Having trouble with a Bach piece

[davidjosepha]

I've been playing WTC Book 1 Prelude no. 17 for quite some time now. I got it up to near perfection from a technical standpoint a while ago, but then I stopped playing it for a month or two and now I'm coming back to it. I find I'm having a lot of difficulty though. I've been working on it for two weeks and I just keep getting frustrated. The first week went quite well, but now, I've been quite inconsistent. Some days, I'll play through the entire thing and not miss a note, hands perfectly together, and it'll sound great. The next day, I'll try playing it and my hands turn to mush. When my hands turn to mush, I'll slow it down to 60 or 80 bpm and play through it. As if the inconsistency there isn't frustrating enough, this morning, before going to work, I tried playing it at a quite slow tempo and I just...I don't even know what happened. My fingers couldn't play evenly. The 16th passages sounded like a drunk person trying to walk, or as if I were trying to add a slight swing to the notes. It's just so damn frustrating and I don't know what the problem is. One day, it'll be fine, another, terrible, and I just make it worse because when I get frustrated, instead of taking a break, I just have to keep playing. Last night, I was honestly so upset when I went to bed that I just wanted to quit piano altogether (though I know I'll never go through with it!). I feel inadequate.

Can someone please help me?

[maczip]

Hi,
I know everything you are talking about by own sad experience with WTC. The hard truth (at least for me) is: when such things happen, they point to the fact that either the piece is technically too difficult for one at this time or a lack of knowledge of the musical structure. Did you study every voice seperately, each hand seperately and eventually HT?

Good luck

[davidjosepha]

Hi,
I know everything you are talking about by own sad experience with WTC. The hard truth (at least for me) is: when such things happen, they point to the fact that either the piece is technically too difficult for one at this time or a lack of knowledge of the musical structure. Did you study every voice seperately, each hand seperately and eventually HT?

Good luck

It's the prelude, not the fugue, that is giving me trouble, so I don't think the voices thing is the problem, although I have played the voices separately quite often.

I'm hesitant to simply believe the piece is too difficult given that I was able to play it nearly perfectly a while ago, but perhaps. I'll continue to practice slowly, and next week I'll talk to my teacher and see what he thinks. I'm very good at playing with lots of chords and spaced out notes, but I have trouble with scales and the like. Much of Bach's work, obviously, falls into my weak points, so I'd really like to continue working on it so I can improve.

[krajcher]

It's the prelude, not the fugue, that is giving me trouble, so I don't think the voices thing is the problem, although I have played the voices separately quite often.

I'm hesitant to simply believe the piece is too difficult given that I was able to play it nearly perfectly a while ago, but perhaps. I'll continue to practice slowly, and next week I'll talk to my teacher and see what he thinks. I'm very good at playing with lots of chords and spaced out notes, but I have trouble with scales and the like. Much of Bach's work, obviously, falls into my weak points, so I'd really like to continue working on it so I can improve.

I think maczip is right. It can be technically a little bit too demanding. It is obvious that pianists have "better" and "worse" days and during these "better" days they can mask their shortages.

You said that you have trouble with scales. You won't play this prelude well, if you don't play scales well.


Best wishes

[asuhayda]

Don't sweat it. Just keep at it.. or maybe take a break from it again..  pick it up later.

Bach is hard.  I find that I always have to practice Bach longer than most other music.  It must be something to do with the textures or something.  His music doesn't stick with me either. I'll play one of his pieces for a couple of months and get it near perfect.  But, the second I put it down and stop practicing it, it decomposes at light speed.

Don't worry, you're not the only one.  Doesn't mean your bad at piano.. just human.

[davidjosepha]

I think maczip is right. It can be technically a little bit too demanding. It is obvious that pianists have "better" and "worse" days and during these "better" days they can mask their shortages.

You said that you have trouble with scales. You won't play this prelude well, if you don't play scales well.


Best wishes

I guess my biggest issue though is, I was able to play it well consistently. Every day, I could sit down and it would sound good, maybe not perfect, but very good. The past week though, I've just been unable to play it half the days.

And as scales go, I'm not bad at them. I can play 4 octaves at 128 or so, but fast scale-like passages are probably the weakest point in my playing.

[landru]

I think this is just a sign that the prelude marks the limits of your technique right now - which is good to know because you can go back to it in the future and marvel at your progress!

Last night I played through a Chopin nocturne that I finished up two months ago and hadn't touched since. Everything came back except the parts that were at my limit and I was on a tightrope with when I stopped playing it. I'm sure next year if I go back those parts won't be near the problem they are now.

And as everybody has chipped in with, Bach is notorious for needing lots of attention. After I have a break with a Bach piece I definitely have to do hands separate for a while before hoping to play it hands together.

[krajcher]

I guess my biggest issue though is, I was able to play it well consistently. Every day, I could sit down and it would sound good, maybe not perfect, but very good. The past week though, I've just been unable to play it half the days.

And as scales go, I'm not bad at them. I can play 4 octaves at 128 or so, but fast scale-like passages are probably the weakest point in my playing.

Well, you were able to play it consistently, stopped playing it and you want to play it as previously "on the spot"; but remember, you had a break. I think you just lost automatism, it happens.

Play each hand separately. You will definitely return to good shape!


Best wishes

[davidjosepha]

Well, you were able to play it consistently, stopped playing it and you want to play it as previously "on the spot"; but remember, you had a break. I think you just lost automatism, it happens.

Play each hand separately. You will definitely return to good shape!


Best wishes

So, just to clarify, you're saying that my problem is that I'm expecting to be able to play it just as well as I could before and as a result, I'm expecting too much too soon? That actually sounds like it could be right. Thanks