Replace dry exercises with beautiful music | Siloti/Bach Prelude in B Minor

Following on from my video on using Bach's C Major Prelude in preference to mechanical exercises such as Hanon in our Piano Practice to improve finger independence (or, as I prefer to call it, evenness), this video looks at Siloti's B Minor Prelude (based on Bach's E Minor Prelude). The C Major prelude, whilst being an excellent starting point, features a 'pattern' that repeats across different chords. The B Minor Prelude also features a repeating pattern, however, Siloti 'ups the ante' for those of us looking to improve our 'finger independence' by adding additional points of interest.

Not only does this prelude restrict the repeating pattern to the right hand, it was written to be performed in two different ways. When initially played, the right hand pattern is the most evident part of the prelude. However, when repeated, Siloti adds in a melody (not by adding any additional notes, simply by voicing notes already present in the pattern.

This then forces the hand to not only maintain a nice even rhythm, but to do so whilst voicing the first note in every group. This adds a level of complexity which makes it an excellent piece for this type of exercise, but equally makes it a beautiful piece to play for friends.

You'll find recordings by Sokolov and Gilels here on YouTube that I highly recommend you listen to (this will show you the art of the possible in the hands of a master). In the video, I'll give you ideas for how you might want to practice it and use it as a daily exercise.

Sokolov plays Prelude in B Minor | https://youtu.be/vXbBOWlkR9g
Gilels plays Prelude in B Minor | https://youtu.be/Yu06WnXlPCY

Within the video, I mention a couple of other Siloti Transcriptions that feature in my Repertoire play list:
Tutorial on Saint Saens 'The Swan' | https://youtu.be/8k6aHlarA0g
Tutorial on Air on a G String | https://youtu.be/em2ztleAzNQ

If you missed my video on using the C Major Prelude, you'll find it here:
https://youtu.be/6th0nPapyOs

EQUIPMENT:
Fully details of all equipment used are available on my blog at the address below:
http://tommyspianocorner.com/youtube-equipment/
Filmed on an iPhone 8+ - using the Filmic Pro app
Audio captured on an iPhone 6S using a Shure MV88 Microphone
Vocals captured on a Rode SmartLav microphone plugged into an iPhone 4S
Video editing done using iMovie
Audio editing done using Garageband

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