Mozart Fantasia

[p_2005]

How does one go about Mozart's Fantasia in C minor (K.475)? Also, what etudes/pieces really helped develop your technique?  And (last question  ), how would you recommend playing staccatto scales, eg. wrist position etc.?

Thanks.

[rachmaninoff_969]

Well I'm not sure what you mean by going about Mozart's Fantasia in C minor so I will leave that part of the question alone.  However for etudes/technical exercises I can be of assistance to you.  The only book I suggest you ever study for technique (assuming you are an intermediate player) are the Dohnanyi exercises.  These are indispensible, and won't waste your time like Czerny, Brahms, or any other composers who decided to put in their two cents on piano technique.  Dohnanyi's exercises are unique in that they do not only attack problems in the composers own work (like Brahms for example).  They will give you the strength you need to develop a monster technique.  Also...another trick I have picked up from years of experience is as follows (I may be criticized on the site for this lol):  Play repertoire that is much too difficult in very small amounts...work on single passages and perfect them.  For example, if you are playing something like Rachmaninoff's famous prelude in C# minor...play the opening piano part of the Tchaikovsky concerto.  It will give you confidence, and you get to have lots of fun with big chords and fast runs.  I have read extensively on the great pianists and although this may come across as a fallacy of authority I must tell you that Horowitz, Hofmanm, and even Rachmaninoff agreed with this notion of playing short passages of extremely difficult repertoire.