Revolutionary Etude

[jlmap]

Hello,
I'm working on this piece for a long time. I can play it, but not well. The notes are not clear. I tried everything I can. Some parts I think I managed to overcome. But som parts are still preatty bad. I'd like to share my experiences with you, and to have your impressions too.

For example, the first part of the piece (A) I think the best way to study is to play very lightly the notes. I used to practice it almost without making any sound. I also like to play some parts of it with flat fingers, specialy the descending notes. This way I can make every note sound clear.

The second part (B) I can't play in a decent way. Do you have any suggestion? I tried to study it slowly and articulating the fingers, but it didn't work well.

The third part (A') is not much different from the first (A).

The coda is not very difficult. I found usefull to study it slowly and articulating the fingers.

[nyonyo]

You have to break each phrase into several short phrases. For example : the beginning

Ab-G-F-D-Eb-D-B, you have to practice slowly and then keep increasing the speed until you can play up to the objective tempo, then continue to the next block, do the same, and then combine both blocks, practice until you can play very fast without thinking and stopping, etc etc.

If you still cannot do this, it means this etude is too difficult for you (or you may not have the capability to play up to this level). You may want to try Moszwkoski etudes, for example No.2 Gm..

Note: Not everybody can play Chopin etude well, (not everybody can run as fast as an Olympic runner, so do not feel bad!)

[gerry]

If you still cannot do this, it means this etude is too difficult for you (or you may not have the capability to play up to this level). You may want to try Moszwkoski etudes, for example No.2 Gm..

Good advice. I use many of the Moszkowski Etudes as warm-up to my practice sessions. I particularly like them because many of them he includes right-hand, left-hand and hands together sections--Chopin and others tend to write whole pieces dedicated exclusively to each of these techniques and tend to favor the RH. It took me years to get my LH around the Revolutionary (likewise the GM Prelude).  Personally, I'm not crazy about his using different finger techniques (flat, light, etc.) for different sections as I think this piece calls for consistency (I don't think the light approach is appropriate), but not knowing anything about jlmap's age or level, it's hard to suggest a practice technique. I agree with you that he might consider working up to this via some more accessible, but nonetheless enjoyable and entertaining, etudes.