Pressure when Playing Chopin Op10 No. 1

[johnarnold]

Hello,

I started learning Op10 No1 by Chopin 3 months ago and as of now I know all the notes and can play about 75% of it up to it's intended speed. I started playing the notes slowly to begin with and repeatedly loosened my wrist with methods such as Alexander technique while at the same time using my thumb and ring finger firmly to launch my hand across the piano.

I play the piece from start to finish about 3-5 times a day. The piece has taught me the psychology of eliminating tension, reducing tiredness and seeing through my hands rather than my eyes.

However, I've played the piece so much now that I feel I'm now inventing mistakes at random places. I feel as though I'm losing the ability to trust myself which as a result has caused me to create bad habits of missing a few important notes especially at the beginning of the piece. I've become so used to playing it at the intended speed that I've forgotten what some of the notes are whenever I try to play it slowly.

I'm 17 and have played the piano since I was 5, my father is a piano teacher but I've been learning this piece on my own and am passionate about playing it perfectly.

EDIT: Please don't post links to video tutorials on learning the piece. I'm not having difficulty with the actual playability of the piece, just the pressure of playing in front of people really.

[pianowell]

Hi John

I hope you may find some good advices in this masterclass, and play this étude as perfect as you always wanted )
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KsJmKqVza6I

Kisses&Hugs,
Emma.

[j_menz]

I hope you may find some good advices in this masterclass,

Given that you need to use your LH to make some of the arps work when you play it, your advice (for it seems to be your own "masterclass") would be at best somewhat eccentric.

[faulty_damper]

It seems like you've reached a speed limit with your current movements.  This piece can actually be learned at full tempo if the movements are used correctly which avoids speed walls.

[johnarnold]

Hi John

I hope you may find some good advices in this masterclass, and play this étude as perfect as you always wanted )
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KsJmKqVza6I

Kisses&Hugs,
Emma.

Thank you Emma, I appreciate your interpretation but it seems a little slow for my personal liking and I would probably make a bigger impact with the left hand. Paul Barton's interpretation is more along the lines of how I perceive to play the piece.

I have no problem with the actual learning of the piece, just the pressure of playing in front of an audience.

[anamnesis]

Thank you Emma, I appreciate your interpretation but it seems a little slow for my personal liking and I would probably make a bigger impact with the left hand. Paul Barton's interpretation is more along the lines of how I perceive to play the piece.

I have no problem with the actual learning of the piece, just the pressure of playing in front of an audience.

I watched Barton's video, and his way of approaching the etude would take forever to learn up to tempo.  

The piece is learned approach the final tempo from the start.  Velocity is gained via focusing on the voice leading of the note Chopin accented on the arpeggios from measure to measure. Those notes are conceptually connected together.

First, learn to project the octave of that voice via the sensation of proprioception from the shoulder girdle/back at tempo.  You are essentially learning the same sensation you need for controlled, large leaps.  If you don't get this, you will struggle to get the piece near the final tempo when you play all the notes.  You want to feel in full rhythmic control.  (Don't forget to let your torso help you out in terms of both feeling the rhythm and aiding in the horizontal progression.)

The rest of the motions, which involve the expansion and contraction of the hand, and a subtle rotation at the turns, have to be incorporated into that larger projection from the shoulder girdle/back.  You have to layer each of these motions in, and not do them all at once.

Cortot Exercise 1 is probably the best next step after you learn to project the octaves, but even then you never stop practicing the simpler outline/skeleton of the music, as you add in more layers. (If any of Cortot's advice, prevents you from feeling the larger motion, ignore it or at least put it in the context of that larger feeling.)  

This piece  as with most of the Chopin Etudes is virtually doing the same thing over and over and over again in terms of physical motions, with subtle variations.  You want to compare the differences.  

[hardy_practice]

Chopin said to practice it slowly, which makes a lot of sense.

[anamnesis]

Chopin said to practice it slowly, which makes a lot of sense.

Slow motion practice also takes skill.  If you do it wrong, it will mess you up in the long run.

You have to feel the slow underneath the fast, which in this piece is still fast.  

If you practice from a simplified outline, you can get the more fundamental motions under control at  tempo much faster.

The alternative approach is to string along a bunch of tiny little motions, hoping that they flow together into something that sounds coherent, under control, and with ease.  That's far less likely to happen with these etudes.  Moreover, too slow of an exploration will decrease the likelihood your body will figure out the co-ordinations needed for higher speeds. 

You want to solve the degree of freedom problem at higher joint levels first, which will restrict the needed solutions at lower levels toward the hands into more likely probabilities that will work:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Degrees_of_freedom_problem

[hardy_practice]

I would agree you need to be shown how to practice it slowly.

[fifthelegy]

I think you mentioned the reason for your problem in your first post! You mentioned that you play it 3-5 times from start to finish. The problem with this is that when you try to tackle something head on, you will never be able to pay attention to all the details in between. That's why you're "inventing" mistakes and creating bad habits.
You should practice it bit by bit at a time. I started learning this etude as well. What I did was to go through it page at a time, or even half a page. I practiced slowly, in dotted rhythms, memorised it, then moved on to the next page. Next day: repeat. I managed to get it up to full speed and memorised in 3 weeks, only because I practiced the way I'm supposed to
(I'll admit I am very guilty of 'wrong' practicing many times and I learn MUCH slower when I do that)

[awesom_o]

I'm not having difficulty with the actual playability of the piece, just the pressure of playing in front of people really.

Have you considered the possibility that Chopin composed 10/1 as a study, rather than as performance repertoire?

[pianoplunker]

Hello,

I started learning Op10 No1 by Chopin 3 months ago and as of now I know all the notes and can play about 75% of it up to it's intended speed. I started playing the notes slowly to begin with and repeatedly loosened my wrist with methods such as Alexander technique while at the same time using my thumb and ring finger firmly to launch my hand across the piano.

I play the piece from start to finish about 3-5 times a day. The piece has taught me the psychology of eliminating tension, reducing tiredness and seeing through my hands rather than my eyes.

However, I've played the piece so much now that I feel I'm now inventing mistakes at random places. I feel as though I'm losing the ability to trust myself which as a result has caused me to create bad habits of missing a few important notes especially at the beginning of the piece. I've become so used to playing it at the intended speed that I've forgotten what some of the notes are whenever I try to play it slowly.

I'm 17 and have played the piano since I was 5, my father is a piano teacher but I've been learning this piece on my own and am passionate about playing it perfectly.

EDIT: Please don't post links to video tutorials on learning the piece. I'm not having difficulty with the actual playability of the piece, just the pressure of playing in front of people really.

What you are describing can happen with any piece of music at any level. Obviously you have practiced if you can play it 3 -5 times a day but maybe you should play it only once or maybe even leave it alone for a month or so. Learn something else in the meantime. Give your brain time to "forget" all the new mistakes. Then go back and practice it only by sections. You should be able to switch from fast to slow and still execute the correct notes. If you cannot, then you do not know it well enough yet

[markh13]

As many posters have said, this is all about slow practice - or rather, getting the balance right.

Once a piece has been learned, it's tempting to think we don't need slow practice any more, but slow practice is vital to keep it all together, particularly with a piece as hard as this... Just playing through repeatedly at full speed will mean things start to unravel (as described by the OP).

My approach to this would be a mix of the following:

• Ultra slow practice, thinking ahead and really feeling each note deeply
• Slow practice, at a comfortable tempo that gives complete security
• Section by section practice, at full (or even slightly faster) speed (sections can be as long or short as required)
• And finally, normal speed practice

This should really help to give complete security.

[stringoverstrung]

What you are describing can happen with any piece of music at any level. Obviously you have practiced if you can play it 3 -5 times a day but maybe you should play it only once or maybe even leave it alone for a month or so. Learn something else in the meantime. Give your brain time to "forget" all the new mistakes. Then go back and practice it only by sections. You should be able to switch from fast to slow and still execute the correct notes. If you cannot, then you do not know it well enough yet

This seems like a good idea to put it away. This is also what my teacher recommended. However do this after a flawless performance (for example at half speed). Return to it after 1 or 2 months and approach the piece as if you had never seen it before.