an easy P&F is no. 21 in B flat major WTC I .
Hey Phil, I looked up that p/f you suggested and apparently (according to them) it's one of the easier ones and is on the grade 10 list, not the ARCT list. The same thing happened with my p/f in Bb Major, bk. 1 that I was thinking of doing - grade 10. BUT the C major one from book one is on ARCT - why? Anyway, yes I had actually looked into doing Chopin's nocturne op. 27 no. 1 in c# minor, but was wondering about going overboard the other way and having to much lyrcial stuff, with 1/3 (time wise) of my program being the Schubert? Do you think it would be a better choice?Do you know where I can hear a recording of that MacDowell etude? What's it like?
yes....first memorize all the pieces BEFORE starting playing for technique....and practically read this book before doing anything on the piano( Fundamentals of piano practice - C.C. Chang - search for it on google and download it) when you have memorized you should looking for the right motions ....so a most important rule you must practice FAST before practicing slowly because that will prevent you from building speed walls. So vary the speed and search for new motions and work for accuracy and speed. never be on the smame speed to long. the thing I meant with practice them at the same time is that if you just practice one thing you will be overpracticing it. If you work on things o difficult segments from all the pieces you will not have the chance to overpracticing them. one important thing switch hands very often(about every 15s) so that you can focuse 100% without getting tired-->devloping bad habits,stress etc. and always play slowly before switching hands once at least and every time you quit......Now I am getting tired everything is in the book.....YOU MUST READ IT.
How do you separate playing for technique from memorizing? I think that the two should be done simultaneously, in other words, to memorize as you learn it. Technique, musicality, and memorization are all part of the learning process from the start, though memorization is more of an effect of knowing the piece well.
As far as practicing fast to avoid speed walls, I see this as a mistake. Your agility will not be damaged by practicing slowly. It is important to practice slowly from the start in order to learn the piece well. It allows the muscles to memorize, the ear to memorize, the eyes to memorize the page - really, everything. Not to mention, at a slower speed, it is easier to monitor the technique in order to not build in "speed walls." Speed walls are a result of unnatural technique, not slow practice.
You can memorise mentally, from the score (many famous pianists did that, including Gieseking and Gould).You are both right and wrong. Yes, speed walls are a result of unnatural technique. A very good way to get unnatural technique is to practise slowly (since at slow speeds you will get away with the unnatural technique). Then as you speed your motions, the unnatural technique you were getting away with will create the speed wall.So you must make a distinction between "slow practice" (which should be avoided) and "slow motion practice" (which is essential), that is, playing slowly with the same motions you would play fast. However how do you figure out the proper motions when playing fast so that you can play them in slow motion? That is when the investigative playing of small sections at fast speeds has great usefulness (and the chord trick). So unless you already know the perfect technique, fast practice (investigative) should always preced slow motion practice.Speed walls can also be caused by trying to speed movements as opposed to making the movements smaller (the correct way to speed up).Best wishes,Bernhard.
Yes, you can memorize mentally, but isn't more efficient to memorize it as you practice? I think that there a lot more things helping you when you do it this way - i.e., tactile memory, aural memory. Why make memorization a separate process? I am a firm believer in mental practice once the piece is memorized, but I think before that stage, there are more efficient uses of time.
I do not distinguish between slow practice and slow motion practice because I view them as the same thing. It is simply a mistake to practice with different motions at a slow tempo than you will at the eventual tempo. I find that at the slow tempo, it is easiest to find the most natural motions of the hand as well as fingerings. It is possibly that you might test the movement once if you are uncertain of its viability at a quicker tempo, but as a rule, premature speed prevents proper learning.
Of course, you must suit your learning practice/routine to yourself. When I read your post, I thought you were asking a real question, not a rhetoric one. By all means do what you feel is more efficient. At the same time, there may be situations where a piano is simply not available (a common enough situation for concert pianists who travel a lot). Training oneself to learn and memorise repertory away from the piano then becomes not only a bonus as a necessity. (Many a concert pianist learned pieces this way on long flights, for instance).Again not making a clear distinction may be fine for you who know what you are doing. However beginners read this constant demand that they should practise slowly. Not being aware that there is a world of difference between slow motion practice and slow practice, they unwittingly practise all sorts of absurd motions and build those into their unconscious. It is not fair not to make such a distinction. And it is sloppy use of the language, since they are not the same thing, and we have no way to know that for you they are the same thing.Best wishes, Bernhard.
Topic: My Program (thoughts?) 