How do you teach the rhythm challenge in Grieg's Nocturne, Op. 54, No. 4?

from the current issue, Summer 1999

Article by Robyn Gibson

dvard Grieg had a special fondness for miniature piano pieces, and, indeed, they are considered by many to be his greatest contribution to the keyboard literature. The marvelous originality, charm, freshness, and variety of this genre is evident in abundance in his Lyric Pieces. The entire collection consists of sixty-six pieces, written between 1867 and 1901. The subject of this article, the Nocturne in C Major, Op. 54, No. 4, is one of the best-known and therefore one of the most frequently taught compositions from this collection.

The great Russian pianist and teacher, Heinrich Neuhaus, felt that the complete mastery of polyrhythmia is as complex as the mastery of polyphony. In one case, time is the problem; in the other it is tone, but the difficulties are similar. Anyone who teaches the Nocturne (unless his or her students are most unusual!) is aware of its polyrhythmic problems, specifically, the frequent use of two-against-three, which begins in measure five:

My approach in dealing with this challenge reflects my teaching philosophy in general: I try to solve a problem in the simplest way possible. If the simplest way doesn't work, then I try other methods, perhaps more complicated, until I find a solution. I teach the Grieg Nocturne the same way as I teach any other piece containing two-against-three:

1. First, I simply explain how the two parts fit together and illustrate. How wonderful if that is all it takes! The chances are that you will have to work in much greater detail.

 

2. I have the student play the two-against-three measures hands separately, keeping the basic pulse very steady, just to make certain that they know how each part should sound. Then I have them work in small rhythmic units, using alternate hands, keeping the basic pulse very steady. This example is from the first part of measure five.

 

3. Then they try hands together, in these small units, and if they are successful, we work on the complete measure and finally the complete phrase. Interestingly, the coordination problem is made more difficult in this piece by the fact that the initial beat of some of the left hand eighth notes is tied. I recommend actually playing these tied chords (ignoring the tie) in the initial stages of practice. Playing these chords provides a more secure foundation for the melody above and also helps the student feel the basic pulse. When the student has mastered the passage in this fashion, the ties can be reinserted.

 

4. If my student is still having problems, I resort to an arithmetical approach. The common denominator of three and two is six, so I count each unit as though it has six beats:

 

I have students play this and count aloud. This is one of the most successful methods of dealing with this problem, since it helps the student calculate exactly where every note should be played. Later I simplify the counting method:

 

 

Tapping the rhythm, hands together, can also be helpful.

In general I think it is better to fit the two notes into the three and not vice versa, because the steadiness of the eighth notes in the left hand must be established in the beginning and maintained. How often we hear students make the mistake of playing the left hand as instead of evenly! This is especially likely to occur at measure 9 when the right hand itself has two-against-three (see the first example at the top of this page).

If students make this mistake, I ask them to play all the tied notes in the left hand. This way, they will be more apt to hear the error.

In connection with solving the two-against-three problem, I would like to warn of another situation that can develop. As a result of the student's effort to fit the parts together, unwanted accents may develop on the first eighth of the duplets in the right hand, destroying the presence of a beautiful legato line. For many students, achieving a beautiful legato in this piece becomes an even more challenging goal once they have solved the purely rhythmic difficulties.

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