Piano and Music Videos

In this series we are going to cover the 5th French Suite in its entirety. Today we will be dealing with the first movement, Allemande. I want you to notice that I don’t use the sustain pedal – I’m playing everything with only the fingers. Why is this? There is a good case for this since Bach played mostly on the clavichord, harpsichord, and organ and had very limited experience with early pianos which had no sustain pedals anyway. As a result, it’s not necessary to utilize the sustain pedal while playing Bach’s music.

Pay special attention to the counterpoint (VIDEO: What is Counterpoint?) and how the lines intertwine with one another. Also intrinsic to the style is the ornamentation which is indicated with various markings in the score. (VIDEO: How to Play Ornamentation).

You may notice that in all the French Suites the music is in A – A, B – B form. Meaning that you have a section that repeats and then a second section that also repeats. All the movements in the French Suites have a similar structure. The second section tends to be a bit longer than the first section but sometimes they are about the same length.

There is no phrasing or dynamics written into the music. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t include any dynamics or phrasing, it means that it’s up to you how to approach the music. You must decide how to delineate the notes deciding how the notes are attached or detached and how to bring out the separate lines of music dynamically.

For example, in this particular piece, I play the 8th notes staccato, which allows for delineating the lines. Without doing this it’s hard to tell which line is which – they all blend together! You should also embellish the music with the free use of ornamentation. For example, in the beginning of the piece I include some trills to liven up the music; without it, the lines sound a little dull. Everything about the Baroque era has ornamentation. It’s a product of the time and is evident in the music, art, architecture and even the clothing style.

Thanks again for joining me and make sure to be on the lookout for the other parts in this series on Bach’s 5th French Suite.

It is important to note that Bach did not write any phrasing or dynamics into these pieces, so nearly every copy you will come across will be slightly different. For this lesson, I will be using Bach’s Musette from Virtual Sheet Music.

Personally, I like to emulate the sound of a Harpsichord (which is one instrument Bach would possibly have played the piece on) by emphasizing the fortes and the pianos going from louder sounds to quieter sounds abruptly. The harpsichord could not go from loud to soft with touch alone, so you would have to alternate the keyboards or adjust stops like on an organ in order to adjust volume. Interestingly, you can reverse the dynamics and discover other satisfying performance possibilities!

There really are countless ways you can approach this music and that’s why they are such great pieces for students. It allows them to see dynamics and experiment on their own to produce a great performance. You have a lot of creative license on what you can do with this piece.

Before you can experiment with phrasing however you really should be able to play this piece cleanly and precisely. The very beginning features two completely different techniques in each hand: the left hand has staccatos which should be played with the wrist and the right hand has legato notes which are played with a steady hand. It is vital that the hands are played precisely together which can be challenging with the sixteenth notes. I recommend breaking down these sixteenth notes and getting your hand and fingers over exactly the right keys in advance of playing them. You can start and stop methodically in your practice making sure the hands play exactly together. It should sound very clean and precise. Without precision, the music can end up sounding sloppy and lose the sparkle of the sound.

It can be very challenging to jump from one section to another. So practicing getting over the exact positions will help you achieve a satisfying performance. Practice playing the first section and then placing your hands over the next section without playing it. Instead, just place your hands in the next position and get ready to play the notes. When your hands are in the exact position, play the next small section. Take your time and keep going back and forth shortening the break you take between sections. Keep going until you can play in a fluid manner. It’s good to imagine a break between sections even when there is no rhythmically perceptible space allowing you to prepare for each section in advance of playing them. Even if they are incredibly small pauses, they allow you to mentally and physically prepare yourself for each section.

Thanks again for joining me and if you have any questions about this piece or any others please contact me directly: Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729

A lot of people have the tendency to avoid this notation and simply smooth out the dynamics. This is certainly not playing it as intended and if you listen to any number of examples in which subito piano is performed properly, you will see how powerful and immersive it can be. For the example, in the video above I use the first movement of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata.

You can really appreciate this by hearing the example provided in the accompanying video posted above.

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

I have found this technique incredibly helpful over the years. Please try it out and let me know if it works for you. Thanks again for joining me, Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729