Piano Forum

So, I've always played the little sixteenth-note figure in the A section with one hand -- it's of course notated split between the hands, and I've heard some convincing arguments from musicologists about the whole "call and response" nature of this little motif.  

For that matter, most people on Youtube seem to be doing it hands split, also.

I did some work on the tune when I was like twelve, or fourteen, and quickly abandoned it in favor of the no. 4 and no. 6 of the same set, which were more exciting to me, but I remember my teacher did just kind of gloss over and say "hands separate," as a quick answer to my question, and then we went back to work.

So, like a lot of years later, I'm still keeping all of Op. 126 in my book -- meaning, I'm trying to have in memory all six of them, just for fun to have as part of my mental furniture.  And, yes, I'm pretty sick of them after how many years, even though they're nice, light-hearted music.

For people who actually split the hands on the sixteenth note motif, is that really easier?  I'm only asking because if I don't deliberately take a deep breath and relax my wrist, I'm bound to screw up the little "lick," and that pretty much spoils the piece.

If you nail the "lick," it's fine -- it's really not that difficult one-handed, certainly easier than most fast jazz improvisation, but the possibility of making its execution "idiot-proof" by using the notated split-hands is kind of attractive to me, if only as an exercise in technique.

So, what's the inside deal?