i must be hopeless!

[ryanyee]

well have anybody ever heard of a diploma student being unable to play at least 15 of the goldberg variations properly? i don't believe that there's a single variation which cannot be at least managed satisfactorily after trying a single phrase over 10 times! like the 20th variation. i don't see anything difficult about those hand crossing parts but i JUST CAN'T SEEM TO PLAY THEM!!!! i think i should just give up man.

[gyzzzmo]

Never give up
You should try to figure out what the problem is, is there some flaw in your technique? What kind of passages are the problem? Find some etude wich handles that flaw and go back your Goldberg variations.

gyzzz

[ryanyee]

i've totally no idea. but all i know is that i've poor fingering and i haven't practice any technical studies since the day i started learning the piano. about the variations, the cross hand sections. especially these patterns.

[gyzzzmo]

That you didnt do any technical studies is probably the problem. Especially for bach you need a very good finger controll, and to train that control effectivly you'll have to do technical studies. I used Hanon and Chopin etudes for my technique (i dont have any diploma either) but its pretty inconventional and works for few people i think.

Best for you probably is to get a teacher and work on the technique. Dont be affraid for etudes, if you do them the right way you'll be able to play piano so much better!

good luck,
gyzzzmo

[slobone]

All that said, the cross-hands variations pose special difficulties. Most of them, like #20, are marked for 2 manuals on a harpsichord. So a mere pianist is doing something Bach never expected him to do. The only advice I can give you is to carefully work out which way you want the two hands to cross -- over or under.

This is where I post the clip of the guy playing them on a 2-manual piano -- but I can't seem to find it...

[ryanyee]

All that said, the cross-hands variations pose special difficulties. Most of them, like #20, are marked for 2 manuals on a harpsichord. So a mere pianist is doing something Bach never expected him to do. The only advice I can give you is to carefully work out which way you want the two hands to cross -- over or under.

This is where I post the clip of the guy playing them on a 2-manual piano -- but I can't seem to find it...

well i play with my right hand over the other hand. i'm thinking of learning chopin's etude in a minor of which opus number i'm not sure.