Learning a difficul piece

[mikeneitzel]

Good morning!
After 50 years of this I SHOULD have a good idea. But I have just recently began playing again, as a left hand piano player after loosing my right arm in an accident...

I am learning some of Godowsky's transcriptions of Chopin's work. A lot of them are pretty hard, many notes stacked in chords which stands to reason, as one does this with one hand alone.

What is your experience? Learn, a bar at a time, repeat, repeat, repeat, then on to the next, or a line at the time, again repeat until comfortable, and so move on?? These pieces are of course not in the key of C, there are also many bb, released notes for one bar, then back to a flat, etc. etc.. Am very excited, are having our Rudolph & Sohn Grand tuned and fixed up a bit...thank you!
Mike

[liszt1022]

Which Godowsky studies are you looking at? I've poked around a few of them.

[mikeneitzel]

Thanks for your reply!

I am to the third page of Op. 10 No. 3, which I loved all my life, and only now get to play with one arm...and would like to learn Op.25, Nos 1 and 12...

[liszt1022]

If you're on the third page of Godowsky's LH 10/3, then you're over halfway, and there's nothing on pages 3 or 4 that's any harder to learn or play than page 2. So you're fine there.

The LH 25/1 is fairly doable, and it sounds good under tempo too, in case you can't just dash it off. I like the fingering
1
2
351521

but see which you prefer. The LH 25/12 is rough stuff, I haven't heard any recordings keep even 16th notes towards the end. I think for the effort to learn that one I'd rather do the LH 10/4, but that's not on my list right now. LH 10/12 is not as difficult as either of those.
I did the LH 10/5 and had a good time with it, except for a minor nervous breakdown during video recording attempts.
Study 44 is easy but uninteresting.
45A isn't too bad. I wish it was in Ab though...

As far as "how to learn them," start by having confidence in the notes you're reading, and remember that Godowsky uses chromatic harmonies often so the notes clash in places where they sound fine in Chopin's original. Keep an eye on how they move horizontally, where they resolve, because that helps it make sense.
Play it all the way through one time, then go back and work in very small sections. You'll have to memorize it for sure in order to play it smoothly.

And for some encouragement, let this 82-year old stroke survivor with one working hand play for you-

[mikeneitzel]

Thanks lot for great advice! I have watched the youtube clip you have attached before, but she is doing it very slowly, doesn't quite sound right. But hats off anyways...

Okay...back to work! Enjoy your weekend! And yes, Godowsky uses some strange harmonies...

Cheers,
Mike