Color In My Piano

Rallentando & Ritardando: What’s the Difference?

joy (admin) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:42:01 +0000

Ever wonder about the difference between rallentando and ritardando? Well, I did….so I decided to look into it and add my two cents to the debate. =)

According to the Music Dictionaries…

Many musical dictionaries simply state, “slowing down” as the definition for both rallentando and ritardando. Some state that the two words are synonyms. However, I would still like to think there is some slight difference in meaning or emphasis between the two words. After all, they are two different words in the Italian language. And composers have been making use of both words in their compositions for centuries. So I decided to do a little more digging.

According to the people on the web…

Some people (here too) state that rallentando is a more gradual slowing down than ritardando. However, it’s not clear whether they mean that the ritardando is to occur over a shorter period of time than the rallentando, or whether the ritardando is a greater slowing of the tempo than a rallentando over the same period of time. One person on this forum compared a rallentando to coasting to a stop in your car and a ritardando to braking to a stop. There is a lot of debate on various forums on the internet, but very little is conclusive.

According to the Italian-English Dictionaries…

Upon entering the words into an Italian-English Dictionary, I found these definitions:

Ritardare: “be late, wait, retard, lag, stay, lose, delay, set back, defer, put off.”
Rallentare: “slow down, reduce speed, slacken, slow, die down, decelerate, check, put back.”

Bingo! There is a difference. Ritardando seems to be a deliberate slowing or being late, while rallentando seems to be more of a letting go or dying away.

Well, so what?

The difference is a subtle but important one, methinks.

A couple of examples: The end of a Bach piece would probably require a ritardando in order to create a deliberate, final-sounding ending to the piece. I can think of some Debussy and Liszt pieces, however, where a rallentando might be more appropriate, to give the effect of dying away, drifting away, or perhaps falling asleep. The rallentando, I imagine, is often accompanied by a diminuendo, and should probably be more gradual than the ritardando in many cases. However, the crucial difference between the two seems to be one of musical intent and effect.

To get this all confirmed, I suppose we’d need a native Italian speaker. However, I like to think that we’re on the right track — or at least we’re closer to the real answer than if we’d assume they meant precisely the same thing! It’s something to think about.

Photo credit: dannysullivan | CC 2.0

Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom

joy (admin) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:11:29 +0000

“It is a mistake to think that the practice of my art has become easy to me. I assure you, dear friend, no one has given so much care to the study of composition as I. There is scarcely a famous master in music whose works I have not frequently and diligently studied.“

– W.A. Mozart

Every Wednesday brings Words of Wisdom here at the Color in my Piano blog in the form of a musical quote or joke, intended to bring inspiration or humor to the middle of your week. Have suggestions? Send an email off to admin[at]colorinmypiano.com.

Building Your Studio: What to Say on the Phone

joy (admin) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 11:15:01 +0000

When potential students’ parents call, do you struggle with figuring out what to say on the phone? What information are they looking for, anyway? This post offers some ideas and suggestions.

First, offer basic information about your studio.

The idea is to give them some details about how you run your studio, without overwhelming them. Some ideas:

How often and how long are lessons.
About other studio events: i.e., group lessons, the Spring Recital, the Christmas Party, the Summer Music Camp, etc.
About other perks of your studio: i.e., lending library, SAT testing, lab time, incentive programs, etc.
A little about yourself: how much you enjoy teaching, how long you’ve been teaching, what your teaching philosophy is (in a nutshell), or what your goals for your students are.
Cost of tuition (save for last whenever possible), and what forms of payment are acceptable. Specify whether or not the cost of books and materials is included.

Offer Sources for Further Information

Once you’ve given them general information about your studio, you can then:

Direct them to your studio website. There, they can perhaps find more studio information, your bio, pictures, audio files or videos, and forms/handouts such as your Studio Policies.
Offer references. Talking to happy parents of current students is a great way to learn more about the studio.
Offer a f ree trial lesson/interview with no obligation. This not only allows the parents/student the chance to meet you personally before making an obligation, but also allows you the chance to meet the student before officially accepting them into your studio.

Before hanging up, be sure to ask if they have any other questions. And always thank them for calling, whether or not they sound interested in taking lessons with you or not.

Tip: If you are like me and get a little shy/nervous on the phone, try making yourself a little list to keep by the phone. =)

What kinds of things do you make a note of telling potential students/parents?

Photo Credit: tylerdurden1 | CC 2.0

Just Added: Student Achievements Record Printable

joy (admin) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 11:26:59 +0000

Just added to the Printables > Studio Business page:

Student Achievements Record

This printable is designed for the teacher to keep records of each students’ achievements, including the completion of music books, the completion of notable pieces of repertoire, the performance of a piece for an audience, and other achievements. Keeping such a record is helpful for the teacher to track and evaluate student progress and participation from year to year.

Suggested use: print a page for each student and keep the pages in alphabetical order in a 3-ring binder.

Enjoy!

Interpretation & Staying True to the Score

joy (admin) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:22:02 +0000

What difference does it make how closely you follow the markings in the score?

Listen to these two recordings and see what you think!

This is a concert etude by Franz Liszt entitled, Waldesrauschen (meaning, Voices in the Woods).

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pENsficQ81k

www.youtube.com/watch?v=teFMIzxET3w

The first version is played by Josef Hofmann and the second is by Claudio Arrau.

While both versions are obviously incredibly virtuosic and impressive performances, I personally prefer the second version over the first. And not just because it’s a slower speed. But it strikes me as more expressive. There’s more rubato and Romanticism. I think I can actually hear the “voices in the woods.”

I would also like to point out however, how you can truly hear the markings in the score in the second interpretation. For example, the LH melody in the opening 15 seconds of the piece contains a couple of phrases that each contain a note with a tenuto. Can you guess which note of each phrase has the tenuto, without consulting the score?

Another example, during one of the tumultuous middle sections, there are two crescendos marked in two consecutive measures (2:35 in the first YouTube video; 2:30 in the second). Arrau truly takes the time to make these come out.

Occasionally, I will have a student who thinks they are doing the dynamics, but in actuality it all kind of sounds the same. I mean, you can sort of tell they are doing them, but not really enough to notice. And so I ask my students: “Do you think an audience member who has never seen the score would be able to tell you what the dynamic markings are, just based on what they are hearing? You have to really exaggerate the differences in order to make them noticeable.”

Anyway, I think it’s really fascinating to listen to various interpretations of the same piece -- to get inspired to create my own personal interpretation!

Tension and Piano Playing

joy (admin) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 11:17:40 +0000

Just recently, I’ve realized that when I play piano, I hold a “knot” of tension in my back, in the space between my shoulder blades. Upon this realization, I have begun making a conscious effort to release this tension while I am practicing – which I have to do constantly. It’s obviously a bad habit that I’ve been unaware for a long time!

Interestingly enough, it seems to be related to another issue which I’ve been aware of since my freshman year of college: I tend to raise my right shoulder when I play, especially in anticipation of difficult passages in a piece. Raising my shoulder, however, actually hinders my arms/fingers in those difficult passages rather than helping. I have to remind myself not to “freak out” in anticipation of those upcoming passages so that I keep my shoulder comfortably in place.

Now that I am focusing on releasing the newly-discovered tension in my back, however, I have found that the shoulder problem is occurring less. It seems that I may have found the root of the issue! My back feels better, which means my shoulders are feeling better, which in turn means my arms and wrists are feeling better. And difficult passages are going much better than ever before, which is amazing to me!

Do you deal with tension when you play? Have you been able to identify the root of the problem? I am very interested in hearing more about how to prevent/deal with tension!

Photo Credit: Phineas H | CC 2.0

Just Added: Scales & Primary Chords 4 (DbC#GbF#)

joy (admin) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 11:12:28 +0000

Just added to the Printables > Worksheets page:

Scales & Primary Chords 4 (DbC#GbF#) Worksheet

This worksheet is a continuation of set of worksheets that practice writing out scales and primary chords on the staff (click here to view the first one which is for the keys C, G, D, and F, click here to view the second one which is for D, A, E, and Bb, or click here to view the third one which is for Bb, Eb, Ab, and B).

Ideally, this worksheet is designed for the intermediate+ student who is already familiar with the scales and primary chords for the keys of Db, C#, Gb, and F# major, and perhaps could use some review in writing them out on the staff. However, this worksheet could also be used during a group lesson while introducing these ideas for the first time.

Terms/concepts covered in the worksheet:

An understanding of key signatures for Db, C#, Gb, and F# major.
Practice writing out scales.
Practice writing out primary chords.

Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom

joy (admin) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 11:35:00 +0000

“The sonatas of Mozart are unique; they are too easy for children, and too difficult for artists.“

– Artur Schnbel

Just Added: Scales & Primary Chords 3 (BbEbAbB)

joy (admin) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 11:12:23 +0000

Just added to the Printables > Worksheets page:

Scales & Primary Chords 3 (BbEbAbB) Worksheet

This worksheet is a continuation of set of worksheets that practice writing out scales and primary chords on the staff (click here to view the first one, which is for the keys C, G, D, and F, or click here to view the second one, which is for D, A, E, and Bb).

Ideally, this worksheet is designed for the intermediate+ student who is already familiar with the scales and primary chords for the keys of Bb, Eb, Ab, and B major, and perhaps could use some review in writing them out on the staff. However, this worksheet could also be used during a group lesson while introducing these ideas for the first time.

Terms/concepts covered in the worksheet:

An understanding of key signatures for Bb, Eb, Ab, and B major.
Practice writing out scales.
Practice writing out primary chords.

One more worksheet in this set is on the way!

Just a few updates…

joy (admin) — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 14:49:45 +0000

Just a few updates……

On the post about the Summer Piano Mini-Camp a few weeks ago, Jennifer commented: “I have been toying with offering something similar on a regular basis. Do you happen to know anything about insurance issues for students?” What a great idea – and what a great question! I have to admit I don’t know anything about insurance options. Perhaps some other readers do, though! Click here to view her comment.

Also: please take a moment to leave a comment on the August discussion topic: Keeping Students Motivated. Someone needs to be brave and start the conversation!! =D

Happy weekend, all!

Color In My Piano

Rallentando & Ritardando: What’s the Difference?

Related Posts:

Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom

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Building Your Studio: What to Say on the Phone

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Just Added: Student Achievements Record Printable

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Interpretation & Staying True to the Score

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Tension and Piano Playing

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Just Added: Scales & Primary Chords 4 (DbC#GbF#)

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Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom

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Just Added: Scales & Primary Chords 3 (BbEbAbB)

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Just a few updates…

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