Need Advice for Chopin Etude Op 10 No 1

[kayleez]

Hi all, I just joined the forum not too long ago, and glad to find this place.  I figured here would be a perfect place to ask for advice.

I am practicing Chopin Etude Op10 No1, and my problem is I am able to play it fairly accurately in the beginning, but I get tired around the middle of the second page or so. Once I get tired, I cannot hit the keys accurately anymore, and it progressively gets worse until the very end it comes very bad....

So, I know I should relax, but my hands are so small and it is very difficult to do so with the stretching and speed. Any advice or tips?

Thanks!

Kaylee

[adodd81802]

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[kayleez]

Wow, thank you so much for all the info and thoughts! Surely gave me a lot to think about and experiment. The video is great, and the "blocking" used in the video really helps with accuracy. Well, I will keep on going with the new knowledge. Thanks again for sharing!

[suethemoon]

What helped with this etude is just plain slow practice.
Practice very slow and make sure every single finger hits the middle of the key (will carryover once you start to pick up speed) and play with a 'pp' dynamic but don't make your fingers become floppy. Make sure they are sturdy upon contact and release tension after.
For the case of black notes I suggest use curled 5th finger which will help build better grip on the fingertip (especially the A major arpeggio).

Good Luck! and beware this will take time as there are no shortcuts towards this etude

[kevonthegreatpianist]

Hi all, I just joined the forum not too long ago, and glad to find this place.  I figured here would be a perfect place to ask for advice.

I am practicing Chopin Etude Op10 No1, and my problem is I am able to play it fairly accurately in the beginning, but I get tired around the middle of the second page or so. Once I get tired, I cannot hit the keys accurately anymore, and it progressively gets worse until the very end it comes very bad....

So, I know I should relax, but my hands are so small and it is very difficult to do so with the stretching and speed. Any advice or tips?

Thanks!

Kaylee

here are my suggestions:

1. Find the notes
2. If you have very small hands, save this for later, because a cycle spans from an octave to a 10th
3. Play at half speed, right hand then both

[kayleez]

Thank you all for your help. I tried most of what you guys said.

Overall, after just 2 days, I can notice really good progress. This really gives me the confidence I needed. So, really really appreciate all your thoughts in this thread.  Here is an update of what worked for me and a quick reflection. Hopefully it will be helpful to whoever takes on this piece.

1) Hand size. Many people suspect that small hands cannot play this piece. I think this is false. I am an adult woman with small hands. I have not really met any other adults who have smaller hands than me. I can reach an octave, and 9 notes would be a stretch for me, but doable. So far my progress on this piece has been satisfying, and I believe I can do it at some point.

2) Correct practice methods help a lot. If your practice is just repetition and repetition, maybe eventually you can do it, but that will take way longer than necessary. Here is what worked for me:

- step 1 blocking exercise, just follow Paul Barton's video tutorial.
- step 2 slow, soft (pp) but firm, repetition with conscious forearm rotation and relaxation of musles. Each note has to be accurate and in the middle.
- step 3, pick up speed and pedal.

I think mental play also helps too.

[outin]

1) Hand size. Many people suspect that small hands cannot play this piece. I think this is false. I am an adult woman with small hands. I have not really met any other adults who have smaller hands than me. I can reach an octave, and 9 notes would be a stretch for me, but doable. So far my progress on this piece has been satisfying, and I believe I can do it at some point.

It is false. Hand size is a problematic concept, because some hands look small and can still reach the octave while other's may look larger and cannot. So it's the hand SPAN that matters, not size. If I could reach the octave comfortably with both hands, I would never complain

[kevonthegreatpianist]

Thank you all for your help. I tried most of what you guys said.

Overall, after just 2 days, I can notice really good progress. This really gives me the confidence I needed. So, really really appreciate all your thoughts in this thread.  Here is an update of what worked for me and a quick reflection. Hopefully it will be helpful to whoever takes on this piece.

1) Hand size. Many people suspect that small hands cannot play this piece. I think this is false. I am an adult woman with small hands. I have not really met any other adults who have smaller hands than me. I can reach an octave, and 9 notes would be a stretch for me, but doable. So far my progress on this piece has been satisfying, and I believe I can do it at some point.

2) Correct practice methods help a lot. If your practice is just repetition and repetition, maybe eventually you can do it, but that will take way longer than necessary. Here is what worked for me:

- step 1 blocking exercise, just follow Paul Barton's video tutorial.
- step 2 slow, soft (pp) but firm, repetition with conscious forearm rotation and relaxation of musles. Each note has to be accurate and in the middle.
- step 3, pick up speed and pedal.

I think mental play also helps too.

im barely 13, and i can reach elevenths

i think i have oversized hands

[rubinsteinmad]

im barely 13, and i can reach elevenths

i think i have oversized hands

Woah! I'm 12 and I can reach only 10ths. I'm SO JEALOUS OF YOU.

Oh, and yeah, big hands REALLY help with this piece, especially if you want to make it smooth.

[ansgarpiano]

It is lots of fun contemplating on hand size! I am an adult man i can reach a 10th relaxed 12th streched (obviously big hands) and have played and worked with 12 of chopins 24 etudes thoroughly. In Op 10 1, 10 11 and 10 12 I have felt it as a great advantage with my hand size in terms of the arpeggies, but 10 2 and 10 4 for instance was a challenge where I at some point felt disabled and clumpsy in order to obstain clarity in the phrases.

May be the same for you just other way around. I really like how different pianists seems to have different problems

[briansaddleback]

I don't play this etude but I know the concept of constant flexing your hand to be wide open to shut back and forth and the fatigue that can set in quickly for that.  This is one of the universal issues I have observed w student peers at the school.  However not to boast but I don't have this problem. I believe it is because of when I was younger and in my twenties when I used to go to the gym constantly I did a lot of hand grip exercises.  Yes, those old school v shaped hand grips w certain tension and I would grip repetitions for hundred or more each set.  Many years later I find that all that actually helped w certain stamina problematic areas in piano.
I'm not saying go out and do hand grips. I'm just saying explore how to improve stamina involving rapid movements of the hand with a variety of well discerned experimental exercises and if it works keep doing it if it doesn't stop immediately.