| Student |
Piece
|
Critique
|
Piano Student
(8 years old) |
Chopin |
Great work on this piece. You play with a beautiful melodic line. Be careful in the middle section at 2:20 that the LH does not overpower the melody as you crescendo. You have good facility in your quick runs. Be sure to bring out each note clearly especially around the 2:52 mark. Experiment with a little bit more use of rubato throughout this Romantic-era piece. |
Piano Student
(13 years old) |
Scherzo in C# Minor by Frederick Chopin |
This was well-conceived and performed both technically and musically. The following comments are suggestions that may help to create an even more exciting performance. The introduction was very effective in preparing for the risoluto in measure 25. The pulse in the ensuing measures needs to be steadier with more attention given to the direction of the musical line. I am not sure that I agree with the change of tempo in measure 57. The faster tempo tends to distract from the general direction of this section which should lead to a bigger climax at measure 99. Additional attention to dynamic contrast will help create more excitement in this section. The transition into the meno mosso (measure 155) was very well done and help set up the beautiful chorale for this section. Care needs to be taken with voicing the chords so we hear the melodic line. Much softer on the broken chords at measure 159 so that the F carries through the cascading passages. Try to think more of the chorale has a whole and practice it without the cascading broken chords connecting the melodic line, then play as written. Conceptually, this may help to keep the section from sounding so fragmented. In a more general sense, listen for a more musical line and create a wider palette of color for your sound. The piu lento at measure 494 is a very special moment and needs a change of color, as well as more time for the listener to savor its beauty. Consider slowing down even more and listen to the voicing much more carefully. You are setting up a 26 measure crescendo that starts at measure 542—begin softer and build much more gradually so that your return at measure 567 is more heroic. At measure 598, try to keep the pulse steadier as you drive to the end of the piece. The final stretto at 637 began quite well, but you may want to consider following through to the very end of the piece without a ritardando. I think it gives the piece a more bravura ending. An excellent performance overall that mostly needs more direction and a wider palette of color. |
Piano Student
(15 years old) |
"Snowdrop" by Tchaikovsky |
What a charming performance in so many ways! You chose a very graceful tempo and kept it steady without rushing, which is good! You also perform with great accuracy. Congratulations on making such a good recording—not easy to do! Now to make it even better—look at the first eight measures as a whole phrase. There are three repetitions of the same rhythmic pattern, each two measures long, and each one reaches a new high note—D, then F, then B-flat (notice that these notes spell a tonic triad for the key of B-flat with the B-flat as the highest). Make each repetition a bit louder as you reach for that high note, then as the B-flat repeats, make each one less for a nice ending. This is called shaping the phrase, and you can do this in each eight measure phrase of the outer sections of the piece. Next, when the melody in in the middle voice occurs (measures 9–16) really listen to the balance. Those upper eighths are really covering your melody. Also listen that the tone matches from one note to the next of the melody itself, as if one hand is playing the whole thing. Try playing it by itself so you can match the sound of one hand to the other. In the B section at measure 25, notice that the ending notes change. Crescendo more in measure 28 since that goes to a higher note, then less again in measure 30, then most in measure 32 since it leads to the high D, then less on the B-flat in measure 35, and less yet in measure 37. Adding this variety in intensity will add lots of color to your performance. Be sure to read the poem at the beginning about the little delicate flower—try playing without pedal! The accompanying eighths can then be so light and soft. Tchaikovsky didn't actually put pedal markings in his original, but they were added in the Alfred edition, which may be what you are playing from. Just a word about the accents in the score: look carefully at them and use them as little stresses that then resolve to quieter notes after. I think he has been quite specific about where he puts them, just lean on them a little. Finally, the word rubato appears in the marking at the beginning. You can be freer with the tempo—let the upward moving lines move ahead a bit tempo-wise and then take the time back when the phrase resolves. You can also bend the LH notes in measure 24 to connect into measure 25, rather than a break with a new beginning and same thing in measure 58 into measure 59. This rubato is a little tricky to put into words, but your teacher will help you with it! |
Piano Teacher
(29 years old) |
Bach Fugue No. 21 |
Make sure you either balance or voice the voices so the important voice with the theme stands out. Work out dynamics in whatever way pleases you, but do use some. You have great rhythm and articulation, so make it more expressive. Touches of pedal to facilitate the line is just fine. |
Piano Teacher
(29 years old) |
Beethoven Sonata Op. 2, No.1, First Movement |
Quick notes are well done, as are the ornaments. You have good tempo and rhythm. This might be a Classical period piece, but you can still use pedal—it doesn't have to be so dry. You have great exchange of voices in development and excellent use of accents. It's okay to use some rubato here. Slowing down at the end of the exposition would sound more musical. Be careful around measures 85 to 90—the left-hand harmony changes at the wrong time. Look for the phrases. Where do they start, go and end? What are they saying? This will help make the movement more expressive. |
Piano Student
(42 years old) |
Minuet in G Major, from J. S. Bach’s Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach (Anonymous) |
I love this piece! You may consider taking it a bit faster to really capture the lighthearted and lively mood. At the transition between sections (1:10 in the video) take your time and add a bit of a ritardando before you start the minor section. I like your change of dynamics there, but feel free to “ham it up” even more and really make a drastic dynamic change to shift the mood. You did a GREAT job of this at 1:26. Make sure all your LH notes come out smooth and even in volume at 1:35 (a few of them got lost in the background). Your rhythmic accuracy was great and, just like the other Bach, you played with precision and excellent voicing between your hands! |