rachmaninoff: op.42 (corelli), practicing problem

[andhow04]

hi people. i wanted to post a few bars from rachmaninoff op.42 Variation 7 along with this but i couldn't figure out how to manage it. posted a question about that over in "misc" but nobody replied after a few days so i will have to try and explain in words.

of all the op 42 variations this one i just cant manage. my hand gets so stiff, my thumb is tired, my pinky feels pokey, the melody fingers are stuck way up near the fall board and the meldoy sounds super wooden. i just can't figure out how to play this one! every time i get here i just want it to end. i can't even watch my hands its so confusing.

so i wanted to type in how i practiced it and get suggestions, either about the physical side of playing it or how to practice it !
i practiced first of all with the melody (unison both hands) and blocking the chords on each beat (also unison both hands). I did that in this rhythm: quarter [melody] (sixteenth rest-Eighth [chord] - sixteenth [chord]) - quarter [melody] (sixteenth rest - Eigth [chord] - sixteenth [chord]) etc.
sorry i wish i could show you, but i wasn't able to figure out how (typed the examples in Mozart program)
also i practiced with the Right hadn playing the melody, and the LH playing only the sixteenth note tremolo-type figures surounding it. and the opposite of that, LH playing the melody etc.
I also practiced in "groups & rhythms", that is, ONE-two-THREE-four-ONE-two etc, ad one-TWO-three-FOUR, and ONE_twothreefour, and all of them until onetwothreeFOUR (the caps aren't accents they indicate longer notes)
can someone please give me some advice on how to proceed. i know the notes well from memory but just cannot figure out how to play this!
thanks

[Motrax]

Sometimes, you'll come across a passage (or in this case, a variation) which you just can't seem to play no matter how hard you practice it. There are a number of reasons this might occur. The piece might just be much too far above your level, in which case you should put it aside and leran some other repertoire before going back to it. Another possibility is that it's just taking a long time for your hands to get used to the variation, and one day it'll just "click" and you'll by flying through it without a problem.

Most probably, you've got tension somewhere that you're not aware of. The technique you need here is wrist "rotation" (as my professor calls it). It's the same motion you use when turning a doorknob, though in this case it's quite a bit more subtle and quite a bit faster. Practice rocking your hand back and forth to play the notes while keeping your fingers as relaxed as possible. Think of it as if your fingers are not playing the notes at all - they are merely located conveniently while your wrist, forearm, and upper arm are doing all the real work. This technique took a long time to really sink in, in my case, and that was with the aid of weekly lessons (as opposed to one post on the internet).

If you're already aware of proper rotation and are using it, I apologize for wasting your time.  I do hope that you can make use of at least a little bit of what I said.

Good luck! Great choice of repertoire. 

-M

[shasta]

Hi Andhow04

I've done the Rach Corelli.  Since you're getting tired during this variation, it's most likely tension, which Motrax correctly stated.  Make sure you're not scrunching your shoulders as you play.  Try to consciously remind yourself to drop your shoulders, let them fall, fall, fall, fall... relaxed. 

Also, try not to force the RH melody out - - - you might be putting too much pressure and stress on your poor little RH pinky <--- when, if fact, it is the arm and hand motions that will bring this out.  Try not to use your pinky to depress the keys for the melody - - - a rotating motion, courtesy of your arm and wrist, is what gives your pinky the momentum to make the RH sing.  Even though this variation is very powerful, don't worry about playing forte for now - - - it just adds more tension, which you don't need right now.  You can bring the volume/fury up slowly later on once you've mastered the technique to this variation.

Try to keep your arms soft and rounded, with your elbows away from your body as you play.  Make sure your arms are not pivoting out at the elbow and your elbows are not touching your ribcage/side.  Correct arm position frees up the happy oxygenated blood to feed your arms and hands.

For tips on this specific variation, it sounds like once you alleviate some of the tension creeping in, you will be much better off.  You mention you have all the notes correct.  How about the tempo?  Dotted rhythms, working backwards from the last measure, and playing it with the metronome at varying tempi are all very helpful.  This variation sounds more impressive than it really is.  Keep things light and airy, just let your arms and hands relax and sweep thru the piece.  You still have MANY variations to go after this one so pace yourself! 

If you need a reference for how this variation sounds, Ashkenazy has a brilliant interpretation of the Corelli on this CD:  https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00000427M/qid=1128949403/sr=8-3/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i3_xgl15/102-1259374-4222534?v=glance&s=classical&n=507846

Good luck!  Let me know how things go!