About Moskowski's etude op.72 #11 in A-flat

[BuyBuy]

Hey everyone !

I am working on that etude, and it seems that a month ago I had about half of it nailed around 112 metronome for six notes per beat.

I did not have much time to practice it for a couple of weeks, and now that I get back on it, it's falling apart. My hand gets tired after two or three repetitions of the two pages, I miss plenty of notes, it's not even, it sounds cramped. Do you think that I practiced it wrong the first time, or is it normal that it's like that now ?

I wish I could do Horowitz's effortless 138 for six notes to the beat, but I would be happy with a clean 112. The thing is, I don't manage well high speed passages in general, I can have it perfect for a time, and then it falls apart for no apparent reason. The same thing had happened to me some time ago in Chopin F# Impromptu, in the last high speed section.

Anyone kind enough to help me figure out how to get to clean high speed scale-like sections without losing it after a couple of weeks ?

[Willis]

You should practice SLOW.  Especially when reworking something.  Also practice the RH alone on this.

[lostinidlewonder]

If you want to generate speed, practice single note runs or chordal passages in different groups of 2 or 3 or more, adding pauses between each group to give you some time to observe the next movement. Swap those pauses around and then also practice normally. That usually increases your speed 99% of the time, you just have to be smart about how you go about doing it, its different for every piece. Any section in particular?

[musicsdarkangel]

Horowitz's performance of this is absolutely ridiculous.

Don't let that get you down, only let it give you more inspiration.


Don't worry, be patient, practice slowly, and gradually speed it up on the metranome.

[earthward]

I did not have much time to practice it for a couple of weeks, and now that I get back on it, it's falling apart. My hand gets tired after two or three repetitions of the two pages, I miss plenty of notes, it's not even, it sounds cramped.

Why don't you practice slowly making sure to hit each note with the flat of the finger (as opposed to the tip), listening carefully to the tone that's produced, and exaggerating the up-down motion of each finger.  Make sure that the reaction in the fourth and fifth fingers is the same as as the others because these are the ones that usually cause problems.