This video deals with the challenge of playing slow movements in a way that allows for different weights or “layers of importance” in notes that comprise a single line of music.

Sometimes when we play slow pieces it can become plodding or cumbersome if we don’t know how to differentiate between structural tones and auxiliary notes. On the one hand, if we become bogged down by the intellectual exercise of it, we lose the grace and emotional impact of the lines; on the other hand, one can’t help but marvel at the beauty inside the simplicity of Bach’s logical construct. This video addresses these questions within the scope of what is essentially an unassuming aria accompanied by a walking bass.