Playground Forums

What the heck? You teach me Prelude in C at a tempo of 70 and then change it to a 56??? So which one is correct? I'm haveing a really hard time slowing it doen! lol I've listened a few different versions on youtube and they all seem to be around the original 70 bpm. What's the dealeo?

Thanks

Beau

Really? No one?? Wow, I guess if you're not a facebook fan, you don't rate Too bad, so sad.

Fellow student here, not associated with PGS (apart from being a customer).

If you can play it fast, you can play it slow™. (The original saying is: If you can play it slow, you can play it fast, which is not almost meant as a joke; while mine is.)

I mean, they did a very (and I mean veeery) detailed and slow course for Prelude in C. For that kudos. But the advanced course is a bit too slowly paced And I don't mean the BPM.

@Beauknowsdiddly: you can set the BPM, however you will. The original score from Bach does not contain a tempo marking, modern interpretations tend to gather around 110-120 BPM, as far as I can tell.

wow 110 to 120? that's fast!! lol

You have to take care that the BPM can be defined on any note length. E.g. one can say ♩= 120 but also ♪ = 120 is possible. I think in PGS it's always based on the quarter note, but I may be mistaken here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frxT2qB1POQ This interpretation is around ♪ = 120. For this speed you need to set the BPM to 60 in PGS.

Wi Chen's interpretation is definitely slower https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJVbwXLT7X4 I'd say that's around what in PGS the full speed (44 BPM) is. Why do I say "around"? Because just as Phil explained in today's last intermediate video session: it's all up to interpretation. Most classical pieces, and especially pieces like Prelude in C, cry for different expressions in the same piece during the same performance. Although no tempo changes are noted, feel free to experiment and express yourself. Same for dynamics (loudness), I have even heard interpretations, where they've put sometimes stacattos (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staccato) onto the right hand melody.