Tutorial on Improvising / Composing a Chopin Style Waltz
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Michael (Oblongenoir) explores the art of faking musical styles, particularly focusing on keyboard improvisation in the style of famous composers like Chopin. He explains techniques such as cadences, modular phrasing, and chromatic motifs, offering insights into how these elements can be combined to create authentic-sounding compositions. The video delves into historical musical patterns, like Baroque and Classical-era approaches, and demonstrates how they can be adapted. Michael also provides practical exercises available on his Patreon, helping viewers improve their improvisational skills.
Takeaways
- 🎹 The video is hosted by Michael, also known as Oblongenoir, and focuses on faking musical techniques, particularly piano improvisation.
- 🎼 The video offers practice materials, example sheets, and exercises, available on Michael's Patreon page.
- 🎶 Michael introduces a famous improviser named Jean-Jacques Hauser, also known as Tata Roth, who once fooled an audience into believing they were hearing an unpublished Beethoven piece.
- 📖 To develop improvisation skills like Tata Roth, Michael explains that it requires practice and the use of templates or musical devices refined over time.
- 🎵 Michael demonstrates cadences as essential stylistic elements in Baroque improvisation, showing examples in major and minor keys.
- 🎹 He explores how modular musical segments like cadential 6-4 chords and 5-1 progressions can be used creatively in various compositions.
- 🎶 Michael introduces formal strategies like 'additive four-bar modularity,' a common technique in Chopin's waltzes, showing how small musical ideas can be expanded into larger phrases.
- 🎼 He highlights the importance of themes in waltzes, showing how they reappear multiple times throughout the piece, using Chopin's famous waltzes as examples.
- 🎶 Michael explains how Chopin employed chromatic lamento and voice-leading techniques, demonstrating their significance in his works.
- 🎵 The video concludes with Michael’s own musical experimentation based on Chopin’s techniques, encouraging viewers to explore melodic variants and bass lines as practice.
Q & A
Who is the host of the video?
-The host of the video is Michael, also known as Oblongenoir.
What is the video about?
-The video is about how to fake or improvise complex musical skills, particularly focused on classical music and piano techniques.
Who is Jean-Jacques Hauser, also known as Tata Roth?
-Jean-Jacques Hauser, known as Tata Roth, is a musician who famously scammed a concert hall audience in 1968 into believing they were hearing Beethoven's unpublished 33rd Sonata. He was skilled in various musical idioms, especially piano.
What is one of the main focuses of the video regarding music theory?
-One of the main focuses is the concept of cadences, particularly the 5-1 cadence, and how it can be used to structure and end musical phrases.
What technique does the host suggest for building longer musical phrases?
-The host suggests using 'additive four-bar modularity,' where smaller musical phrases are built up by repeating and transposing short ideas to create longer structures.
How does the video explain the use of 5-1 and 7-1 progressions?
-The video explains that both 5-1 and 7-1 progressions are essential for creating modular phrases that can be chained together to form larger sections of music, especially in waltz compositions.
What is the 'Fonte' sequence mentioned in the video?
-The 'Fonte' sequence is a common musical progression that involves moving from the local second degree to the tonic key, often followed by a cadence. It is frequently used in classical music.
How does the video relate themes in Chopin’s waltzes to classical structures?
-The video explains that Chopin’s themes often follow classical structures, such as 16-bar periods, where a sentence-like antecedent is followed by a consequent that closes with an authentic cadence.
What is the chromatic 'Lamento' voice-leading trope in Chopin's music?
-The chromatic 'Lamento' is a voice-leading technique in which a chain of sixth chords is decorated with suspensions, a process often used by Chopin to create emotional tension in his compositions.
How does the host suggest practicing the Chaconne-like progressions found in Chopin’s work?
-The host suggests treating these progressions like a Chaconne, experimenting with different melodic variants over a repeated bass line to explore various possibilities in composition.
Outlines
🎹 Introduction to Faking Musical Improvisation
In this opening, Michael introduces himself as Oblongenoir and explains that the video will explore strategies for faking musical improvisation, specifically focusing on how to emulate famous improvisers. He mentions that the video will provide practical examples, exercises, and resources available on his Patreon page. The first example centers on Jean-Jacques Hauser, an infamous musician who fooled a concert hall into believing they were hearing an unpublished Beethoven sonata. Michael suggests that such improvisational skills are developed over time and that the video will provide a personal view of how to construct similar templates.
🎶 Developing Cadences for Improvisation
This section delves into the foundation of improvisation by focusing on cadences, specifically the importance of the 5-1 progression in Baroque and classical styles. Michael demonstrates how to build a stock of melodic endings that align with this harmonic structure, providing examples in both major and minor keys. He emphasizes the value of learning cadential patterns, showing various four-bar phrases that can be used to create cohesive musical segments. Additionally, he highlights how not every 5-1 progression serves as a cadence, showing its versatility as a pendulum for building tension in musical pieces.
🎼 Modularity and Motivic Development in Phrases
Michael introduces the concept of additive four-bar modularity, explaining how small musical ideas can be repeated and transposed to build larger, cohesive phrases. Using examples from Chopin, he shows how to create eight-bar phrases from two-bar ideas through transposition. He then refines this technique by introducing contrasting ideas, explaining how to develop a 16-bar closed musical period. The section highlights the use of 5-1 and 7-1 progressions, demonstrating their flexibility and how they can be chained together to create extended harmonic sequences, often forming chromatic bass lines.
🎵 Crafting Themes and Melodies for Waltzes
This part explores how to create memorable themes in waltzes, focusing on how main subjects are introduced and repeated like Rondo themes. Michael demonstrates the classical 1-5-5-1 progression in waltzes and explains how it can be traced back to Baroque and classical styles. He offers exercises for analyzing and creating melodic sweet spots over common bass lines, with a focus on counterpoint and voice-leading. He shows how to construct a 16-bar theme from a simple four-bar idea by extending and developing the phrase through repetition, modulation, and cadential closure.
🎶 Chromatic Voice-Leading and Lamento Progressions
Here, Michael discusses Chopin's use of chromatic voice-leading, specifically the 'chromatic lamento' technique. He explains how this progression is built on a chain of sixth chords, often decorated with 7-6 suspensions, a practice common in Baroque music. He analyzes how Chopin uses this technique in a waltz in A-flat major, creating harmonic ambiguity between A-flat and F minor. Michael suggests practicing this progression like a Chaconne, experimenting with different melodic ideas over a repeating bass line. He further explores how Chopin employed this approach across various pieces, creating a sense of variation over a static harmonic foundation.
🎶 Personal Experimentation with Chopin's Techniques
In the concluding section, Michael shares his personal experiments with Chopin’s techniques, particularly focusing on modifying bass lines to create 16-bar periods with clear antecedent and consequent phrases. He reflects on how he adapted the lamento bass line to create his own musical material, emphasizing the importance of understanding harmonic structures and using them as a foundation for improvisation. Michael expresses gratitude to his Patreon supporters and hints at a potential follow-up video to further explore the topic, encouraging viewers to access additional exercises through his Patreon page.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Cadence
💡Modularity
💡5-1 Progression
💡Fonte Sequence
💡Chromaticism
💡Sentence Structure
💡Suspension
💡Counterpoint
💡Lamento Bass
💡Imitation
Highlights
Introduction of the video covering ideas on how to fake musical techniques and a link to additional exercises on Patreon.
Mention of Jean-Jacques Hauser, alias Tartaroff, a pianist who famously scammed an audience into thinking they heard an unpublished Beethoven Sonata in 1968.
Insight that Hauser developed and refined his improvisational style over time, using specific devices and templates.
Explanation of cadences as essential stylistic signifiers in Baroque improvisation, particularly the 5-1 cadence.
Presentation of examples of cadences in both major and minor keys.
Discussion of prolonged cadences and how they can create exchangeable four-bar segments.
Analysis of the use of 5-1 progressions in Chopin's Opus 42 Waltz and Opus 34 No. 1 Waltz.
Demonstration of creating an eight-bar phrase from a two-bar idea using repetition and transposition.
Explanation of building a 16-bar phrase by contrasting major and minor phrases.
Exploration of 7-1 progressions and how they can be transposed to create chromatic bass lines.
Illustration of using Fonte sequences and how Chopin manipulates them chromatically in his nocturnes.
Discussion of themes in waltzes, including how main subjects are structured to reappear throughout the piece like a rondo.
Introduction of Chopin's chromatic lamento, a common voice-leading trope using a descending chain of sixth chords.
Exploration of how Chopin used melodic variants over repeated bass lines, with references to his most famous pieces following this approach.
The closing section emphasizes experimentation with the modified bass line and invites viewers to check out additional materials on Patreon.
Transcripts
[Music]
thank you
hey guys this is oblongenoir I'm Michael
and you're watching an episode about
some of my ideas on how to properly fake
issue Powers all the practice materials
examples sheets and exercises you're
going to see in the video are available
on my patreon page plus a little bunch
of more additional exercises on the
matter link is in the description and
now let's Dive Right In and we're going
to begin with the greatest of the grade
the one and only tartar off what don't
tell me you never heard of this guy
[Music]
thank you well I know it sounds like it
but that's not an original Chopin piece
just in case you haven't seen this
spectacular video of a guy improvising
Azure pound Waltz you gotta watch it the
name of the guy is Jean-Jacques Hauser
more commonly known as the infamous Tata
Roth that on one occasion in 1968
scammed a whole concert hall audience
into believing that they were listening
to the unpublished 33rd Beethoven Sonata
and besides that seemingly was fluent in
literally any given musical idiom as
long as it was linked to the keyboard if
you're asking yourself how such a skill
can be developed I can tell you that you
probably didn't wake up one day and just
pulled it off in this kind of manner but
probably developed and refined this
style over a certain amount of time you
can be sure that he had a certain
template of specific devices that he
drew out of the Shelf when the time was
right and in this video I'm trying to
give a little glimpse into how such a
template could possibly look like of
course from my personal point of view
let's go
just like in Baroque improvisation one
starts with cadences as these are
important stylistic signifiers a 5 1
Cadence won't finish every phrase but
definitely a lot of phrases so I guess
it's clever to have a good stock of
ending Melodies Above This progression
here is a bunch of examples always in
major and minor
foreign
[Music]
foreign
[Music]
but it lies comfortable in edgy keys
[Music]
G minor though feels like this a
prolonged Cadence makes an exchangeable
four bar segment and would include the
cadential 6-4 and the chord approaching
that thing and as there is a whole
repertoire of pre-conditional chords I'm
gonna give several examples so here's
some leaks on four bar cadences
foreign
[Music]
foreign
[Music]
not every 5 1 progression serves as
cadential element it can as well be used
as pendulum which creates a very typical
situation here is a Chopin original
[Music]
I don't know how but somehow I recorded
it in the wrong key so it's actually an
A flat and there is extensive use of
this Lick in his Opus 42 walls
how fast is this actually you just want
to quit the piano honestly and there is
a strikingly similar 5 1 pattern in his
Opus 34 number one needless to say 5 1
patterns like this work as well in minor
keys
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
what I just demonstrated is how you can
build up a bigger musical phrase by a
simple formal strategy that can be
described as additive four bar
modularity a principle you can find in
every Chopin Waltz here is a rather
primitive example that demonstrates how
to draw an eight bar phrase from a
two-bar idea via repetition and
transposition
[Music]
now I want to refine this idea a little
bit the minor phrase is gonna answer
with a new motive as contrasting idea
afterwards I pick up the same major
phrase again and close via four bar
Cadence and just by doing this I obtain
a proper closed 16 Bar period that can
be inserted at any point
[Music]
[Music]
just as useful as the five ones are the
seven ones as those as well make a very
useful and versatile two-bar modules
that can be chained up in a lot of ways
a motivic module could possibly look
like this and can be transposed
separately a compound exercise that
actually already sounds pretty authentic
and idiomatic is to draw an ascending
chain of those throughout related Keys
which makes a chromatic bass line listen
to this
foreign
[Music]
and here is another one and this time
I'll stretch it out into a 16 Bar phrase
as you would see in an original Waltz
the score this time is presented in the
form of a party mental
[Music]
foreign
[Music]
now I'm taking a different Motif and
combine it to this major minor sequence
that's commonly known as faunter
sequence the first module is related to
the local second degree the second one
which lies a whole tone below it is
always the major key tonic and this is
the key that's usually confirmed
afterwards via Cadence
[Music]
in the Nocturne where I borrowed this
model from Chopin's not just doing that
fonte thing he's as well pushing that
motive down the chromatic scale for a
bit which is kind of a radical move that
sounds awesome and like most chromatic
Styles is pretty much transposition
friendly
[Music]
thank you
[Music]
let's talk a little bit on themes as
every Waltz has at least one catchy main
subject that will not just State the
first substantial idea but that as well
will reappear several times like a Rondo
theme throughout the piece
[Music]
I guess at least a bunch of people
watching including myself have played
these Waltz in piano less the initial
four bars form a classical prototype
opener upon the progression 1551 and
usually display a melodic approach of
two corresponding elements and you know
what that very idea can actually Trace
back into the Baroque Era and really
bloomed in The Classical period and I'm
very sure you've heard the following
examples before
thank you and I guess this one is as
well very popular
[Music]
it's a good exercise to take Chopin's
original bass line which is one of the
most common bass lines to this chord
progression and check out the melodic
sweet spots above it these intervals I'd
memorize and save as Contra punzel
guideline here's two different examples
foreign
[Music]
normally doesn't just apply arbitrary
core tones but follows a certain outer
voice scaffolding with preferred sweet
spots in this example the guideline is
very obvious as I try to realize a
smooth Counterpoint by imperfect
consonances that includes as well
contrary motion and now I show how to
draw a 16 Bar theme from this opener
that's going to follow a formal shape
that is very common in Chopin's music in
general the antecedent itself usually
displays a sentence structure that's
driven towards the half Cadence the
consequent though picks up the initial
idea again and then closes with an
authentic Cadence as I want to be
precise I'm going to put together a
concrete example I'm taking the 4 bar
1551 as initial idea the fifth bar
typically inaugurates a motion towards
the half Cadence at the End by
continuing and increasing the motivic
drive and eventually dissolving it into
a stream of eighth notes after the peak
the consequent is a little easier to
create as it just picks up the opener
again and closes via a four bar
cadential module in this case a 3451
Cadence let's listen to this
[Music]
now here is one of my favorite themes
from a post-humus original waltz by
Chopin that concentrates more on
chromatic voice leading but as well as
organized as a 16 Bar period
[Music]
foreign
[Music]
pattern in Chopin's music is a
voice-leading Trope that's commonly
known as chromatic lamento that Chopin
totally embraced adopted in his very own
way and picked up several times the
underlying scaffolding can be drawn from
the football Dawn which basically is a
chain of sixth chords that Chopin
decorates with 7-6 suspensions which was
already a common procedure in the
Baroque era
foreign
[Music]
for a piece that's located in a flat
major this is kind of a daring entry as
this bass line seems more appropriate to
F minor but Chopin chose to close both
eight bar phrases with cadences
confirming a flat so there is a certain
ambiguity in all that which makes this
piece so original a very good way to
practice this progression in my opinion
is tweeting it like a Chacon base to
find the melodic sweet spots and to
experiment with multiple melodic
variants there is a lot of hints
pointing to the idea that Chopin himself
was probably working like this as well
and not just in this singular piece
there is quite a bunch of pieces that
very obviously suggest this kind of
process and these pieces come pretty
close to what I conceive as chakon it's
almost like a secret sub-genre in
Chopin's music where he repeats the same
bass line multiple times with different
melodic variants and as well his most
famous piece to me seems to reflect this
procedure as well really give it another
lesson with this kind of new framing
just a little side note let's get back
to business for my own experimentation I
modified this Baseline in a way that it
would resemble rather more the shown 16
Bar period with the antecedent a
sentence and focus more on the key of F
minor and from that I created my own
stuff here is one version that I was
really pleased with
[Music]
thank you
well I guess that does it for this video
thanks for watching to the very end I
especially want to thank my patrons for
their support this is a big motivation
for me and I appreciate this a lot as I
said at the beginning all materials
you've seen in the video plus a bunch of
more exercises are available on my
patreon site so if you want to get your
hands on this consider to become a
patron as well I know there is a lot of
stuff that as well could have been
addressed and maybe I'm compiling a
second video on the same subject alright
see you next time
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