Chopin: Prelude No. 8 in F# minor (Teaching & Performance Videos)

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[@DEMIAN-NAIMED]

Chopin was a really intuitive person and I feel that this prelude (along with nos.2,14 and 24) foreshadows a future journey of humanity to the desperation.Totally agree that he's making the piano scream with all those dissonances of the harsh intervals of the seconds and stuff..This is a very stormy and dramatic piece...The fact you mentioned that Chopin was a big fan of Bach is so correct!! I find here an excellent idea to play the skeleton chords so we can have in the ear the naked music that leads in this desperation! It really sounds like an extraordinary choral this way,and sometimes like a gospel song (14:37-15:20)!!! It is also very useful that you are showing us all this beautiful voicing by playing the different parts alone,or in duets,or the main chords with the melody alone,or the bass line with another part and generally so many combinations and ways of listening the voices!! Sally you are just SUPERB!!!

[@SallyChristianMusic]

Hello Demian, it is so great to hear your resonance, insights, and passion for this powerful prelude. I also appreciate your wonderful words about the lesson. Yes, the chordal combinations, especially when heard as isolated blocked chords, border on being frightening. Thank you for mentioning the value of taking the individual voices in different combinations to better hear the complexities Chopin has constructed. Amazing how one short prelude can contain such a cauldron of torment, ... and yes, desperation.

[@shayanpazhandi1799]

oh my god! i absolutely loved this video and i deeply thank you for making it! You are so inspirational and your insight is amazing! i could listen to your words for the rest of time! thank you and please never stop making videos! i wish i could be your student! i am moved! the way you describe the music is just special!

[@SallyChristianMusic]

Hello Shayan, and thank you so much for your beautiful and moving words. I am deeply touched, and grateful that the lesson and the message of the music was received so fully. I will continue to make more teaching videos, and appreciate your encouragement to do so! My very best wishes to you!

[@shayanpazhandi1799]

SallyChristianMusic Thank you ! I will be eagerly looking forward for more videos! 

[@joshpfeiffer2645]

One of my favorite preludes by Chopin. I've always been intimidated by the rhythm of this piece. Now I'm ready to take the plunge. Thanks very much!

[@vesnayuracro]

Amazing and inspirational interpretation in a very competitive level. Congratulations !

[@ytyt3922]

Some very good tips here, particularly breaking up the 8-note groupings in 4 two-note chords. That’s helped me a lot with memorization and also with my comprehension of the melodic patterns, i.e. the inner notes seemed less “random” when employing that method. I have to say, I wish Chopin has used fewer accidentals and instead changed the key signature for several bars when warranted. The flurry of flats, naturals, double flats, double sharps on those tiny inner 32 notes....very confusing to sight read (though eventually one figures it all out).

[@SallyChristianMusic]

Hello Yt Yt, thank you so much for your thoughtful and insightful comment. I really appreciate you mentioning that breaking down the chordal groupings this way was helpful. I found that in doing so, I was also better able to savor the beauty of each chordal combination, especially when practicing the hands alone at a slower tempo. Wishing you the very best as you master this magnificent prelude!

[@cserohs]

....very moving. Appreciate your insight on life and music as a means of expression.

[@SallyChristianMusic]

+Craig Shores Thank you, Craig for your very kind words!

[@jasmineendemann4471]

Thank you so much for making these videos! It helps so much! I'm sure we all greatly appreciate it. You are a wonderful teacher and have helped us, pianists, out a heap! God Bless, Jasmine

[@SallyChristianMusic]

Hello Jasmine, thank you for your enthusiastic & kind words about the videos! I am delighted they are helping, and very best wishes to you, too!

[@recitexpressif]

Brilliant explanation of a beautiful piece of music. Thank you!

[@SallyChristianMusic]

Thank you so much. I was repeatedly amazed as I continued working on this piece and saw so many layers of beauty, mystery, and genius. How lucky we are to have this piece!

[@MrBatraaf]

One of the best online piano lessons I have seen so far. This definitely helped me a lot. Thank you!

[@SallyChristianMusic]

Hello MrBatraaf, and thank you so much for your very kind words! I appreciate you letting me know the video was helpful. My best wishes to you!

[@brianjohnson3850]

This is a wonderful analysis of a great piece of music. I appreciate so much your including the emotional/spiritual qualities of the piece as well as the harmonic and structural aspects. The heart-rending climax in measures 23 and 24 is one of my very favorite moments in music. I've been working on this prelude for about a month, and watching this video gave me fresh incentive to stick with my practice and master the piece. Thank you!

[@SallyChristianMusic]

Hello Brian, Thank you so much for your wonderful comment, and especially for mentioning the emotional and spiritual dimensions. I found every day working on this prelude to be a deeply enriching and uplifting experience. I wish you many fulfilling hours immersed in practicing and mastering this extraordinary piece!

[@charleslaine]

You have been my therapist today. Mind and soul.

[@SallyChristianMusic]

Awesome! Thank you, Charles, for your powerful & much appreciated words!

[@moriscengic]

I love your hair. You nailed it girl. Wonderfull analyses and understanding. Very educational and sublime. Thank you ❤

[@paolofranceschi6874]

Brava sally. Best congratulations, amazing piece. Love from italy. ❤

[@SallyChristianMusic]

Hello Paolo, thank you for your warm and wonderful words! 🙏 I agree, this is an amazing piece! All best wishes to you. 💖

[@ericsteph]

Amazing video....! I'd like to thank you Mrs. Sally Christian. I'm learning the whole preludes, and I found this video extremely insightful!

[@SallyChristianMusic]

Hello, and thank you for your wonderful words. I'm so happy this video was helpful, and I wish you much joy on your journey with the beautiful cycle of Chopin's 24 Preludes!

[@MetaView7]

I can't play this, but I get to appreciate it now. Thank you.

[@SallyChristianMusic]

Hello MetaView7, thank you for your most thoughtful and lovely message. All best wishes to you!

[@stephenn77]

The juxtaposition between all the preludes is amazing! From the relentless swirling vortex of this prelude followed by the rhythmically quirky march of Prelude 9, the preludes are highly compact individual moods within themselves.

[@SallyChristianMusic]

Hello SR707, thank you for your articulate description about this Prelude No. 8. I agree, it is indeed a relentless swirling vortex. What a truly amazing journey Chopin has taken us on with his 24 Preludes! Best wishes to you and to your students. 🎵

[@stephenn77]

It must have been raining a lot on Mallorca when he wrote these…

[@MrTalentwasted]

The way I put it is like this: If he only composed the preludes alone he would be the household name today that he is. Let that sink in for a second.

[@aalb1970]

This is my favorite prelude

[@SallyChristianMusic]

Hello Anders, thank you for your nice comment. I agree- it's one of my top favorites as well! 🎵Best wishes to you.

[@pmathew63]

Great teacher

[@SallyChristianMusic]

Thank you very much! :-)

[@ReedHarrison]

Thank you. I've been struggling with this. I've played alot of Bach but this piece has just blown me away. Excellent lesson

[@SallyChristianMusic]

Hello Harrison, thank you so much for your wonderful and much appreciated words. I agree that this is an amazing piece- one of the most powerful shorter works Chopin wrote. I appreciate your kind words about the lesson, too. :-) Best wishes to you.

[@obrienjohnj]

Beautiful and well presented!

[@SallyChristianMusic]

+John Mles Thank you, John!

[@AAKlavier]

Wonderful lecture--very eloquently presented, thank you for this.

[@SallyChristianMusic]

+AA Thank you! I appreciate your kind words!

[@Querdenker-Traumgefaehrte]

I love your passionate explanation and performance of the great music.

[@SallyChristianMusic]

Hello Querdenker, thank you for your wonderful and much appreciated words about the explanation and performance. 🌺 Very best wishes to you and with your playing. 🎵

[@paultyrrell8060]

Fantastic tutorial thankyou 🙏

[@lucydych9474]

Once again Thank you Sally!! You are a treasure!

[@SallyChristianMusic]

Hello Lucy, thank you so much! You are such a thoughtful and generous person, and your beautiful words fill me with joy! With all best wishes to you and with your playing!

[@1sun1moon1]

聞くことはすごくたのしかったありがとうございます。

[@rubenmartin4172]

Un gran trabajo, excelente explicación y excelentes consejos para una buena interpretación. Una gran generosidad al compartir tantos secretos.

[@SallyChristianMusic]

Muchas gracias por sus amables y generosas palabras. ¡Es un placer ser de ayuda!

[@MrTalentwasted]

In an age where absolutes are discouraged I say without hesitation that Chopin was and is the greatest musician/ composer to walk the earth and 2nd place is not even close unless of course you would consider 2 points that are a few hundred million miles apart close. Just sayin...

[@mariustheepicurean5025]

Absolutes are discouraged for this reason: Your statement is merely an expression of your love for Chopin's music. Saying that he is the greatest composer, does nothing, but speak of your personal conviction of his status. There is no ranking system that moves an artist up or down depending on how many people agree with you. In fact, if everyone agreed with you, it would make your statement no more absolute or objectively true as it was previously. It would merely be a consensus opinion, subject to change.

[@MrTalentwasted]

@@mariustheepicurean5025 How bout a measure by percentage of works as standard repertoire with a minimum of 50 pieces composed? Would that not give him 1st place status?

[@Joris1008]

Thank you very much 💐🙏💝

[@SallyChristianMusic]

Hello Lia, Thank you for your lovely and much appreciated words. You are very welcome! 💕

[@Joris1008]

@@SallyChristianMusic I enjoy your lessons! thank you so much!!💝💝💝

[@SallyChristianMusic]

@@Joris1008 Thank you Lia for your kind and generous words! You are very welcome, it is my pleasure! 🎶

[@1234musictime]

Thank you for an inspirational lesson on this beautiful piece. Because of your video, I began learning this piece in October, 2019, spending 5 to 7 minutes per morning on it and am finally gradually mastering it. I agree with your calling it “desperation”. Does anyone know what Chopin was going through personally when he composed this? Very grateful for your teaching.

[@SallyChristianMusic]

Hello 1234musictime, thank you for your wonderful words about this lesson and my teaching! It is very gratifying to hear that the video inspired you to practice, learn, and master this magnificent prelude. I also appreciate your question as to what Chopin was going through personally when he wrote this prelude. According to the classic biography, The Life and Death of Chopin written by the Polish poet, Casimir Wierzynski, the prelude in F# minor was written in 1832 at a very happy and productive time in Chopin's life. He had risen to the top as a pianist and composer in Paris, and was prolifically composing his Etudes Opus 10, and just beginning a few preludes, including this Prelude No. 8. Two years before this time, however, Poland was undergoing a revolution, and Chopin was stranded in Vienna. He was obsessed and tormented by the war going on in his homeland. He wrote the stormy Scherzo No. 1 at this time, and most likely the Revolutionary Etude. The quality of desperation and frenzy we hear in the F# minor Prelude might possibly reflect these memories when Chopin felt so alone and powerless to help his country which he loved with his entire being.

[@1234musictime]

@@SallyChristianMusic Thank you for that information. It gives greater perspective into the powerful emotion of his music. I will have to read that biography.

[@SallyChristianMusic]

@@1234musictime You are most welcome! It is a fascinating and engagingly written biography. I hope you can locate a copy and read it. I could not put it down, and when I finished reading it, I felt as if Chopin was a close and dear personal friend. I am going to read the entire book again! Best wishes to you and with your playing.

[@mb1781]

Merci from Quebec, Canada

[@fabioaggio]

Thank you very much for this wonderful video. I am really inspired by it. Best Regards

[@SallyChristianMusic]

Hello Fabio, thank you very much for your beautiful words. I so appreciate hearing that the lesson inspired you! All best wishes to you.

[@NhanNguyen-xk3yz]

Appreciate for your kindness to show us such an amazing lesson of this prelude. It would be really nice if someday you would make a lesson upon analyzing the polyrhythm that Chopin used. Thank you

[@SallyChristianMusic]

Hello Nhan, & thank you for your comments and excellent suggestion. I agree that this prelude would be a wonderful example of 4 against 3 polyrhythms, and will consider making a teaching video that demonstrates the use of various challenging rhythms within the context of a beautiful piece!

[@NhanNguyen-xk3yz]

Thank you Miss SallyChristianMusic. It is really nice of you to reply to my comment.

[@phil-icare]

No, it's really a Prelude, not a Etude, in the Bach's spirit (or you can say every Bach's prelude are etudes). You can look at the F#m Bach's Prelude in the first book of Wohltemperiertes Klavier, it's the same melody at the beginning (C# - D C# etc.)

[@tdekeyser]

I do like the link between Bach and Chopin, because they were (for me) the greatest and maybe most important composers for klavier music, even if there was more than a century between both of them. Greetings form Brussels (sorry for my Dutch Fench English)

[@Materva-hv6sz]

so elegant

[@angus2890]

Amazing! It is so wonderful to see how you analyze this piece. It makes it almost within my reach. Thank you so much Sally! Your piano sounds so wonderful even in the video. May I ask what kind of pianos you play on? I am having some Isaac Cadenza hammers put on my Baldwin SF-10. I am also having new strings put on it along with Isaac's bass strings. I heard about you on his site and have subscribed to your videos. So nice to meet you!!

[@FerminMi]

Thank you very much for making this video!

[@SallyChristianMusic]

Thank you, Vext, and you are welcome!

[@MusicalMissCapri]

I definitely see where you're coming from. Pieces like this have the same effect on me.

[@Forgetit2697]

Great lecture on a monumental work.

[@SallyChristianMusic]

Hello Frédéric, thank you for your validating and powerful words. Yes, this is absolutely a monumental work!

[@Forgetit2697]

You're very welcome. I would also like to point out that the chords at 14:55 are very Beethovenian, if one can say such a thing. It has a neutral basis but tends to sink towards tragedy, yet it has a direct tonal link to the underlying motif, a very classic and stern construction. Very interesting how Chopin always tends to do that, especially with his nocturnes, he opens it up with tragic key, dances around the middle section of the piece, then returns to tragedy, a beautiful and unique formation when compared to the works of Franz Liszt, where most of his grand works fall towards the form of a sonata.

[@christoweb]

Meas. 23-24 = Rachmaninov and meas. 27-30 = Schubert. I like that kind of prophecy and tribute in a few notes.

[@carlhopkinson]

Also, the transition to major in the coda is a foreshadowing of the E major of Prelude 10.

[@MusicalMissCapri]

I love that. It is so mysterious.

[@carlhopkinson]

BTW, beautifully played!!!

[@markwpatterson]

I have been "trying" to play this piece for many years. It is by far my favorite Chopin piece. You beautifully present a breakdown of all the things I've experienced with this piece. There are SO many layers. Chopin was a genius. I learned so much from this video & thank you. I practice this piece on my 1923 Steinway Model "M" grand. I highly suspect my piano needs to be restrung & basically rebuilt...but alas, I don't have thousands of dollars in my pocket at the moment. So I muddle through. I'm wondering if you've tried to play this piece on different pianos? Is there a specific "regulation" you prefer for this piece & do you find yourself more "fatigued" on different pianos? I find my hands & arms are super tired at the end of this piece on my own piano. I have never tried playing this piece on a specifically "regulated" piano but would love to see the difference. I suspect this piece is a little easier on the hands & arms when a piano has been regulated to a very "buttery", soft feel. It is an intense, incredibly difficult piece but I absolutely love it & often find myself playing it at the end of a stressful day to relieve frustrations! Thanks again...beautiful presentation. Cheers, Mark in Los Angeles, CA

[@javascriptkiddie2718]

warm up with a slower tempo. some steinways are just heavy, but youll adjust. i thought my first upright was heavy until i played the conservatory practice room grands.

[@AL-id7cn]

How can i improve on the speed required with my small hands :(

[@SallyChristianMusic]

Hello A L, many people, myself included, would love to have the long slender fingers that Chopin had. Even with smaller hands, however, the speed in this piece comes more from using wrist rotations and arm “pull-downs.” This would ideally be demonstrated in person, but in words, this is how the speed is generated: Your arms will pull down the melody notes played by the thumbs. Your hands rock back and forth between the thumbs and 5th fingers in a lateral motion. These motions occur on every beat for the entire piece. The inner fingers 2, 3, & 4, follow along like the spokes of a bicycle wheel. It is the larger rotation of the wheel (the arm pull-downs and lateral motions) that generate the momentum and speed, not the spokes within the wheel. I hope this makes sense, and I wish the best to you and with your playing.

[@michaeltierra6388]

I love your presentation of this prelude. I'm learning it for the first time. I wonder if holding the melody note down is necessary since the pedal has it? I'll give i a try and see how it goes. Your presentation is so full of pssion and conviction and yet musically well informed. Thank you -- a big help.

[@SallyChristianMusic]

Hello Michael, thank you for your very nice words about this lesson! I think it is absolutely necessary to hold down the melody notes, and give every note its full value irregardless of how much pedal is used. By intentionally holding the melody notes, we more accurately play and deliver the directives of the composer. The performance will not have the necessary terraced dynamics if we rely exclusively on the pedal to do this. All best wishes to you in learning this magnificent piece!

[@michaeltierra6388]

Thank you. I studied in Warsaw at the chopin conservatory and they clung to every note.-- emphaszing legato, 'organ style playing' (chopin played the organ in church as a young boy. Fingers routinely replaced each other on the same key to hang on to the legato. However the Taubman rotation method stresses ease, no stretching and claim no difference between using the pedal to connect as opposed to fingers. I appreciate you option immensely and I'm not a purist. I'll do what we all must figure what works best for me.

[@agasgsgsd1061]

This and no.7 are my absolute favourites from Chopin (and mayb the 3rd sonata). Very simple, yet so creative pieces. No.7, you master in about 10 minutes, but this one..; takes a lot more time. I think the hardest part was just to read and memorize it. But your video was very helpful, using your practicing technique i had a lot easier time, fun, and not all that frustration with this piece. :) so thank you #pswouldbangbtw

[@SallyChristianMusic]

+agas gsgsd Thanks for your responses; I'm so glad the lesson helped you!

[@Jantsenpr777]

Brava! Very good interpretation and great insights to study it. I'm currently tackling number 16, in B flat minor. Do you have any ideas on that one. Thanks for teaching us.

[@SallyChristianMusic]

+Joel Seda Hi Joel, and thanks for your nice message! Playing Prelude No. 16 is an ambitious goal, and will be a real tour de force when you can play it up to tempo without getting fatigued. The muscles you will need in order to play this piece well will take time to develop. Like the Chopin Etudes, if you think of it as a "5 -year project," it will help you to stay focused for the long run. Play it every day without fail; it will be well worth it. Best wishes to you!

[@Jantsenpr777]

Thank you, very much.

[@Jantsenpr777]

+SallyChristianMusic To be honest, I have not thought about it as a muscular conditioning program. I've thought about it as a purely cerebral thing. But you're right, the muscles have to be trained, as well a the brain, of course.

[@Jantsenpr777]

+SallyChristianMusic Madamme, sin you gave me your kind advice, I started refocusing my practice time and methods, and it has yielded incredible and immediate fruits. Thank you, very much.

[@Jantsenpr777]

+Joel Seda I should've said since, hahaha.

[@suzyflorida1193]

Brilliant lesson, Sally! I'm presently working on this prelude and I'm going very slowly with it. This lesson definitely will help me. Question: Do you think that even the greatest pianists are keeping the 3 against 4 totally accurate at such a high speed throughout the piece? When I play it up to speed, I can't even tell if I'm keeping the 3 against 4 accurately.

[@SallyChristianMusic]

Hello Suzy, thank you for your very kind words about the lesson! You ask a very good question. When first learning the piece, it is very important to be able to accurately play the rhythms of each hand separately at a slow tempo. The eighth "pulse" in each hand is your guide. When you then put the hands together, you will hear the hands striking together on these eighth note beats throughout the piece. All of the smaller note divisions of groups of 3 notes & 4 notes will easily fall into place from all the careful study and practicing having been initially done. At the finished fast tempo, the ear will not really hear the 3 against 4 groupings of notes as clearly as when played at a slow tempo, but will rather feel the texture and agitation this rhythmic mix makes. Even more important to hear and bring out is the right hand melody, the dominant element of the piece, which creates the character of relentless driving energy. I hope this answers your question, and I wish you much fulfillment and joy playing this great prelude!

[@suzyflorida1193]

Yes, Sally, your answer is very clear and makes total sense. Thank you so much. And let me add this: I happen to love working on such a difficult piece. And I'll never be able to fathom how Chopin (and all the other great composers) could do what they did. And, quite frankly, I don't think anyone can explain that kind of genius. I'm just so thankful for such people. (Scriabin is another one who astounds me!)

[@SallyChristianMusic]

Hi Suzy, you are so welcome, it is my pleasure to be of help! I completely agree, the genius of Chopin, Scriabin, and many others, is in a realm beyond our full comprehension. We can only embrace this music for the gift that it is, and be all the more enriched by having it in our lives!

[@suzyflorida1193]

So true!

[@mauriceamaraggi8098]

Thank you;. Very nice analysis. I would rather speak of "broderies" rather than appogiature. The all piece is built around this system of broderies around an harmonic note. The harmonic structure is quite uneasy with all the chromatisms and enharmonies. I find quite difficult to memorize the piece.

[@SallyChristianMusic]

Hello Maurice, thank you for your nice comment. Yes, one could use the word broderies (the French word for ornaments/ embellishments). You are right about the uneasy harmonic structure and tension created by all the chromaticism and enharmonicity. Regarding memorizing the piece, I recommend that you follow the layout I made for the chart and also use in the lesson. The chart is specifically layed out to group each long phrase as an uninterrupted unit. Notice that the lines ( I call them systems) consist of either 4 measure phrases or two measure phrases, depending on what is happening in the music. For example, you can see that systems one and two are each four measures long. Measures 1 & 2 of system one, and measures 1 & 2 of system two are identical. The changes occur in the third measure of both systems. You can see this, track it, and easily memorize it. Comparing all of the 2 measure phrases on page two and page three will give the same clarity in seeing the patterns of the piece and how it all unfolds. If you can follow this from phrase to phrase, memorizing it will be easier. I hope this helps. Best wishes to you with you playing!

[@mauriceamaraggi8098]

@@SallyChristianMusic Thank you. This is also what I appreciated in your tutorial, you are describing the structure of the piece and not only the pianistic practices necessary to play it. I analysed it completely because this, for me is the only way I can memorize what I am playing. I will most probably never be able to play it as it should because I have a small hand (It seems Chopin didn't have huge hands either but in this case it would help). I hope you will continue to record interesting tutorials like this one showing the craft of the composer. All the very best.

[@SallyChristianMusic]

@@mauriceamaraggi8098 Thank you, Maurice! I appreciate hearing your like-minded approach to learning and memorizing, and also your kind words of support! I will continue to make this kind of tutorial showing the structure and "craft of the composer." Very best wishes to you, and with your journey with the piano!

[@republiccooper]

I find the average piece by Chopin more tricky than the average piece by Liszt.