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I've been working on Sonata Pathetique, Adagio cantabile, and here is a recording I did tonight. This is my first recording posted here. I hope I posted it right.

I'm still working on it, and I don't have it completely memorized yet. (Sorry about the page turn.)

I'm trying to play more musically, and I'm trying to bring out the outer voices more and to keep the inner voices quieter. I feel the inner voices still need to be quieter. I would appreciate any comments. Thanks so much!
Kathy


STE-013.mp3

Hi Kathy,

It's asking me to log in, so I'm not sure the link is posted correctly. I wish I could say how to fix this, but I do not use box. Can you try reposting the link directly to the piece? (Only thing I can guess/think of.)

Hi, Derulux,
Thanks so much for letting me know! I'll try SoundCloud. Here is the new link:

http://soundcloud.com/playagain1/ste-013

I hope it works! I'm new to recording and posting recordings.

Any advice/comments are welcome! Thanks!
Kathy

Hi Kathy, if you want to share with Boxnet you shouldn't just click on the file and then share the link.
Just hover with the mouse over the title and several options will appear on the right. Click on "share" and it will give you a link that is different from the link you get if you just click on the file from within your account.
I hope this helps.

Thanks so much, ChopinAddict! That helps a lot!
Kathy

Great, soundcloud did the trick! I like to post my comments as a running commentary, listening while holding the score in my hands. I do notice that the recording device you are using gives a muffled sound, so some of my comments may be unknowing addressing an issue that isn't actually there, but I'll try to separate the two.

MM 1 - Enter on the first note. It sounded too soft.

Keep the phrasing of the top line consistently louder than the accompaniment. If you notice, the sound was a little too soft on the mm 4 Eb on beat one.

MM 8 - The triplet is marked staccato, but also look at the pedal markings (if you have them written). You're supposed to pedal through that, so it's not really supposed to sound staccato.

MM 12 - I'll only bring this up the first time I hear it, but make sure your notes are played together that are supposed to be played together. The accompaniment got a little separated here.

Don't slow down at the B section. Keep it moving, and keep using the pedal.. nothing in this movement is staccato.

MM 32 - This is how you should have played the Eb in mm 4. Hear the difference?

At the return to the MT, there is a slight crescendo, but remember you are returning to a soft dynamic, so don't swell too much or the transition sounds choppy.

7 from the end- work out the playing of these notes so it's a little more even.


Overall, nice job. I can hear you're working on it, and there is definitely some musicality in your playing. You sound like you can hear where the music needs to go, and that is a definite advantage. Keep at it!

Thanks so much, Derulux! This helps immensely!

I'm writing comments in my score, and listening to my recording, and I will work on all these. I really appreciate your time and help very much!

I know I need to listen more to my playing so I catch some of these things, too--like not playing the notes together well. I always have that problem when I play some notes more quietly. So much to work on!

On Measure 8 with the triplets and staccato, my pedal markings show the pedal is off there, and I thought it sounded funny. I'm so glad you mentioned that, too.

I'll keep working on it! I'm having a lot of fun. I had 30 year old console piano, but we just got a new Yamaha T-118, which is an improvement. I am taking lessons, too (decades later), which is helping me a lot.

I don't know why the recording is muffled, but I wonder if it's from when I converted it from WAV to MP3. I'll experiment with that and moving the Zoom around. Thanks!

Thanks so much, again, Derulux!
Kathy

Great, I'm glad I was helpful!

Yeah, I don't know if "muffled" is the right word, so don't quote me on that. Unfortunately, I'm not a sound engineer, so I may not be using the right word. I guess to try to more accurately describe it so you can diagnose the issue, I would say that the decay of sound happens too fast. The note entrance is okay, but then the sound starts to disappear very quickly, so you don't get the "fuller" sound of the acoustic piano. I think that's probably closer to what I meant. Hope it helps!

Thanks, Derulux!
That is very helpful! I'll try to figure that out.
Thanks, again!
Kathy

Kathy! A recording!

It's lovely.

My overall impression is that you feel like the score is fragile, and you don't want to break it. It is such a gentle, careful handling.

To my ears, heart, and internal clicker, you played the mysterious and puzzling mm. 20-22 very, very well, indeed. You approach the whole movement with patience, and that patience is so critical in these three measures. I liked it. A lot.

Thanks for sharing! Now that you're up and running, I'm looking forward to hearding more from you!

--Andy

Thanks, Andy! It's so nice to hear from you--I hope you're doing well!

Yep, I got brave and posted--it's a scary thing! Just recording is scary--I'm too worried about making mistakes, so I play too carefully, but I'm working on it.

Those three measures are difficult! I have a really good teacher, and she's teaching me to "breathe" which is so neat. (That's what she calls those hesitations. She tells me to feel it and take my time.) She is wonderful. I loved my old teacher, too, but she moved.

I am having so much fun in my lessons. She's challenging me so much.

You are so wonderfully encouraging! Thanks!!! I'd love to hear more George Shearing!
Take care!
Kathy