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Beethoven on Board - Sonata No. 3 in C Major
(Op. 2 No. 3)
Pianist and captain of The Piano Boat, Masayuki Tayama, gives a guided tour of Beethoven’s second piano sonata in C major, Op. 2 No. 3. In these seventeen videos, Masa explores background, style, interpretation, technical challenges and practice methods for each of the four movements.
Contents
Author
Masayuki Tayama
Masayuki Tayama has maintained a highly active schedule as both international recitalist and concerto soloist. Tayama’s Wigmore Hall debut early in his career was a sell-out, and he continues to appear regularly at eminent London venues, including Queen Elizabeth Hall, Cadogan Hall and St. John Smith’s Square. He has taught some of the country’s aspiring pianists as tutor at Chetham’s School of Music, and his teaching incorporates the method taught by Sumiko Mikimoto on tone production, muscle relaxation and training for pianists. In 2020, he was appointed Director of the Piano Teachers’ Course UK, the country’s leading professional development course for piano pedagogy. Tayama is also currently in the midst of a project to record Rachmaninov’s complete works for solo piano.
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<h3> <a href="/content/pages/118-elgar-andantino-first-movement-from-sonatina?bundle_url=online-academy&last_viewed=true">Trinity College - Grade 4</a></h3>Here we find the first movement of a two-movement sonatina that Elgar wrote for his niece. It is song-like and gently expressive, calling for sensitivity in shaping phrases and timing larger melodic intervals. The Andantino demands careful listening in the balancing of the hands, the accompanying left hand, while quieter,... Read >>
Nocturne in E-flat
<h3> <a href="/content/pages/43-nocturne-in-e-flat?bundle_url=online-academy&last_viewed=true">Op. 9, no. 2</a></h3>Frédéric Chopin’s Nocturne in E-flat Op. 9 No. 2, has long been a favourite of both pianists and audiences with it's richly-ornamented melody, supported by exquisite harmonies in the left hand. This From the Ground Up walk-through provides a detailed guide to learning this piece efficiently and with understanding and... Read >>
Allegretto (from The London Sketchbook, K. 15hh)
<h3> <a href="/content/pages/58-allegretto-from-the-london-sketchbook-k-15hh?bundle_url=online-academy&last_viewed=true">Trinity College - Grade 4</a></h3>Mozart was 8 years old on a trip to London when he wrote this charming little Allegretto in F major in minuet-style, with a trio section in the minor. The video demonstrates how to use quarantine practice for difficult spots, and how to apply bar-by-bar chaining for secure learning. Various... Read >>
Für Elise
<h3> <a href="/content/pages/140-fr-elise?bundle_url=online-academy&last_viewed=true">(Bagatelle No. 25 in A Minor)</a></h3>This evergreen miniature of Beethoven scarcely needs any introduction at all, since Für Elise is known to the world at large. What beginning piano student does not itch to play it, pestering their teacher long before they are ready? This video walkthrough and article shows how to use quarantining and... Read >>
Waltz in A minor
<h3> <a href="/content/pages/106-waltz-in-a-minor?bundle_url=online-academy&last_viewed=true">Trinity College - Grade 4</a></h3>Grieg’s Waltz in A minor is full of character and contrasts, and not without its challenges - especially concerning how to use the pedal. In this video I show how to organise the pedalling in order to make some of the joins possible without covering over Grieg’s slurs and staccato... Read >>
Partita No. 1 in B-flat Major (BWV 825)
This set of resources provides walkthroughs for movements from Bach's Partita No. 1 in B-flat Major (BWV 825) featured in the ABRSM examination syllabus. Menuets I and II (ABRSM Grade 6) make a beautiful contrasting pair of dances whereas the Gigue (ABRSM Grade 7) is unusual among Bach’s Gigues -... Read >>
Allegro (from Fantasia no. 1 in D major)
<h3> <a href="/content/pages/108-allegro-from-fantasia-no-1-in-d-major?bundle_url=online-academy&last_viewed=true">Trinity College - Grade 6</a></h3>Georg Philipp Telemann's Fantasia in D major, on Trinity’s Grade 6 alternative syllabus, is a worthy piece and a lot of fun to play. This video shows some of the principles involved in making decisions regarding dynamics, articulation, touch and expression and looks at several options for interpretation based on... Read >>
Jacques Ibert - Little White Donkey
Le petit âne blanc (The Little White Donkey) is the second piece from Jacquest Ibert’s set of ten pieces entitled Histoires and requires plenty of imagination to play it with the necessary colour and vibrancy. This video walkthrough and article shows how to use quarantining and other practice tools to... Read >>
Prelude in C minor (BWV 999)
<h3> <a href="/content/pages/158-prelude-in-c-minor-bwv-999?bundle_url=online-academy&last_viewed=true">ABRSM Grade 4 – A1</a></h3>Built from a harmonic progression and originally written for lute we can recreate some of the resonance of that instrument either by short touches of pedal, or by overholding some notes of the broken chords.... Read >>
Minuet in D major, K. 355
<h3> <a href="/content/pages/109-minuet-in-d-major-k-355?bundle_url=online-academy&last_viewed=true">Trinity College - Grade 7</a></h3>Mozart’s Minuet in D, K. 355 features chromaticism that is surprising even to our ears (imagine what it must have sounded like to the listener of the day!). The piece is conceived as an ensemble piece for string trio, and we need to have this sound in our ear as... Read >>
Diabelli - Moderato Cantabile (from Sonatina in F major, Op. 168 No. 1)
<h3> <a href="/content/pages/98-diabelli-moderato-cantabile-from-sonatina-in-f-major-op-168-no-1?bundle_url=online-academy&last_viewed=true">Trinity College - Grade 5 (Alternative)</a></h3>The first movement (Moderato) of Diabelli’s appealing Sonatina in F is a model of sonata form in miniature, an ideal way to teach form and structure to the intermediate pianist. In this video I demonstrate the art of finger pedalling in the left hand alberti patterns and show how to... Read >>
Invention in D Minor No. 4 (BWV 775)
Bach's Inventions (in two parts) and the Sinfonias (in three parts) were written for the Bach’s eldest son, Wilhelm Friedemann and are played throughout the world by intermediate players and concert artists alike. This video walkthrough and article shows how to use quarantining and other practice tools to approach two... Read >>
Little Prelude in F
<h3> <a href="/content/pages/45-little-prelude-in-f-?bundle_url=online-academy&last_viewed=true">BWV 927 (From the Notebook for Wilhelm Friedmann Bach)</a></h3>Bach’s lovely Little Prelude in F is a harmonic prelude, essentially an elaborated chord progression. In this article, the basic harmonic skeleton of the piece is gradually fleshed out, allowing students to understand its simple underlying structure, and to work systematically on its various layers.... Read >>
Two Short Pieces
This series features two popular short pieces by William Alwyn, The Sun is Setting and The Sea is Angry which are both ideal for the intermediate level.... Read >>
Intermezzo in B minor (Op. 119 No. 1)
<h3> <a href="/content/pages/101-intermezzo-in-b-minor-op-119-no-1?bundle_url=online-academy&last_viewed=true">Trinity College - Grade 8</a></h3>In 1893, Brahms wrote his last work for the piano, a set of four piano pieces, op. 119. The Intermezzo in B minor is the first piece of the set. As a composition it is full of riches, arousing keen interest in composers and scholars (including Arnold Schoenberg) as they... Read >>
Fantasy in D Minor K397
This video provides a section by section waltkthrough of Mozart's Fantasy in D Minor K397 (sometimes referred to as Fantasia).... Read >>
Lyric Pieces
<h3> <a href="/content/pages/2-lyric-pieces?bundle_url=online-academy&last_viewed=true">(Op. 54)</a></h3>Grieg wrote his famous Nocturne (Night Piece) in the summer of 1891 during his annual country retreat to the Norwegian mountains and fjords. Along with five other pieces, he included the Nocturne in Book V of his Lyric Pieces, Op. 54.... Read >>
Ecossaise in E-Flat (No. 4 from Six Ecossaises, WoO 83)
<h3> <a href="/content/pages/157-ecossaise-in-e-flat-no-4-from-six-ecossaises-woo-83?bundle_url=online-academy&last_viewed=true">ABRSM Grade 3 – A1</a></h3>A lively dance in 2/4 time, an ecossaise is actually the French word for “Scottish”! Flexibility in the right hand is necessary to avoid tension, and flexibility in the pulse (while not indicated in the score) is essential to bring grace and elegance at the start, and then some forward... Read >>
Prelude in B Minor (Op. 28 No. 6)
<h3> <a href="/content/pages/113-prelude-in-b-minor-op-28-no-6?bundle_url=online-academy&last_viewed=true">ABRSM Grade 6 - B2</a></h3>Chopin’s dark, somber Prélude in B minor is much more difficult to play than it looks. This video demonstrates how to approach this piece technically and musically with particular attention to the pedalling which requires a lot of thought... Read >>
Tarantella (No. 4 from Musiques d’enfants, Op. 65)
<h3> <a href="/content/pages/159-tarantella-no-4-from-musiques-denfants-op-65-?bundle_url=online-academy&last_viewed=true">ABRSM Grade 5 – C3</a></h3>Prokoviev’s Music for Children was composed in 1935 and contains 12 pieces with descriptive titles. The Tarantella is one of the best examples of this type of dance piece, featuring spinning patterns in both hands and plenty of quirky harmonic and rhythmic features that make Prokoviev’s style so engaging.... Read >>