LCM piano grade 3 – 2018 / 2020 – Prelude in C – J.S. Bach – FULL BREAKDOWN

The Little Prelude in C Major (BWV 939) is a nice little piece which focuses on broken chords and the delicate execution of ornaments. In this post I provide two videos: a performance and a breakdown with practice tips.

Part 1: Performance Video

As usual, the best thing to do at the start is:

• Listen and watch first: get familiar with the sound of the piece and how the hands move.
• Listen and follow the score: have a second listen, but this time follow the notes on the score. By doing so you will start establishing a connection between what you see and what you hear.

Part 2: Full Practice Breakdown

After you’ve done your listening, it’s time to get your hands dirty and go practice. In this walkthrough, I break the Prelude into manageable practice units.

• 0:00 – Setting the tempo: Practice speed (69 BPM) vs. final performance speed.
• 1:17 – Left Hand Depth: Making the opening octaves ring out.
• 2:07 – Right Hand entry: Mastering the offbeat in Bar 1.
• 4:11 – Fingering: My suggested alternative fingering for Bar 3 to keep it consistent with the start.
• 7:50 – Connections: Smoothly joining Bars 4 and 5.
• 13:04 – Mid-piece transition: Practicing the link between the two main sections.
• 16:02 – Following the arpeggio pattern as it changes hands.
• 21:20 – Hand preparation: How to jump cleanly between Bars 8 and 9.
• 29:52 – The Mordant: Breaking down the G – F# ornament in Bar 9.
• 31:47 – Ornament Coordination: How to time the mordant against the left-hand quavers.
• 38:11 – Bar 13 Challenges: Managing the rhythmic difference between the hands.
• 40:15 – Semiquaver Runs: Practicing the fast run in Bar 14 using groups of 4 and 5 notes.
• 45:59 – Finger Substitution: Changing 4 to 1 on the F while maintaining the legato.
• 47:00 – Final Cadence.