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Post by schubertiad on Jul 8, 2006 16:34:27 GMT
I've just finished off Bach's c minor p+f from book one, and am learning the e major from the same book. the prelude doesn't pose any problems, but the fugue is proving much much more difficult than the c minor one, although it doesn't look too bad on paper. The approach i took with the other fugue (learning each part seperately, then mixing voices 1+2, 1+3 and 2+3) before putting it together seems to be taking an absolute age. Any other suggestions for getting it up to scratch? Thanks (and apologies for the extended absence) schubertiad
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Post by Steve Hopwood on Jul 8, 2006 17:02:04 GMT
Ehup schubertiad The reason this fugue is taking much longer to learn and seems much harder than the C minor, is that it is much harder than the C minor - about 20 times harder, I reckon ;D For starters, it is a four-part fugue, and there are considerable chunks of this when where all four parts are going at the same time. 4 parts played by 2 hands = torture You got well and truly conned by the appearance. Composers tend to use a time sig like 4 minims per bar to give the piece a spacious look, which in turn implies grandeur, with fairly slow beat. Imagine this 4\2 piece written in notes of half the value, in 4\4. The crotchets become quavers and the quavers become semis - suddenly looks much more threatening. Introducing students to Bach P&F's, I stick to three part ones; standard advice to students is to start with 3 part fugues - and to take care and\or advice on the choice of those (look at the C# minor 3 part if you want a good example of how murderous a 3 part fugue can be). Never be conned by the prelude, either. The 48 is littered with preludes that almost anybody could play after a few years learning. Thing about a prelude is that it is exactly that - a precursor to the Main Event. We all know the purpose of a Main Event is to blow us away ;D You are going about learning the fugue in the best was, so far as I know. You might be better off abandoning it and trying one of the less impossible ones - yell for help if you want some suggestions. Steve
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Post by YetAnotherKlavierist on Jul 8, 2006 19:25:04 GMT
Steve - are you looking at WTC II? The E major fugue in WTC I is a 3-voice fugue.
Personally, I learn fugues as follows:
1) Do the first n bars each voice separately 2) Do the first n bars hands separately, and the second n bars each voice separately 3) Do the first n bars hands together, the second n bars hands separately and the third n bars each voice separately
and so on. It give a nice balance of practice: some of it is spent studying voices; another chunk spent working on getting each hand to play the voices it needs to at each point; and finally working on getting the two hands together.
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Post by Steve Hopwood on Jul 8, 2006 21:18:29 GMT
Steve - are you looking at WTC II? Well, of course I am, YAP. Come on, get a grip man. You are supposed to be brainy ;D Obviously I only put this here to test you. Book 1? Book 2? Who cares? Mr Picky, or what? ;D Sorry schubertiad. What I posted earlier is true, but totally irrelevant here. Hey ho. Put it down to love-sickness. Steve
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Post by Trebor on Jul 8, 2006 22:04:49 GMT
I'm nominally learning this one (if you ignore the fact I haven't done any proper practice in ages ). Learnt the prelude fairly easily but the fugue is tricky. Nothing to offer except sympathies.
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