Chopin's Grand Valse Brillante (opus 18) Tutorials

Chopin's Grand Valse Brillante in Eb major, opus 18 - a great concert showstopper and encore! It was composed in 1833 and then  published in 1834. There are also Waltzes by the same name under Opus 34 if you want to explore more of these concert waltzes.

By far the most authoritative tutorial is in French - by Pianiste Magazine on Youtube. By authoritative, I mean that the instructor is a professional pianist at a high standard (concert pianist or even a professor at a music conservatoire). Now fear not that it is in French - if you can't understand, you can click the settings and turn the captions on and get it to translate into English.
This particular tutorial is run by Jean-Marc Luisada


Luisada describes the waltz as an encore piece that's an audience pleaser especially after a serious concert. And that's because it's delightful, energetic and beautiful. Luisada says it accompanied a Charlie Chaplin film at a fast tempo. Luisada also adds that this waltz wasn't designed to be danced at all. There are some useful technical tips in the video as well. Well worth checking out!


Other - tutorials on the Vales:
 Piano Secrets Youtuber has a tutorial - it's mainly on getting the best fingering, analysing what the harmonies (chords) are and the variations in the themes.

Chopin. Etude Op.25 No.1 'Aeolian Harp' - tutorials masterclasses (LTCL/LRSM)

This blog post will collate all the Chopin. Etude Op.25 No.1 'Aeolian Harp' - tutorials and masterclasses to aid your self study. An Aeolian Harp - is a musical instrument played by the wind - so imagine the evocative sound of air breathe to make a musical cascade of melodies.

Aeolian Harp - played by the wind.

The Art of Piano Technique has a 30 minute masterclass to get you started.

• Match the wrist movement to the known direction of the music (basically when the direction of the music moves to the right of the keyboard, the wrist moves in that direction and vice versa)

Josh Wright's tips:

• Finger staccato, then accent the top, with circular motion of the wrist/hand.
• Down into the melodic line but bouncing or hopping in a staccatto fashion.
• Dotted and different types of rhythms in groups of 3s (1-2-3) and 6s.

Elsa Puppulo in Spanish (but subtitled in English)
Elsa's tips are:

• Remember that these are studies designed to improve technique. So Elsa first describes the technical challenges, arpeggios in both hands simultaneously whilst maintaining a melodic legato melody. 

Liszt - Sospiro - S.144 Concert Etude Masterclasses Tutorials - (LTCL/LRSM)

Nicknamed Un Sospiro - or 'sigh' is Liszt's  - S.144 Concert Etude in D flat major. I've compiled a selection of masterclasses and tutorials from Youtube.

To get started Josh Wright shows you some hand crossings, fingerings and pedalling.

Josh's key points are:

• Complete control over the hands to get an atmospheric sound of background water. Josh suggest flatter fingers and pulling back of the fingers to get a softer sound. Finger staccatto, fingertips to help releasing cleanly and having a solid touch within a soft dynamic. 
• The first part should not be stormy (or too tumultuous), rather more very soft - and evocative of a 'sigh'. 
• In the score note that m.s. (left hand) and m.d. (right hand)

As ever, Josh Wright has a Q&A tips and strategy sessions here for more technical aspects:



Here's a tutorial (below) from the French Pianiste - youtube site. You can get this translated into english in Youtube first by turning on the closed captions, then selecting in the settings menu - auto generate (translate) and select English. Here are some of the key ideas, it's mainly for advanced pianists who have grasped the notes and   the more technical basics and want to improve on the expression and interpretation.
     

• The rapid accompaniment in the left hand is like the the human breathe, with a 'aerial' melody in the right hand.
• Be careful not to make  abrupt movements that disturb the flow of the melody.
• Bar 9, the bass changes and so the harmony and more expression
• With the octave broken melody - try not to rush these and have a direction with the melody.
• Bar 18-19 masssive 

Edna Golandsky Masterclass in New York City Yamaha, 2018.

Alan Frazer masterclass in 2008 in Austria.

Rachmaninoff Prelude op.23 no.5 in g minor - masterclasses and tutorials (LTCL/LRSM)

Rachmaninoff's Prelude op.23 no.5 in g minor, premiered in 1903 in Moscow. It's in the alla marcia or March style. It has a military feel and style to it. Pianist Emil Gilel's performed it at the war front in support of the Soviet Army in World War II.

Here are some masterclasses. The first one is by Lang Lang, the introduction is in Spanish, but later
Lang Lang runs the class entirely in English. Rachmaninoff's G minor prelude is featured 14 minutes into the video. After the performance, Lang Lang comes in at 18 minutes in.



Lang Lang's ideas

• The beginning as a soft march,  with the dramatic melody entering later.
• Imagine different instruments - trumpets, strings, and percussion (so think orchestrally)
• Two different sounds - the octaves vs. the repeated chords.
• Bring out the passionate motifs (bar 17)
• Middle section (pp part) - like a beautiful girl arriving, bring your heart out. Watch out for the  two voices (countermelody)

Josh wright has tips also recorded in 2014.
 

Josh Wright's ideas:

• When to pedal on and off in the beginning (a pedal  for each bass octave in the beginning)
• Stroking out with the elbows, down and off  for the repeated  percussive parts 
• Sweeping motions to move  up and down the keyboard and release tension.

Alan Weiss masterclass below recorded in Barcelona 2006- duration 33 minutes.

Boris Johnson Piano Memes - Secret Pianist, Fugue and Jazz Boris

Does British Prime Minister Boris Johnson play the piano? Not that I know of! But it doesn't make him immune from being piano memed.

At the time of writing this blog, Boris Johnson is in intensive care, in hospital due to the Coronavirus, and we wish him a speedy recovery.

Ok meme Boris Johnson as a secret pianist. When Boris  places his hands on the table, he plays Rachmaninov style thick chords!
    


No.2 Jazz Piano Boris - this one plays jazz didies on Boris Johnson's announcement that he has the Coronavirus. Again we wish him a speedy recovery and wish him well! This one is by Brittany Yanjou, a New York based Jazz pianist. And it gets quite funky towards the end I might add.

Piano Fugue - a Bach fugue with the words 'Boris Johnson is a lying shit' . I do not endorse this political view just bringing it to your attention!..

 The fugue with voices below. Truly amazing creativity! Again, I do not endorse this political view just bringing it to your attention!

Mendelssohn Rondo Capriccioso Opus 14 - Tutorials and Masterclasses (LTCL/LRSM)

Felix Mendelssohn (source: wikipedia)

As part of BBC Radio 3's Piano Masterclass,  recorded in 2012, 0:53 seconds in - Mendelssohn's Rondo Capriccioso. David Owen Norris heads the masterclass. In this themed masterclass, Norris discusses the Rondo Capriccioso from 0:53 index to 5:40.
 

David Owen Norris' tips:

• Surprise and Satisfaction in the Mendelssohn Rondo Capricioso - when a change of key occurs - to C major for instance, bring out the surprise! Lengthen the passage or notes before the surprise. I suppose in this case you can use rests or pauses for the same effect as well as sustaining the notes longer. 

The next masterclass is from the Golandsky Institute recorded in 2017. 3 minutes long, it works on technical aspects of the more virtuosic runs.

Tips include:

• feeling the pulse of long runs, opening the fingers (more space) when running down the keyboard. 

Chopin Etude in E major, Op.10 No.3 Resources Lessons Tutorials LRSM/LTCL

Chopin Etude in E major, Op.10 No.3 often known as Trieste (sadness - much like how people nickname Beethoven's sonata as moonlight) - is a famous piano piece that has featured in many films or movies.

Chopin (source: wikipedia)

Here's Josh Wright with his tips:



Josh's tips:

• Get a good cantabile or singing sound with the melody. Imagine that you're singing the melody in effect. To get a good voicing - staccatto on the bottom of the right hand while playing legato singing sound at the top. By the way this voicing approach can be also applied to the Beethoven's Pathetique sonata (2nd movement)
• Think of the long phrases, voicing the melody very well - project it, sing it, have depth, a rich soprano  like an aria, moment in time full of love, Josh adds.
• The expression marks (many crescendos and decrescendos and accents) they are more to add more colour in Chopin's manner rather than be taken literally. Interpret as the accents as taking time like rubato! Great tip Josh!

Paul Barton's tips below

Interestingly, the original manuscript is marked vivace (fairly fast) which is interesting. Certainly the section 3 is also very fast and dramatic. Paul also mentions that Chopin thought of the melody as one of one of the most beautiful and was moved to tears when playing it once due to evocative associations of emotion.

• Exercise: voicing of chords, for example C major chord or triad  - make louder bottom C, then middle E the top note G. 
• Section 3 - if you break them down into chords you'll soon see a pattern emerging! (in chords - then at half tempo then add expression)
• Section 4 augmented 4ths in contrary motion. 

Thanks  Paul!

Chopin's Revolutionary Etude Resource guide: tutorials (LRSM/LTCL standard) Opus 10 number 12

The art of piano technique has a 32 minute tutorial, mainly on how to achieve a better quality of runs in the left hand virtuosic scale paterns.

Chopin (source: wikipedia)

Have a free lesson by using the power of Youtube. Pianists have been putting their tips online of very popular piano repertoire.



Another popular Youtuber, Paul Barton describes the "Revolutionary" as one of the masterpieces of piano literature. This Etude  captures the sentiment of the Russian army capturing Chopin's homeland in Poland and concern for his father.

Barton's tips:

• The mood during performance is very important, but emotionally draining.
• Right hand, chords- play deep into the key as if you're playing through the keybed using armweight as opposed to a harsh tone from striking too high into the piano.
• Observe the pedal markings for the minim chords only (in the opening, bars 1,3,5) Try to not overpedal.
• Metronome practice - helps evenness.
• The rhythm is part of the drama (the dotted quaver to semiquaver characteristic)

 


Josh Wright pro practice tips below!


Josh Wright goes over fingering, pedaling, dynamics, voicing. So Josh starts with the opening left hand fingering (left hand). His key ideas are:

• Counting the semi quavers but being mindful of when the right hand changes within that counting. 
• Jumping chords in the right hand, Josh uses the thumb by itself (the bottom of the hand) to practice the jumps then doing the whole hand. Also use the top notes of the jumps. 
• Rhythmic practice to get the evenness of the left hand runs, dotted (long short, short long, clusters of 3 notes, 4 note rhythms, even 5 note rhythms!)