I started off calling the Chopin Nocturne op. 9 no. 2 my "easy Chopin" as compared to op. 9 no. 1. Indeed, it is rated as grade 8 by the RCM* whereas no. 1 is rated as grade 10. In terms of notes and rhythm etc. it is easier to play. However, I now believe it is not easier to play well. There are so many details which affect how nicely the piece sounds. For example, the left hand is a waltz-like pattern (although the piece is in 12/8 not 3/4) with bass note plus two chords in groups of 3. The tricky part is highlighting the bass note while making sure the next 2 chords are in the background. As the top chord inevitably has your thumb in it, this is harder than it sounds. The other problem I had was making sure my hand position changed with each chord, even if my fingers could stretch without that change, so that I maintained the centre of the chord and accordingly all notes sounded evenly. My next challenge was to not use the last chord as a launching off point to get my hand back down to the bass note which is quite a distance away, which I was doing quite unconsciously. Peter says I must lift my hand from that last chord and then move sideways, like one of those automation robots, rather than lift and move at the same time, otherwise the chord is too loud and interferes with the melody. Add to this the fact that the bass notes and accompanying chords change on every beat and you spend a lot of time concentrating on that left hand.
If you read this blog regularly, you will notice that problems with the left hand are frequent!
*RCM = Royal Conservatory of Music
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