10 Short Lessons on Chopin's 3rd Ballade (ft. Michelle Cann)

0:00 A favorite Ballade
0:23 #1 Introducing characters
1:26 (Happy birthday Chopin!)
2:14 #2 One note can make all the difference
3:36 #3 Make the right hand sparkle
5:29 #4 What is that beautiful sound?
9:17 #5 Push and pull
10:35 #6 Twists and turns
12:10 #7 Suspense and syncopation
14:33 #8 It’s all in the left hand
16:27 #9 Your hand knows an octave
19:18 #10 Let it go
Watch Michelle's full Chopin Ballade course: app.tonebase.co/piano/home?tb...
Michelle's website: www.michellecann.com/
Michelle's Curtis faculty page: www.curtis.edu/person/michell...
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[@amychen8911]

I enjoy this artist’s passion and deep love and understanding of this Chopin ballade! Thank you, Tonebase, for making this amazing tutorial and all videos in your channel accessible to classical musicians world wide.

[@dmp7252]

Yes! Her playing is meaningful, purposeful.

[@thesteve7397]

As a Chopin fanatic I love the enthusiasm that Ms. Cann shows for Chopin and this piece in particular. Her phrasing and dynamics are beautiful, and the performance advise she gives is excellent.

[@Khaliszt]

18:40 I got chills listening. She is a MASTER of the craft and knows this piece to the most intricate details, to be able to make it sound this good. Hats off.

[@24colorsoft]

I would love to hear her analyze Ballade No. 1! More of her please!

[@christinek4375]

I really love her! She is absolutely musical and lyrical! Definitely talented and gifted! Bravo!

[@Nathaniel_Peterson]

I think it's incredible how the most subtle of nuances can change the emotion of a piece of music. What she mentioned in the very beginning about the music describing characters in a story was also quite insightful and reminds me of something I read recently: "Music is speech."

[@jisyang8781]

Duh it's ballade. Right there in the name.

[@toothlesstoe]

​@@jisyang8781lmao

[@gfally96]

Love this! She conveys the technical aspects of her playing and the emotional intuition of a seasoned musician. I deeply identify with her philosophy of following the music rather than needing to prove yourself. Wonderful!

[@svrfan]

she can explain while playing, epic!!

[@tedl7538]

Wow Michelle, your talent, enthusiasm and joy are so infectious to experience. You're a great teacher who so vividly conveys the idea that technique, art and emotion are all joined at the hip. Well done! 🎹

[@andersonvieira12]

I've no words to describe how I love Mrs Michelle Cann! How expressive!!!!

[@AseliaTOP]

This is spectacular teaching! Great focus on the main sections while being concise and engaging to listen to. Would love to see more from her.

[@bachopinbee5991]

What a lesson! Crying my heart out and smiling at the same time. The love she jas for this music is so infectious. Thank you everyone

[@Eristhenes]

Wonderful to see people of color in classical music. As a pianist of color, my dream is to have programs introducing children of color to classical music. I would love to see her in performance. Her approach is so engaging and warm. Makes me want to go and pull out the ballade number three. Damn you guys every time I see a video I want to go pull out a different piece of music, lol.

[@ciararespect4296]

Better than drill music lol

[@mouisehay930]

Why are you primarily interested in introducing classical music to coloured children? Surely the racial bias distorts the humanistic message common to great music.

[@Eristhenes]

@@mouisehay930 wrong questions get wrong answers.

[@TomCL-vb6xc]

@@mouisehay930 No implication that they want to prioritise children of colour over anyone else. They only said that they would like to see more pianists of colour in media because that has a really positive impact on encouraging children of colour to get involved in the field of classical music - a predominately white field. Nothing at all problematic about what they said.

[@Michelle6998832]

I totally agree! She is a great teacher & very engaging. Thanks for your wonderful comment. 😊 🎹 🌹 💐

[@michaelsmith697]

This is a most BRILLIANT lesson !! Congratulations on your excellent presentation and enthusiasm. I have been a piano teacher for 45 years and I studied this work in 1983 at university. It’s a beauty! I just wish I had the opportunity to work with you on this piece. You’re so inspirational!

[@alhfgsp]

I love her choice of words describing the progressions and developments in the music.

[@Bear-of1on]

Michelle I can't tell you how beautifully you play this Ballade by Chopin....the way you analyze the mood and character of this dynamic composition is remarkable. The Curtis institute must be thrilled to have you as an instructor. I'm just learning of you here. I, too, am a Philadelphian and a great admirer of Chopin's music. I would love to see you in performance one day. Thank you for your masterful lesson my love ❤️🤩

[@gderghi]

This woman is gorgeous. Pls same work on number 4!!!!!

[@Bailey2006a]

This was a wonderful treat. It is always gratifying to see another Black classical musician / teacher… particularly a pianist , my instrument . Unfortunately, we are still comparatively small in number. Again, this was an unalloyed pleasure. Please do more…

[@gixelz]

we need more of you, please.

[@amiaow]

What an incredible lesson, thank you Michelle and tonebase!

[@iamsoulsister]

Ballade No. 3 is my favorite Chopin Ballade. From one Queen to another, thank you Michelle! 🤎

[@sofiae8123]

Ms. Cann not only tells you how to execute these incredible sounds, her imaginative palette of color and sound brings everything to life in this Ballade which can sound so trite in the wrong hands. The structure is so important in this piece as in all of the Balades. Ms. Cann, how I wish that my student could study with you, but unfortunately, it's so hard to get into Curtis. I'm telling her that when the time comes, she should bring in something meaningful to her pre-screening video. Thank you!!!

[@SR71YF12]

Great lesson! She clearly loves this piece, has plenty of interesting things to say about it, and it seems to me that she has a natural affinity with the music of Chopin, the music just flows. There is a great interview with her (in two parts) at Living the Classical Life. I highly recommend it for musicians and non-musicians alike, for there are many gems in that interview!

[@nintendianajones64]

Thank you for reminding me that the 3rd Ballade is my favorite and will always be.

[@jaspernatchez]

Finally, a real piano teacher.

[@Hervinbalfour]

Proud of this sistah for representing. This piece brings back bad memories. My second memory slip up during a recital after fifteen years of performing.

[@DLPlanes]

Incredible thank you for making this video. She essentially made one of my favorite ballades 23 minutes long, I could rewatch this over and over.

[@quadricode]

Prof. Cann's touch and control are incredible!

[@nickk8416]

Ms. Cann you are fabulous! Such a wonderful and joyful coach. I played this 20 years ago and I must come back to it again and take your advice to heart. No wonder that you have such an important position at Curtis. I am forever a big fan of Curtis Alumni Jorge Bolet, Samual Barber, Abbey Simon and Shura Cherkassky. Not to mention Mr. Serkin. Best Regards. Thank You for this.

[@toddandrews2222]

What a great tutorial, her passion and deep understanding of this piece is amazing. It's a piece I've been working on for a year now, I am going to take her thoughts and suggestions into my practice and finishing of the piece!!

[@bjb0808]

This video is the first time to meet Ms. Cann. She is incredible. I love her, love the teaching, love the expression. Wow, just beautiful. ❤

[@elizabethcanales7170]

Outstanding!! I love her depth of knowledge and *passion* for the music! I could listen to her all day. Thank you

[@_PlainPiano]

Never closed so quickly Rachmaninov piano Concerto n.3 by Yunchan Lim. Thanks Tonebase for the constant upload of this incredibile videos, love them all 🤍🎹🎶

[@rickythe2nd63]

This lady is FANTASTIC! Brava, Madame! Brava!!!✊🏾👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@garlyn3302]

I love her! What a great lesson! She is so articulate, conveying very clearly both technique and expression. More!

[@elizabetherickson6073]

I studied this piece- in fact I played it for my senior recital. I’m blown away by your incredible teaching!!!!!! I am motivated to go back and learn again. Can’t wait for more videos from you.

[@plwatchermediagrp5037]

Such beauty in your playing and spirit you bring to every note. Magnificent!

[@stabernz]

Fantastic teaching style, and beautiful playing. I hope I can find a teacher like her!

[@chipesh]

Love your enthusiasm for this wonderful piece that "blew me away" as a teenager. Wish I could get the sensations it gave me then but it still gives me the tingles at 70 !

[@StaceyFoxx]

Never come across this style of teaching, it’s mind blowing 👌🏿

[@jessevallejo8797]

Maybe because you're not at that level yet? The pianists they teach are already accomplished pianists. They don't need to learn how to play notes, they need to learn how to interpret & what technique to use to achieve that goal.

[@StaceyFoxx]

@@jessevallejo8797 Ok

[@KingstonCzajkowski]

@@jessevallejo8797 Or maybe because Cann has a unique style of teaching?

[@jpage99999]

Ok that was just wonderful. She did a superb job so full of music, not just the notes, she made it all come alive and really warned the heart ❤️. Thank you so much

[@BernardTheArtiste]

This was PHENOMENAL!

[@nowkentapplegate5315]

Guess it's because I've had horses in my life but what she says is a dance literally sounds more like being on the back of a horse ruminating and reflecting perhaps between epsodes but most people can't relate to it that way today.The chacter introduction was very astute, and I love her commiment and energy.

[@frederickgestwicki9787]

This video made my day, Miss Cann! THANK YOU!

[@margarethansen7480]

Thanks for this wonderful and passionable masterckass, Michele and Tonebase❤❤️👏👏

[@michaelgonda8924]

OMG Michelle Cann!!!! I love you, seriously amazing session and you are such a wonderful and emotive player. Wow....

[@thegreenpianist7683]

Love her energy and passion towards the music. Very infectious! Wonderful insight.

[@8shervan857]

You are such a creative and passionate individual. Thanks for your priceless instructions🌻

[@Gallahaut]

I love Michelle Cann! She's a huge inspiration to me with collaborative piano 🎹🎹🎹

[@nehuge]

Even pronounces ballade correctly. Then proceeds to crush it. She is epic

[@jordidewaard2937]

How else would you pronounce it? Is there an American way of pronouncing it or something?

[@Y2J75]

I’d normally say ballad lol ballade is just different for me. x)

[@jordidewaard2937]

@@Y2J75 Interesting. I'm European and a close neighbour to France, so maybe that's why we use the proper pronunciation? We also use other 'musical terms' (prelude, intermezzo, interlude, nocturne etc) and more often than not pronounce them as we would in French (with some exceptions lol)

[@nehuge]

@@jordidewaard2937 there’s ba-lid, then buh-lawd

[@marcmitchel25]

The E changes the pronunciation...

[@corgisrule21]

I LOVE how she plays and describes everything 🥹❤️

[@kevintownsend3840]

My first time seeing and listening to Mrs Cann and wow very passionate about her art and her presentation was grand.

[@sdoowramaj]

I've seen you twice in concert in Asheville! You're an absolute treat to hear and to watch. I teach piano for your sister!

[@scottguo1222]

makes me wanna bring back the Ballade 3. I really do miss that piece amongst all the ballades

[@MacphersonAghah]

Brilliant illustrations. I'm very impressed

[@gixelz]

this is my favorite ballade. i'm so glad you did this video...i'm attempting it right now, but i know my skill level won't make it through the coda...but that isn't stopping me from trying my favorite piece. thank you!

[@meropale]

Smokin'! I love the way she explains things.

[@JohnSmith-oe5kx]

At 4:57, the reason that accenting the Fs makes it “sparkle” is that the F makes a suspended chord that demands to resolve down to E (C major). So it is tension-release all the way up the keyboard

[@smb123211]

Every time I hear Michelle speak about a piece I go, "Crap! Now I've got to start over from an entirely different perspective!" LOL The nuances and stories you bring out and your obvious joy and the poetic description as the melody unfolds is just exhilarating! I truly never thought of the fingering in that way so as to emphasize certain notes or phrases vs a smooth flow of sound. Thank You!

[@marcrivadulla2380]

What a great video, this is how all should be.

[@fhl60]

Wow! Great playing and teaching!

[@ashwinithakur720]

It is a privilege to be able to listen to your teaching Ma'am. And your analogy of wrong peddling to hiccups is so apt!...

[@davidbutlin9505]

Inspiring and imaginative teaching!

[@drakestube]

This is fantastic.

[@EmdrGreg]

Gorgeous playing, and excellent teaching.

[@mikesmovingimages]

23:30 "I'm not trying to prove anything to the world!" Amen!

[@JayMSinger]

I just heard Michelle Cann playing the Price concerto with the New World Symphony in Kravis Concert Hall, Palm Beach. To say her performance was overwhelming would be an understatement. The (usually) sedate audience leapt to its feet and Maestra Cann complied with an incredible variation on a Chopin theme for her encore. I've been learning Ballade #3 for months and each day of practice reveals more to me. Her lessons were also revelatory. Thank you!

[@sosoramishvili9408]

woww its soo professional that u have so small fingers but still play it with 0 struggle by technical side and also making music its just amaizing i appreciate ty for those videos XD

[@RolandHuettmann]

Love you joyfulness. ))) Great lesson going beyond dry explanations. And right, the left hand is so important in Chopin's music. Thanks so much... )))

[@jcceledon33]

What a beautiful explanation!

[@jacquesduplessis6468]

AMAZING!

[@Qin2win]

OUTSTANDING! The passion!

[@1389Chopin]

Excellent - i see why she at curtis - this was such an interesting video. Please can she do no1 g min? She made me appreciate this piece in a new way and articulated things ive never heard before - bravo - love it

[@bobgold57]

Really gets into the magic of this work. Love the camera work too. A lesson like this on the Barcarolle would be great.

[@eenayeah]

Great video. This is my favorite ballade as well

[@pyrokinetikrlz]

damn! that was awesome! Lots of stuff that us beginners can start thinking about!

[@heidialina]

You play so beautifully! Wonderful lesson - thank you!

[@TheClassicalSauce]

This lady understands music.

[@Michelle6998832]

Great teacher & magnificent skills 👏🏻 👌🏻 👍🏻 Thank you! 🌞 🌹 🎹

[@emilywang8636]

she is so lovely!

[@88888RM]

Brilliant!

[@peter5.056]

My recording of this ballade is on my channel, in a rather unfinished form....some note errors and such, but this video really makes me want to completely overhaul my performance of it;)

[@vaughangarrick]

She's convinced me to look into this piece.

[@soundbonz]

So good!!! Thank you.

[@PianistStefanBoetel]

Her trills 😮❤️

[@avivyoukerharel2140]

Omg, I played this piece two years ago, still the hardest piece ive played EVER, I wish I had this video then! I still cant belive ive managed to play the highlight section, it was soo difficult.

[@gervasiomontenegro569]

Fantastic

[@user-ji6ye7bj7o]

Fantastic!!

[@noneyabidnes4726]

What an entry!

[@bifeldman]

Very charming.

[@SStone-dm7es]

Michelle Can really play piano -so beautifully

[@the_eternal_paradox]

a video on the 3rd ballade??!?!!? and on (the day after, admittedly) Chopin's birthday?????? I feel blessed, what an amazing teacher and lesson :)

[@jonathan130]

Chopin, most elegant composer in history

[@sibeleira]

What a great teacher!!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@pianotutoring6954]

She’s very good and folks if your teacher isn’t showing you these kinds of things at the lesson , get a better teacher!! Carry on.

[@dr.noodles4868]

Michelle is my new favourite teacher right after Seymore Bernstein. More of her please!

[@alexfriedman7904]

I NEEDED THIS SO BAD THANK YOU SO MUCH

[@curtisinstitute]

Amazing video!

[@andre.vaz.pereira]

Great video. Love her passion for phrasing. Notice that Cortot's edition mentions the poem Switezianka by Adam Mickiewicz has source of inspiration (and that schould be your first lesson on this Ballade). My piano teacher told me the all story section by section from the poem to every section of the ballade, but the best thing is to read the poem by ourselves and be creative in our interpretation (i also recomend Cyprien Katsaris masterclass where he describes the all story just like i learned it)... Another thing is Chopin's pedaling in section 6:26... Unfortunatly she's not following the correct pedaling... I would say 90% of pianists ignore Chopin's pedaling of this Ballade in that same spot. At 12:31 Chopin marks sostenuto, so the tempo has to come down in this section (usually pianists play it even faster...). Thanks a lot for this video!!

[@tonebasePiano]

Thanks for the comment! I have to recommend now that you go and watch Michelle's full course on the 3rd Ballade, because she frames the entire thing in terms of that Mickiewicz poem (which is also known as 'Undine'). I didn't include in this edit simply because it's a thread that runs through her whole course and it wasn't so easy to make it extract and synthesize! It's also worth pointing out that there's never been any definitive evidence that Chopin Ballades were inspired directly by specific Mickiewicz poems, and actually this very same poem as been associated with the Second Ballade! Also on the tonebase platform you will find Gary Graffman (another Curtis person) describing the entire legend of Lake Świteź and how it applies scene-by-scene to the Second Ballade.

[@andre.vaz.pereira]

@@tonebasePiano Thank you for the reply! I also have a video connecting Switezianka to the 2nd Ballade, nevertheless Cortot's edition is still the most important since it dates from 1929. There is also the book "The Polish Ballade" that addresses this issues about the 2nd and first Ballade. We can only guess... Keep up with this videos!

[@jbondy6395]

@@tonebasePiano I have a different take on the "program" for this piece after reading the biography of George Sand, Chopin's lover. The "Raindrop" prelude is known as a depiction of their vacation in Majorca. It features a repeated A flat/G sharp, like this Ballade. They took a donkey cart up into the mountains, like the C Major section of this Ballade. The mountain path became scary, with rock slides, as in the f minor section. They danced and partied, like the next A flat section. Chopin had nightmares, like the C sharp minor section. Then does he wake to a glorious morning? I don't know for sure, but it helps me when I play the piece.

[@carlhopkinson]

Stunningly beautiful creation from the amazing mind of Chopin !!!

[@wedemeyerr]

This Woman is Amazing 👏😍❤️🙌