Sonata Form Diagram, Analysia, Piano Sonata

Master the sonata by http://www.pianomother.com

The sonata form became popular in the Classical period and is perhaps most famous because of Beethoven, though many gifted and well-known composers have penned sonatas. Learning to play one is very often a staple to any piano education. Sonatas take careful practice and fine articulation to play well, but once mastered, they are a joy both to listen to and play.

Sonatas vary as to how many forms they have, but the traditional sonata allegro form has three different variations. They are the exposition, the development, and the recapitulation. Composers thought of these different sections as the way they told a story through music—even without words. Briefly, the exposition introduces the piece's theme and is usually played at a moderate tempo. The development develops and expands the theme. Usually this part is slower and has some key changes. The recapitulation finally ties everything together and concludes. It is usually played quickly and is the showier part of the music. Practice each movement separately until each is learned before you combine them.

It is essential to keep precise timing. Practicing with a metronome at first will help you be consistent. Oftentimes, the LH keeps the beat.

Just because the timing is exact doesn't mean sonatas are to be played rigidly. They include many emotional musical elements, such as slurs, staccatos, and accent marks. The slurs group together the phrases and are played as musical sighs. A musical sigh is making the notes in a slurred phrase sound like a human sigh—rise at the beginning, smooth drop to the end. Often following a phrase will be staccato notes or accent notes, which are in direct contrast to the previous sigh. As composers thought of their sonatas as stories put to music, create one yourself to go along with the music to help you inject passion into your playing.

Be articulate! Sonatas have no room for sloppy or half-heard notes. Use your finger preps you have practiced in your Hanon exercises (Hanon is a wonderful way to warm up before practicing sonatas). The pedal should be used sparingly. It should enhance your playing, not cover it up.

It is very helpful to listen to a professional recording of the sonata you are learning. Find a CD or look online for a recording. Hearing how the sonata is to be played will provide you a guideline on what you need to work on in your practice time.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• piano sonata
• beethoven
• analysis
• form
• sonata characteristic

[oBseSsIoNPC]

And again I hear, the metronome is your best friend....I have to agree, it is a great tool to utilize OFTEN in the beginning. I have not done it often enough and pay for it now. It just always got annoying, tapping the feet helps too, but is not as reliable at first. Nice video actually. Gives you a feel for the idea of a sonata, thanks!

[pianomother]

@oBseSsIoNPC

Thank you! Visit us at pianomother . com

[onethousandapples]

this is so helpful thank u!

[Framblott]

There isn't just "a theme" in the exposition but 2 or 3 themes usually. The development isn't "slower than the exposition"--no It's the part with the greatest excitement, the part that is most likely to drive the listener to ecstasy, to blow his mind--so if anything, things will accelerate. Tip: good way to learn sonata form is to listen to Mozart's piano (& violin) sonatas because it's easy to pick out the parts. Listen to each 3 times & you'll know it.

[juicyj612]

My piano mom delivers, yet again. :)