A Piano Recital

It’s creeping up on me…on Friday 26th June, I’m giving a piano recital at St James’ Church in Muswell Hill, North London, at 8pm.   Fortunately, I managed to memorise the programme several months back, but I’m still hoping to perfect it and work on my general piano technique.    See earlier articles on Czerny, octave practice and the composer Liszt.

The programme:

• Grieg – Piano Sonata in E minor
• Chopin – Four Preludes
• Liszt – Hungarian Rhapsody no 5, Hungarian Rhapsody no 12

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The Creative Process

As I posted earlier, I’m currently revising the draft of a psychological thriller, this time by writing each chapter from a distinct viewpoint and concentrating on atmosphere.   I think the editing is going okay, but there are still problems with one particular viewpoint.   I’ve also found that adding new dialogue simply to bring out more on the character doesn’t always work and can give the whole thing a slight “screenwriting” feel.   In short, less is probably best. 

Part of the rewriting involves merging sections of the novel to avoid repetition, particularly where two scenes occur at the same location.   For instance, two adult friends go to the pub on two occasions and there was two more  scenes where one of the friends sleeps on the couch because he’s drunk too much beer and can’t drive.  I’ve ended up merging the scenes so that the first pub visit is padded out with more atmosphere, which will mean having to completely write out one of the other scenes to avoid yet more repetition.   

Back story plays an important role too and there are dated sections in the some of the chapters.   Slightly confusing, perhaps, but that’s the best way of telling the story, I feel.

Elswhere, I’m still practising the repertoire I was working on at the start of the year: Grieg’s piano sonata in E minor, Chopin preludes and Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsodies (5 and 12).   The Czerny exercises really help with technique.  (Plus, they’re tuneful and pleasant.) Also, the last four Chopin studies (second set) are excellent all round. I  grew up with classical and rock music in the background, but I particularly enjoy playing piano works written in the Romantic Era.

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Cadenzas & Octaves

Octave practice.. that’s where the pianist brings their hands down on notes an octave (eight notes) apart. The overall results may, or may not, sound impressive depending on the technique. For years, I found octaves daunting. My hands and wrists would lock and sometimes ache. Now, I find octave practice relatively easy. A case of relaxing the thumb in between swipes at the keys. You almost have to imagine that the little finger is in charge.

There’s some excellent studies and exercises for improving all aspects of piano technique, including octaves. These include Czerny’s 160 8-bar exercises op821 and Chopin’s preludes and studies. The final Chopin studies of the second set include a stormy octave opening with a lyrical middle( still using octaves) and a second arpeggio study (no 24) based around a simple but expressive idea in C minor.

For those wanting to take octaves to the limit, try the Liszt studies and Hungarian Rhapsodies, or anything involving lots of octaves. I happen to love ragtime and Scott Joplin.

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Carl Czerny & Technique

I’ve found the 160 8-bar exercises by Czerny (op 821) extremely helpful for improving piano technique. The exercises cover most aspects of technique and are tuneful, despite their length. Unlike with lengthy Hannon practice, people can select individual Czerny exercises to suit their needs.

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