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Yunyan Huang (Helen).mp4

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English Suite No.3 in G major, Prelude by Bach

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English Suite No.3 in G major, Prelude by Bach

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After ( two days later )

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Before

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In this week, I practiced for almost six hours because of the midterm: Tuesday (one hour); Wednesday (two hours); Thursday(hald an hour); Saturday (one hour); Sunday(one hour). Also, I went through my three pieces for my final repertoire. Besides the improvement in my playing skills, the most important thing for me is to focus on the expressiveness of the music. I should do some research and listen to some pianists playing to improve my understanding.

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In this week, I was working on Chopin's Waltz in b minor second part in my class. The second part is a rapid movement, which is as crystal clear as a ball falling jade. But this is not the gorgeous style in Chopin's previous works, but full of a helpless melody, like the composer was talking about his lonely old life. At that time, Chopin had been living in a foreign land for a long time, and he was seriously ill. Therefore, his mood was melancholy. The middle section turns to D major and B major, which was brighter a little, but soon there was a depressed atmosphere when it turns to b minor again. So the expressiveness of Chopin's work is a big difficulty for players.

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In this week, I practiced my three pieces for fnial. These three pieces are different music styles. For me, Bach's piece is the most difficult, and I still have some technique problems to work on. For example, counterpoint technique and the balance between three parts. But the music expression of the other pieces (Chopin's Watlz and Tarantella) is also challenge for me. The key-touching and emotions of these two pieces are completely different, and the contrast is very obvious. I need to spend more time playing slowly, and then I can have good ability to control.

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I was working on a new piece---Tarantella in a minor by PianiCast. This is a kind of folk dance music in southern Italy. I really love this piece because its rhythmic and full of passion. My professor suggested me to pay more attention to the 6/8 beat because my rhythm is not stable. I need to practice slowly. Also, he said when playing the tiny connecting lines of the right hand, the wrist should not move to much. In addition, we should deeply understand the mood of music, and he pointed out that focusing on the contrast between the strenghts and weaknesses of the whole piece becasue it is the characteristic of this music.

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“Tarantella” dance music is a folk dance in southern Italy. It’s fast, warm, and rhythmic. And it’s usually in 6/8 beat. It’s said that “Tarantella” is a poisonous spider in southern Italy. People bitten by it must dance fiercely to detoxify.

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In this week, I kept practicing Bach's piece, and I focused on trill. Bach is a master of polyphonic music with super skills, and his works often contains many trills. In most cases, Bach's trill should be played from the upper second interval, not directly from the original note, which can emphasize the instability or tendency of notes from the perspective of harmony and bring impetus to the development of music. Also, as the plucked clavichord cannot paly notes of long duration, Bach uses the form of long vibrato to express the continuity of notes. I practiced hand by hand first, and then put two hands together. I tried to make my fingers relaxed and flexible to make round sound. Generally, no matter which tone with the trill starts from, it must end on the original note. And no matter what kind of decorative sound, it should have accurate rhythm that can be recorded in detail, rather than random arrangement. This is a key to play trill.

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Besides piano, I can play the accordion, and cello is my another favorite instrument. These two musicians are excellent, and the libertango is one of my favorite accordion pieces even though I only can play a part. This music was used in the Roman Polanski movie "Frantic" (1988), as well as in Jacques Rivette's film Le Pont du Nord (1981). The first time I knew and heard this piece was a video about Piazzolla I watched at school many years ago in China. I was attacted immediately by this particular music. It sounds like tradional tango, but it is made of elements of jazz and counterpoint. I remember that Piazzolla played a bandoneou in his vedio, and all the people were excited. I really enjoy the thrilling rhythm of this piece, and I aslo attracted by the performances of two musicians. Their wonderful skills and thoughtful interpretation perfectly provide a feast for the ears of any music lover. I should learn from them how to deeper understand the music and communicate with the audience. I hope I can continue practicing my accordion in the future.

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Yundi Li is another excellent Chinese pianist. He was born in 1982 too, and his name includes "Yun" which is same as mine because it represents the hometown---Yunnan province. It is said his grandfather came from Yunnan(my hometown), but he could not have the chance to go back. He gave this name to his grandchild in memory of his hometown. Yundi Li is most well known for being the youngest pianist, at the age of 18, to win the 2000 XIV International Chopin Piano Competition. He is the first Chinese to win this award, and he was the first competitor to be awarded the First Prize(the Gold Medal) in 15 years since Stanislav Bunin won it in 1985. He later served as the youngest juror in history for the competition in 2015. Also, it is worth mentioning that he began studying accordion first, and then he began studying piano at the age of seven, which is similar to my experience. Compared with Langlang, I think his playing sounds more poetic, romantic, and elegant. I often have a weak grasp of Chopin's piano music, so I need to listen to his playing more to improve my interpretation.

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Yundi - The Flight Of The Bumblebee (from "Tsar Saltan" by N. Rimsky-Korsakov)

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Langlang is a famous Chinese pianist. He was born in 1982, and he graduated from the famous Curtis Institue of Music. He was the first Chinese pianist to be engaged by the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, and some top Ameircan orchestras. Also, he appeared in Time magazine's 2009 list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. His age is similar to mine, and his family background is similar to mine. We are all a family of three because Chinese policy stipulated each family could only have one child at that time. In additional, Langlang's father can play the erhu (a kind of Chinese traditional instrument), which inspires him to learn music. My mom could play the accordion too, and she was my first music teacher. I like to watch Langlang's facial expression when he is playing. His playing is very skillful, dramatic, and sensitive. I went to his piano concert once in my hometown many years ago. I read his autobiography when I was in China. His success comes from his hard work, like the famous saying---where there is a will, there is a way!

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There was no class this week because my professor is sick.

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After class

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In this week, I focused on hand-parting practice to achieve good effect. First, I pay more attention to the low speed practice, which makes my tempo more stable. Second, I pay more attention to listen attentively, and I felt my metre became better. Third, I tried to analyze the modulation of this piece to better understand the text. And I found in section 1 and 2, the key is actually in g minor not in G major. In section 3 and 4, the key has been changed to Bb major, and it ends in g minor in the last section. I did not figure out the middle part between section 4 and seciton 5, and I am going to ask for help in my theory class next week. I think it is a good way to study and review music theory through Bach's work.

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I was working on Bach's piece---English Suite No.3 in G major, Prelude in this week's class. I did not play it very well, and my tempo was not stable. I played fast where I was familiar, and I often slowed down where I am not proficient. My porfessor suggested me to play slowly first and pay more attention to the tempo. Particluarly, the tempo is very strict and stable in Bach's work. Also, I did not notice to play the metre of the 3/8 which is still needed to be reflected strength at the first beat, like Waltz. So, my professor asked me to practice phrase by phrase in order to feel the metre. I am going to work on these problems in this week.

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I was working on Chopin's Waltz in b minor in this week's class. This waltz is different from that one in F major I performed last semester. Compared with the gorgeous waltz in F major, this waltz in b minor is full of a helpless melody that sounds like the composer was talking about his lonely life. It is composed of three stanzas. At the beginning, there is no overture. The main melody comes out directly with a trace of sadness, which represents Chopin's gentle and elegant character. My professor suggested me to divide into three parts to practice: melody(right hand), bass(left hand), and harmony(left hand).He used different musical instruments as metaphors to explain these three parts in orchestra, such as melody( flute or clarinet), bass(cello or tuba), and harmony(brass). I think it is important to analyze the work when you are playing. And it is necessary to understand the theory and structure of the work.

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In this week, I practiced for almost eight hours: Monday(1 hour), Tuesday(1.5 hours), Wednesday(2 hours), Thursday(half an hour), Friday(45 minutes), Saturday(1.5 hours), and Sunday(half an hour). I usually practice scales to warm up. For example, I practiced 12 major key scals on Monday, and I swiched to practice 12 minor key scals on Tuesday. And on Wednesday and Thursday, I mixed up them to practice relative major-minor scales in groups. Also, on weekend, I practiced chromatic scals and rhythmic scales, like 2 against 3 (triple rhythm with two eighth notes). At first, I could not control the triple rhythm with two eighth notes well, but I spent more time to practice slowly. And then I caught the idea and the feelings to play it better. I think practicing scales is very important for all of the instrumentalists.

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In this week’s class, I was working on J.S.Bach—-English Suite No.3 in G major, Prelude. This is a three- part polytechnic work, and the form is ABA’B’A”. I need to pay more attention to the tempo because I often play slowly a little bit in my unfamiliar measures. Also, my professor suggested me to analyze the harmony of the work. He said it’s a good way for me to better understand the melody, and it’s also a good opportunity to review my music theory. I do not have much technical problem to play this work. But I still need to focus on the counterpoint. I am going to divide into five sections to practice next week.

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In this semester, I hope to complete three works from different composers. I feel that I still need to continue practicing Chopin's work because I was not satisfied with Chopin's Waltz in Fmajor that I performed last fall , so I am going to choose another Waltz from his. Also, I want to play a piece from J.S. Bach because his works are very important and necessary for every student who studies classical music. Moreover, I want to try other styles such as Tarantella. I am going to discuss it with my professor later.