HELP! I'm playing this piece for my upcoming recital, and i don't understand the music! I dont know what to do right now..well i've got the notes and still working on perfecting the rythem. but i don't understand the style.. i've heard there's all sorts of style to this. but I NEED HELp. ANYTHING you can tell me about this piece would be good =)

And if you played this, then talk to me! yayy

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gAh. i am ..confused

listen to some good recordings for one, also listen to recordings of hungarian folk music, practice this piece with the metronome as many students butcher the rhythm. The piece has to sound like an improvisation, but make sure you do so while honoring the rhythm...

have fun with it, also try practicing without the ties...also practice any minor scales you indentify such as d minor etc that the piece is based upon...

mail me if you need further help...

http://www.alexastill.com/perform/asperf.htm

There is a recording of it there if that helps.
Personally, I like to change up some of the rhythms to accomodate my feel of the piece.

Personally, I like to change up some of the rhythms to accomodate my feel of the piece.

I would not suggest doing that. Composers of modern music generally take great care to notate what they want played, and it is our job as performers to portray what they took the effort to write. It's fine to put your own interpretation on a piece through nuances like tone color, inflection, etc., but actually changing rhythms is not a good way to go about putting your own spin on things. If the composers had wanted something other than what they wrote played, they would not have written what they did, or at least would have included an ossia in the piece.

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Correction: Should read "Composers of modern + Romantic music generally..."

Tiffloser, Chris is correct, you can bend the rhythms but not CHANGE them, otherwise the piece falls apart and the tension disappears, think of a painting, it would not make sense without a frame, and rhythm is the frame for music. If you listen to a good recording of this piece, you can probably put your metronome on and it will be steady...

thanks! yeah. i need to look closely at rythem! Right now i'm listening to the recording..it's really nice. It has a different style than when my teacher played it. hmmm. it's very pretty tho. the recording really helps, because i'm looking for style! OH! and i need to revisit my minor scales. haha thanks patrick. maybe i;ll record my playing and you guys could be my judges! YAY! This is a totally different music than im used to playing.

i;ll give you guys an update soon!!

I have taught this piece to a number of students over the years, be careful not to try to copy the rhythm directly from any recording, learn the rhthym correctly then learn to bend it, rubato, to your liking and in good taste, be sure not to change the rhythm