Bartók: Mikrokosmos Volume 4 BB 105 Sz.107

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Although Volume 4 marks the beginning of the second half of Microcosmos, the level of difficulty is not much different from Volume 3.
However, there are two crucial differences:

• Cross fingering required
• The number of bars per piece increases (approximately 10 measures longer than volume 3)

It goes without saying that cross fingering is a very important technique.
An increase in the number of bars does not necessarily lead directly to difficulty, but it does test your patience when practicing and your mental strength when playing.
By the end of Volume 4, you should have mastered the skill to play pieces of moderate difficulty.

Title	Level	YouTube
Comments

97. Notturno	B2	♫
Feel the subtle changes in the sound of the accompaniment. Let’s play a long phrase in one breath.

98. Thumbs Under	B1	♫
Pay attention to the sound balance when moving your thumb.

99. Hands Crossing	B2	♫
The accidental is different on the left and right, but let’s play it many times and let the body remember it.

100. In Folk Song Style	B2	♫
5/8 time Play separately the melody and accompaniment.

101. Diminished Fifth	B2	♫
As the title suggests, a diminished fifth (augmented fourth) constantly echoes. Pay attention to the phrase and the volume balance between left and right.

102.Harmonics	B2	♫
The left hand hits the key without making a sound (- flageolet) from beginning to end. (The D sound in the middle just inherits the melody) As a result, the suppressed keyboard resonates in conjunction with the melody of the right hand, so let’s explore the relationship. The continuous chords in the last are firmly positioned and played.

103. Minor and Major	B2	♫
Various time signatures appear. For the first 9/8 time signature, think of nine eighth notes as a single block. Practice 5/8 time signatures until rhythm become stable. Enjoy the mysterious sound.

104. Wandering through the Keys	B2	♫
A fun piece. I like it. by suketto

105. Game (with two five-tone scales)	B2	♫
As the piece name suggests, it consists of two types of pentatonic scales. From the middle stage onward, the piece progresses while maintaining the “H” sound that is common to both scales, but be careful not to stiffen your wrists. Clearly express accents, rests and crescendos.

106. Children’s Song	B2	♫
It looks like a young child is singing his own song vaguely. It’s an elusive piece, but let’s clarify dynamics to outline.

107. Melody in the Mist	B2	♫
Practice chords so that four notes sound at the same time. Note that the timing of raising your foot from the pedal is slightly different.

108. Wrestling	B2	♫
A note with a stem at the top vs. a note with a stem at the bottom, with an eighth note attacking a long note. The long notes on the defensive side keep a certain distance from each other, but at the end, they are closest to Fis vs. F, and the length of the note becomes shorter and shorter. Always feel the change of offense and defense while playing. Relax your wrist after hitting a long note.

109. From the Island of Bali	B2	♫
The motif at the beginning changes its shape and appears throughout the piece. Double notes from the 40th bar are aggregations of the sounds used in the right and left hand motifs. As the piece name suggests, it seems to be the image of Indonesian folk music “Gamelan”, and the sound is very interesting. Make sure to express slur ends, tenutos, and rests. Also, let’s play the 2-octave unison by feeling the space of sound.

110. And the Sounds Clash and Clang…	B2	♫
This piece consists of two parts. ① Assai allegro: [1]-[20], [30]-[46], [57]-[73] ② Un poco sostenuto: [21]-[29], [47]-[56] In the part ①, the perfect fifth chords which have a minor chord relationship collide with each other as the piece name suggests, but it does not sound strangely unpleasant. There is an instruction for playing with the half pedal, but be careful as the outline of the piece will be blurred if you step on it too much. In part ②, you can enjoy the movement of the melody line than the sounds like in the part ①. [21]-[29]: Holding sound is perfect fifth (e, h) / Melody is unison [47]-[56]: Holding sound is unison (e) / Melody is mirror symmetric and canon style It is also interesting that it has a symmetrical structure as described above.

111. Intermezzo	B2	♫
Overall, it’s elusive and lacking in excitement, but let’s express the articulation firmly. Listen carefully to the chords on the left hand in the second half. when you play with f, you should push the keyboard instead of hitting it.

112. Variations on a Folk Tune	B2 – C1	♫
It’s a difficult piece because it has a fast tempo and double notes moving. [1]-[8] The theme presented at the beginning is unison, and you play with the thumb and index finger overlapped. [9]-[31], [45]-[60] When the canon progresses with a 6-degree double notes, you should harden the shape of the hand and the fingertips. Since the dynamics are independent on the left and right, first practice so that you can play smoothly with one hand at a time. The ’ in [31] can be regarded as a short break (about an eighth rest). [32]-[39] The mood changes a little here. The strength sign, articulation, and tempo are different from those before and after, so you need to be able to switch well. Also, the accidentals appears only in the middle part. What exactly is the whole picture of the folk tune in the title …

113. Bulgarian Rhythm (1)	C1	♫
Personally, the biggest wall in Volume 4. If you are practicing Mikrokosmos to some extent, you may be able to clear it easily. On the other hand, If you follow the so-called standard textbooks such as Bayer and Burgmüller, you will struggle with 7/8 time. The shortcut to learning is to capture the 7/8 time signature as 2 + 2 + 3 and think of the 3 part as an auftakt to the next measure. Use the recoil of the Staccato just before the long notes of the melody to play. In the second repetition, I would like you to challenge yourself in the octave as follows. Bartok also recommends playing duet to confirm the development of a sense of rhythm, and how effective is it!?

114. Theme and Inversion	B2	♫
Reading the score itself is not that difficult, but the composition of the piece is complex and clear phrasing is extremely important. Prelude: [1]-[2], Interlude: [9]-[10], Postlude: [17]-[19] have the same melody but different dynamics. The theme appears in the right hand of [3], followed by the left hand in response, and the inversion appears in [11] with an interlude. The right hand of [8] and the left hand of [14] also have inversion relationship. The melody, the resonance of the sounds, and the relationship between the hands are interesting, so it’s fun once you get used to it. It’s a f overall, so you can play it boldly, however, be careful not to play roughly it.

115. Bulgarian Rhythm (2)	B2 – C1	♫
The irregular time signature of 5/8 and the chromatic scale movements create an overall unstable mood. Basically it is divided into 3/8+2/8, but note that [9]-[16], [30], and [32] are divided into 2/8+3/8. [17]-[22] seem complicated, but the left hand is just one bar behind and the notes played are the same, so let’s practice in unison first. The rhythm is fine and the tempo is fast, but don’t rush to play.

116. Song	B2	♫
There are two types of main melodies (songs) as follows. [1]-[8], [24]-[28], [36]-[43]: ① [8]-[24], [28]-[35]: ② ([8][24][28] are the end and the beginning of each) In ①, listen carefully to the left-hand melody and right-hand accompaniment chord changes. Note that the finger-action of right-hand accompaniment from [36] is on the second and fourth beats as in the beginning, but the second beat is a half note. ② is divided into [8]-[15] unison, [16]-[24] canon, [28]-[35] with accompaniment. You can enjoy the thickness of the sound in the unison part. Be careful of subtle differences in sound and changes in chords in the canon and accompaniment parts. If you’re dazed, you tend to play vaguely, but there’s an unexpected range of dynamics throughout, so follow them and give the piece a sharpness.

117. Bourrée	B2	♫
A piece with relatively many instructions for strength and dynamics. Since the right and left hands are like a dialogue and there is a difference in strength and accent position, practice one hand at a time until you can play each independently. There are some sustaining sounds here and there, so listen carefully and let it keep sounds. Between [16] and [17], it’s easier to play if you put in a few rests. f will be immediately changed to p, so let’s switch well.

118. Triplets in 9/8 time	B2	♫
Because of playing in unison, it is easy to read and play. Anyone who has come this far should be able to do it without difficulty. Be careful not to play too fast.

119. Dance in 3/4 Time	B2	♫
This piece is centered around the following two rhythms. ① ② Listen carefully to the interplay between each one as you play. If you can properly express the slurs and staccato, it should sound like a dance.

120. Triads	B2	♫
This piece progresses with a succession of triads. Keep your fingers steady so the triads don’t fall apart. One of the characteristics of this piece is that the tempo gradually gets faster, but first learn to play at the specified tempos before moving on to practicing the accelerand.

121. Two-part Study	B2	♫
It can be roughly divided into three sections: ①[1]-[7], ②[8]-[16], and ③[17]-[25]. In each section, the interplay between the right and left hands is interesting. You can tightens up the whole piece by clearly defining the breaks in the slurs on the section [12]-[16] .

Appendix: Exercise 31	–	♫
Use your wrist well when playing. Pay close attention to fingering. The score I have says this exercise is for “97. Notturno,” but I’m sure that’s not the case…

Appendix: Exercise 32	–	♫
It is a practice to get used to 7 beats. Pay attention to the placement of accents and crescendos and decrescendos. Play the slurred parts smoothly without flapping your wrist. This piece is supposed to be practice for “98. 98. Thumbs Under” by my score, but is that really true? Wouldn’t “113. Bulgarian Rhythm (1)” be more appropriate?

Appendix: Exercise 33	–	♫
This is a practice for “113. Bulgarian Rhythm (1)” as written in the score. Pay attention to the placement and type of accents. Play, play, play to get used to the beat!!