Hope (1)

Introduction

If you can already guess from my blog url, I hate classical music.

Well, according to my 4th grade teacher, hate is a really strong word.

So let's just say I'm tired from classical music. Ever since I started playing the piano in second grade, my life has been classical music. Going to a competition? Classical music. Playing at a recital? Classical music. A fun piece to perform? Classical music.

I've think that I've been exposed to so much of this genre that classical is my new fingerprint word.

So when this project was first I assigned, I thought, "Why not take this opportunity to learn something new? Maybe romantic piano? Jazz? American pop if I'm feeling adventurous?"

I wanted to do something completely different that had close ties to classical piano. Jazz music was something I tried out in middle school with the Black Dog Band but I felt that it just wasn't right. I'm lucky if I hear ten different pop songs in a week. 

Finding the Piece

So what did that leave me?

Absolutely nothing! I ended up searching the internet for different "subsections" in classical music. Chopin is one of my favorite composers, and since he was alive during the early 1800s, I could play something from a composer in the 1700s or mid to late 1800s.

This was when I realized that this project was going to extremely boring if I did another classical piece that I really had no interest in.

Despite the obstacles, I managed to find a piece that was from a different time period and composer while also keeping some of the same elements of classical music. That piece is called the Yellow River Concerto, which was written during the 1930s and 1940s.

1930s China. Hmm...I've definitely heard of that before. But from where?

Oh yeah! History of Japan (It's amazing how many times this video can relate to real life)! It was definitely a difficult time to compose, but the piece also has amazing cultural elements during that period which only those who live in it can describe and capture into music.

Goals

The Yellow River Concerto is definitely a hard solo piece. I plan to play all 4 pieces, which means that the combined length will be 40 minutes. It seems like a lot, but I think I've got it worked out.

Week 1-On all 4 pieces, I will play hands separately, meaning that I first play the piece with only the right hand and then with only the left hand. I think I will start at a moderate tempo, slow but close to the actual tempo. Additionally, I need to research the history and background of China during this time. This allows me to convey the mood the author intended for the piece.

Week 2-Start putting hands together. I will go slower than the tempo in the first week, only because this is usually one of the hardest parts to get right. Major mistakes are welcomed in the week so I can improve on them such as fingering, coordination, and rhythm.

Week 3-Go faster, step by step. By the end of this week I want to reach the actual tempo of the piece with a few minor mistakes (meaning wrong notes here and there, pedal work, phrasing)

Week 4-Play with emotion. From the research done in the first week and throughout the second and third week, I will have an understanding of the conditions and the hardships of the Chinese at the time. The piece will have much more meaning to it if the correct emotions are produced. Since this is not a "concrete" goal, I will compare my playing of the piece to recordings of it on YouTube.

Week 5-Practice the other part. Since this is a concerto, there is supposed to be an orchestra playing as well. However, I only have one piano. The book I have does offer the combined orchestra part as a separate piano, so I plan to play that and then "combine" it with my solo piano part.

Week 6-Record, record, record! I want to have my version up on YouTube with memorization preferred which will come with the weeks of practice. I consider my goal "done" once I am satisfied with my recording compared to ones from more famous piano players.

I guess I should be practicing right now.

For each weekly blog post I'm going to record what I have done so far to help you, the reader, and I get a sense of where I'm at compared to where I wanted to be at the time.

I know it's going to be hard, but I hope it all works out in the end. Hope and motivation is something I'll really need at the end of the day to help me move forward. If not, I'll just fall apart. The good thing is that I can't wait to start playing.

I can only hope for the best, I guess.

Sources:

Fingerprint Word. Digital image. Slate. Slate, 11 Sept. 2014. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
History of Japan. Dir. Bill Wurtz. YouTube. YouTube LLC, 02 Feb. 2016. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
Music Practice Flowchart. Digital image. Pinterest. Pinterest, n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
Yeah Um No. Digital image. Vermont Clothing Company. Vermont Clothing Company, n.d. Web. 14                  Feb. 2017.