Leah

Youtube Playlist

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxU_OGndc5q_v2HAqWBqgrCFbb_eLMZPr

Google Drive

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18raFKn41_mOfbG9DNRRFGrSOeA16p3A6?usp=sharing

Long Term Goal

  • Grade 8

22 Jan

List B

  • speed matching
    • always keep track of crotchet beat
    • are all similar notes
  • watch fingering in parts with scales
  • p dolce
    • RH smooth and slightly louder than LH
    • LH very soft and smooth
  • 43, large contrast in moods

8 Jan

List A

  • keep RH legato with correct fingering
  • linear phrasing, phrasing in a line

List B

  • watch out for key signature in general (no F#, only Bb and Eb)
  • expression can include phrasing
  • make sure articulation is correct
  • balance, LH soft

11 Dec

List A

  • dolcissimo
    • very sweet
    • everything soft except melody
  • more brave with phrasing
  • when RH has more than one note, voice top night
  • don’t get LH too involved in phrasing

List B

  • follow dynamics and sudden changes
  • check coordination in 41
  • watch for key signature generally

4 Dec

Exercises

  • 8A
    • pleasant balance
      • good amount of bass and RH
      • not too little middle bits
  • don’t stop between bars
  • 8B
    • don’t flip fingers
    • use pedal
  • 8C
    • follow phrasing

List A

  • generally, keep LH softer
    • RH slightly louder
  • watch for repeated sharps in the second page
  • diminshed chord in bar 29

List B

  • watch coordination in bar 2
  • watch beat in 4

27 Nov

Andante

  • focus on texture
    • LH note is a melody note as well at the top
    • texture in LH needs to be soft
    • but overall texture doesn’t need to be thin all the time. can be overexaggerated due to romantic playing
    • bar 7 can be strong

List B

  • slurs can have different lengths depending mood
  • slurs need to have soft endings

Scales

  • focus on all types of scales E major

13 Nov

List C

  • always keep even and spaced mentally for tempo and control
  • slow practice for coordination optional

List A

  • slow, relaxed practice for greater accuracy

List E

  • greater split between bottom and top right hand
  • bar 32, you can phrase here

6 Nov

Consistency practice

  • LH separate practice for memory
  • slow practice
  • start from any bar

List A

  • metronome 125
  • check appropriate dynamics
  • leggiero – lightly
  • bonus would be good staccato
    • aim for bottom of keys

List B

  • metronome practice at 84
  • some articulation may need work, but doesn’t matter too much at this stage

List C

  • catch bottom note with pedal
  • mechanical tempo, a bit rushed
    • make sure you can count in 3s

List D

  • bar 8 hold rest at the end
  • watch soft sections
  • consistency

List E

  • don’t have connection between speed and intensity
  • 2nd page generally go a bit softer
    • don’t miss decrescendo in bar 27

30 Oct

List A

  • stabilisation
    • choose a stable flowing speed
    • phrasing
    • RH always staccato

List B

  • stable speed a priority
  • expression is good, but we can hear it clearly if slower and stable

List C

  • keep a stable speed

List D

  • soft and secure staccatos, don’t lift off fingers high
  • end of bar 13, soft

List E

  • see wrong notes as written
  • bar 28 don’t go faster, don’t voice notes too much
  • watch rhythm in 62, don’t rush

23 Oct

List A

  • key areas to work on
    • 65 onwards
    • 53 onwards
  • expression will be addressed after that point

List B

  • LH sound can often be more subtle
  • accentuation can be more subtle
  • have a focus on clear notes
    • do all notes come out?
    • slower tempo may help
      • slower tempo for practice or even performance
  • tenuto accent bar 5 is long

List C

  • watch out for coordination
  • balance generally pleasant

List D

  • when getting louder, don’t have longer staccato
  • softs generally need to be softer
    • bar 1
  • mp speaking volume
  • focus on softer dynamics instead of louder ones
  • bar 39 dying away, RH mf expressivo
    • pause at the end of the page can be longer
  • chromaticism
    • accent to sound ‘silly’

List E

  • try to keep inner RH always softer
    • try to keep this always soft
  • LH never too ‘impactful’
  • have an exact speed to go through

16 Oct

List A

  • connection process between slow and fast practice missing
    • try ‘as fast as possible without mistakes practice’
    • final goal, full speed without mistakes

List B

  • semiquavers tend to be rushed
    • this causes mistakes
    • unchecked mistakes turn into errors

List C

  • quavers tend to be rushed
    • can i hear melody
    • can i hear the gaps between quavers
  • metro 108

List D

  • choose a slower a tempo
  • softs should be more acknowledged

List E

  • metronome 55 recommended
  • bar 32, group into 3s

9 Oct

Etude

  • keep a stable speed for practice and performance

Moonlight

  • keep a stable speed, think of dripping drops
  • pp triplet always soft
  • phrase top line slightly
  • bar 17, check notes
  • bar 19, check notes
  • bar 16-17, don’t speed up, but can do rubato
  • listen widely to different good recordings

Merry Andrew

  • benchmark speed bar 6
  • all p can be softer
  • watch all articulation

List C

  • louds a bit too loud
    • try to get ‘perfect balance’, not too much not too little
  • keep LH thumb softer, don’t have accent
    • keep your left hand loose
  • keep speed stable
    • 5% below comfortable stable speed may

2 Oct

List B

  • all quavers non-legato, unless slurred
  • slurs must be legato, with non legato last note
  • don’t speed up throughout performance. This is a priority
  • when there’s a rest in LH, don’t hold over rests
  • eye for detail is most important thing to develop, issues to be fixed all over piece
  • after detail is fixed, historically appropriate dynamics and slight increase of speed needed but will be discussed next lesson

Merry Andrew

  • choose a stable speed from the start
  • bar 8 rest
  • bar 17-18, rest, also, don’t speed up
  • bar 37-39, rest
  • molto piu lento a lot slower. Keep LH legato if possible

List C recording review

  • balance can be adjusted towards RH
  • keep a stable speed, don;t speed up
  • morendo at the end could slow down more

25 Sep

List A

  • phrase throughout
  • keep light texture
  • bar 17, watch notes carefully
  • bar 29
    • phrase using pedal
    • hold tenuto note down long bar 32
  • bar 45 pp
    • less phrasing
    • soft pedal

List E

  • watch notes bar 8
  • watch pedalling
  • watch for opportunities to phrase
  • check notes bar RH 17
  • keep middle as soft as possible
  • rubato, can be done before beat 1
  • bar 32, less phrasing
  • bar 36, check for sharps

List B

  • metronome 84
  • LH rest bar 19

11 Sep

List C

  • bar 3 and 11, voice inner melody by rotating wrist
  • bar 11, don’t rush
  • bar 21, don’t rush
  • check coordination bar 25
  • ppp, no phrasing from 27
  • maybe not too slow ending

List A

  • priority on fixing notes
    • slow practice good, but ‘bridge’ tempo needed as well
    • fastest tempo that can be correct

List D

  • don’t speed up bar 11
  • watch bar 13
    • rest bar 18 LH
    • articulation RH
    • haripins and articulation
    • think about the volume of each note
  • check 19 notes
  • bar 35, check timing. riten in bar 37, notes not too loud
  • sub. p – suddenly soft
  • check notes 40 LH
  • bar 65 more accel

4 Sep

List C

  • metronome bar 85
  • nuance
    • the ‘perfect’ balance is somewhere in between
  • be careful not to over balance towards the top
  • bar 11, minor, can use dark balance
  • bar 13,
  • bar 15, these notes are soft
  • bar 20, bottom notes soft. bar 21 no
  • in general, watch out for pedalling

Moonlight Sonata

  • pedalling
    • pedal when chord changes
    • adjust for texture
  • watch that there aren’t sudden loud notes in RH, especially thumb
  • you can do a difference between major and minor
  • bar 11 D in LH
  • bar 16, only LH gets louder if possible. can hold pedal for longer
  • see the gap between LH and RH bar 20, can do softer

Merry Andrew

  • watch pedalling in general

28 Aug

List C

  • morendo
    • fast when you’re there, but then slowing down
    • last 3 notes, keep counting in 6
  • tinkle top notes
    • should always be able to hear the top right hand notes first
  • bar 11 RH
  • bar 16, where is the melody?
  • to get echo, previous bar needs to be louder

List B

  • check notes in these places
  • check fingering bar 19 RH
  • watch for evenness in semiquavers
  • watch for slurs bar 28
  • check length of rest 43
  • bar 47, check notes

Beethoven

  • interpretation elements to think of
    • phrasing
      • as we get bigger, get slightly louder
  • as we get

21 Aug

Musical box

  • sourdine: soft pedal, sans, without
  • pp to ppp, do you need to change? depends on which section
  • LH balance, check fingering, don’t rush, don’t lift
  • RH balance, thumbs soft, other four fingers do melody
    • wrist rotation towards top note helps
    • when phrasing, only phrase top notes, thumb note soft
  • when practicing prioritise thinking about balance all the time
  • make sure pedal is correct (lift every bar)

Etude

  • expression is good
  • for memory, correct notes, coordination: slow practice

Allegro

  • All quavers not attached, be careful across the piece (unless slurred)
    • quavers not staccato however, just non legato (unless staccato)

14 Aug

Etude

  • focus on p texture, most important
    • mezzo staccato RH
    • pedal longer
    • LH as soft as possible
  • leggiero – light
  • maximise dynamics
  • be careful of notes from 20-23
  • 24, loud
  • 25-28, observe markings on page
  • 29 onwards, be careful of hairpins
    • also be careful of notes here!

List C

  • good expression!
  • but needs careful notes work
    • play hands sep slower
    • play with careful notes
    • play without pedal

List B

  • slow practice for
    • expression
    • memory
    • find wrong notes
    • cleanness