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Some problems in Chopin Etudes Op10 no 2,3 and 5

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Topic: Some problems in Chopin Etudes Op10 no 2,3 and 5 (Read 3835 times)

ssssass

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Posts: 3

Some problems in Chopin Etudes Op10 no 2,3 and 5

on: February 20, 2018, 08:18:55 AM

Hi,

I am an amateurish piano player with small hands. I can more or less reach a 9th, but a 10th is almost impossible. Also due to to small fingers some chords seem really difficult to play. For example I cannot reach Hammerklavier's first 9th chords. Due to this problem I have some issues/doubts with the first Chopin Etudes:

Op10 N2: During the middle section, Chopin decided that it would be a nice a idea to add an 8th chord just to complicate a bit more the etude itself. I can barely reach these chords from rest, imagine while playing all the other notes. Let's say I change the chord in bar 20 F-Ab-F with only F-F or Ab-F. Is it considered cheating to avoid some of those octave notes?

Op10 N3: The con bravura passage (and a little bit before) I have a really tough time reaching those 6th chords using finders 2 and 5. Any tips here apart from playing this passage 1000 times?

Op10 N5: First two bars. Some editions recommend 2-5, 3-5 digits, others 2-4 or a combination of both. Which is the fingering you are most comfortable with?

Thank you!

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adodd81802

PS Silver Member
Sr. Member
Posts: 1114

Re: Some problems in Chopin Etudes Op10 no 2,3 and 5

Reply #1 on: February 20, 2018, 10:45:21 AM

OP 10 5... It doesn't matter.. honestly. play what's comfortable. I start 3/5, but I believe 2/4 is probably more practical, I have similar hands to yourself.

One thing to note, why you can't make your hands bigger, you can work on stretching them, safely, through practice.

Just as we couldn't all do the splits first time, but with safe practice, eventually we can do the splits (well I couldn't... lol)

There isn't enough background on your post to give suitable advice that may not be misinterpreted without a teacher that can actually play these pieces, in my opinion. OP10-2 is not an Amateurish piece.

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ssssass

Newbie
Posts: 3

Re: Some problems in Chopin Etudes Op10 no 2,3 and 5

Reply #2 on: February 20, 2018, 11:40:03 AM

Quote from: adodd81802 on February 20, 2018, 10:45:21 AM

Hey @adodd81802 thank you very much for your answer.

Well to give you a bit more background, I have been playing the piano for 16 years now, first 10 of the them in a conservatory of music. I am capable of playing some some Chopin Etudes (op10 n1, n9, n12; op25 n1, n2, n12), Beethoven Sonata Op110, Beethoven variations, Bach English Suites, Bach Tocattas, some Rachmaninov, etc. I am by not means a piano starter, but I don't consider myself an advanced pianist, maybe because my performances are rather not very consistent in terms of errors as I mostly play for myself and also because for the last 6 years I couldn't afford having a teacher as their cost at my level are very high. So you can imagine that if 6 years I have developed quite bad piano habits haha.

1) Regarding Op10 n5 I see that I should play what it is comfortable.

2) I have practice hand stretching a lot during the past years. I can stretch my hand much more than people with similar hands than me, but there are some chords and arpeggios (op10 n1) that are very complicated for my hand size. For the "con bravura" passage in Op10 N3 I have seen some editions that change the 6ths to 3ths making these chords easier for people with small hands. However, I don't if those 8th in Op10 n2 can be avoided, or if learning them provide really an advantage in terms of technique. I can already play this etude at a tempo of around 90-100 but those 8th really kill me as I can't reach them

Anyway, thank you again!

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vmishka

PS Silver Member
Jr. Member
Posts: 57

Re: Some problems in Chopin Etudes Op10 no 2,3 and 5

Reply #3 on: March 02, 2018, 11:15:42 PM

I play Op 10 Nos. 2, 3, and 5.

My hand is probably close to the same size as yours. I can reach a 9th easily enough while playing. I can only stretch a 10th by grabbing the very edges of the keys and preparing it before I play.

My fingering for the opening of No. 5 is 3-5-1-4-2-4-1.

My suggestion for No. 2 is to play the non-chromatic notes which make up the chord as short/staccato as possible. Imagine that the notes played by the thumb and 2nd finger are "hot" and that you must get off of them really quickly.

For years, my piano teachers mentioned in passing that I don't know how to use my thumb properly. Unfortunately, they never offered more of an explanation (and, for reasons I cannot explain, I didn't press them enough to tell me more).

I have come to realize that I have a tendency to hold notes played by the thumb too much. The unneeded tension in my hand by doing so can cause problems playing the next note using another finger while the thumb is still holding onto its note. My technique seems to have improved when I am paying attention to this.

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