Why is playing faster easier sometimes?

[melaladi]

I was practicing the 3rd movement of Mozart's Sonata in G, K.283, and there were a few sections that I couldn't get, so I kept trying them more and more slowly. I got frustrated with them, so I gave up and decided to play the piece from the beginning. I played it faster than I usually do, and for some reason, I played much better than I ever had before, and played the tough sections perfectly. It this just a fluke, or is there some reason for this?

[rachmaninoff_forever]

I see what you mean.  I get the same thing when playing some pieces.  I think it's because you don't have to think too much about what your playing when you're playing faster and it just comes naturally.

[melaladi]

I suppose that makes sense. Thanks!

[roseamelia]

I've done that during many pieces and it has worked for me when I don't know another way to practice it.

I think it's because you don't have to think too much about what your playing when you're playing faster and it just comes naturally.

very well put. we do know how to do we just don't yet and then try it fast and see if your fingers automatically play what you couldn't play before.

[mhoffman89]

I've never agreed with that. People tend to see playing faster as easier, i believe that they're just overlooking too much. playing slower, just like slowing down a video, you notice more details. I believe one should strive to bring out those details even in fast music. I find Arturo Michaelangeli is absolutely brilliant with this. He strived for perfection in his music. One should be able to play it beautifully both fast and slow. I practice my pieces at various tempo's, trying to bring out the best at every speed. It's always good to let someone more experienced hear you play as well. It sometimes sounds great to us, but there's tons of things that people miss out.

[roseamelia]

true.

[jayeckz]

I played it faster than I usually do, and for some reason, I played much better than I ever had before, and played the tough sections perfectly. It this just a fluke, or is there some reason for this?

I'm going to argue against mhoffman89's opinion:

I've never agreed with that. People tend to see playing faster as easier, i believe that they're just overlooking too much.

Certainly in some cases mhoffman89 opinion is valid; however I think the statement is too generalized.  For me, playing faster enforces rhythmic drive especially in faster pieces (until it gets too fast of course ).  I think playing too slow makes it much harder to "feel" the pulse.

In Petrushka for example, there are many instances of a series of polyrhythms with 5 notes in one line and 6 notes in another line per beat.  For me if I play these passages slow enough, I'll need to subdivide to 30 or at least divide every beat into 5 beats; by doing this I tend lose the rhythmic drive (think Pogorelich nowadays when he plays slow sections really, really slow).  Only once I play at a certain speed where I can easily feel the downbeats, playing polyrhythms becomes easy.

[mhoffman89]

Forgive me for being too general. I agree with your point on Petrushka. I've never attempted it, but I'll look at it. I saw someone with insane technique play it in a competition though. He played it without a single mistake, at an extreme speed, but completely lacked emotion in the end. There are slow pieces I've found harder as well. the 2nd movement of Beethoven's 4th piano concerto is one of them. It's such a short piano part but requires so much attention, and the pulse can be a problem if you play it too slow. I find you've got to keep moving towards the next notes and the connection between the notes is very important.