Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 on the ocarina
On a 12-hole it starts E, G, high C, high D. Hard, 27 notes, in C major.
Goes up to high F, so it does not fit a 6-hole or 4-hole.
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2
Bar 1 of 8
What are the notes for Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2?
On a 12-hole. Read left to right, a line at a time.
- EGhigh Chigh Dhigh Ehigh Fhigh Ehigh Dhigh CBhigh CTricky spot:ABA♭B♭
- GF♯GA♭FGEFGABhigh C
The second theme of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 climbs E, G, high C and D to a high E and F, then sinks back step by step: the gentle, singing tune the solo piano plays in the first movement. Here are its first eight bars in C major, from E up to high F. It needs a 12-hole ocarina, for the high F and for the F♯, A♭ and B♭ that colour the falling line.
What is the tricky spot in Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2?
The fourth bar, where the line goes A, B, then A♭ and B♭: two pairs of notes a step apart, the second pair a half step lower than the first. On a 12-hole, Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 goes from B to A♭: you cover the left middle and right ring.
A♭ and B♭ are both cross-fingered on a 12-hole, so the bar moves from two plain notes to two forked ones. Practise B to A♭ slowly until the change is clean, then the whole bar, A, B, A♭, B♭, keeping all four notes the same length. The sixth bar asks for a similar move, G, A♭, F, G. Before that, the second bar holds high F, the top of the range, for two beats: give it a little more air, and do not let it sharpen.
Which ocarina can play Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2?
A 6-hole ocarina cannot reach high F, and a 4-hole ocarina cannot reach high D, high E and high F, so play Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 in this key on a 12-hole ocarina in C. On an ocarina in G or F, use the same fingerings: the tune sounds in a different key, which is fine when you play alone. The linked chart has every fingering, and you can check your notes with a tuner such as our free ocarina tuner.
The 12 notes here, on a 12-holeHoles in words, with a picture
| Note | Holes to cover | Picture |
|---|---|---|
| E | Cover every main hole but the right ring and right pinky | |
| G | Cover every main hole but the right index, right middle, right ring and right pinky | |
| high C | Cover the left pinky, left thumb and right thumb | |
| high D | Cover the left pinky and right thumb | |
| high E | Cover the left pinky | |
| high F | All holes open | |
| B | Cover the left pinky, left index, left thumb and right thumb | |
| A | Cover the left pinky, left middle, left index, left thumb and right thumb | |
| A♭ | Cover every main hole but the left ring, right index, right middle and right pinky | |
| B♭ | Cover the left pinky, left index, right ring, left thumb and right thumb | |
| F♯ | Cover every main hole but the right index, right middle and right pinky | |
| F | Cover every main hole but the right middle, right ring and right pinky |
Drawn as you see it while playing: mouthpiece towards you, left hand on the left.
Who did Rachmaninoff dedicate his Piano Concerto No. 2 to?
To Nikolai Dahl, the neurologist who treated him daily from January to April 1900 and helped him start composing again. The title page of the first edition reads "A Monsieur N. Dahl". Rachmaninoff wrote the concerto between 1900 and 1901 and played the solo part at the first complete performance in November 1901; Gutheil published it the same year. Our tabs follow that Gutheil printing, the composer's own version for two pianos, where the first piano plays this second theme in E-flat major; our tabs take its first eight bars and move them to C major. Rachmaninoff died in 1943. We show the melody only. Music: Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943), the second theme of the first movement of his Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18, 1900-1901.