Learn This Piece in 7 Days while Playing Only 30 Minutes a Day · Similarly to its sister Menuet in...

Learn This Piece in 7 Days while Playing

Only 30 Minutes a Day

HOW TO PLAY AND MASTER MENUET

IN G MINOR, BWV ANH. 115 FROM THE

NOTEBOOK OF ANNA MAGDALENA

BACH ON THE ORGAN

A Step-by-Step Practice Guide for Study

without an Instructor

VIDAS PINKEVICIUS

BEGINNER LEVEL

SECRETS OF ORGAN PLAYING PUBLICATIONS

www.organduo.lt

Vidas Pinkevicius – How to Play and Master Menuet in G Minor, BWV Anh. 115 From

The Notebook Of Anna Magdalena Bach On The Organ

© Vidas Pinkevicius, 2012. All rights reserved worldwide. For more training materials, visit

http://www.organduo.lt Secrets of Organ Playing – down-to-earth tips and advice about how to play the organ

2

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

This is not a free e-book. You may print it for your personal use only. You may not share

it, distribute it, alter it in any way. Thank you for respecting my hard work.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Vidas Pinkevicius is the creator of Secrets of Organ Playing (www.organduo.lt) – a

blog which contains hundreds of articles and other instructional material with tips and

down-to-earth advice about the art of organ playing. He also is an active promoter of

organ improvisation and the art of organ playing and popularizes them through extensive

writing, lectures, seminars, demonstrations, and recitals. He graduated from the

Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre in Vilnius with Bachelor‘s and Master's degree

in Organ Performance. He also holds Master's degree from the Eastern Michigan

University under Dr. P.Ruiter-Feenstra. V.Pinkevicius graduated from the University of

Nebraska-Lincoln with the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Organ Performance where he

studied under Dr. Q.Faulkner and Dr. G.Ritchie. At UNL, V.Pinkevicius has defended his

DMA dissertation on Improvisation of Keyboard Preludes in the Style of J.S.Bach.

V.Pinkevicius won several prestigious scholarships and prizes, including Graduate

Performance Competition at Eastern Michigan University in 2002. V.Pinkevicius

performed recitals in many venues in Europe and the USA, including several international

festivals. He participated in a number of major masterclasses and organ academies in

Sweden, Austria, the Netherlands, USA, and other countries. As a soloist, he performed

with leading Lithuanian orchestras.

Currently, he is the president and co-founder of the National Association of Organists,

teaches at the National M.K.Ciurlionis School of Arts and is the organist of Vilnius

University.

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

Similarly to its sister Menuet in G Major from the Notebook of Anna Magdalena Bach, the

Menuet in G minor, BWV Anh. 115 always fascinates the keyboard players of all levels of

ability. Equally accessible to beginners and the seasoned performers, this wonderful little

gem is full of enormous artistic power, formal balance, and classical tonal plan. In this

video, I would like to share with you the steps necessary to play, practice, and master the

Menuet in G Minor on the organ. This practice guide is fully edited and intended for

instructional purposes with complete fingering, articulation, phrasing, ornaments, tempo,

and registration. Therefore, this score is perfect for study without an instructor.





3

Articulation

The general traditional touch for music which was composed before 1800s is articulated

legato. It is also applicable for this menuet. Writers of the Baroque period used a term

“Ordinary Touch” to describe such an articulation. As a general rule of thumb you might

think of articulated legato as having small distances between the notes. It is not non legato

because the spaces between the notes are very delicate which does not make the music

sound choppy. Actually, this playing manner is quite vocal and Johann Sebastian Bach

refers to it as “Cantabile”.

The authors of the Baroque period called this touch “Ordinary” because it was widely

accepted and there was no need to indicate it in the music score. For this very reason you

will rarely see any articulation markings in early music. But you should not assume that

although the score is clean, you should play everything legato, which some organists still

do even nowadays. The habit of playing legato comes from our background of piano

playing. Actually, people who have experience with articulated legato touch use it for

playing early music even on the piano.

This touch has many similarities to the tonguing of wind instruments and bowing of the

strings. For example, when a violinist uses up and down strokes of the bow we barely hear

the articulation. Nevertheless, we can clearly hear that the notes are not slurred. The same

is with articulate legato on the organ. Although there are small distances between the

notes, we may not even be aware of them unless we pay attention. The ordinary touch can

easily be tested by playing a scale with only one finger but as connected as possible. Then

try to copy the same sound with the usual fingering.

Fingering Paired Fingering. The most famous of all kinds of early fingerings, paired fingering is

used primarily for one voice passages in one hand. It can help to emphasize the meter and

the pulse if used correctly. Paired fingering is based on the idea that the notes on the

stronger beats should be played with stronger fingers. In this menuet the paired fingering

is represented in the right hand using 3-4-3-4-3-4-3-4 fingering. Try to achieve the slight

pulsation while shortening the notes which you play with finger 4. Do not cross the fingers

but shift the position with the entire hand. In other words, move both fingers together as a

unit.

Position Fingering. This type of fingering means that we choose the fingers which would

allow playing the most number of notes without changing position. Like paired fingering,

position fingering is also used for solo passages. Putting the thumb under and switching

to the new position is very efficient way to play such passages.





4

The general rule for the Baroque music is to avoid using thumb (especially in sharp keys).

Also, try to avoid finger substitution and glissando which are best suited for the legato

manner of playing used in Romantic and modern organ music.

Emphasize the Meter

Although the ordinary touch is very important for early music, you need something more

to make this menuet come alive. You need to emphasize the meter and the strong and

week beats of the measure. Because the organ pipes cannot sound louder or softer

depending on the level of strength that you are using with your hands, there are three

primary ways to make accents in organ playing. First, you can make the strong beat longer

which will have the impression of accent on the listener. Second, you can make the weak

beat shorter which will have the opposite effect. Finally, you can come in a little late on the

strong beat which will make it even more accented.

As you can see, not all the notes have the same length in early music. Some notes are

longer or shorter than the others depending on the beat of the measure. In syncopation,

the weak beat becomes accented. Therefore, make the weak beat longer and the downbeat

shorter.

Ornaments

Ornaments in this menuet should be played from the upper note. Do not rush your

ornaments and do not allow them to sound virtuosic. Try to maintain the elegant character

even in playing the faster notes. Do not play the ornaments automatically in the precise

rhythm. They will sound more natural if you hold the first note of the trill or the mordent

longer and play the remaining notes a little faster.

Tempo

Practice at a tempo which allows you to play without mistakes. It could be very slow.

However, as your performance gradually becomes better and better, try to play at the

concert tempo which also should not be fast. The most important thing to remember about

choosing the right tempo is this: pick such a tempo in which you can comfortably count all

three beats in a measure and feel the alternation of strong and weak beats. My suggested

tempo is stated at the beginning of the menuet. Make larger breaks before the stronger

beats which will allow you to emphasize the meter.

Registration Although for practicing purposes this piece can be played on a quiet stop, such as Flute 8‘,

when you perform it in public, you can use Flutes 8‘ and 4‘. In addition, Principal 8‘ might

sound quite well, too. However, feel free to experiment with other combinations of flutes





5

or principals. Because of the elegant character heavy Organo Pleno sound with full

principal chorus and mixtures is not applicable to this piece.

Learning Process Since this menuet can easily be divided into 8 fragments in 4 measures each, it is best to

practice it by playing one fragment at a time. As you practice each fragment, in the

beginning play each of the two parts separately carefully observing that your fingering,

articulation, and ornaments are correct. After you can play each of the parts with precision

and accuracy at least three times in a row, practice combinations of two voices. Only after

you master these parts separately, play the entire fragment with both hands. Try to resist

the temptation to go to the next fragment before you master the previous one.

Before practicing, you can sight-read this menuet on pages 6 and 7 in order to become

aquainted with the music. For your convenience, after the score of this menuet you will

find the exact practicing procedure described above notated in the score. Just follow the

score, play and practice each separate fragment until you master it and when you reach

the end of the page 16, you will have mastered every fragment. The end of each fragment

is notated by the double barline and coincides with the end of each line. As you reach

every double barline, go back and perfect this particular fragment to achieve the best

results.

If you practice this menuet according to my suggestions, you will gradually achieve the

level when you can perform it with precision and clarity. For best results, make sure you

play each fragment at least three times correctly in a row with correct notes, rhythms,

articulation and fingering. After each individual fragment can be played correctly, you can

combine two fragments (8 measures) at a time and make your fragments longer. Later

practice 16 measures at a time and only then play the entire menuet.

Similarly to practicing other compositions in the Baroque style, you must have the

patience and inner motivation which leads to success. However, if you succeed in

mastering this menuet, you will feel the inner sense of certain achievement and you will

have made one step forward towards perfecting your organ playing. Therefore, it is well

worth the effort.

DAY 1: Learn Fragments 1 and 2

DAY 2: Repeat Fragments 1 and 2, learn 3 and 4

DAY 3: Repeat Fragments 1-4, learn 5 and 6

DAY 4: Repeat Fragments 1-6, learn 7 and 8

DAY 5: Play the Menuet by stopping every 8 measures

DAY 6: Play the Menuet by stopping every 16 measures

DAY 7: Play the entire Menuet without stopping

NOTE: The minimum time required for practice is 30 minutes a day but some people may

have to practice longer. The results may vary according to the technical level of the person.

In addition, some people may have to practice longer than 7 days to master this piece.





6





7





8





9





10





11





12





13





14





15





16

CONCLUSION

Congratulations! You have reached the end of this step-by-step guide and mastered this

Menuet.

If you want even deeper mastery of this wonderful piece, you can memorize it. Although

you can memorize the piece using many different methods, I will show you now this

simple and easy system that Marcel Dupre, the master French organist and composer used

in his teaching.

Dupre suggests that we subdivide the piece into fragments of 4 measures. Then the

memorization is done in the following manner. First, learn measure 1. Just repeat it a few

times in a slow tempo, perhaps 5 times looking at the score and 5 times without looking.

Then learn measures 2, 3, and 4 this way. Always finish the fragment on the downbeat of

the next measure.

After learning these 4 measures separately, practice two measures at a time. Combine

measures 1 and 2, 2 and 3, 3 and 4. Again, repeat them 5 to 10 times. Then practice

fragments of three measures: 1, 2, and 3, and 2, 3, and 4. Only then master measures 1, 2, 3,

and 4. Then take another fragment of 4 measures and learn them in the same manner.

Remember to repeat the previous fragments before learning something new. After

learning the piece in these fragments, you can combine 2 of them together and practice 8

measures at a time. Later, take 16 measures, and so forth.

This system is so powerful, but at the same time so simple and easy to implement that if

you use it, you will notice how much faster and easier the whole learning process will

become. The fragments will stick together in larger blocks very easily and you will know

the entire piece inside out.

If you liked practicing this Menuet, you might enjoy my other practice guides from

www.organduo.lt/shop.html.

To your success in organ playing,

Vidas Pinkevicius www.organduo.lt

Learn This Piece in 7 Days while Playing Only 30 Minutes a Day · Similarly to its sister Menuet in...

Documents

Transcript of Learn This Piece in 7 Days while Playing Only 30 Minutes a Day · Similarly to its sister Menuet in...