Need help on Asturias by Albeniz

[freakofnature]

Hi folks!

After starting to follow Bernhards practice plan (the max 20 minutes sessions) I reckon that I can use one practice session per day to learn one of my very favourite piano pieces - Isaac Albeniz' Asturias (Leyenda). It might take me quite a while until I'm comfortable with this piece (I've been playing for a little more than one year now), but I think it's worth the time. My biggest problem are the big jumps in the fast part (you know, you do this wigglewiggle around the D and then you have to go down to a D-octave in the left hand and up to a D Major chord in the right hand). Somewhere I've read that the motion to these chords has to be horizontal one and not describing an arc (I hope this makes some sense).

Does anyone of you have tips and tricks on how to master these big jumps so that I hit the right keys with a (nearly) 100 percent probability???

Thanx in advance,
FoN

[lostinidlewonder]

It is a tough and very fast jump. There is little help except keep practicing it. You may find the motion towards the jump is made easier by leaning towards the note with the shoulder before jumping up to it. The Lh should go down without sight, you should do it blindly, but the RH is the one you can lean into. Hope it helps.

[mosis]

Holy sh*t, this piece is for the piano as well? It sounds incredible on guitar, I didn't know there was a transcription. Is the sheet music online anywhere?

[freakofnature]

Hey mosis,

this piece was originally written for piano by Albeniz, the guitar version is the transcript (although I think it is much better known in the guitar version)!

For the score look here:

https://www.sheetmusicarchive.net/single_listing.cfm?composer_id=1

It's the 'Leyenda' from the Suite Espanola.

Have fun with it! It's an incredibly cool piece of music (and it's killing my hands  )

FoN

Oh, and thanks to lostinidlewonder for the answer!!!

[mosis]

Hey mosis,

this piece was originally written for piano by Albeniz, the guitar version is the transcript (although I think it is much better known in the guitar version)!

For the score look here:

https://www.sheetmusicarchive.net/single_listing.cfm?composer_id=1

It's the 'Leyenda' from the Suite Espanola.

Have fun with it! It's an incredibly cool piece of music (and it's killing my hands  )

FoN

Oh, and thanks to lostinidlewonder for the answer!!!

Thanks for the link, I've already started learning it.

Where did the name "Asturias" come from?

[freakofnature]

Thanks for the link, I've already started learning it.

Where did the name "Asturias" come from?

I think Albeniz wanted to catch the essentials of the music from different regions of spain, Asturias being one of them.

[IanT]

FoN,

The normal advice for practising big leaps is to do the leap but don't play the keys.  Jump as fast as you can, stop over the target keys and look to see how close to the target you got.  Keep doing this until can you stop accurately over the keys.  Doing the jump and actually playing the keys will then be quite easy.

Ian

[freakofnature]

FoN,

The normal advice for practising big leaps is to do the leap but don't play the keys.  Jump as fast as you can, stop over the target keys and look to see how close to the target you got.  Keep doing this until can you stop accurately over the keys.  Doing the jump and actually playing the keys will then be quite easy.

Ian

Thanks for this tip, I will try it...