Chopin etude op10 no4

[Sekoul]

I recently started learning this piece, and although i dont feel like im having any real trouble with it, my teacher says i jsut cant get it. Apparentlyl, i connect things that should not be connected. She says to divide EVERYTHING into tiny little groups of notes rather than connecting everything and making the whole piece a big flow of notes. I knew that this was a way to learn pieces, but it bothers me musically and she says its actually the correct way to play it. any thoughts on this?

[thierry13]

Well, it's great you imagine more etudes than there are, but in op.10 there are only 12 etudes  If you are speaking about the "ocean" etude, it's op.25 no.12 (the 24th, but not in op.10). Confirm that you are talking about this one and I could give you some advice.

[Sekoul]

haha it was a typo, im sorry.... its the op10 no4

[thierry13]

With what do you make link? Anyway, try to put an accent on each time, so that each group of four note is not linked, yes it CAN be the way to play it. It must have a little link, but maybe you do too much. Each time is a seperate mini phrase. BUT, I could be wrong, since I never read or learned this piece, I just looked at the score quickly. Everytime your left hand as a chord, you must begin a new phrase and break the link in the flow of the right hand, but there must still be a small link, or it will be ugly  . And do the same when the right hand have the chords. The only thing I see that should be played in ONE big flow are the fast arpegios. Else, you put an accent on each first time.

[Sekoul]

that's EXACTLY what i thought!! but specifically for the arpegios, my teacher said DO NOT LINK lol.. apparently i stay on the notes after i should... i kind of pivot by keeping a finger down for a long time and it makes everythin sound blurry... but now she's gong to an extreme and telling me to seperate everything in groups, and the groups arent even with the accents.. like the beginning phrase... the first bar.. she said to play the first 4 notes as one group.. then the double DO# seperately, and then starts the rest...this is not only difficult but also frustrating as it makes the sound worse than just linking... is there any other way to learn to play more clearly and 'not link'?

[Triton LE 76]

I think you must play i like you want to..If you don't, you maybe think it is stupid, and that is NOT good for your performance..
(I'm also practising it, and I have the same opinion as you have)

[dedalus]

I am also playing this etude and my teacher says the same thing about playing things seperately, however, it is not within the runs or the arpeggios; it is within the piece where the texture of the music changes, i.e. from the late arpeggio on the first page to the melody being played by the right hand.  This also occurs many times throughout the piece.  Right before each of the waterfall-like runs down the piano on the third page and also right before the ending motif, or really a cadenza.  I think the point that your teacher is trying to make is that the entire piece cannot be played as one long run between both hands, it has to have some musicality in it too.