Help practising Chopin 27/2, bar 20

[rosejaune177]

Hi! I'm really struggling with the RH octaves in bar 20 of Chopin's Nocturne in D flat major, Op. 27 No. 2. My hands just aren't big enough to do a 4-1 fingering every other octave, as most pianists seem to do, so I have to do 5-1 on each octave. I find the jumping between black and white keys tiring, and don't know how I'll ever be able to play this passage at speed. Does anyone have suggestions on getting there?

[droprenstein]

My favorite way to practice consecutive 5-1 octaves is the same method to practice fast chords. 27/2 is very slow, so this method should be even more effective.

Starting at a much slower tempo, Play the octaves staccato, and "throw" your hand to the next octave as quickly as you can. Ensure that you develop absolutely no tension. If you develop tension, use a method that best suits you to get rid of it(there are many methods to get rid of tension, and different methods work for different people). You slowly increase the speed from here. Eventually, you get to the desired speed with no tension.

[quantum]

Don't play off the edge of the white keys, this is tempting for smaller hands because it is perceived as more comfortable.  Keep the hand centred on the imaginary line on the keyboard where the black keys end, on pianos with ivory keytops there may actually be a visible line here.  Diagram attached, play in the green highlighted area.  This will help minimize in and out shifting, or moving the hand closer and farther away from the fallboard depending on whether one plays a white or black octave.  This type of movement requires the pianist to do much more work, and in fast octave passages it can cause the playing mechanism to tire easily.  A majority of the hand shifting should be focused on the lateral, left to right movement. 

Just because it is written as an octave does not mean that the notes receive equal importance.  If your hand shape requires, prioritize the more important note. 

Think of the octaves as occurring in groups, rather than playing individual notes.  Play a group, move the hand, play the next group, move the hand, and so on.  Similar to the LH of this piece, where a group of six notes forms a broken chord.  Form the hand correctly and one can reach most notes of the broken chord with minimal movement. 

[rosejaune177]

Thank you both SO much!