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shaping the hand in the air for the chord. The most important aspect of this exercise is to learn to
move the hand as quickly as possible, so as to arrive at the chord ahead of time.
Another important technique for playing these types of waltz accompaniment patterns is
to release the tension in the hand immediately after playing the bass note. Let the hand and wrist
relax while moving from the bass note to the chord. Use a downward motion on the bass note
and then a slight lift in the wrist while moving up to the chords.
Once the student has mastered the quick movements required and learned to release the
tension in the hand, then he or she must learn the correct sound and touch for the
accompaniment. Use a stronger touch on the bass note, dropping to the bottom of the key,
followed by a bouncing motion on the chords to make a lighter and softer sound.
One excellent piece that can serve as preparatory repertoire for the Chopin waltzes is Carl
Czerny’s Study in B-flat Major, Op. 599, no. 83. This piece is one page long in 6/8 meter. The
piece consists of a dance accompaniment pattern in the left hand, but without a large leap from
the bass note up to the chord. Also, the right-hand melody is simpler than those found in the
Chopin waltzes (Ex. 4.1).
Example 4.1: Carl Czerny, Study, Op. 599, no. 83, mm. 1-3
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2. Melodic line
Students should practice using a different touch in each hand in order to achieve the
desired sound. This can include a more articulated touch in the right hand and a more relaxed
touch in the left hand. Further, encouraging students to sing the melody out loud and in their
mind is important in order to bring out the beautiful melody. According to one of Chopin’s
students, Vera Rubio, Chopin said, “You must sing if you wish to play.”
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Chopin encouraged
his students to listen to good singers and then to apply that lyrical style to piano playing.
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Students can take some time in the beginning of the phrase shown in example 4.2,
applying the singer’s interpretation to the piano melodic line. In this passage, the ascending leap
from the E to F-sharp, the first two notes, can be interpreted as a singer’s approach to the high
note. Students can imagine the singing style and can take a little extra time on those two notes
rather than moving forward so quickly.
Example 4.2: Frédéric Chopin, Waltz, Op. 69, no. 2, mm. 31-34
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Niecks, 187.
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Kleczyński, 55.
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A good preparatory piece for melodic line is Vladimir Rebikov’s Miniature Waltz, Op.
10, no. 10. This piece is one page in length with a simple melody in the right hand and a
relatively easy left hand (Ex. 4.3).
Example 4.3: Vladimir Rebikov, Miniature Waltz, Op. 10, no. 10, mm. 1-10
3. Balance
Achieving an appropriate balance between the melodic line and the accompaniment is
always of paramount concern in Chopin’s music. In these five waltzes, the melody is usually
placed in the right hand, while the left hand plays the accompaniment pattern. Because the left-
hand part typically has many more notes than the right hand, achieving a good balance can be
challenging. Unless the student is careful, the accompaniment can overpower the melodic line
very easily. As always, one of the first steps is to practice the hands separately, listening for the
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shape and direction of the individual hands. The next step is to play the melodic line as written,
while reducing the accompaniment to playing only the first note of each measure (Ex. 4.4, step
1). This will help the student to hear the harmonic outline while being able to focus most of the
attention on the melodic line. Once that task is mastered, the student can play the bass note plus
the first of the two chords, holding the chord for two beats (Ex. 4.4, step 2). Lastly, the student
can play all of the notes, still focusing on keeping the left hand softer than the right hand (Ex.
4.4, step 3).
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Example 4.4: Frédéric Chopin, Waltz, Op. 64, no. 3, mm. 1-4, with Adding Left-hand Exercises
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A good preparatory piece is Pierre Gallant’s Sarabande in G Major. This piece is only
one page long, with an accompaniment of one bass note and one chord on the second beat (Ex.
4.5).
Example 4.5: Pierre Gallant, Sarabande in G Major, mm. 1-10
4. Contrast between sections
Another distinctive element of Chopin’s compositional style is that he often includes
several sections within one actual waltz. Thus, one of the major challenges for the pianist is to
provide sufficient contrast between the different sections of the waltzes. The teaching
suggestions to help students distinguish between different segments of a waltz include the use of
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different touches, using imagination to help describe character, and taking extra time between the
sections.
The first suggestion is that students should use different touches between the sections. In
both his playing and his teaching, Chopin stressed the use of a variety of touches to create
different colors. According to F. Henry Peru, a student of Chopin, “He made me practise
[practice] first of all constantly varying the attack of one single note, and showed me how he
could obtain diverse sonorities from the same key, by striking it in twenty different ways.”
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One of the examples examined in this document is the D-flat Major Waltz, Op. 64, no. 1, which
is composed in A-B-Aʹ′ form. Typical of most of the waltzes, the A and B sections have very
different characteristics. The A section is more lively and bright in character compared to the B
section, which has an indication of sostenuto with a more sustained character. The student should
use a more articulated touch by fingertip with more highly curved fingers in the A section and a
more legato touch with flatter fingers in the B section.
The second suggestion involves asking a student to use her imagination to help develop
the character for each section. The student can picture the dancers moving to the waltz and
imagine how the dance movements might change section by section. In the A section of the D-
flat Major Waltz, Opus 64, no. 1, the main theme features a whirling motion of four notes. The
student can picture the dancer’s feet moving extremely quickly. In contrast, within the B section
of this waltz, the melody is slower with longer note values. So the student can imagine the
couple dancing more slowly, using bigger movements.
Lastly, encourage the student to take more time between sections when appropriate.
Simply adding some time between sections can help to clarify the character and provide more
contrast.
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Eigeldinger, 32.
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