stripping a piece back down

[katefarquharson]

So I have been working through a fair bit of repertoire compared to my usual load.

One of them is Schumann's Aufschwung (Fantasiestucke), which is totally manageable but it is TOTALLY falling apart. It is messy, nothing flows and I can't even try to mentally practise it because I get a weird visual where my fingers keep slipping of the keys...! which is often what happens.

I think I have started to really botch it up so I've decided I need to take a couple steps back and completely rework it as if I'm learning it from scratch again.

Any practical tips? I have to be quite strict with myself for this because I have such a butterfly brain that it's hard to stay on task so I risk just suddenly bashing through pages rather than slowly fixing things.... So basically I need structure!

[slobone]

Since it sounds like you've already basically learned it before, I find it helpful to play it through very slowly with a metronome, not trying to do anything expressive. This will re-connect the notes in your brain. Do this at least once a day. VERY slowly.

After that, break it up into small chunks and work on fingering and phrasing. If it's easier to do hands separate that's fine, although I don't know whether that would work with this piece. Again, don't try to bring it up to tempo, but now you can play it as fast as you can without making mistakes. Don't worry if you're doing different parts of the piece at different tempos, you can fix that later.

And then finally, at least once a day, try to play it all the way through, incorporating everything you've already achieved. Here it doesn't matter if you make mistakes, you're just trying to have the experience of playing the whole thing without stopping.

[g_s_223]

The essential preconditions to a competent performance are complete mastery of:
- HS
- strict finger legato
- strictly without pedal

Play absolutely as slow as necessary to achieve this. Then you can slowly put the hands together:
- again strictly legato
- again strictly without pedal
Again, as slow as necessary.

Pedal is the final refinement, when the above strictures may at last be relaxed.

[j_menz]

The essential preconditions to a competent performance are complete mastery of:
.....

Whilst that may work for you, it is hardly a general rule.

@OP  Instead of stripping it down, have you considered hamming it up? Let yourself go to the edges and beyond.  You may find it catthartic as well as providing you with new insights into the piece.