strengthening technique

[liszmaninopin]

What are some ways of pushing technique to new levels of precision?  My technique is already fairly good, I can play some Beethoven sonatas, Chopin etudes, Rachmaninoff preludes, and other fairly difficult pieces.  I would like to kind of expand my technique to include works more difficult.  I have been doing some work on Rachmaninoff's Sonatas and Concerti, just started doing part of Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit today, and am trying to develop stronger technique.  Is the best way of doing this just playing these harder pieces?

[eddie92099]

Yes. Now isn't that great news?!
Ed

[robert_henry]

The first question I would ask you is are there any bad habits in your p[laying that you can think of that you should abandon, like tight wrists, flimsy fingers, tense shoulders, the tendency to extend your thumb or expand your hand unnecessarily, etc?  Technique is a very natural thing we do.  When we hit a wall it is because we are doing something unnatural.  

Also, you should be more specific with regard to what aspect of technique you want to improve.

Robert Henry

[liszmaninopin]

Well, specifically I need technical work on light, fast type passages.  Not quite scales, but fast, rapid passages that are often marked glissando give me trouble.  Occasionally octaves do to, but not so much.  Bad habits?  I don't really think I have many, although with some pieces my forearms get too tight. (not really wrists so much, but definite tension in my upper forearm)  One piece that does this to me is Rachmaninoff's Prelude op. 23 #5.  In general, I play it very well, but sometimes the arm tension gets unpleasant in some octave passages.

[IgnazPaderewski]

Sounds like your arm isnt loose enough - glssando type passages are all about a loose arm - and the G minor prelude is a nightmare if your not relaxed.

Playing hard stuff is certainly the best medicine to get stronger fingers and more command of lots of notes. but it wont neccessarily be the best way to improve technique for everyone. Some concentrated work on a diddy little mozart sonata can do wonders for ones touch, which wouldn't be done by playing Liszt Sonata (This is what I have been doing). If virtuosic stuff (dont comment, I dont care) is your problem  then indeed as Ed says play lots of hard stuff and dont you dare go near any of that Czerny crap. Hanon can (surprisingly) help with some of this stuff though. However, if you seek control of the quieter and slower stuff, you had better take a classical sonata or 5 and just practice trying to analyse exactly what you do, how you do it, what physical movements are unnecessary and if you are doing anything that perhaps can be better. But just play! thats the best medicine, learn and read through lots of music - but choose music that is particularly relevant to the type of dificulties you are having.

TTFN

[ilovemusic]

It's music, not stuff.

[JustinTimberlake]

whatever

[comme_le_vent]

lol, trousersnake!

not like you to have a bad attitude is it?