Interpretation and future repertoire
Lesson time: (1min 46sec)
Course preview
This lesson is part of the course Learn Classical Favourites on Piano
Watch a preview of the full course below.
Lesson transcript:
A Brief Word About Space
We talked about taking space over the melodic line when you've got some difficult leaps. But this is certainly a point worth emphasizing.
Singing vs. Speaking
If you were singing or speaking this as a speech, you could take a lot of time. For example:
"Oh, Danny boy, the pipes are calling from glen to glen,
and down the mountainside.
The summer's gone and all the flowers falling.
Do you see what I'm doing?
It's you, it's you must go, and I must bide."
The Importance of Pausing
You have a full stop. There are times when you can just take a little bit of space to reflect on what you've just played and then move on.
- For example, at the beginning: the pipes.
- This arrangement allows you to appreciate the really deep jazz harmony.
Freedom in Exploration
There's so much freedom and rubato that you can explore here. This is a great piece if you are a straight classical player with visions and aims to explore the jazz world a little bit more.
- Beautiful Harmony: It's got some beautiful harmony.
- Freedom to Explore: It allows you to explore that harmony and even improvise your own simple folk melody with kind of jazz influences.
This piece could be a stepping stone towards learning to play jazz.
About the instructor
Recognised as one of Britain's most versatile and charismatic pianists, Annabel Thwaite enjoys a diverse career as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist, educator and examiner, and has won all the major accompanying prizes, including the prestigious Kathleen Ferrier, Gold Medal, and Richard Tauber Piano Prizes. She has collaborated with renowned artists such as Roberto Alagna, Bryn Terfel, David Kempster and "Only Men Aloud!" Annabel has recorded for Universal records with the "Scottish Tenor", whose album was nominated for a Classical Brit Award and is regularly played on Classic FM. Twice the accompanist for the Festival of Welsh Male choirs, her performances at the Royal Albert Hall were recorded by Sain and have been aired on S4C. She is also a film session pianist, having recorded at Abbey Road the music for the film "Awake", the BBC Jane Austen series "Emma", "The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister" and, most recently, she has appeared on both Blue Peter and "The Rob Brydon Show". "...no doubt helped by the obviously brilliant piano accompaniments from Annabel Thwaite...highly enjoyable." In her MusicGurus courses - Learn Christmas Classics on Piano, Learn Classical Favourites on Piano, and Growing Chamber Groups and Small Ensembles - Annabel shares the musicianship behind that versatile career. You will learn how to bring well-loved Christmas and classical pieces to life at the piano, develop your touch and phrasing, and, drawing on her award-winning experience as an accompanist, discover how to listen, lead and play together when making music with other musicians in chamber groups and small ensembles. read more