Chapters:
0:00 Etude 1 Playthrough
0:33 Etude 2 Playthrough
1:00 Etude 1 Technical and Musical Considerations
1:49 Starting the Etude
2:43 Measures 1-4
3:19 Measure 6
3:28 Measure 7 Roll
3:53 Finishing Etude 1
4:03 Last Note
4:28 Etude 2 Technical and Musical Considerations
4:42 Measure 1
5:04 Measure 2
5:14 Measure 3-4
5:28 Breath Mark
5:42 Measure 5
5:53 Measure 7 and Ending
6:04 Finishing Etude 2
The first etude is a bit more laid back and doesn’t have nearly as much rhythmic intensity as the second. Also note that both etudes have 2 flats in the key signature and begin and end on Bb’s – this means we can probably assume we are in the key of Bb major. Etude 1 is in three-four time, with 3 beats in each measure, while Etude 2 is in four-four, or common time, with 4 beats in each measure.
You should begin with a solid, relaxed tempo in mind so that the first measure is in time. To help achieve this, every stroke on the keyboard should be relaxed, legato, and “flow” into the strokes that follow – try to take every bit of time transitioning between notes to give the impression of “flow”. Just be sure that your mallets are in position to play a vertical stroke straight up and down and not approach any keys from the side (referred to a slice). A common tendency will be to clip the duration of the quarter notes. Subdividing the pulse into 8th notes is one way we can help alleviate that tendency. Just be sure not to speed up the 8th notes as a result!
The first 4 measures have a repeated up and down pattern for the most part. Realizing the general shape of the musical line can help in your note accuracy and general movement. Be careful in measure 4 to also play the and of beat 3 as an Ab as well – although this isn’t marked, the accidentals you see written in music will carry through the entire measure unless otherwise notated. Simultaneously, the crescendo written below is indicating a bit of musical growth so make sure that you do grow in volume here.
In measure 6, let every note speak clearly. Leading into that roll, you can grow a little bit and attack the roll with a smooth hand-to-hand motion. Remember, you don’t have to roll fast, but you do need to roll in a way that the sustain of the note obscures the rhythm of your hands as much as possible. We need sustain from the roll and that’s it. Coming out of the roll, I like to treat beat 3 of measure 7 as an accented release. Approaching the last few measures, every note should be louder than the one before it and let the triplet in measure 9 speak clearly rhythmically with the most growth dynamically. The last roll should be the loudest part of the piece so let it speak. With the fermata, the roll should last longer than 2 beats – you can try to double the duration of the half note roll to 4 beats to give the fermata effect. Feel free to mess around with the timing though.
Just like with the first etude, the second has mostly step-wise movement – this means that most notes will be preceded or followed by the note just before or after it in the scale. Measure 1 starts with a leap from Bb to Eb but then ascends up the scale from the Bb on beat 2. Use the first two beats of this etude to establish a steady tempo. Before you begin, think about how fast these two beats need to be for you to succeed in playing through the etude and mentally run through these two beats before you begin.
In measure 2, notice that your right hand should sit on the accented notes while your left hand ascends up the rest of the scale on the up beats. As you get into measure 3, you almost have the exact opposite movement that was present in measure 1 with some variation. Measure 4 starts out with an Ab that also repeats on the and of beat 2 – again, remember that accidentals carry through the entire measure. At the end of measure 4, you see a breath mark after a short decrescendo. Even though this doesn’t pertain to percussion, it’s still important to remember that you should take breaths and relax as you play through the etudes.
Measure 5 ascends up a chromatic scale in half steps while also growing dynamically – this part is very similar to measure 6 in the first etude – just like the first etude, let the roll be big and use the Bb in measure 7 as a release to roll beforehand. Finishing out the etude, you’re simply waking down the scale with some repeated notes, also taking note of the Ab and Db’s at the end. In the last measure, the Ds and As are no longer flat (as accidentals don’t carry across bar lines) and you finish the etude in the same fashion as the first. Be sure that the audience can hear the two 16th notes before the roll – letting these two notes speak out and grow into the roll will be important!
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