Piano Lessons- Music Theory Lessons

Thanks again for joining me and be on the lookout for future videos about the art of pedaling on the piano. Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729

Thanks again for joining me Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com

Thanks again for joining me Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com

In some ways, this is a simple subject with complex implications. Make sure to check out my other videos – specifically the one on resolution – to learn more.

Thanks again for joining me Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com

As we discussed in Part 1 of this lesson, Bach wrote this “concerto” as a solo piece and it’s not what you would typically think of as a concerto (one instrument or a group of instruments with orchestra). To replicate the sound of a traditional concerto, Bach wrote dynamics for both hands throughout the piece. Last week we talked briefly about the first movement of the piece, today you will get some tips on the second movement.

In the right hand, you have a beautiful and luscious melody while the left hand is to be played very quietly. The right hand has an almost improvisational quality. Classical composers improvised quite a bit in their days, however, since recording technology wasn’t invented yet we really have no examples of what it sounded like. One could imagine that the right hand in the second movement of the Italian Concerto is a glimpse into the styling of Bach’s improvisational work.

The left hand in this piece has a repeated regular pattern of 8th notes and is a great place to focus as you begin learning the second movement. If you listen to the piece, you’ll notice that there is a nice steady beat to these notes. Think of it almost like a heartbeat that holds up the structure of the music.

When I play this piece, sometimes I use a little bit of pedal, sometimes I use no pedal at all. It’s always a great idea to practice without the pedal so it doesn’t act as a crutch. One way to approach without the pedal is to play the top notes of the thirds legato and the bottom notes more detached. This will help to bring out the clarity of the lines. The secret to this is utilizing good fingering. If done correctly, this will give the illusion that it’s two instruments playing together. Baroque music is personified by counterpoint and this is one example of that.

When it comes to the right hand, you should always remind yourself that the ornamentation should not affect the rhythm. You should play very expressively but don’t get that confused with changing tempo. Many times people will see trills and turns and think it means playing fast, which is not the case. Here you will want to play the lines very expressively, letting them stand out and playing them as beautifully as possible.

I’ve had numerous videos talking about the importance of the arms when playing piano; here is no different. You can use the weight of the arms – both left and right to create a nice balance and tone between the two hands. Use more weight in the right hand to bring out the melody.

Thanks again for joining me. I will be producing some much more thorough lessons in the near future on specific repertoire like this. If you would like to be notified when these become available please email me Robert@LivingPianos.com

Welcome to my ongoing series of lessons for specific repertoire. I have much more advanced lessons on piano pieces on the way. If you would like to be notified when these become available, please email me: Robert@Livingpianos.com.

This is an iconic piece by Bach and it has a very interesting history behind it. While it’s called the Italian Concerto, Bach never visited Italy! In fact, Bach was German and traveled very little in his life. A concerto is a piece of music with a group of instruments or a solo instrument with an accompanying orchestra. This piece is purely a solo work – there is no orchestra or even other instruments involved. So how can this be a concerto?

There is no doubt that Bach was a musical genius. He spent his life in Germany but would encounter many visiting musicians from other countries. He would make a point of listening to the music and the styles of different countries and cultures and he would then emulate that in some of his own works. He wrote French Suites, English Suites, and the Italian Concerto just by listening to visiting artists.

Bach was an incredibly busy man. He had over twenty children and at one time composed complete masses every week for not one, but two churches! Even though he left an incredible body of work, most of his music was all but forgotten after his death.

The great composer Felix Mendelssohn worked at the same church as Bach had a century earlier and uncovered many of Bach’s manuscripts. He is credited with bringing the music of Bach to the masses. Even though Bach’s existing work is immense and diverse, it actually represents a very small fraction of his actual output – most of which was lost forever. There are even urban legends of people wrapping fish in Bach manuscripts.

If you’ve ever seen Bach’s original compositions you would notice that there are almost no dynamics written in the scores. If you see anything written in it’s most likely an editorial suggestion. Bach probably did not write them. A huge exception to this, however, is the Italian Concerto; every single section has dynamics. Not only does the piece have dynamics throughout, they are actually written specifically for each hand.

Throughout the composition, each hand will either be playing forte or piano. Sometimes both hands will be forte or piano and on other occasions, one hand will play one dynamic while the other hand is the opposite. This is the way Bach achieved the quality and sound of a concerto with only a solo instrument – he created the effect of large and small groups in a solo keyboard work with different hands emulating solo and ensemble playing.

So what’s the best way to approach this work? Being a Baroque piece, you will not want to take many liberties with the tempo; practicing with a metronome is advised. You should be able to maintain a steady beat while playing this piece.

You should also pay very close attention to the dynamics. In fact, this is the first piece I ever learned to play on the harpsichord because it was easy to delineate which keyboard to play on a two-manual harpsichord. I set one of the keyboard registrations to be loud and the other to be soft, allowing a very easy flow from one keyboard to the other by following the dynamics written in the score.

The other aspect of this piece to pay very close attention to is the phrasing. In my previous lesson for Bach’s Minuet in G, I mention a technique for using the wrist with the staccato sections and being able to link the notes almost seamlessly in the legato sections. The same basic principle applies to this piece as well.

These are some general tips and next time I will be covering other movements of the piece. Thanks again for joining me Robert Estrin: Robert@LivingPianos.com

This article and accompanying video demonstrates how to add color to your music without using the pedals at all. A second video to follow will cover how to color your music with the pedals. In the video attached to this article, I demonstrate some techniques using Mozart’s C major K545 Sonata. It’s a great piece to use since the piano of Mozart’s time had no pedals!

One technique is how you balance the hands. Playing the melody stronger than the accompaniment immediately adds more flavor and color to the music. An easy way to achieve this is to simply apply more arm weight to the right hand while playing.

All instruments essentially imitate the human voice. However, with the piano, every time you play a note, it immediately begins to fade out. One thing I’ve noticed from listening to my wife Florence play the flute is that she will play higher notes with more breath and volume than lower notes. This is totally natural when singing or playing a wind instrument. One thing I learned from one of my great piano teachers, Ruth Slenczynska is that you can mimic this effect on the piano. Playing higher notes louder and lower notes softer will add a lot of color and expression to your music. You can also take a bit more time when you reach the higher notes to add a greater effect. You will create the sense of a singing line on the piano!

But let’s not forget about the left hand in all this. If you were using the pedal you could meld the notes to create a nicer sound. Yet without the pedal you can achieve this by holding selected notes with your fingers! Try holding the bottom note holding the first note in each group so it overlaps the following sixteenth notes. You will be rewarded with a rich sound!

Thanks again for joining me Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729. And be sure to look for part 2, which will cover techniques using the pedal.

Thanks again for joining me, Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729

I am lucky to have grown up in a musical household. My father Morton Estrin (www.mortonestrin.com) had an illustrious career as a concert pianist with dozens of recordings and hundreds of performances. He’s also a phenomenal teacher who’s had many successful students go on to professional careers in music. My mother was a music teacher in public schools – my sister is an accomplished pianist and successful teacher in Cleveland, and my wife is a concert flutist. My daughter and son are also musicians and pretty much everyone in my extended family is connected to the music world in one way or another. Needless to say, music is an incredibly important part of my life.

Unfortunately, music is commonly overlooked when it comes to public education. It seems like anytime there is a cutback in education funding, music is always one of the first things on the chopping block. It’s a shame there is a lack of music education available to young students – especially since studies have shown that learning a musical instrument actually helps with the development of the brain. There are so many benefits to music education and performance – from mental development to confidence building, to teamwork – there are countless ways that music education helps children and adults.

But beyond any of the benefits listed above, music is something that can bring joy to your life and the lives of those around you. Music is an art form and as such it’s a great way to express feelings and emotions and illicit reactions from those who hear it. Its unique expression enhances life.

Not everyone is going to be a professional musician, but that’s not the issue. With knowledge comes understanding; being able to appreciate the musical language and having an education about it only amplifies its effect on people. I’m sure those who have studied music for any length of time in their lives will tend to agree.

While music might be something that’s considered superfluous when it comes to budget cutting, it’s not something we should just disregard. It has many benefits beyond just learning to play an instrument. Please share any comments you have about this subject, it’s a very passionate one for me and I’m sure many others of you out there.

Thanks again for joining me, Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729