Recording the Gigue

At long last a sample of the Gigue!

http://renditionsmusic.com/gigue_22-Apr-2008.mp3

In trying to articulate the left hand, there is some unintentional slowing of the tempo. In general my left hand does not seem to be to comfortable when the right hand has trills or sixteenth notes. It is time to:

1. work the left hand alone;
2. practice the left hand louder than the right;
3. lighten up my right hand; and
4. slowly put the tricky passages back together.

Then will all be right with the Gigue?

Fingers Dance a Gigue

Bach ends the Sixth French Suite in E Major with a joyful gigue. Imagining feet taking flight while my fingers do the same as I play this most delightful piece. A description of the gigue follows at:

http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/z3jig.htm

or of the musical form at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gigue

I'm beginning lessons with Tamara Loring* on Thursday. I'm sure that all of the ornamentation I've been so painstakingly putting into my fingers will change. I know that I've said this many, many times - but, I will have a recorded version of the suite before my lessons with Tamara. Will I post them? It was interesting for me to hear how my versions of the pieces - especially tempos - changed after my lessons with Bruce Potterton at Turtle Bay Music School in New York. I will try to be less self conscious about my non polished playing and post my pre-Loring versions on this blog.

*Tamara Loring is a teacher of chamber music and harpsichord in the Bay Area, and a founding member of WEKA. Her chamber music program, Baroque Ensemble Seminars, is a longstanding fixture of the local (San Francisco Bay Area) early music scene.