My teacher implied I suck at playing baroque music because I cant keep steady and strong dynamics. I do take some pride in that she said I could and play Chopin music a lot better, but that worries me.

I play strictly to the notes, but with dynamics and color, I improvise. Take a standard minuet Bach wrote; my teacher says I don't play it strong enough, but is that bad? I have read there is a "right" way to play spacific songs, but ehh. What are the standard, implied rules of playing a song? I was told that if its not on the sheet, you become stronger when the notes raise and vice versa for going down, but I always do the opposite. Is it wrong?

I would ignore your teacher and keep playing in my own style. You're not a robot programmed to follow someone else's command. How boring would it be if all concert pianists played every song the same way, the way it was "meant" to be played...

I don't really know much about Baroque music, because to be quite frank i get more enjoyment out of scraping my nails down a blackboard, but in music in general, there are certain conventions that each different style has that it would sound strange without.

Take Chopin, for example, there are set ways of playing trills; in general they begin on the upper note, unless they are preceded by either an acciaccatura or an appoggiatura (sp?). It's the same principal as what your teacher is saying about Baroque music; the convention is to grow when it gets higher and fade away when the notes fall.

But it's still possible to put your own style into the music, and play it in your own way. Expression is more than dynamics and conventions don't really interfere with that. Using Chopin as an example again, it is impossible to play Chopin keeping strictly in time, because the music is so expressive; Chopin couldnt possibly have written dynamics or accels/rits at EVERY point in the music he wanted them, because it would have become too cluttered. So rubato is the convention for Chopin's music. But no performance of a piece sounds the same. Everyone has a different idea of rubato; some people take it too literally and pull the music round all over the place, others just do it in some places- but my point is, that within the convention of rubato, there is much room for personal expression.

It's just a case of finding the balance.

Well put Dildoman.

You all make perfect sense to me, but I can't bring myself to say to my teacher "Thats not true because everyone plays a bit diffrently"; I'm timid when It comes to standing up twords an educational figure head.

But apart from that, how do you play a song that has very little dynamics written on it? Thats another case where my teacher said I'm not playing it right. Now, I know you all said every preformer has a diffrent ear, but is there some basic guildline to what works and what doesnt?

When I saw this thread, I thought it was about synthesia. :/

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Blah, I actually prefer playing baroque music over some classical/early romantic stuff; partially because my teacher won't be picky over my dynamics and expressions... Since I don't need to put as much. But in the end, I am sort of having the same trouble as you, I don't know whether I should listen to my teacher to play the way she wants or play it the way I want... Cos after all, music = creativity, but at the same time, if the audience doesn't enjoy it or understand your way of interpreting it, what's the point of music?

I believe we should restrict most of our 'creativity' towards composing. When performing pieces by other composers, the audience has a certain expectation. So if you play a version that's so far off from the original way it was intended, it is no longer the same piece. Granted, we are allowed a certain degree of artistic license/freedom, but there is a limit when it comes to other people's pieces. For example, if it is Bach's style to never slur a particular group of 16th notes, then you don't slur those 16th notes.

Getting back to the original point, when you play a piece with few dynamics, then you have to analyze the piece to determine the direction/flow (high and low tides). Let's say I think of a certain passage as the climax. Then maybe I'll crescendo up to it, make it more dramatic or something. The music itself determines how you should perform it.

Well, thats where the same problem kicks in; is there some guidline on what dynamics should be uses where?

better off leaving this to people who know more about the Baroque style.

but generally speaking, you have to find the phrases, then for each individual phrase, find the climax (every phrase has a focal point), and then consciously aim for that focal point; just a slight swell if you like; you dont have to grow from pp to ff within each phrase; not even from like mf to f- just very slight.