How 2 high school seniors mastered Bach style in just 2 rehearsals

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baroque music, baroque period, collaborative piano, flute, high school, interpretation, J.S. Bach, Johann Sebastian Bach, music education, phrasing, style, trio sonata, violin

Have you worked from scores containing editors’ markings that could be interpreted as being misleading? How did you proceed?

Last week I had the privilege of collaborating with a talented violinist, a high school senior.  One piece on her recital program was the Trio Sonata for Flute, Violin and Continuo in G Major, BWV 1038, by J.S. Bach.  The flutist was also a high school senior.

Both played very well.  Baroque style, however, seemed to be unfamiliar to them. So they relied on the score much more than on listening to each others’ phrasing.

The edition we were using contained editors’ markings which were misleading if taken literally.

First rehearsal

This was to be our only rehearsal together, with the exception of a short time in the hall prior to the performance.

I liked many aspects of what I heard:

• In-tune playing.
• Good balance of sound (one player not louder or softer than the other).
• Legato playing, appropriate for this largo movement.
• Nice tempo.

In the “needs work” department:

•  Give and take so the moving part could carry the music.

Each player needed to diminuendo on the long notes, as they had alternating parts. Both players were more familiar with other musical styles, where a crescendo would be called for instead.

Notice in this clip that the top part (flute) plays tied notes while the 2nd part (violin) has more melodic and rhythmic interest.  The give and take in the sound when the players honor that approach changes the sound completely. Now it sounds baroque rather than romantic.

•  The music needed forward motion.

This could be heard primarily in the flute part.  The flutist, looking at the editor’s markings, playing the slurs as indicated.  In addition, because she needed to breathe, she would breathe after a short note.  That took just enough extra time to interrupt the flow of the music, whereas taking time away from a long note in order to breathe would not have had the same effect.

 

 

Take a look at the top two parts (flute and violin, respectively).  Notice how the markings seem to ask for the longer note to be slurred to the shorter one?

The music flows when exactly the opposite phrasing is used, as in the notation at the right of this example:

So we changed it!  The sound improved immediately.

Second rehearsal 

This rehearsal was with violin and piano only.  However, we had an opportunity to discuss the Bach.

At the end of the first rehearsal, my impression was that the violinist understood the changes we had made.  The flutist had improved, but was still relying on the printed score more than listening to the flow of the music.

My suggestion was for the violinist and the flutist to get together by themselves.  They attend the same school and have free time, so this was not a problem.  I asked the violinist to coach the rehearsal, finding musical lines they could play together, such as this one:

My goal was to make any differences in phrasing between the two players as clear as possible. Rehearsing alternating lines might not have had the same effect.

Pre-recital and performance

I am delighted to say that the sound was transformed!  During our brief time in the recital hall prior to the performance, we had just a few minutes to rehearse this piece. After marking in accidentals that crept up on both players, likely because of nerves, I felt encouraged.  If everyone could remain calm, count, listen, and enjoy it, we had an excellent chance of performing well.

And… it happened!  The audience loved what they heard, and I felt gratified.

Here are two YouTube videos of this beautiful piece.  Enjoy!

One version, performed with piano:

And another version, this time with harpsichord:

Have you worked from scores containing editors’ markings that could be interpreted as being misleading?  How did you proceed?

 

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Extreme patience pays!

Tags

Chord (music), flute, piano, student

Patience (George Michael album) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One of my adult students broke so many long-term barriers last weekend!  This is the first time she has achieved consistency and sustained concentration.  What a lesson!

She started playing flute as an adult beginner, then added piano class about 2  years later.  When my piano class was discontinued, she tried progressing on her own at first, then started private lessons 6 months later.

So she has been plugging away for about 12 years now.  That is a huge commitment on her part.

Breakthrough #1

2 triads were marked to be played legato, but the top note of each was to be played with the thumb.  Instinct took over at last, and my student played the lowest 2 notes of each chord legato.  Definitely a first!

#2

Several right-hand notes happened to be below the staff.  My student, having started out playing flute, was not required to read below the staff for at least 2 years.  (The lowest note on the flute is middle C.)

Her usual way of finding notes below the staff is to say “one below C,” “two below C,” etc.  That works, but that was the only method available to her.

On Saturday, something wonderful happened.  She played an A below the staff right away, no calculation necessary.  Then, on the next system and 1/2 a page to the right, she played a G!  I was flabbergasted!  She just did it!

After she had finished playing the piece, I mentioned the feat she had just accomplished.  She shrugged it off because G is next to A.  I certainly didn’t expect that.  She has never thought notes below the staff could be easy.

#3

We were checking out the theme to Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony.  This was completely new to her.  She will be learning the Bastien arrangement over the next 2 weeks.

First, we looked at the triplets.  My goal was to remove the need to look closely at every note, since each triplet is part of a scale.

My student played each triplet, no problem.

Next, I asked her to add the next note (a quarter note) in order to eliminate a possible glitch in the flow of the music.  She did it!  She was able to look at the 1st note of each triplet, then move her eyes over to the quarter note.  She played each of the snippets perfectly the 1st time!  There was never a triplet, pause on the 3rd note, stop to figure out where the quarter note was, then play the quarter note.  (When a passage is learned that way, it is very hard to remove the glitch and find the line.)

After that, she played the entire melody.  I was so happy that no past fears crept in.

#4

In the theme from Sheherazade, the accompaniment in the left hand includes something that has been a problem in past lessons.  Two quarters in the top part descend to a half note, while the lower part has two half notes.  Everything is marked legato.  Holding a key down with part of the hand while changing pitches with another part of the same hand is not easy!  Again, she just did it.

And finally, a potential problem, nipped in the bud  🙂

When we looked at the left hand accompaniment in the Tchaikovsky, my student announced, “I’m not going to count the rests.”  So she “tried out” the left hand in that manner.

While she was playing, I thought about her comment.

“Trying it out” is a habit of hers that is hard to overcome.  It must feel safer to play so no one can really hear you.  It occurred to me that random chords allowed for random glitches, too.

After the 1st time through the chords, we talked about this.  When I suggested that counting could save later rhythmic problems, I demonstrated by playing 2 adjacent chords; randomly the 1st time, then rhythmically.

I think she bought it… we’ll see in 2 weeks.

And the credit goes to…

My wonderful, extremely patient, persevering student!  Congratulations!!!

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

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Student makes a breakthrough!

Tags

arts, flute, music education, piano lesson, student

Henri Matisse (1869 - 1954) ~ "The Piano Lesson" ~ Image by wallyg via Flickr

Fingering matters!

The 2 most recent lessons my adult student experienced overwhelmingly prove the point.

Relevant history

My student has played flute for several years, taking up piano more recently.

Flute vs. piano fingering

Playing the flute involves one position for the hands most of the time.

Flute fingering is notated with T(thumb) 1 2 3 4.
Piano fingering is different: 1(thumb) 2 3 4 5.

Printed music

Since the lowest note on the flute is Middle C, flute music is notated in the treble clef, on one staff.

Piano music is usually notated on 2 staves, with treble clef for the right hand and bass clef for the left. So it looks more complicated right away.

Lesson

We are working on a Mozart Minuet and Trio.

My student’s approach is to use just about any available finger at random.

One left hand passage, C G rest C D, is fingered 5 2 rest 2 1.

We discussed how using the correct fingering would make this passage easier to play… reliable, no hesitation between notes.

My student tried the fingering as written.  The outcome was C G, what’s next?  C D.  Whew.

I showed her how she could play 5 2, then keep move her hand to the next spot on the keyboard keeping the 2^nd finger ready to play immediately.

She tried that. When she reached the G with her 2^nd finger (so far, so good!), she switched to her 3^rd finger while still playing G. (That happens a lot.)

We talked about that, and she tried it again.

The same thing happened. I made an involuntary sound in my throat, and she picked up on it.  When we talked about that, I said, “I know you can do it!  Try it again!”  She was almost there.  I wasn’t ready to give up.

So she tried a 3^rd time, and voilà!  She played the passage perfectly!

Next step

We discussed how that sounded, and decided it had musical flow!

We talked about how it felt to be able to do that, and my student was very happy!

I gave her an assignment, asking her to focus only on the fingering in this one piece for next time.

She mentioned having to look at the notes, too.

I encouraged her to look at the notes and the fingerings together.  She tried it, and played the passage flawlessly!

My misgivings

After my student left her lesson, I began feeling that perhaps I had pushed her too hard.

Next lesson

Two weeks later, my student played the entire Minuet with perfect notes and perfect fingering!  This is a first!!!

Since the fingering was perfect in more than one lesson, there’s a good chance that the new approach will stick.

The piece is under tempo, but that isn’t what we’re working on right now. She didn’t backtrack and she didn’t give up.

That’s progress!!!  ♥ ♥ ♥

How do approach fingering with your adult students? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Related article

• Student clears a hurdle! (gretchenspianos.wordpress.com)

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