Need help for playing Chopin: Waltz no.14 in E minor at recital?

Question:Hi. So I'm playing this song at a recital:
Chopin: Waltz no.14 in E minor

You can see a video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jivs5fxY...

I did some watching to make sure my playing was good enough and I saw two kinds of players: One that played strictly to the metronome, and one that played to their own feelings (not strictly following tempo rules)

Which rule or style should I follow? Should I play everything at 80, or should I not? I really don't know. And any further advice is appreciated.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Hi. So I'm playing this song at a recital:
Chopin: Waltz no.14 in E minor

You can see a video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jivs5fxY...

I did some watching to make sure my playing was good enough and I saw two kinds of players: One that played strictly to the metronome, and one that played to their own feelings (not strictly following tempo rules)

Which rule or style should I follow? Should I play everything at 80, or should I not? I really don't know. And any further advice is appreciated.

To be able to play this piece properly, you must understand that Chopin's Waltzes are stylized dances.

There will be people who post here who tell you to be free with the rhythm and not to be strict. In a sense this is correct but please ignore those comments.

Trust me on this and I will try to explain what to do with this piece to you.

First, do not abandon the metronome. Never do that. You must be able to maintain the 3/4 waltz feel. It is so important to have a graceful and charming dance quality. With out this pulse and rhythmic character, the dance is no longer a dance.

Yes, there is freedom, but the freedom does not give you the right to go ahead and distort the beat. You can have expansiveness, stretching beats and pulling back but the overall bar must still have a waltz feel. You must envision people dancing to the piece. If they lose the beat it is because the music has no direction.

Practice with the metronome to establish the 3/4 beat. No the rhythmic structure of the entire piece before you put the metronome away.

Now, pianists who play this piece add rubato, but it is not "their own feelings". There is a way to add rubato and it requires understanding of harmonic progressions. The underlying L.H. accompaniment is where the rubato comes from. Certain harmonies push forward while other pull back. It all depends on building drama, harmonic tendencies and tonal resolution. It is something you will have to ask your teacher as it is too complex to explain here. You have to allow the harmonies to move naturally to one another. Harmonies all have tendencies to goto certain chords....

V7 always wants to move to the I (tonic). Chord II always moves to V6/4 or any other dominant harmony. In Chopin you will find many Inverted 7th chords which all have individual resolutions.

The understanding of harmony is important to play Chopin properly so that you can know how to move the chords. The melody has freedom but not apart from the bass. You must give the line directions. You do not have the liberty to play it as you wish. The rhythmic structure must still be there.

at the end of the day, rubato is always incorporated in all music. However it is a lie that Chopin is the creator of rubato. and Rubato does not mean you have complete freedom over tempo or rhythms. For the Waltz, remember to maintain a 3/4 dance feel. avoid thinking of 80 or 90 on the metronome. The waltz should move naturally. Practice with the metronome to get the pulse, but then as you practice without it, try to find an appropriate waltz feel. Something people can dance too... the waltz is a stately dance, not brisk like the allemande and not labored liked the Sarabande.

People tend to play waltzes too fast.... The velocity in turn destroys the pulse, but also the harmonic movement which I said earlier has a natural movement to it, and the R.H. often becomes messy.

again, ignore everyone who says you can be completely free and just play to your feelings.... that is not true and your waltz will sound lose and incoherent if you do so. Trust me on this one.

80 to 88 is way too fast!
depending on what the beat is, if it is 80 to the half note dot, that speed is absolutely absurd and ridiculous. It is too fast.

If it is 80 to the quarter it is way too slow... i do not imagine it being the quarter. I suggest no faster than 60 to the half note dot. That would the fastest, even that is a touch fast. Work around 54 to 60 = to the half note dot for a good waltz feel. Feel the piece with 1 beat to the bar not 3 beats. Avoid placing the metronome on the quarter i.e. 180... better to feel it in 1 so you get a good dance feel.