Chopin etude op25 no10

[chopinisque]

Before I do something irreversible like injuring hands, is there something I should know about this piece?  From technical aspects, I mean.  Also, does anyone have any tips for this piece? 

Thanks.

[chopinisque]

Also, is it advisable to use the fingering 13?  It is a tiring stretch but makes the progression from B to C and E to F easier.  If 13 is not advisable, could someone suggest an alternative fingering for when the octave reaches the whitekey semitones.

Thanks.

[thierry13]

I use allways 1-4 on black keys and 1-5 on white ones. With rare, very rare exceptions.

[maxy]

The suggested fingering helps making the legato... If it's no good for you, you could do it 1-5 all the way.... Some people don't have the choice.

[chopinisque]

Thanks.  I think I'll follow Thierry's.

[robert]

I use allways 1-4 on black keys and 1-5 on white ones. With rare, very rare exceptions.

Playing white 1-5 and black 1-4 is the way to find speed and become smooth on fast octaves. Every person I have met who confidentiely reaches an octave 1-5 also reach an octave 1-4.
Practise chromatic runs up and down with 1-5 on white and 1-4 on black.

[chopinisque]

Yeah, I've been doing that.  I've been practising the first four bars which are essentially alternating asc and desc chromatic scales.  I have a feeling that the first four bars is Chopin's idea of a preparatory exercise.

[IanT]

I like 1/3 in some places, but I recently read of someone who permanently injured their hand by playing octaves with 1/3.  So watch out!

Ian

[thierry13]

I like 1/3 in some places, but I recently read of someone who permanently injured their hand by playing octaves with 1/3. So watch out!

Ian

It depends on your hand span. If 1-3 is too much of a stretch for you, if you feel it is , same a little bit, not feeling really clean and not a stretch, then do not use it. It must be like a natural span for you to do. If not, do stretching exercise if you absolutely want to use this fingering. I know Boris Berezovsky use it in Mazeppa in the fast octave jump parts, but for me it is much more awkyard to play. So I don't use it.

[JamesS]

There's no need to use 1-3 in this piece, unless you can stretch it easily, you will use enough pedal for it not to have an audible effect. at speed it is very difficult to actually use 1-3 successfully. Plus you can find a perfectly acceptable fingering without 1-3. To learn this piece my advice would be to practice the outer sections slowly and staccato, but always slowly, trying to play them at speed all the time will injure you. As well as this don't forget the middle section. in my experinece the middle section is a lot harder to pull off than the outer ones.

J

[chopinisque]

JamesS, isn't this supposed to be an etude in legato playing in octaves?  Why then am I supposed to practise staccato?

[JamesS]

JamesS, isn't this supposed to be an etude in legato playing in octaves?  Why then am I supposed to practise staccato?

Of course you will practice legato as well but for the purposes of playing this piece up to speed practicing staccato really helps strengthen your attack as well as increasing accuracy. This is what I found at least. That's not to say that it's the only way to practice, I was just suggesting it as a way that I found very useful. I'm can't completely explain how it helps but I guess that playing staccato is an exageration of the movement needed to play legato. I probably don't explain it very well but it really helped me. And in reality when you play this piece up to speed it is virtually impossible to play certain parts of it legato, it's as much an exercise in legato pedalling.

J