Don't hold the lower chord in the right hand; on the contrary, to keep the hand free and not tense those should be released in time:
...in this case, in a light, spooky sound.
The faster you try to play the piece, the bigger shall be your beat. Don't try quarter=144, rather half that speed counting halfs. Don't hold the lower chord in the right hand; on the contrary, to keep the hand free and not tense those should be released in time: after one sixteenth,It is important that the wrist doesn't try and do the work. The wrist cannot be going from side to side like a windshield Wiper. It has to be flexible so it can make room the fingers.Also the elbow has to be free, because some of the crossings are more awkward than others, and without the elbow, the fingers will tire, or get confused.But above all those things, every note has to be melodic, and in this case, in a light, spooky sound. If it is not melodic with every contour felt, it won't work- ever.Walter Ramsey
Whoever who says that we should hold the fingers 1,2 of right hand are WRONG.1) it is impossible to do it in fast speed (creates a big wall in speed )and2) if you check chopin's writing -(he was very KEEN on writing technically for piano remember ,chopin and beethoven the ones who first wrote in technicaly notation style extensively)-,you will see that the first chord is always a semiquaver,that means it is not meant to be held with the hand,you play it quickly and then leave the key,legato has more to do with the connection of 3,4,5 fingers of the right hand.Please correct this because it can frustrate a lot of people.It is NOT meant to play those semiquaver chords legatisimo.They are just a semiquaver they SHOULD UNDER NO WAY SOUND MORE (forgive me for yelling i have to say this a lot of times)Check it and you will see that chopin writes his music in technical notation style with some reason in his mind.If he would want the 1,2 fingers to be anchored and kept down he would not write the chords of the right hand in semiquavers but in quavers or who knows.I hope this clears some wrong ways about how this etude should be practiced.Legato here it has to be done with the 3,4,5 of the right hand 1,2 are ONLY a semiquaver
Ok. Do you believe in working/coordinaing with the muscles/movements as opposed to trying to build them up as in strength? I always find confusion in statements I see about muscles and playing. At some point the reality is we do get tired maybe because we are overdoing it muscularly. I find that when I have rested and then try again I feel much stronger but perhaps Im just more coordinated. I know I tried 10.2 firstly by playing deep into the keys slowly and then hit a barrier where I couldn't go any faster. I read loads of stuff on here about fast practice in groups to get a feel of the muscles/coordination you need to play up to speed, and then all of a sudden I was able to get around it better. Ive seen people say to others who are learning chopin etudes that you have all the muscles you need but the learner still has a problem.
Well, as the problem we are discussing is stamina, when I practice a piece, I aim to be able to perform it without tiring. At this stage, you can forget that you are practising Chopin 10.2, or whatever, and it becomes an excersise for addressing the stamina, which is such a problem in so many pieces. You can make it harder by anchoring, and then when you come back to practicing to perform normally, you will find it infinitely easier. Anchoring is just one way you can do this, but I feel you should be able to play anything several times without being tired. By practicing this way you are thinking even more carefully about the physical movements you are making, and can eventually see fundamental things that need addressing...eg tension in the forearms/complete release of arm weight. Otherwise you will practice this over and over again, and still not know what the actual problem is....it is different for everyone, and this is just one way of exploring the movements of your fingers, hands and arms in more depth. In this way you will ultimately improve your playing of any piece, which, I think gets the the very heart of why Chopin wrote these Etudes.
Apparently Richter gave up on this etude!
pianomann I tried your method but it goes against what Im trying to achieve - relaxation and correct alignment of the muscles. Stretching for the semis whilst holding the bottom notes can be damaging. I think I found my problem however with stamina; if I don't properly align all the fingers/movements then I end up lifting slightly instead of pushing with natural weight from resting the fingers exactly on the notes. ie airtight. I believe if I slow down a tad again (go back a step) and make sure I walk on all the notes with the mini-micro arm/wrist movements built in I won't tire on any piano no matter how hard the action is because I will be using natural weight. The fingers have to be directly aligned - if they are not then the tension comes from an extended muscle trying to push down which causes a strain. ramsey - I do think melodically ( I have exactly the sound/legato I want) but speed and stamina need to be addressed separately because I hit a barrier and worked in a problem. Slower speed practice lets you get away with things that aren't workable at higher speeds no matter how musical you think you are being.thanks all
Pianoman's suggestion could be weird for a lot of people but truth is (my teacher told me!),there are many pianists and concert artists who practice that way,(with rhythmic changer,accents or altering piece in some way in order to obtain strength).Generally those methods work for few people,and i understand that pianomann1984 can manage that way.Unfortunately it does not server well for other people.Good for some people bad for many others.Please read my previous post with that correction!.Pianomann1984 wanted to help with his advice.Maybe my first post was a bit strict on him with no reason.Sorry pianoman1984 ok?
chromatickler - do you have to shout!?
ramsey - I do think melodically ( I have exactly the sound/legato I want) but speed and stamina need to be addressed separately because I hit a barrier and worked in a problem. Slower speed practice lets you get away with things that aren't workable at higher speeds no matter how musical you think you are being.thanks all