Varick

Student of the Week

Youtube Playlist

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxU_OGndc5q81OmJy6XSzdhZQvf5GWJ3V

Google Drive

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1qFDLezMalZhQCqfsvQ1pL19MC0GJdA-B?usp=sharing

Goal for this week

  • Sonata: reach goal
  • Nocture: get performable level

Long term goal

  • prepare for VCE

Cadences

Notes 2 June

Sonata

  • practice at a slower baseline speed to pick up mistakes
    • focus on fixing mistakes

Nocturne

  • all consistency work

Notes 26 May

Sonata

  • keep p soft
  • subtle phrasing
  • make sure you are counting
    • keep a stable speed

Nocturne

  • hands on notes today
  • don’t do full stop rubato
  • need to keep tempo up
  1. can i play without mistakes
  2. can i start anywhere
  3. can i go left hand only

Notes 19 May

Sonata

  • avoidance of mistakes critical to reach goal
  • see goal on page

Nocturne

  • recommended slower speed
    • but still keep up intensity
  • threshold for practice quality needs to be higher
    • maximum one mistake per page
  • other techniques
    • hands seperately

Notes 21 Apr

Technical

  • do C buffet
    • major
    • chromatic
    • arpeggio
    • dominant
    • diminished

Prelude

  • focus on
    • articulation and pedalling accurate
    • fix rhythmic errors
  • mf areas can be softer

Nocturne

  • LH needs to be stable and constant

Notes 24 Mar

Samba

  • all about articulation
  • finger 41 on black notes

Nocturne

  • in hard section
    • practice slow for understand
    • practice small sections for precision

Notes 17 Mar

Latin Prelude

  • start this week, up to bar 8-16

Nocturne

  • don’t lose melodic line for entire piece
  • watch tie here, a bit more dreamy here

Notes 10 Mar

Nocturne

  • short trill, doesn’t affect the rest of the rhythm
  • dolce – minimum volume need voice the note
  • should be more rubato in intense sections
  • second page top part, more dynamic planning

Notes 24 Feb

Nocturne

  • keep LH flowing, don’t stop triplets
  • start expression a bit smaller than before
  • chromatic sections, keep up the intensity
  • watch for tie here
  • B major is distant, but we get there through
  • polyrhythm can be done through approximation

Notes 17 Feb

Arpeggios

  • begin self directed arpeggio practice
  • major is 4 3, minor is 3 4

Nocturne

  • watch out for notes here
  • keep LH flowing
  • fast notes, make sure they don’t go too fast, but not affecting LH
  • phrasing must be done in the context of phrasing markings
  • riten increases intensity in transition
  • tr is just 3 notes
  • when major and soft, heaven

Notes 9 Dec

Sonata

  • dolce, never passing the level of aggresiveness. Even when we phrase and voice the melody

Notes 2 Dec

Scales: Db major contrary

Allegro

  • spend 90% of time in intense learning stage
  • effective time usage is critical
  • ‘concentrated sections’ of 8 bars is useful
  • ‘learn how to learn’
  • end of 2nd page

Notes 11 Nov

Scales

  • keep same workload as last week, up to B major contrary

Sonata

  • accuracy in slurs and staccatos required
  • bar 14 G# RH

List A

  • slow practice required
  • LH practice required
  • both build on memory skills
  • have a consistent approach to each type of note in LH
  • split crotchets
  • split quavers
  • connect semiquavers
  • when going soft, or going through a phrasing trough, go softer than usual
  1. consistency
  2. phrasing (troughs)
  3. articulation

Notes 28 Oct

6B

  • add expression

Scales

  • G# harmonic minor contrary.
  • Check G# melodic minor

Composition

  • Circle of fifths have two relationships
  • How close you are on the circle
  • How close you are on the keyboard
  • It can be a good idea to explore both
  • A hint is where your bottom note is in your composition
  • To get it more calm, try an arpeggio texture

List B

  • don’t guess LH

List A

  • have a consistent approach to each type of note in LH
  • split crotchets
  • split quavers
  • connect semiquavers
  • when going soft, or going through a phrasing trough, go softer than usual
  1. consistency
  2. phrasing (troughs)
  3. articulation

Notes 21 Oct

https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/music-theory/what-is-the-circle-of-fifths/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve-tone_technique

Scales

  • contrary motion do left seperately. that fixes a lot of issues

List B

  1. Balance, RH generally stronger.
  2. Drama is created by very sudden dynamics and contrasting moods.
  3. Phrasing: relative to the dyanmics
  4. Learn accurately

Notes 14 Oct

Scales

  • G# harmonic minor contrary this week

Scarlatti

Tips for getting things even

  1. Rhythm practice. This tests the relationship between your fingers. There are many different rhythms to try.

Expressive Tips:

  1. LH can be phrased. This makes the peformance more dynamic. This is however incredibly difficult to do
  • bar 9 not much pitch movement, that’s why it is mp. Go very soft here
  • bar 12 lots of pitch movement, phrase LH
  • 15-19, plan for peaks, start from very soft then get louder. Also make sure note lengths are correct here.