Self Evaluation

I performed “Promenade” for my Keyboard Skills III midterm. With this piece, I began by observing its basic characteristics. I noticed that the piece is in 4/4 time and remains in G major throughout. I also noticed that the second section of the piece is repeated. Next, I observed stylistic characteristics such as articulation, dynamics, and phrasing. The first section of the piece begins marked forte and ends piano. The second section is marked f-p, indicating that this section is to be played forte the first time through, and then piano on the repeat. I noticed the staccato quarter notes in the left hand and began to figure out the best way to execute them. I also discovered that the piece employs phrases that are each four measures in length, and are arranged in a simple binary form that can best be expressed as AABB. Knowing all of these things before even touching the piano is very helpful in understanding the overall framework and design of the music. I find that taking the time to analyze a piece in this way is much more beneficial than trying to read a piece down “cold.” In other words, instead of playing something the wrong way, over and over again and trying to add details later on, this process allows you to get more things right the first time you play it.

The next step in my process, of course, is to actually play the piece. I typically start with both hands together to get an initial feel for the degree of coordination required and to get the tune in my ear. Sometimes I sing along to one hand at a time using solfege syllables. This helps me memorize the piece and to more easily identify note errors when I make them. After a run through with both hands, I like to isolate each hand individually. I like to loop difficult passages, like the eighth note sequencing motive that occurs in “Promenade” multiple times. when doing this, I will typically take it at a very slow tempo and gradually speed it up to performance tempo. Another difficult part of the piece for me was the left hand passage of the second section, which plays broken intervals from G that increase in size. The largest interval is a minor sixth from B to G, which is immediately followed by an E in the same hand. I found it a bit of an obstacle to stretch my hand to play the B with my 5th finger and then get my 3rd finger back in place to play the E without hesitation. Repetition proved to be an effective tool with this as well. After a while, I became familiar enough with the distance between these notes to play this passage without looking.

I thoroughly enjoyed preparing this piece for my midterm. I found that the way in which I approach preparing a piano piece is very similar to the way I approach a solo, etude, or excerpt in my trumpet playing. I took the process very slowly and patiently and, in the end, was able to perform “Promenade” successfully.