Play Chopin's "Farewell Song

The Farewell Song.
It is a song that many people, even those who have never played the piano, know.

Although it is a well-known song, it is quite difficult to play.
Especially for those who have just started playing the piano,
When you see the score,
If you are new to the piano, you may be intimidated by the pitch-black score that doesn't match the beautiful music!

But don't worry. But don't worry, if you follow the steps properly, you will be able to play it. If you follow the steps properly, you'll be fine.
In this article, I will discuss how to tackle and practice the "Farewell Song".


◆Which score and which published score to use?

The sheet music for "Farewell Song."
largely divided into
(1) Original score
Arranged score
The original score

If you have been playing the piano for more than 5 years, I think you can work on the original piece itself.
If you play the original, I think it is orthodox to use the "Paderewski version".

However, if you have just started playing the piano as an adult,
It may be better to work on "arranged notation" first.
However, the difficulty level of "arranged music" varies.
It would be a good idea to get advice from your teacher or a friend who can play the piano.


◆The difficulty of the original "Farewell Song".

First, the beginning.
The melody we all know begins,
The right hand here,
The right hand here plays both the melody and the accompaniment with one hand.

In this part of the beginning, only the little finger and ring finger of the right hand are used to play the melody.
And the accompaniment (inner voice) is played with the thumb and index finger of the right hand.

In other words, the melody requires a rich song with weak fingers,
The accompaniment (inner voice) must be played fearlessly with thick, strong fingers so as not to kill the melody.

That famous melody under heaven is based on such unreasonableness.
It is the professional pianist who does not feel this at all.



◆What does the left hand do?

Apparently the right hand is busy, what is the left hand doing?
Yes.
As the bass, it supports the upper parts (melody and inner voice).
It also plays the rhythm (syncopation) and moves the music forward.



◆Summary
In this article, I have described the technical difficulties at the beginning of "Farewell Song".
I think you will find that this piece is distinct from the structure of a simple right hand melody + left hand accompaniment.

In order to make "Farewell Song" sound like a beautiful song,
Do you want to thoroughly break it down and practice it separately for the left and right hand?
or practice Bach's Sinfonia before working on this piece.
or practicing Bach's Sinfonia before working on this piece.

Since it is quite a strenuous task to tackle alone, many people seem to give up in the middle of the work.
Therefore, take lessons from a professional to complete the song.