Youtube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL54AXSB4TQ
Grade: F
Specific Comments: Failed to memorize within one week due to sickness. Bow is very stiff & the Upper Half/Middle of the bow direction is ignored, partially defeating the point of the Etude. Left hand fingers still do not move as a unit.
Alright, so to start with, I got a horrible ear infection the weekend after Dotzauer #1 ... so horrible that I was often in pain, couldn't hear properly for about 2 weeks & actually went to a doctor & got antibiotics for the first time in 3 years!
Having already played this Etude, I mostly remembered the first section (of the 3 larger sections), but I still had to work it in to shape & then up to tempo. This time around, I really worked in larger sections/phrases/patterns, as opposed to so much measure by measure work (though I would sometimes go by measure or by note within the larger sections). The third section was really the only section I hadn't gone over much before, and at that point I went note by note, which I found really helpful. This has to be done while repeating the note names to oneself for full effect.
I think in general, I should have forced myself to always practice this further up the bow, and to think about the left finger groupings from very start. I found myself very able to hone in on patterns & harmonic rhythm. One thing this etude is great for is very subtle pattern variations, and those were a big challenge. I also needed to practice the tempos in between mm 144-184 more. As a final note, I really discounted the endurance factor of playing this at full speed. It's really at the edge of my technique (at 184), which means I needed to have it memorized by about the halfway point, so I could just repeat & develop the muscles for playing it straight-through. Not achieving my goal tempo is ok, because the act of preparing this has upped my general technical ability and I will be more likely to achieve those tempos in the future.
Rubric:
F - Failed to memorize notes and bowings within one week.
D - Notes and bowings are memorized, and piece is performed completely through without any stops or wrong notes (multiple attempts are acceptable).
C - Notes and bowings are memorized, and piece is performed completely through without any stops or wrong notes (multiple attempts are acceptable). Correct Bow Distribution is present.
B - Notes and bowings are memorized, and piece is performed completely through without any stops or wrong notes (multiple attempts are acceptable). Correct Bow Distribution and Articulation & Dynamics are present.
A - Notes and bowings are memorized, and piece is performed completely through without any stops or wrong notes on First Try. Correct Bow Distribution and Articulation & Dynamics are present.
3 comments:
Hi Mike, I think i'm ready for the etude 2, Finally i ended the number 1 after many weeks... But i feel content with the result. I know i can't compare with you but your video gave me a good basis of how should sound. I'm playing it now at mm132 and i think i can speed it up a bit maybe to 140.
In your Etude#2 video, i don't know if is the speed or what.. and i'm no very familiar with the terms, but it seems to me you did it more like spiccato, than staccato.. or maybe i'm just confused. But seems your bow is bouncing as in the spiccato bowing rather than short strokes as in what i know as staccato, but my teacher haven't clarify me those differences as yet. I think the dot above the note is a mark for staccato.. would you please give me a clue about how to work it better? if the dot means staccato (separating each note, i think i can work on it) but if means spiccato, then i'll need to work first on my right arm technique as i only know detache and legatto.. Best regards my friend. When you'll upload etude #6??
If you look at the comment bacarter left on my vid., he seems to be commenting on the same thing, which is that I did this off-the-string as opposed to on-the-string ...
Considering that these are meant to be beginner etudes, they are probably intended to be staccato/on-the-string. So you should probably do them as staccato.
I don't know when I'm going to do etude #6 ... I had to take a break from these for a while (because I developed tendinitis & had too much other music to work on) ... ironically, I've recently developed tendinitis again & I don't know if it's really physically safe for me to try to learn these & get them up to tempo in a limited amount of time, like I was doing ...
I'll post about it when I do put #6 up though...
Thank you Mike, I started yesterday as staccato on the string. Your video sounds so difficult to achieve in speed and technique in both hands. But with etude #1 at the end.. sounds at least a bit similar to yours. So i'm confident that when i'm done with this one, would sound recognisable at least.
Are you having therapy for your tendon? i can give you good advises about therapy at home.. But with tendoms the way to go is to have a rest for a little while, and at the same time to do physical therapy at home,as hot water exercises and the like. Best regards and thanks for your advise
Post a Comment