Chopin 10/4 coda help

[pmz310]

I'm having trouble having accuracy witht he left hand, and I can't bring it up to speed for my life!!!

[Kassaa]

Practice the jumps with your eyes, closed, or play the C# an octave lower, don't tense the hands and make the most efficient movement possible. Strangely enough I find this one of the easiest passages in the Etude, I have more problems with other passages, evenness and stuff.

[thierry13]

First, you have to feel you relax on the octave (upper notes), and that the octave is like your "fixed position". You have to feel as if the movement was an elastic. It is static on the octaves, you stretch it to get to the C# but when you hit the C#, it's like if you stopped holding the elastic, it will just come back to it's original tension free position. Also, you have to go search the bass note with a "U". That must not lead to pulling the octave... you play the octave firmly, then go back, do a U to the C#, and then come back to the top. This movement has to be practiced in exageration, but never performed with exageration. I remember when I played this etude that for me the difficulties were elsewhere than this passage. Nonetheless it is a very very hard etude ! Good luck with it.

[pianogeek_cz]

Also, don't forget that it's not a back-and-forth motion, but the wrist is traveling in a flat oval - going down on the double note, rebounding up on the low C#. Circular motion, as always.
Later on, metronome practice works, too... dotted rhythms are priceless...
And, as is the case with the whole etude, you won't get anywhere without some serious slow-motion drill.

On a side note, I played the first four C#s with the 3rd finger, in order to facillitate the aforementioned circular wrist movement and avoid tension. The longer trajectory is still worth it (Or, at least in my case... I acknowledge it's a rather strange thing to do.).

[pmz310]

search the bass note with a "U"

What do you mean by "U"?

[thierry13]

What do you mean by "U"?

Well you shape the movement from the octave to the C# like a U. You go back, half-circle, then attack the C. This movement must be even for it to sound good.

[general disarray]

You have a mental block.  This coda isn't that hard, given all the treacherous passages that precede it.

Sounds like it's just spooking you and you're letting tension thwart you.  Forget accuracy for awhile.  Just loosen up and let it fly. 

Tension's your enemy here.

[Kassaa]

Had lesson on it today, try to play the thumb very melodic and make the C# as light as possible (and the jump as quick as possible). That helped.

[gyzzzmo]

You have a mental block.  This coda isn't that hard, given all the treacherous passages that precede it.

Sounds like it's just spooking you and you're letting tension thwart you.  Forget accuracy for awhile.  Just loosen up and let it fly. 

Tension's your enemy here.

I agree with this, the coda is much easier than the middle part, so technique isnt the problem (except if your left hand scale is underdevelopped :p ). But you have to learn to relax when you play.