A Compendium of 'Tricks' for acquiring technique.

[aerlinndan]

Bernhard has called it 'trickery', I call them variations, you can call them whatever you want. I am trying here to compile an exhaustive list of all possible ways to practice a specific figure in attempting to master its technical difficulties.

I. Rhythmic variations that keep the pulse
     a. for simple meter
          1. dotted eighth - sixteenth
          2. sixteenth - dotted eighth
          3. dotted eighth - three sixteenths
          4. three sixteenths - dotted eighth
          5. two eighths - two sixteenths
          6. two sixteenths - two eighths
          7. eighth - two sixteenths - eighth
          8. four eighths - four sixteenths
          9. four sixteenths - four eighths
          10. two sixteenths - four eighths - two sixteenths
          11. two eighths - four sixteenths - two eighths
     b. for complex meter
          1. eighth - two sixteenths
          2. two sixteenths – eighth
          3. eighth – dotted eighth – sixteenth
          4. dotted eighth – sixteenth –eighth
          5. sixteenth – dotted eighth – eighth
          6. three sixteenths – three eighths
          7. three eighths – three sixteenths
               (these last two result in a strange time signature)

II. Rhythmic variations that do not keep the pulse
     Example: Practice groups of five notes in a passage of sixteenths in 4/4. You can start      on any note and get a very large number of rhythmic variations in this way.

III. Variations in dynamics

IV. Variations in articulation
     Extreme staccato, extreme legato, and all variations in between

V. Repeat notes
     This is not the same as repeated note-groups. If there is a passage where one finger is weaker than the others, this technique can be employed. In the run, you simply repeat the note that is weak with the same finger, in the same tempo as the surrounding notes.

V. Flat fingers vs. curved fingers and all degrees in between

VI. Playing notes on the front of the key vs. the back of the key

VII. Much vs. little wrist rotation

VIII. Moving forward with the hands (thrust) vs. moving back (pull)

IX. Degree to which the wrist and forearm are moved left and right (“cartwheel”)

X. Repeated note groups and parallel sets (including the chord attack or infinite speed idea)
     Any of the above techniques can be used for each minifigure practiced as a result of using the repeated note group method.

Any of the above techniques can be used in combination with one another. It becomes clear, then, that even with this preliminary list, the number of ways to practice a single figure, even if it is no more than four or five notes, grows exponentially, into the thousands. The challenge, therefore, is to decide which ones to use. The 15 or 20 minute practice session devoted to learning a certain figure should therefore fly right by!

Please do not use this thread to argue about the fundamentals and philosophy of gaining technique. Rather, please post any additions and modifications you might have to this list.

[xvimbi]

XI. Use chord attack, if possible

XII. play the figure in a cyclical way, i.e. forwards and backwards, i.e. reversing the motions, and do this fluently

XIII. Vary the fingering

XIV. Play the figure in both hands. Just because a figure is in the right hand does not mean it won't show up in another piece in the left hand. Might just as well involve the other hand too. Do parallel and contrary motions.

XV. This is the most important one I can think of that you forgot: carefully listen to the sound that you produce by all these variations and ask if that is what you want for that particular passage. In general, while you go through the variations, try to create a library of correlations between the different motions and the resulting sound effect.

[jim_24601]

I may just print this list out and keep it next to my piano.