter changes in the same way

Tempo changes too

Dynamic changes

Practice the end first

Work on the most difficult sections, then switch to another piece

Look at the music away from the instrument.  Sing it in your head.

Conduct

Dance around the room while you sing out loud

Teach it to someone else

Play sequences/repetitions out of order, last section first

And then play it like you are performing it!

Did you solve the whole puzzle?

Any questions? 😉

What do you think?  Can crosswords and music share space in the puzzle realm?

Do you skip around when you practice?  What about solving puzzles?

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Back to top

E-books ~ take a look!

Goal-oriented Practice

When You Buy a Piano

How to Maintain Your Piano

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Basic piano skills: the ultimate guide to why you need them

18 Friday Mar 2011

Posted by GretchensPianos in career, chorus, fun!, goals, learning, music, musical theater, piano, singing, teaching, tools

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

later benefits, Music, piano, skills

Schnotala-chorus-acc

Wyoming Park Theater Company’s “A Christmas Carol” ~ Image via Wikipedia

When someone asks “What instrument should I play?” I usually recommend that they take piano lessons either first or concurrently with another instrument or voice lessons.

A piano student may or may not decide to continue with the piano.  In fact, most students will develop other interests after awhile.

Why is piano study important if it doesn’t lead to having a career as a pianist?

In the future, a piano student may decide to:

  • play a different instrument
  • join a chorus
  • be in a musical
  • play for fun

And even if none of the above happens, someone who is educated about music will be an informed audience member, better able to enjoy the music.  Creating audience members of the future is one of my goals in teaching.

Virtuosity is not necessary

It is entirely within reach for someone to benefit from having the piano available as a tool.

The keyboard provides visual relationships.

  • Intervals on the keyboard relate to intervals on the page
  • The keyboard’s keys are always in the same place, unlike interval relationships on a stringed instrument
  • Intervals can be felt in the hands, unlike in singing (if you feel what you’re doing in your throat, you’re not singing correctly)
  • The concept of range is easier to grasp due to being able to see the keyboard
  • Hearing the entire piece, not just one line, is immediately possible

One of my students is a terrific self-taught guitar player.  His more recent piano study has clarified many things for him, especially concerning range.

Relative ease in learning to play piano

  • You can see what you’re doing
  • The piano keys are always in the same places, which makes playing correct pitches easier
  • Memorization is easier because the visual track (seeing the keys in addition to remembering the printed page) reinforces sound and feeling in the hands

More difficult aspects

  • Playing with both hands
  • Playing independent lines

Even elementary piano skills allow musicians to learn music faster

  • By finding pitches
  • By playing one line at a time

Both of these are helpful to singers and conductors, especially.

Do you have basic piano skills?  I recommend acquiring them!

What do you think?  Do you agree?  If you disagree, I’d love to hear your reasons!  Please share your ideas in the comment section below.

E-book ~ take a look!

Goal-oriented Practice

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How to learn piano and organ fugues

16 Wednesday Mar 2011

Posted by GretchensPianos in assembly, constructing a piece, directed practice, fingering, listening, music, organ, pedal, piano, practice, preparation, process, video

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

fugue, Music, organ, piano, practice


Please turn up the volume on your computer.

A friend suggested this topic.  He wonders how in the world keyboard players get their left hand to do anything.  And then there are the organ pedals.  All that independence!  Mind-boggling!

I agree.  Don’t you wish you were an octopus?  I do sometimes.

Learning a fugue takes patience!  Each voice must be learned separately before we can perform them together with confidence and clarity.

As I do not play the harpsichord, I am not able to offer suggestions.  Portions of this post may, however, be relevant…

A few suggestions

Finding good fingerings is the single most helpful thing we can do.  Start with the subject, then the second entrance, etc.  Adding middle voices is easier when there is a theme to work with.

Practice each voice with the fingering likely to be used later.  If we avoid this, then we’re setting up something that won’t work.  The fingering we need is the one that works while playing other voices.  Yes, that raises the level of difficulty, but the resulting sound will be more cohesive.

While practicing the separate voices, concentrate on exaggerating the finger articulation.  Having the ability to feel intervals in our hands is a learning track that helps a great deal later.

After every voice is comfortable with good fingering, we can begin putting the fugue together two voices at a time.  This needs to be done in every possible combination in order to hear the way the voices relate to one another.

When playing two voices together is comfortable with the correct fingering, then play the lower voices together.  Omitting the top voice allows us to hear the remaining lines clearly.  Most of us remember the top line more easily, but in a fugue all voices are accorded “equal time.”  There is no part that is always in the background.

And now… drum roll!… put everything together!  You will want to use a slightly slower tempo at first.  Playing at performance tempo immediately makes it too easy to revert to bad fingering.  We all sound better when legato lines stay that way.  Fingering is crucial!  Slowing down a little enhances a positive outcome.  Playing too fast right away results in our having to undo things later.

The organ pedal part

If you play organ, you’ve just added a voice.  Your feet will be playing an entire fugue line, including subject, countersubject, sequences, etc.  But don’t panic… it’s fun!

You’ll need to practice the pedal part a lot.  It has to become so familiar that it’s completely independent of the manuals.

Practicing every keyboard part by itself in combination with the pedals will be very helpful.  You’ll get more pedal time in, also hearing  the pedal part with each manual voice as well as against it.

Good luck!  🙂

Many thanks to C.I. for the blog idea!

How do you learn fugues?  Any additional ideas?  Please add your thoughts to the comment section below!

If you are a harpsichordist, do you do anything differently?

Related articles

  • Q&A: Playing organ pedals in stocking feet (gretchenspianos.wordpress.com)

E-books

Goal-oriented Practice

When You Buy a Piano

How to Maintain Your Piano

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