help with 10/1

[BoliverAllmon]

I have to have 10/1 memorized and playable (considerably under tempo thankfully) by Monday. I need all the advice you can give me. You may ask why Monday? Simply put teachers suck. she is making me learn all this crap by Monday.

boliver

[presto agitato]

Even if you are going to play it slowly, id say you have an impossible task.

[pianiststrongbad]

I don't think this is impossible my any means.  I memorized this one in three days.  Though I could not play it well for a few months after this.  I think since this piece is sooo chordal it makes it rather simple to memorize.  Whenever I have to memorize a piece super fast I will try to understand the progression (chordal) that the composer is using and by doing that I can remember it much better, for much longer periods of time.  I'd say this is one of the easiest of the etudes to memorize if not he easiest.  Performing it at tempo is a whole different story though.

[presto agitato]

Performing it at tempo is a whole different story though.

Thats what i mean

[JP]

I don't think this is impossible my any means.  I memorized this one in three days.  Though I could not play it well for a few months after this.  I think since this piece is sooo chordal it makes it rather simple to memorize.  Whenever I have to memorize a piece super fast I will try to understand the progression (chordal) that the composer is using and by doing that I can remember it much better, for much longer periods of time.  I'd say this is one of the easiest of the etudes to memorize if not he easiest.  Performing it at tempo is a whole different story though.

True. Analyse it ASAP and focus your attention on the degrees and inversions at play.
Though I'm not sure why your teacher is making you do this..

[steinwayguy]

This etude is probably the second or third easiest to memorize. The first step is to obviously figure out the chord progression. If you can play the chord progression, you know the piece. And don't just "memorize" the chord progression, figure out what each chord means to you- the most obvious example to me is C Major- grandiose and then F Major- More bass. Etc, etc.

The first way to prepare to learn this Etude, I feel, is to, with your right hand, (this might be considered "radical" by some) do a glissando (doesn't matter if it's clean) up the keyboard, and then hit the keys four times coming down (will explain more clearly later) and repeat over and over again. This should become the only thing you will need to think about while playing this piece.

That said, the easiest way to simply "be able to play" the piece is to do arpeggiated chord practice. Figure out the handings for each arpeggio. The first one will be 1-2-4-5 C-G-C-E. If you have trouble doing the stretches, play each note with an arm portato, meaning your fingers should be completely 100% passive and your arm is simply making a motion to place your fingers on the keys and then applying a force to push the key down. Closely observe how your forearm, wrist and hand move vertically and horizontal. This is the motion you will need in order to play the arpeggio with an even and full tone. After you do that (with all the chords you need to), practice that motion on just the first handing. When you feel you have it down, play the first and the second handings in rapid succession, essentially as consecutive arpeggiated chords. But instead of thinking about playing 8 things- each note, you will only be thinking about playing two- the chords. Then repeat this process with the second and third handings, and the third and fourth. Remember the glissando feeling- complete smoothness in motions, and eventually the entire ascending arpeggio will become one thought- that glissando.

The purpose of "hitting the keys four times on the way down" is to think four times coming down. For the first chord you will think "E, E, E, E". It was described to me as "glissando up, reach, reach, reach, reach, glissando up, reach" etc. etc. So basically you need to repeat the entire process of practicing the ascending arpeggio, but instead of playing two chords with 8 notes of equal value, you will be thinking of two chords with 2 notes of importance, so you should essentially accent the E's.

After you are able to play the entire arpeggio doing two chords at a time, move to three chords, and overlap. Then four chords in rapid succession, and overlap. Then you can either play five in rapid sucession, and overlap or go to six, as I did. Then you should be able to play the entire arpeggio fluently. If you are able to do this for each arpeggio, then you will be able to play the piece.

The most difficult chords are those in measures 29-30, 31-32, 35-36, 73-74 and 75-76. Above all, remember glissando, reach, reach, reach, reach.

As you might surmise, I have spent a lot of time thinking about this piece.

[BoliverAllmon]

thanks for the info. the reason why my teacher did this is because she is pissed at me. She wants to prove who is boss and crush me.

boliver

[shasta]

thanks for the info. the reason why my teacher did this is because she is pissed at me. She wants to prove who is boss and crush me.

boliver

That is not a healthy or educational relationship for either of you.  You are wasting each other's time.  Get a new teacher.

[BoliverAllmon]

I can't right now. this is a school teacher. I am stuck for another 6 weeks.

[bravuraoctaves]

Work on it in short bursts at slow speed. If you feel a warm sensation in your wrist stop. This piece for me only takes five minutes to screw my wrist for a month or more!!!!!!!

Is this the same teacher that has got something against you?

[Radix]

This isn't the kind of piece you can practice for four straight hours, either...it'd be too hard on your right hand.  Good luck. =)

[BoliverAllmon]

Work on it in short bursts at slow speed. If you feel a warm sensation in your wrist stop. This piece for me only takes five minutes to screw my wrist for a month or more!!!!!!!

Is this the same teacher that has got something against you?

yep the same one. isn't life grand.

boliver

[Awakening]

I have to have 10/1 memorized and playable (considerably under tempo thankfully) by Monday. I need all the advice you can give me. You may ask why Monday? Simply put teachers suck. she is making me learn all this crap by Monday.

boliver

Hard piece.  Can't help you, I've never played it.  I sit there and listen to it sometimes, though, and the thought that comes to my mind is "hard piece," especially to play well.

Good luck.

[BoliverAllmon]

thanks

[argerich_smitten]

What do you mean by playable here?  I think you will be able to memorize the notes and pound through it; would that satisfy your teacher?  Playing through it with a very high accuracy will just be impossible, there isn't any hope.  I'm sure you've heard what pianists have said about playing it perfectly clean.  A concert pianist told me first hand quite a while ago that 'at the highest level, this is the hardest piece', meaning harder than any huge concerto or sonata, or even the godowsky transcriptions of the etudes.  At least you won't really have to worry about memory slips in this one...

anyway to at least try to say something useful

once you feel comfortable with the first page, don't spend too much of your valuable practice time working on it since the other pages are more challenging.  Try to keep your arm in it's most relaxed state from the beginning, keeping relaxation in mind the whole way through the piece.  The arm should be moving constantly, as opposed to the sudden jumps in say the ocean wave etude.  If you feel your arm "flowing" up and down the keys all the time with the notes you are playing, it will feel more natural, and accuracy will increase. 
https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,10.0.html
Robert Henry has some great ideas about this etude here

[pianowelsh]

Id do chord positions, rhythms and stops. Line by line circular... but you have a lot of work - not impossible - espec if not upto tempo but you dont want to view it as impossible because you'll defeat yourself before you start. Be really clear in your mind each phrases direction and the rest places (cadence points)- so if you get stuck in mem you can pick yourself up.

The very best of luck!

[BoliverAllmon]

what she means by playable (well at least I hope so) is completely memorized and fast enough that it sounds like a piece not just notes. 2 pages are down so far. I was suckered into thinking that this was going to be easy than at first thought due to the first page. Then the second page came and I learned differently.

boliver

[steinwayguy]

Yeah that section beginning with the C7 and ending with the A Major is one tough pregnant dog.


BTW, Argerich Smitten- bad link.

[BoliverAllmon]

Yeah that section beginning with the C7 and ending with the A Major is one tough pregnant dog.


BTW, Argerich Smitten- bad link.

nicely put

[jim_24601]

Pregnant dog! Pregnant dog! That F7 in bar 31 is the worst. It took me a month of RH exercises to be able to arpeggiate one chord of that at speed. Then the moment I was making headway I mashed the side of my RH ring finger, right where it comes off the A, and haven't been able to practise it since because it's too painful 

[BoliverAllmon]

Pregnant dog! Pregnant dog! That F7 in bar 31 is the worst. It took me a month of RH exercises to be able to arpeggiate one chord of that at speed. Then the moment I was making headway I mashed the side of my RH ring finger, right where it comes off the A, and haven't been able to practise it since because it's too painful 

even better put. LOL

[BoliverAllmon]

ok, so it is basically memorized now. I am still having some gaps here and there, but all in all it is done. I have tomorrow to work on it somemore. thanks for all the help.