Chopin Winter Wind - Hands are cramping

[geoffhuang]

My hands are cramping when I play the song full speed by the time I get to the e minor part (similar to the beginning, but in e minor instead of a minor). Do you guys think this is a fingering problem? Or is this a lack of finger strength/stamina problem? Is there anything I can do? Go to the gym and do finger curls? lol

My current fingering for the e minor run is: 5241 5241 5241 3231 4251 4251

I'm pretty sure the 5241 fingering is camping up my fingers, and I'm pretty sure there's not really an alternative to that specific fingering for a lot of the right hand runs, so maybe it's my lack of finger stamina? Is there anything I can do to improve this? Or do you guys think it is a fingering problem?

[hardy_practice]

Probably 2 things: 1) not using arm weight where appropriate (you can't play it with a Bach technique) and 2) not relaxing in between the notes.

[geoffhuang]

Can you elaborate on the arm weight?

[hardy_practice]

I've never studied it myself.  I suggest throwing your hand at the first and fifth note of every 6 in the RH and every chord in the left.

[hardy_practice]

The first edition has: 524152 415241 325142 514251 for the E minor section.

https://chopin.lib.uchicago.edu/gsdl/cgi-bin/library?e=d-000-00---0chopin--00-0-0-0prompt-10---4---Document---0-1l--1-en-Zz-1---50-home---001-001-1-0utfZz-8-0&a=d&cl=CL3.5.2&d=CHOP053.18

The first edition opens with: 5?4?3? 5?4?5? 5?4?5? 4?5?4?  notice how beat 3 repeats the 5.  That may be an indication from Chopin to throw the hand down there.  So I'd assume every first and third beat requires something from the wrist.

[geoffhuang]

Thank you very much. I just tried it, and using my arm weight helps incredibly not only with providing loud dynamics, but also stops the hand cramping since I don't have to use push my fingers down so hard.