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Piano Question

Blogs > Zelniq
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Zelniq
Profile Blog Joined August 2005
United States7166 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-11-19 00:20:14
November 19 2009 00:12 GMT
#1
[image loading]

This is in 4/4 time. This only concerns the upper staff, but both staffs are treble clef.

In the 1st and 3rd measure, it makes no sense to me how there's a whole note E and then another E after. The whole note should already fill the entire measure given the time signature.

My main question is how would you play the 1st and 3rd measure? Are you supposed to play the E up until the next E, where you lift your finger off and then play it again?

ModeratorBlame yourself or God
Jonoman92
Profile Blog Joined September 2006
United States9104 Posts
November 19 2009 00:14 GMT
#2
That's weird. Since it's tied I don't think you're supposed to hit the note again so I don't know what is meant by having the additional half+dot note in the 1st measure, and the half note in the 3rd measure.
phosphorylation
Profile Blog Joined July 2009
United States2935 Posts
November 19 2009 00:16 GMT
#3
It simply has been carelessly notated (seems like some new age music)

It would be best to do what you propose. Otherwise, it would sound quite strange indeed.
Buy prints of my photographs at Redbubble -> http://www.redbubble.com/people/shoenberg3
searcher
Profile Blog Joined May 2009
277 Posts
November 19 2009 00:16 GMT
#4
Most likely it's two melodies at once, so the time signatures don't "interfere". I think although its placement on the upper staff doesn't suggest it, you'd play first E with the left hand, and the second E with the right hand. Could be completely wrong, haven't played piano in a while.
Zelniq
Profile Blog Joined August 2005
United States7166 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-11-19 00:23:19
November 19 2009 00:16 GMT
#5
On November 19 2009 09:14 Jonoman92 wrote:
That's weird. Since it's tied I don't think you're supposed to hit the note again so I don't know what is meant by having the additional half+dot note in the 1st measure, and the half note in the 3rd measure.


well that can't be it, because when I hear the official MP3 that came with this sheet music, I can definitely hear the dotted half (1st measure) and half note in 3rd measure being played, but I just can't tell if/how the whole notes were played

edit: it's also a slur not a tie
ModeratorBlame yourself or God
Zelniq
Profile Blog Joined August 2005
United States7166 Posts
November 19 2009 00:22 GMT
#6
On November 19 2009 09:16 searcher wrote:
Most likely it's two melodies at once, so the time signatures don't "interfere". I think although its placement on the upper staff doesn't suggest it, you'd play first E with the left hand, and the second E with the right hand. Could be completely wrong, haven't played piano in a while.

i think this is right, which makes sense because the bottom staff's chords are all whole notes, you're probably supposed to play it with left hand then switch to right on the given notes
ModeratorBlame yourself or God
meeple
Profile Blog Joined April 2009
Canada10211 Posts
November 19 2009 00:22 GMT
#7
The notation is a little skanky, but they're asking you to basically play two hands with one hand, They're telling you to play the whole notes with your thumb and the melody with your other four fingers, and when you get back to the E, just repeat it and hold until the end of the measure.
d3_crescentia
Profile Blog Joined May 2009
United States4054 Posts
November 19 2009 00:26 GMT
#8
My personal interpretation is that it's suggesting use of sustain pedal to hold that E. I see this every now and then and no one's ever really called me out on it for doing it that way. Could be wrong though.
once, not long ago, there was a moon here
phosphorylation
Profile Blog Joined July 2009
United States2935 Posts
November 19 2009 00:27 GMT
#9
If you want to be really elite and be super faithful to the score (which I don't think it deserves since it's so badly notated), here is an option:

Press the E very carefully and softly so that it doesn't sound. Press the middle pedal (sostenuto pedal, which uprights usually don't have) immediately after you do this. Then, immediately follow by playing the initial chord of the excerpt. If you do this correctly (and it's difficult, I will tell you), only the E should be sustained even when you take your hands off it, as long as you hold the middle pedal. When the second E appears in the measure, you can play the E and have it sound again (louder), without having a break in between.

Very elaborate and probably not what this simplistic piece meant to indicate.
Buy prints of my photographs at Redbubble -> http://www.redbubble.com/people/shoenberg3
phosphorylation
Profile Blog Joined July 2009
United States2935 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-11-19 00:34:58
November 19 2009 00:31 GMT
#10
On November 19 2009 09:22 Zelniq wrote:
Show nested quote +
On November 19 2009 09:16 searcher wrote:
Most likely it's two melodies at once, so the time signatures don't "interfere". I think although its placement on the upper staff doesn't suggest it, you'd play first E with the left hand, and the second E with the right hand. Could be completely wrong, haven't played piano in a while.

i think this is right, which makes sense because the bottom staff's chords are all whole notes, you're probably supposed to play it with left hand then switch to right on the given notes


Very doubtful. If this were the case, they would have placed the E on the bottom clef, along with the triad. (In this case, if the editor/publisher knew what he was doing, he would need to encircle the second E with parenthesis -- indicating it is there but should not be played again -- or alternatively, notate it as if it were two different, non-overlapping notes)
Buy prints of my photographs at Redbubble -> http://www.redbubble.com/people/shoenberg3
meeple
Profile Blog Joined April 2009
Canada10211 Posts
November 19 2009 00:32 GMT
#11
I'm not sure why people are suggesting forgetting about the bass clef, or using the middle pedal... just hold it with your thumb and play the other part with your four fingers...
OpticalShot
Profile Blog Joined October 2009
Canada6330 Posts
November 19 2009 00:33 GMT
#12
You get this a lot especially if the piece was originally intended for some orchestration/ensemble (say, a string quartet) then someone arranged it for piano solo. You can do the sustain pedal method with the grand piano as d3_crescentia and phosphorylation said, or if you don't want to, just simply playing the second E again is fine. Just make sure your E's don't sound out of place (i.e. keep your phrases smooth) because if you're using a damper throughout the bar, your second E can sometimes sound loudly-out-of-place.
[TLMS] REBOOT
Zelniq
Profile Blog Joined August 2005
United States7166 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-11-19 00:39:42
November 19 2009 00:35 GMT
#13
this might help to figure it out? i still can't tell though:



and the full first page of the music (as you can see the picture above is the 2nd measure of this piece) :
[image loading]
ModeratorBlame yourself or God
Zurles
Profile Joined February 2009
United Kingdom1659 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-11-19 00:42:24
November 19 2009 00:41 GMT
#14
I can play this whole song through, and I don't even understand your question.

About that weird symbol by the left hand bit, no idea what it even means, as you can tell I'm self taught and have no actual musical knowledge.
phosphorylation
Profile Blog Joined July 2009
United States2935 Posts
November 19 2009 00:42 GMT
#15
I think you might be fussing over little too much over this. Just hold it as long as possible until you need to play it again.

Measure 15 looks even more problematic: not only is only holding that C sharp with your finger impossible, it again is being played again on the LH multiple times while its being held.

I say drop this nonsense and go play some mozart instead.
Buy prints of my photographs at Redbubble -> http://www.redbubble.com/people/shoenberg3
liosama
Profile Blog Joined October 2007
Australia843 Posts
November 19 2009 00:47 GMT
#16
On November 19 2009 09:42 phosphorylation wrote:
I say drop this nonsense and go play some mozart instead.


lol
Free Palestine
SchOOl_VicTIm
Profile Blog Joined September 2004
Greece2394 Posts
November 19 2009 00:49 GMT
#17
I don't understand why you're so confused by it. It's 2 different voices written together.

You basically have a Soprano singing E-C-E while an Alto sings E the whole time on the background.

As it's heard in the video, the note is supposed to be pressed again, cause it's part of the melody the Soprano sings. I'm not sure if you're supposed to do any weird tricks like phosphorylation described, since I'm a guitarist, but I'd save me the trouble and just press the damn note again :p Just try to imagine in your head, as I said, two different voices singing together. That's the effect you want to have in the end when you play it
mrmin123 *
Profile Blog Joined January 2004
Korea (South)2971 Posts
November 19 2009 00:50 GMT
#18
It's a final fantasy music piece I don't think anyone is going to go and call you out on how your pedaling or whatnot is incorrect
Translator태양은 묘지위에 붉게 떠오르고 / 한낮에 찌는 더위는 나의 시련 일찌라!
Zelniq
Profile Blog Joined August 2005
United States7166 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-11-19 00:52:07
November 19 2009 00:50 GMT
#19
On November 19 2009 09:42 phosphorylation wrote:
I think you might be fussing over little too much over this. Just hold it as long as possible until you need to play it again.

Measure 15 looks even more problematic: not only is only holding that C sharp with your finger impossible, it again is being played again on the LH multiple times while its being held.

I say drop this nonsense and go play some mozart instead.

after listening to the song again and reading about the sostenuto pedal, i think that's exactly what's going on, including the C sharp in measure 15. too bad I dont have that pedal!

btw i chose this piece for my piano class final, I guess you're right that it doesn't really matter how I choose to play that
ModeratorBlame yourself or God
meeple
Profile Blog Joined April 2009
Canada10211 Posts
November 19 2009 00:52 GMT
#20
Yeah I take what I said back... definitely the sostenuto pedal, Bar 15 gives it away
phosphorylation
Profile Blog Joined July 2009
United States2935 Posts
November 19 2009 00:57 GMT
#21
No, now that I've listened to it, the player is just using normal pedal to hold everything, until the E is played again.
I really doubt the player is using the sostenuto. Unless he uses it in the extremely elaborate way that I described (which I think would be noticeable), the sostenuto pedal would hold everything that is played at the same time E is played, and hence would be NO DIFFERENT from using the normal pedal.
Buy prints of my photographs at Redbubble -> http://www.redbubble.com/people/shoenberg3
Khenra
Profile Blog Joined January 2009
Netherlands885 Posts
November 19 2009 00:57 GMT
#22
It's not badly notated, it's simply two melodies. One of the melodies is two eight notes followed by a 3/4 note = 4/4. The other melody is a whole note = 4/4. Makes perfect sense.

Now, as to actually play it, I'd hold the sustain pedal after you play the A in the first measure until you play the E, and then quickly let go of the sustain pedal. Then again, I'm a bad piano player.
This signature is ruining eSports.
jiabung
Profile Blog Joined December 2007
United States720 Posts
November 19 2009 00:59 GMT
#23
In the song they clearly repeat the note instead of sustaining it throughout. I've seen this before in piano sheets and I think the composer just wants to convey that the melody would ideally have that note sustained, but is impossible due to the piano only having one of each note. It is just to show a certain mood, and is also consistent with measures 1 and 3 which actually are physically possible.

I'm pretty sure this happens all the time in classical music as well. Many times there should be a note sustained throughout an entire measure, but yet you have to play it again as an eighth note or something. It's to show how the music should sound to the listener and at higher levels it actually helps to have the music appear consistently with the melody rather than have it appear differently on the page just because it's impossible to play it that way.
phosphorylation
Profile Blog Joined July 2009
United States2935 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-11-19 01:04:26
November 19 2009 00:59 GMT
#24
On November 19 2009 09:57 Khenra wrote:
It's not badly notated, it's simply two melodies. One of the melodies is two eight notes followed by a 3/4 note = 4/4. The other melody is a whole note = 4/4. Makes perfect sense.

Now, as to actually play it, I'd hold the sustain pedal after you play the A in the first measure until you play the E, and then quickly let go of the sustain pedal. Then again, I'm a bad piano player.


Then, the A would be held over as well, unless you cut it off prematurely, in which you cannot preserve the legato.

Now, what about that measure 15? Have fun with that lol.
Buy prints of my photographs at Redbubble -> http://www.redbubble.com/people/shoenberg3
kaleidoscope
Profile Blog Joined December 2008
Singapore2887 Posts
November 19 2009 01:05 GMT
#25
Play the E note, and use pedal throughout the 4th measure..

The 2nd part of aerith's theme LH is full of triplets lool.. The song is simple but good luck..
대지따라 돌린게 시간이다.. 흘러가고 돌아오지도 않고..
EtherealDeath
Profile Blog Joined July 2007
United States8366 Posts
November 19 2009 01:16 GMT
#26
On November 19 2009 09:50 Zelniq wrote:
Show nested quote +
On November 19 2009 09:42 phosphorylation wrote:
I think you might be fussing over little too much over this. Just hold it as long as possible until you need to play it again.

Measure 15 looks even more problematic: not only is only holding that C sharp with your finger impossible, it again is being played again on the LH multiple times while its being held.

I say drop this nonsense and go play some mozart instead.

after listening to the song again and reading about the sostenuto pedal, i think that's exactly what's going on, including the C sharp in measure 15. too bad I dont have that pedal!

btw i chose this piece for my piano class final, I guess you're right that it doesn't really matter how I choose to play that


Well since you are screwed by pedal, you can always play the C# with your left hand. There are random times when things have to be ad hoc'd like that, for example in this one Chopin ballade I had to play two notes with one finger on my left hand because it was impossible for me to reach otherwise.
phosphorylation
Profile Blog Joined July 2009
United States2935 Posts
November 19 2009 01:22 GMT
#27
That is a possibility. But it still does not solve the bigger issue of it being repeated multiple times while being held.
Buy prints of my photographs at Redbubble -> http://www.redbubble.com/people/shoenberg3
Trezeguet
Profile Blog Joined January 2009
United States2656 Posts
November 19 2009 01:46 GMT
#28
100% sure--> Play the doted half-note so you will strike the E twice in both measures.

It is notated like that to show that you should hold down the 1st E as long as possible and then quickly strike it again for the 2nd beat
JFKWT
Profile Blog Joined December 2008
Singapore1442 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-11-19 03:27:46
November 19 2009 03:25 GMT
#29
On November 19 2009 10:05 kaleidoscope wrote:
Play the E note, and use pedal throughout the 4th measure..

The 2nd part of aerith's theme LH is full of triplets lool.. The song is simple but good luck..

u'll probably be pedalling almost every bar to get the effect of bells anyway rite?
edit: ok more like every phrase, my bad
The calm before the storm / "loli is not a crime, but meganekko is the way to go!"
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