I want to play some Chopin Op.10 Etudes. I played only no.12 'Revolutionary' and I want to do my best to play the whole opus. (That's a long term goal)
I want to know what criteria should I put into consideration when choosing which Etude(s) to play next. What I am thinking of is that each Etude has its own difficulty and its own technique that is intended to develop. For example, no.5 is for black key arpeggios, no.2 is for playing chromatic scales with fingers 3,4,5, no. 12 is for the left hand......etc.So, should I see what technique I am good at and play the Etude that tackles that technique? or it is the other way round and I should see which technique i suck at and play the Etude that tackles it so I can improve and develop this special technique ??
Or I've been thinking to work them in order. I finished no.12 so I was thinking to play no.11 then 10 then 9 .......... and so on. So that at any time I can have something to put in a recital programme like this Chopin - Etudes Op.10 no.x-12 not write Etudes no.x, y, z, 12.
Why not expand on what phil13 advised with the Op.25 etudes?
Because I want to finish the entire opus 10 first. I want to be able to play such thing called "Chopin - Etudes op.10" not scattered Etudes from here and there
pieces you need to learn
Pieces that'll improve hte weak aspects of your playing?
If your aim is to learn the entire Op10 Etudes then it doesn't matter which one you start with. What is important is that you must have the technical capability to understand how to play all the etudes, nothing should be new to you. If you are learning new technique from the Chopin etudes then you are starting at too hard a level, drop down to something easier.
How can I learn techniques better than from Chopin etudes ??
I think Etudes are intended to develop piano technique not make use of it.
I feel that the Chopin etudes are not there to develop technique but to sharpen your foundation and to prove to you, like a final examination in school, that you can technically play the intricate patterns on the piano and general procedure.This is exactly what I mean, making use of the technique itself is not trained because the actual useage of the technique, the foundation of the technique should already be established from "easier" pieces you have learnt. Chopin focuses on tricky techniques throughout all his etudes so if your foundation is shaky the entire pieces collapse and become very difficult to master. This would highlight a lack of technical foundation to learn th eetude and one might waste 3 months learning one etude where they could learn many more useful smaller pieces. If you are ready to learn a Chopin etude it should be completely memorised in less than 2 weeks (although I would like to say 2 days, but I think most people here will burn me at the stake and dance around my ashes if I say that.)
1. On what authority can you say that the Etudes are not to be used to develop technique, but rather to polish and showcase already developed technique? Many authorities, including Cortot and Whiteside, have stressed the pedagogical function of the Etudes.
2. You say that without the technical foundation, the piece would collapse. Well, obviously, but this is true of any piece and does not spell disaster; rather, if the etude is selected appropriately, it should serve to pinpoint the technical problem to be solved. It is precisely the high musical values represented in these Etudes that provides the motivation to solve these technical problems and to signal when they have been solved.
3. Elsewhere you state that ALL the etudes should be worked on concurrently, at least to some depth. This in itself begs for logical support, yet here you state that each etude should be memorised in 2 weeks (or even 2 days, preferably). In other words, in your view, one should be able to memorize all 24 etudes in 2 weeks of time. Something simply doesn't compute here.
4. Burning at the stake will not clear up the confusion you've created by your statements, so I for one would not advocate it. I would rather you came down from your high horse and be a little more real. Certainly it would be nice to come to the Etudes with a fully developed technique and use these masterpieces simply to polish and show off one's accomplishments, but for most of us mortals, that doesn't comport with reality. I really wonder if it does for you.