Week 4: Post your Progress!

Derek McConville Thank you, Derek!

Gail Starr I second Alexander Weymann 's suggestion (always the best words and advices ). I listened to it again and think the constant start/stop motion - sprinting after each pause - may be why it sounds rush and less flowing.

Perhaps take a step back to play it slowly, evenly and softly, and then assess where you may want to place more prominent rit whilst making others even or much more subtle.

Hope this help 

Priya Viseskul Superb advice.  I'll definitely try that this evening.  Thank you SO much!

Alexander Weymann If you ever get tired of medicine, you could quit your day job and become a full time consultant for Tonebase.  You always provide such valuable insights to everyone's playing! 

Gail Starr thank you; it's very sweet of you to say that. Tempting, too! It would be the perfect fit - I'm really good at keeping my opinions on almost any subject to myself, except when it's about playing the piano... 

Sindre Skarelven Thank you so much, dear friend!  Still has work to do, but I'll take a break for the moment.

Gail Starr Wow!  This sounds so good.  And while we always know we can do more, you have made wonderful progress.  It sounds amazing.

Gail Starr Bravo, Gail! It is really gorgeous performance, with this beautiful sound and the clean articulation, the voicing in the left hand...  It is full of artistic details. Bravo!

Gail Starr bravo, Gail!  I don't think it sounds very rushed. It's a great tempo, and I love how your hands move so fluently over the keys! I also like the phrasing that you have in this piece.

Jennifer Mehta Thank you!

Juan Carlos Olite Thank you!

Natalie Peh Thanks so much!

Natalie Peh Thank you so much, dear friend!

Gail Starr I've been working on this etude for a long time with the added challenge of a physical tremor, so I've haven't got any speed on it at all compared to you. I'm hoping the example of your performance here will somehow kickstart me to that next level, although my tremor may ultimately make it impossible. How have you managed to get yours where it is?  Do you use the usual trick of practicing quick segments in rhythm, then joining the segments? Or has it been more gradually advancing the metronome? Something else? I would be very happy to be able to play it as you are doing it.

Randall Wayne I bet your physical tremor might actually HELP you with this particular etude!  I'm not totally sure, but I think I posted a little video somewhere of HOW I was practicing it.  I'm going to try to look for it right now & I'll send it to you if I can find it.

Randall Wayne https://youtu.be/8-3jiam3iy8

Here's the little video I made showing the techniques I used to try to learn the Etude.  I got most of the info from Henry Kramer's class on Chopin Etudes & the Cortot edition notes.  Plus I watched lots of YouTube tutorials.  Post a video of how YOU are coming along!

Gail Starr Hey thanks so much, I'll check it out.  Recording myself is another level of challenge for me, as even the slightest amount of adrenaline in my system from the pressure of performance puts my tremor into overdrive...but never say never!

Randall Wayne I have a little tip for you…block off an hour when you don’t have other distractions, and just record the same piece over and over and over.  Eventually, you will be more bored than nervous.  Seriously.  Try it and let me know if it helps?

Gail Starr Yes, thanks, it seems like that should do it, and I will try that trick if I find I can actually gain any speed after working with some of those practice methods you showed. Meanwhile at my age, when I actually get settled enough to play as well as I can on a physical level, I often struggle with keeping up my concentration. And I am always altering something in my approach to the keyboard to try to reduce the influence of the tremor on my playing, and while I am often thrilled at my discoveries, I do find that many of the changes I make throw off my finger memory and require me to re-learn my pieces...

Randall Wayne Hey, as long as we enjoy the process that is ALL that matters!  Cherish your time at the piano and anything else is icing on the cake.