The Other Promise - Snapshot #4
Here's one big chunk of the melody- I still need to smooth out the rough edges but I'm able to play the hands together!!
One of the obvious challenges is trying to connect the low bass LH octaves with the higher register triplets at the start of the passage; even in the official recording the pianist sort of rushes the triplets to buy time to hit the octaves so I'm not too stressed about playing the rhythm mechanically.. but still, I think I can definitely improve the lead time between each jump. I've been doing "shadow practicing" to help my muscle memory learn the exact distances but even so, I think a big factor is whether my hand can stretch to the octave in time.... sigh
The LH around 0:10 with the descending triplet pattern isn't difficult save for the 5 2 chord around 0:12; it's (predictably) a stretch for me but it's more so the speed here that makes it difficult than the fingering. RH is chillin' since the chords are basically the same as what I've been playing earlier in the piece.
From 0:17 is where I think the melody really reaches its peak... I need to work on conveying that more clearly once I'm more comfortable with the notes. I love the arpeggio in the RH at 0:20, but I need to work on more smoothly hitting the end octaves (same arpeggio/issue as in a previous section, but arpeggio is one eighth beat longer here). And also coordinating the RH and LH; they're both playing the same rhythm but I ALWAYS struggle with playing quickly with both hands........... especially here, since the LH is stationary while the RH climbs the arpeggio. I'll need to break down the phrase and practice slowly. THE BIT AT 0:25 IS A MAJOR WIP ALWJFKLAWJE I am REALLY weak still with sixteenth notes vs. triplet rhythm.. I'm super comfy with eighth notes vs triplets but for some reason sixteenth notes still trip me up. This was definitely not my best take for this part but I mean I don't play it much better even on good takes lol.....
The descending octaves in the LH from 0:27 are VERY EXCITING but probably too much lol I can barely hear the RH chords that hold the melody.. I'll need to tone down the LH as I get more comfortable, but for now I'm working on just being able to physically hit all of the octaves in time and accurately. Minimal black keys in this scale so it's rather doable.
There are only like 3.5 bars left after this that are challenging (probably the MOST challenging bars in this piece for me AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA but super pumped for the LH melody hehe) and after that we return to the mellow eighth note phrasing from the start of the piece. There's just about one page left.. hoping I can push through and practice properly to close this piece out.
This particular phrase is definitely still pretty rough but I was able to pick it up a little faster since there's a lot of repetition from previous sections. Overall, even with the rest of the piece I've learned earlier, I need to tap more into the Musician within me to play the piece musically rather than just robotically play notes.
I don't want to speak too soon, but this piece definitely hasn't been too bad so far (technique-wise).. the biggest grievances have been octaves and jumping but those are pretty cyclical/pattern-based so it's not unbearable. I'm actually quite pleased with myself with how much progress I've made in just a few weeks; now to finish learning notes and then work on musicality.