I have a metronome, but I haven't been using it for piano. Is that a must as it is with other instruments?
I am not really having any problems in fingering, or getting to chords, but when I play it up to speed (probably a bit slower than "up to speed") it starts to get a bit messy.
Recommended. So many (especially younger) pianists have bad rhythm and rush all the time. A metronome can be useful to kerb those problems.
What do you mean, a bit messy? Is it just those octave melodies you mentioned, or more?
It's the octave melodies and the triplets on top of the 16th notes that have to be slowed down much more than the rest of the song to get, but I think after playing it more (slowly) I can get the hang of it pretty fast. Other than that, I have the occasional slip and my finger slides off the Eb (in the left-hand) to E.
...so, it sounds as though you will/are get(ting) the hang of it...? [otherwise it's hard to suggest how to solve anything when one doesn't know how it is presently...]
Oh...well, honestly, I'm probably not the best example as regards what to do with this piece...many years ago I learned it in 3 days and played it in a masterclass conducted by a famous Chopin musicologist...needless to say, he wasn't pleased by what he heard...at all Anyway, I constantly looked back at it sporadically and decided to learn it properly recently. Right now it is firmly a part of my competition warhorses. Throughout the latest learning process, I actually find that by prioritising musical aims first and foremost, one will achieve a pleasing result and will eliminate many technical problems. So that's my tip to you: worry about the kind(s!) of sound that you want in the LH...worry about the melodic phrasing...work on achieving them on the piano. That's how I'd approach working on that RH passage you mentioned you had some problems with. Not the other way around (that is, worry about playing all the notes correctly and up to speed).Of course, the ground works are important as well. To finally answer your question, yeap I spent time practising the LH with/out the pedal in dotted rhythms, then slowly with different articulations. But it's all done not in order to achieve a certain speed, but rather, to achieve certain musical goals, of which speed is but only a part of. Trust me: with this piece, you will get the desired result by thinking musically, not technically!...just my 1am 2 cents ^^
I think I need to add some more as this has gone "off track".The Op10 no12 is packed full of detail. The octave cross rhythms are the least of the performers worries. Indeed if you cannot manage that cross rhythm effectively, this is not the work for you!
Most struggle with the modulation passage about bar's 30+, but notice the legatissimo for the opening left hand run(s). There is a contraction as Chopin has ascribed accents on the first of every group of 4. Therefore the executor (performer) must be especially careful in assuring the right balance. In stark contrast, the same identity appears in both hand ascribed con fuoco or "with fire".Referencing similar markings for his Ballade 2 and Prelude 16, Chopin expects the performer to open the tank and throw everything at his con fuoco's. Added to the crescendo and sempre f, this is building to an enormous climax. In effect this is a study of the interplay of the subtlety between the delicate (legatissimo) and absolute power (con fuoco).
My advice to you darksyndrem is you review how you play this work up to the first "sempre f", but this time you consider every single note and pay particular attention to the opening legatissimo. Invest in a metronome and start at a 60 crotchet pace. That is real slow, but it will give you a chance to comprehend the real balance required to effective performance. The hardest music to play is soft and fast. Managing staccato, accents, slurs and other dynamic considerations adds to the nightmare of rehearsal. But we know it is all worth it when the performance is right!
That's perfect! Since, I'm musical not technical
Ha, but no...so many pianists (regardless of musicality) fall into the trap of working at difficult passages mechanically without thinking of the problem from a musical angle. For instance, it is tempting for many to practise that octave RH passage you said you had problems in dotted rhythms with the LH, loud, soft, slow, fast, staccato etc. without thinking about phrasing. It is also tempting to hack away at the LH passages in said mechanical manner without thinking about the musical possibilities - colour, dynamic nuance......quite often, when we encounter technical problems, we look for purely technical solutions (so in that octave passage you had trouble with, you practise at a slower speed). I'm just suggesting that thinking musical solutions will often eradicate the technical problems too
This might be the least helpful thing you could have said. If some one cannot play a rhythm after a few days, the last thing they should do is give up or pick another piece. I'm staying with this Etude, there are no questions in that.
The Chopin Etudes are serious works and need to be approached with open eyes. Better start with the Waltz's and work up to the Etudes is my advice to you. Sincerely.
I appreciate the advice, but this is for an audition that happens to be next saturday. I don't have time to start with the waltzes.
Topic: Learning Etudes 