Ravel - Prelude in A minor (M.65) Tutorial

This 25-minute video lesson explores an in-depth look at the Prelude in A minor (M.65) by Maurice Ravel. This mysterious and beautiful little prelude is often overlooked in contrast to Ravel’s more famous works, but it is an opportunity for a late beginner or early intermediate player to start exploring the music of this great French composer. Areas of focus include tone quality, pedaling strategies, developing a good sense of rubato, improving touch and control over dynamics, creating color, fingering suggestions, balance between the melody and the accompaniment, melodic and harmonic shaping, interpretation, long lines, creating space and atmosphere within the lines, and impressionist stylistic elements to help you become as efficient as possible in your practice sessions.

[heuzus]

I dont even know the piece I'm enjoying every beautiful video u make

[KeyboardKirby]

So Good! One of the best tutorials I have ever seen on any piece. Bought the full version.

[BroughtonPianos]

This is such a magical piece of music. Thanks for showing how carefully you choose how to interpret this piece-such an important aspect to finalising how you are going to perform something. Savouring that "jazz chord moment" is certainly a great idea! Thanks for pointing that out!

[sopranogirl]

I’m an intermediate pianist and love this piece, I’m so thrilled I can play it, your tutorial is excellent!

[jackdolphy]

Good on you for giving a deep dive into this work. I’m not a pianist but a saxophone person, having recently made a saxophone quartet version (yes I did make careful choices to pull this off). Your comments discover exquisite subtleties and enlighten performance choices across instruments. Ever many thanks!! 🙏🏼

[Melchiorblade]

This is the perfect piano piece to learn if you want to get better at that layered romantic sound of Chopin and the impressionistic style both in one. Also, it sounds so good, even on a digital piano

[arthurjosephhoulepianist]

Great video, Josh! I'm very proud of your accomplishments. 🙂

[J-sk]

One of my favourite pieces Josh, what a treat to hear you play it and then teach it. Another one of Ravels best, to me, is the Menuet sur le nom d'Haydn.

[RaptorTV]

God, Josh you're so good at pedalling! And how delightful your piano sounds!
How I love those places where there is a very very smooth pedal change (e.g: 0:42-0:44; 7:47-7:50; 8:06-8:08; 10:40-10:43). The top voice stays on for a little bit longer and fades out. and it feels like...
Oh, man, how can I explain it to you? In addition to the piano, I can also play the guitar. Have you ever tried to put something slowly against a string that's sounding on the guitar? it fades, but not immediately. and that's exactly the sound you get.

P. S. As one pianist once said when he and his students went to see Scriabin: _"Where are you looking at his hands. Look at his feet!"_ So, respect for filming your foot, Josh.



Thank you, I really needed this lesson (even though it's not even half) because I have to play this prelude in April.

[bach]

Thank you very much for sharing this! I didn’t know about this piece and definitely like to give my students!! Mika

[tim.creenis]

Josh, thanks so much for this!! Ravel is my favorite composer but I'd never even heard this piece. Excited to add this to my repertoire.

By the way, is there an option to disable the click/bell sound effect from the 'like and subscribe' popup? Caught me off guard during your performance, haha.

[Evan-jonh]

Is there a tutorial on how to practice reading sheet music for a beginner?

[drakomobile]

I have a question in the sheet music in the moonlight sonata 3rd movement of beethoven the first note that it starts of with look like a e but is a g sharp I don't understand and I'm also a beginner and also is the same in the interest pice can you do a video for the sheet music it makes no sense

[guitarchoppingliszt]

Hello Josh, I’ve had two teachers in the past with varying techniques and I don’t know which one to use. For example hanon exercises. One teacher taught me to keep my wrist down and move the fingers and the other move my entire wrist up and down or side to side. For the right hand move the entire hand to the left and the flick it to the right. Which are good techniques?

[kencarter]

Why can't you just play the crossing over section with one hand?