Chopin Waltz in A Minor B150: How to Play the Grace Notes and Trills plus fingering options (video2)

Have you ever wondered how to play all of the grace notes and trills in this beautiful waltz by Chopin? As a piano teacher, I have lots of students with the same questions.
This short video goes over the different ways to interpret the grace notes and trills in this piece and offers fingering options for each. Explore the fingerings I offer, and also see if you have your own that work just as well.
The video is presented in a chronological format, addressing every grace note and trill in this beautiful piece.
00:00 intro
01:40 Measure 4
04:41 Measure 12
04:54 Measure 18
06:49 Measures 19, 20
08:04 Measure 21 (**there is a separate video for this measure)
08:15 Measures 22, 23
08:21 Measure 28
08:25 Measure 34
09:58 Measure 35
10:22 Measure 36
10:55 Measures 38-39
11:15 Measure 44
11:19 Measure 51
13:11 Measure 55
Please subscribe for more videos including Quick Tips, scales, technique and repertoire!
Thank you for watching!
www.olympiapiano.com
www.jenniferbowmanmusic.com
If you found this video helped you, please consider a contribution of any amount to help grow this channel.
Graciously accepted at PayPal.
[e-mail]

[@fredrickpritchardpiano4103]

How fortunate your students are! Most teachers simply present one "correct" synchronization and fingering for such ornaments. By providing a number of options you stimulate students to THINK, and discover what's best for each personally!

[@OlympiaPiano]

After teaching for so many years I have learned that there are many options! Thank you for your support

[@bstewert1]

My thoughts exactly. I used to think there was one "correct" way, including fingering, until I watched THIS video. Excellent presentation!

[@henri2222]

I admire the fact that you respond in details to all of the questions in the comments! Not everyone takes time to do that thank you very much

[@OlympiaPiano]

Thank you for watching and commenting--I am grateful to those who watch my channel and certainly if there is a question, I would like to help if I can! So please feel free to ask anytime--best wishes

[@beverleymccarthy8319]

Excellente video.. Would have loved to see you play the piece...😊Thankyou for sharing🙏🌻

[@OlympiaPiano]

Thank you -- I hope to post that some day. Hope this goes well for you!

[@juliansmantillap8767]

Very useful video, thanks for existing!

[@OlympiaPiano]

Glad you found it helpful and thank you for taking the time to comment! Best wishes with this piece!

[@lindajones3427]

Thank you so much for the explanations for each of the ornaments in this Chopin waltz. I was tearing my hair out researching how to play each one and here you have given great insight and instruction in a concise and understandable way! I can now practice with assurance that I am doing the ornaments correctly and can use the fingering that is best for me.

[@OlympiaPiano]

Thank you for taking the time to write--I am so glad it was helpful. Sometimes these pieces can be so tricky because there are so many opinions on how things can be played. Please let me know how things turn out for you!

[@pssoft7]

Thank you. Really need this. 😊🙏

[@OlympiaPiano]

You are welcome, hope this piece goes well for you!

[@nedseegoon1486]

Thank you so much, teaching this beautiful valse.... Otherwise I would quit it.... BUT your support is so amazing. Thank you so much❤

[@OlympiaPiano]

I am so glad you found this helpful. Please don't quit--Chopin is worth it! And keep me posted on your progress!

[@RuPaulable]

Excellent video! Thank you so much. I've been struggling with grace notes and this helped big time!

[@OlympiaPiano]

Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know--sometimes these little things can be confusing. Best wishes with your piano playing please let me know how this turns out for you!

[@BrianSmith-ow9gy]

Beautiful hands. Just lovely.

[@OlympiaPiano]

Thanks! That is years and years of practice. P.S. Full tutorial on this piece in the works

[@thewordbtrue2461]

Thank you😊

[@OlympiaPiano]

Have fun with this piece!!!

[@josephchilds2958]

Hello Jennifer, Thanks for the wonderful ideas and instruction, just when I was trying to figure it all our for the waltz. Joe

[@OlympiaPiano]

I am very happy to hear that this helped you out! Best wishes with this piece!

[@elisoara-narcissatoma7483]

Very useful ! Thank you !

[@OlympiaPiano]

Very glad I can help you please keep me posted on your progress!

[@elisoara-narcissatoma7483]

@@OlympiaPiano ok... best regards !

[@samih1135]

Thanks a lot for the great video! I’m a late beginner and currently learning this piece..my instructor wants me to play the trill in measure 55 with 4&5! I disagree simply because trills are somewhat new to me plus it sounds really bad plus those fingers are slow and I won’t catch up with the tempo. I’ll be following your advice😁.

[@OlympiaPiano]

I am so happy that you are learning this piece--I find 4 & 5 difficult for trills in general (and will do almost anything to avoid that combination!!!) Any other questions please reach out and thank you for taking the time to comment--best wishes

[@bencheng9506]

So brilliant! Thank you so much!

[@OlympiaPiano]

Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment! Stay tuned for an upcoming course for purchase on this piece. Best wishes

[@kapilyoutube]

This is an extreme treasure trove for me as a beginner! Do you have any video on how to practice trills or ornaments so they become faster and musical? It’s a much desired skill for advancing. Thank you so much!!

[@OlympiaPiano]

Thank you very much for your kind comment. Glad this helped you out. I think my favorite technique exercises are the Boris Berlin Essential Daily Exercises. There is an exercise for trills in each of the 20 levels. I think it is #5 or 6 in each one. Link to playlist is here--best wishes to you. kzbin.info/aero/PLAcL_V1g3FExZTET6KtOOoqx_nPTwYWHR

[@user-cy6xl3vd3f]

This is probably the most helpful piano video I've ever watched, thank you so much 👏 for the last trill, I'd like to know if it is viable to do it with 2-3-2 and then playing the Eb directly with the middle finger.

[@OlympiaPiano]

Thank you for watching. To answer your question, no I wouldn't recommend the last trill 2-3-2 then play the D# with finger 3. You could do a short 3 note trill with 2-3-1 and then cross over to 3 on D# or you could try 2-3-2 trill and putting your thumb on the Eb and see if that works. The transition from the end of the trill to the D# needs to be smooth with no gap. Hopefully this makes sense and let me know what you come up with!

[@getchoo32]

Great video, thanks!

[@OlympiaPiano]

Thank you for watching and hopefully it helped!

[@elysantos5297]

Thank you very much ❤❤❤

[@OlympiaPiano]

you are most welcome! Please let me know how you are progressing!

[@abdelouahedmaarouf7203]

Thank you so much

[@OlympiaPiano]

I am very happy that this helped you out--it is such a gorgeous piece of music. Best wishes and thank you for taking the time to comment!

[@bquintb]

Helpful. thank you.

[@OlympiaPiano]

So glad you found it helpful and thank you for watching my channel!

[@izabellamardo1074]

Ótima explicação adorei

[@OlympiaPiano]

Thank you!

[@sfrskznbr8311]

Thank you for this perfect instructive video. It helped a lot ! one quoestion: I cannot find the video related with the measure 21, could you please let us know the title?

[@OlympiaPiano]

Thank you very much for watching--glad this helped you. Here is the link to the measure 21 video kzbin.info/www/bejne/eqDEcoBpmrqHmaM A tip for the future--I have all of my tutorials on repertoire on a playlist called Piano Quick Tips and now am adding a playlist for specifically Chopin pieces--hopefully this will be helpful for you. Let me know how it all works out and best wishes!

[@sfrskznbr8311]

Thank you so much ❤ I will try and let you know 🌸

[@jacksonamaral329]

very good.

[@OlympiaPiano]

I am so happy you found it helpful and thank you for letting me know. All the best to you on your piano studies!

[@krasko78]

Thank you very much for this video. I am a (late) beginner learning this piece and while I was watching the video I was both admiring your finger dexterity and thinking that finger shift on the grace notes / trills would be a "no way" for me at my current level. However, after I finished watching the video I sat down at the piano and tried some of those finger shifts and was immediately like "Wow, this is a smart thing and actually not that difficult". In particular, I discovered that I can do 1-4-3 with ease. I'm so happy I've learned something new. What is your opinion on the 2-3-2-1-2 fingering for measure 4 that is used by many performers (although I prefer 1-3-1-2-3)? Any specific reason to not mention it?

[@OlympiaPiano]

Thanks for taking the time to ask a question--and this is a great question. In general, I stay away from the 2-3-2-1-2 fingering on that figure in measure 4 just simply because the thumb is so much shorter you have to move your hand in quickly to play that black key which might sound "clunky" because it is such a quick note. Not to say that the thumb shouldn't ever play on a black key, but in this instance I would not recommend it. Thank you for watching my channel and I wish you the best in your piano playing!

[@krasko78]

Thank you.

[@Solomon.Y_Music]

Nice Jenni 👍

[@OlympiaPiano]

Thanks for taking the time to comment on my channel, it really helps it grow. And glad you are watching the Chopin--one of my favorite composers!

[@samanehfldi1433]

Thanks

[@OlympiaPiano]

You are welcome! Best wishes with your piano playing journey!

[@lisachan3623]

Any practice tips on playing Friedrich Burgmüller - La Sérénade ?

[@OlympiaPiano]

Thank you for watching--I am hoping to do a whole chapter on Burgmuller in the summer when my in person teaching schedule is a little lighter. Stay tuned!

[@kamranhamidfar1725]

Thanks, at the end of the piece, the speed goes down?

[@OlympiaPiano]

Thank you for your question--this is a question of interpretation--I think it sounds nice to slow down at the end--see what you like! Best wishes

[@kamranhamidfar1725]

@@OlympiaPiano Thanks teacher

[@amansharma4852]

Can i use finger 2&3 to perform the last trills for 51 and 55. Thanks for the tutorial was very helpful.

[@OlympiaPiano]

Thanks for your question. I would not recommend using 2 & 3 on those trills simply because then you would have to scoot your thumb in to play the D# on beat 2 and that should be a really delicate note, moving the thumb in for that risks sounding clunky. Hope this helps and please feel free to reach out with further questions!

[@amansharma4852]

@@OlympiaPiano thanks for the reply. I have one more question as in your video you've given different fingerings to play the trills but my teacher says that I have to use only 2-3-4 and can't use any other fingerings cuz that's wrong. He only wants me to learn the only way he teaches. He was a child prodigy and now 70+ of age. But is it a good thing the way he teaches it's like he wants me to learn by his ways.

[@OlympiaPiano]

There are definitely lots of ways to play the trills. If you are using 2-3-4 and the 3-4 are on the trill notes (E and F) then the 2 on the D# would work both to start the trill and for the note after. Keep your fingers very close to the keys. Glad to hear you are working out the important details with your teacher and keep at it!

[@Solomon.Y_Music]

Great expectations super 👍 How to connect you please.. Tell me tq

[@OlympiaPiano]

Glad you liked this--feel free to email me at [e-mail]

[@areyoupk]

Show more your cat

[@OlympiaPiano]

I will do my best. He likes to sit in his pillow.