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| This discussion includes members-only video content Somewhat enhanced version of Margaret's Waltz. Notice the little black object clipped near my fingerboard. That is my D'Addario tuner. I really like it. It is easy to see and it does not have to be removed when putting the violin into the case. It has helped me a lot with intonation. 10 Responses Posted: March 1, 2015 Last Comment: March 3, 2015 |
Replies
Posted: March 3, 2015 |
Elmer, It's a lovely tune. I think what's going on with the rhythm is that Aly Bain's version is very ornamented so it's a little difficult to pick out the fundamental melody by ear, and then trying to fit the ornaments in between the beats is quite a challenge. So kudos to you Elmer! |
Posted: March 3, 2015 |
Elke I love to listen to that Aly Bain recording. Thanks for making an MP3. But his version is too difficult for me to follow along and I don't know for sure the key. I use a simplified version. I usually play in key of A major and come to think of it I think Aly does also because of the quick string crossings. By the way I use offliberty.com to get MP3's and MP4's from YouTube. Also when I listened to the YouTube video using my Behringer Ultracoustic Amp I did get a good listen to the accompanying Guitar and it does reinforce the waltz beat. I did not record with accompaniment. In fact I only made the video to check my playing and after two tries I thought it didn't sound too bad so I submitted it to VL. |
Posted: March 3, 2015 |
Hi Elmer…thanks for sharing this…I haven't played this in a very long time and now I'm inspired to bring it back. THANK YOU Elke for the MP3….I'm going to practice this tune and then use your MP3 to play along….Thanks to both of you. : >) A wonderful tune. Diane in SoCal |
 Elke Meier Posted: March 2, 2015 |
Ha, you are right, this is not a waltz in Mozart's sense :). - And I can understand why Aly Bain is considered THE version. Very, very beautiful indeed! But even without a typical Viennese waltz rhythm, there is this very strong 3-beat underlying the whole piece - you can't help but hear it all the time and at least tap your foot with it. This kind of rhythmic consistency is what I was talking about. I can't remember what you used for playback. But just in case you might have use for it for playalong, I converted the link you sent me and saved the first part as mp3 file. Here it is: Margret's waltz mp3 |
Posted: March 2, 2015 |
Elke, I am glad you brought up the information about waltzes. I love waltzes - both playing and dancing. It is true that I did not play this waltz with the typical "one - two - three" beat used in dancing. I think the definitive rendition of this song is by Aly Bain here: As Aly explains in the video this is not a typical waltz and he does not play it as such. Give a listen and see if you agree. I have a project I am working on to produce a video of myself playing along with a small band (featuring accordion, clarinet and violin). This will be of Verdi's Valtzer Brillante, which is a Viennese waltz and you will hear the strong "one - two - three" when I have completed that. Beth, I am so honored that you made a special video for me. I will definitely follow your advice about setting the scale before I play. Actually an experienced player in a Bluegrass jam gave me the same advice recently. |
 Beth Blackerby Posted: March 2, 2015 |
This discussion includes members-only video content |
Jaime - Orlando , Fl Posted: March 2, 2015 |
Hi Elmer! You are certainly looking more relaxed with your bowing and your violin hold, translating into much better intonation! Keep it up! :0) |
Elke Meier Posted: March 2, 2015 |
Hi Elmer, it is great when playing starts to feel more natural, isn't it? Glad you are experiencing this. I have to share this, maybe you have seen it, but I thought it was so beautiful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvjFVWXPsRo. Maybe you could use it to play along. This will help with intonation as well as with rhythm. I was missing a bit the dancy-ness of a waltz in your recording. When I saw the other rendition I noticed one difference: they play the one of a beat much more distinguishable. I don't have the sheet music, but it sounds like the first note is often a dotted note (don't know the right word in English - the thing where you add half the value of the note by adding a dot after it). This does not come out as clearly in your version - which means it looses some of the waltz-character. I don't know how comfortable you are playing other than sitting. But you could start to dance the waltz while you are playing. This would make it much more obvious where the ones should be more pronounced, or where you start to rush it a bit and thus get a bit out of rhythm. |
Posted: March 2, 2015 |
Beth, thank you for your kind comments and suggestions. I have recently hit a kind of plateau where playing feels very natural and not strained. I am working on a version of Verdi's Waltz in F Major and that has enough challenges that I will consider that to be my "graduation" from beginner to intermediate when I get it sounding right. It might take me a month on that. |
Beth Blackerby Posted: March 1, 2015 |
Elmer, I sure am enjoying watching how nice and fluid your string crossings are. I see some lovely elliptical motions with a relaxed shoulder. Be sure and check your finger placements before you start. At the beginning of the piece I had a hard time knowing what the pitches were supposed to be. But in general, your playing has really improved. I also hear more clearly in your tone because your left and right hand coordination is so much better. Wonderful job! |