REMAKE: Chopin: Mazurka op 56 no 3

This is my best clip of 2010 (the Chopin anniversary) so I decided to make an overhaul and remake of it, making the sound finally reach decent quality. I had technical problems when recording it in October, not being able to reach acceptable compression levels in my MP3 data (resulting in a poor "plastic" sound), and also problems for many (including myself) with hangups/hiccups during playback.

After a lot of discussions (both offline and at youtube) I found out the real trick for producing this kind of clips: You must give priority to the sound! The sound and the video (visuals) compete for every 0 and 1 in the data, and we are on the internet now, and data speed is restricted! So I have now applied rather heavy compression on the visual stream, reducing the number of visual 0s and 1s..., and voila you get enough room for 128 kbps MP3 sound, in a video with far below 10 MB/minute data. So it should be viewable on slow internet connections as well. I have had critical remarks on the relevance of spending time with this ("there are no bad pianos, only bad pianists") but I strongly disagree. Sound recording should be done appropriately and a decent musical performance deserves a good instrument and recording technique.

Regarding the music: One of my favourite mazurkas. Like several of the later mazurkas it contains polyphonical passages which I find very interesting, and very beautiful.

Played and recorded by August Linnman 2010-10-02
Remastered 2011-01-31

Instrument: Yamaha GT2 + Pianoteq 3.6

Category:

Music

Tags:

• chopin
• mazurka
• op
• 56
• no
• piano
• romantical
• pianoteq
• keyboard
• yamaha
• gt2
• grantouch
• classical
• classical instruments
• musical instruments

[LeakyWicks]

"So I have now applied rather heavy compression on the visual stream, reducing the number of visual 0s and 1s..., and voila you get enough room for 128 kbps MP3 sound"

I uploaded mp3 streams of 225kbps before with no problem. Piano is probably the single instrument which suffers the most from mp3 compression artifacts. If I were you I would try at least 160kbps VBR.

[alinnman]

@LeakyWicks

Since I did this upload (a year or so) I have worked on sound quality. Currently uploading 320 kbps mp3 in my latest recordings.

[maxieornot]

It's very nice! I was just wondering... why are there so many different ones? Why don't they sound at least similar so that I can notice them? I'm learning Mazurka in b flat major :P

[alinnman]

@maxieornot

You said "why are there so many different ones?". I guess you are referring to the large number of mazurkas written by the composer, right? There are 57 in all I think.. They have one thing in common: the 3/4 mazurka rythm, which is more "dance-like" in some, but refined/transformed in others. And they are all very special.. There are at least two b-flat major mazurkas: op 7 no 1 and op 17 no 1. Which one are you studying? Both are great fun to play! :)

[katiush65]

i am so glad you optimized the sound quality! when i see an upload that starts with someone sitting down at a piano in a living room, i cringe in anticipation of what it will sound like... no matter if they play well. This is a very pretty mazurka, very nice rendition. And very nice sound quality which, as you remark, it deserves!

[alinnman]

@katiush65

My pleasure! Thanks!

[maxieornot]

@alinnman yes exactly! and i'm not really sure but it's the one that sounds really happy and dancie :P um I really have no idea xD but i like yours :D

[enrothable]

great playing. Thank you!

[alinnman]

@paopaomanalansan

Yes it is one of the best.. :)

[paopaomanalansan]

I can sense the profound love you have for this delicate mazurka.