Recorded this again today and tried to instill some of the ideas several of you members suggested regarding my 'test' version. I think that probably you all will not like my recording here, but I made about a 50 billion takes and this is the best one and really it's just the way I play this prelude. I can't go faster, or slower, jazzier, softer, louder....sorry, but this is it. Plus, I had to record today because I won't have a chance to record again for a couple weeks.

Thanks again to those of you who helped me with this!

video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGKi8LiB ... ideo_title

mp3 (same as video): Gershwin - Prelude No. 2 "Andante con moto e poco rubato"

Hey, Soul Sistah,

This is so much better. The melody had so much more shape to it. It didn't feel as hurried as the other version did when some notes got their value cheated just a tad. I heard a differentiation in the octave section between the main melody and the little "muted trumpet response" in the middle of the octaves. I also think that being a little more intentional on breaking the L.H. 10ths help to ease the pace. Also, you varied how you did them which helped to give a more relaxed feel.

And I saw you starting to get down during the middle section. White girl was gettin' her groove on.

Good, good job.

It may be just my connection to YouTube (and I am too lazy to download the video to check) but the sound is just a tad out of sync with your hand movement. Were you playing the Japanese version, dubbed in English?

Scott

Hi Monica,

I had a listen to your 2nd prelude by Gershwin, great job! I can tell you have made a billion takes as this performance is exceptionally refined, so this proves that practice makes perfect I saw in the description that you were not able to reach the wide-stretches, and though not everyone can reach 10ths and 11ths (me for one ) I personally like the jumps, I don't think it takes away from the performance at all, I think it makes it even more bluesy (appropriate as I have also heard this piece called by "the blue lullaby.") I liked your choice of tempo and the way you voiced the ornaments, the ascending arpeggio, ending b and very low c# made for a dramatic ending. So this 2nd prelude completes the set. Quite an accomplishment! I don't think there are a great deal of players (who aren't professional) who can play this as you did, so it's to your credit.

~Riley

Thank you, Scott and Riley. You are both sweet! I'm glad you think this came off okay!!!!

@Scott - regarding sync - I dunno...probably it's the way I tried to sync the audio from my audio recorder to the file in my video camera. I can't always get it perfect - probably because I can't see so well.
Anyway - Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir? That's what your 'Soul Sistah' made me think of.... haha... But seriously, your previous comments were what I took in most and tried to incorporate in my playing, so thank you once again for that!

Your welcome.

Won't your husband mind if we coucher ce soir?

Scott

Hi Monica,

This more recent recording is really good. I totally enjoyed it. In Part B, I notice you cross the arms to play it. When I learned and recorded it as an audio recording, someone asked me if I had crossed the arms, and I said, no, I played it as indicated by the staffs (not knowing what he was talking about). Evidently in his score there was an option printed there for crossing the arms. I have the Warner Bros. Music edition, and there is no such annotation there, so the thought never occurred to me. Actually, I liked playing the melody in the LH as a change. But I guess it's according to personal preference. Again, a very nice video.

David

The scores that I have had have had that option (how many times can I use "have" and "had" in a sentance? ) I used to cross but I don't anymore -- I get all knotted up. Gershwin was known for doing that. It is mostly for show in this case. John Q. Public has a tendency to think that it is such a difficult accomplishment. Once in a while you have to give John Q. his moneys worth (Now the "Minute Waltz" with hands crossed would be an accomplishment -- or an exercise in futility).

Scott

Probably!



Thank you, David! I crossed my arms simply for a utilitarian reason. I originally started out not crossing my arms, but I had a weird brain problem in which there is one bar where I could not make my left hand play the rhythm correctly - the bar with the triplet. I felt like I was retarded or something, so I then went the route of crossing my arms. That was hard at first - I don't usually like doing that all ! - my poor brain has a hard time sorting things out - but eventually it worked and I could play the rhythm better with my right hand. (hope all that makes sense... )

Yes it's a great gimmick. Mozart was very fond of it too in his variations. I sometimes find these passages quite difficult and sometimes prefer to play them normally, which often works just as well is not better.

Hi Monica,
as I have written on your YouTube-channel your new version leaves a sure and steady impression on me. It´s a good achievement! You play it all by heart and you seem to feel well with that piece. I also noticed the quite a lot of hand crossings, but why not, if it´s easier to play it like this for you.
Musically this new version has also very much improved from my view. The slower tempo also works. I have enjoyed it very much!

Thank you, Andreas. I greatly appreciate you taking the time to listen to me again. Have a nice day! (night?)

Pianolady wrote:


It´s a pleasure like always, Monica.



It´s 8 pm at this moment. I´m watching the "Tagesschau" on TV right now (=german daily news always at 8 pm in the evening).



Oops, that sounds seriously somehow.

No, it's nothing serious. Just a time issue - or rather a lack thereof...

Our regular news broadcast is 10:00 at night. I'm usually half-asleep by then. I often watch an international news broadcast - it's from Germany, but spoken in English. Except now all of a sudden it's a French broadcast - I don't know why it changed....

Well, Andreas, you may be asleep now too since it is after 10:30 where you are. At least I think we are seven hours apart, right? Unless your clocks have already been set back an hour and then we are six hours apart. Our clocks change November 9th.

Pianolady wrote:


Well, me before these autumn holidays I had the same problem. (I hate that, because I like very much to play piano and to record for PS.)



Oh, that´s quite late, 10:00 at night. And a german news broadcast spoken in English is also new for me. But I like very much the French broadcast "Arte" here, because it offers many culture and news (there sometimes are very good concert broadcastings in it). I have some internet offerings in my new television (there f.ex. I can watch the "Tagesschau" of 20:00 at each time I want to.



Yes, right, now it´s 23:07 here and I think, here in Germany we always are 7 hours later than you in Chicago. Our clocks will change on 30th of octobre here, so we will have a difference of six hours for 10 days, isn´t it?

Oh, I made a mistake. I was looking at the wrong calendar. Our clocks change on Nov. 6 so we will be six hours apart for exactly one week.