Mastering Tricky Passages with Jarred Dunn!

Hello Jarred and Dominic,

My questions are from ballade no 70 by Debussy. 
m.m. 50-53, how to play RH 16 notes? Is it play with LH vertical line or in triplet? 
also m.m. 
63-66 how would you recommend poly rhythm on RH to avoid mechanical counting? 
and lastly LH arpeggio in pp ( very hard and often some notes won’t play clearly. 
I did many ghosting LH practice but not improving.  It would be great to get your help in this.😀

Hi Jarred and Dominic! Thank you for this opportunity.

I have questions concerning two pieces.

In Alban Berg’s Klavierstück in c-minor I’m struggling with fingering. A part of me feels that the middle downward passages could be divided between both hands, if so, where should the respective other hand best step in? I have relatively large hands and could reach those distances, but I have no way to appreciate how that would be in full tempo. Or is it all left hand? 
 

Another question is about the octaves in Messiaen’s Prelude, bars 34-36. How could I best approach learning them so that I can coordinate the opposite movements?

Thank you very much for your time and advice!

Could you please speak about voicing with respect to the Taubman Method? That is, the hand/arm unit movement for voicing one finger or an upper triad in the right hand. Thank you!

Dear Jarred and Dominic,

I hope this message finds you well. I’m writing to seek your advice on a specific technical challenge I’ve encountered in Chopin’s Barcarolle, Op. 60.

I’ve been struggling with the left-hand octave leaps from measure 84 and the wide chord jumps in measure 93. Despite repeated practice, I still frequently miss notes or land inaccurately. I would be very grateful if you could share some effective practice methods to improve the accuracy and efficiency of these passages.

Additionally, I’m facing difficulty in controlling the tone quality during these leaps—the chords often sound too harsh or “explosive.” When I try to soften the dynamic, my tempo slows down significantly and I tend to miss notes again. I’d truly appreciate your suggestions on how to achieve a tone colour that better suits the character of this piece, while maintaining fluency and accuracy.

Thank you so much in advance for your kind help and guidance.
 

Hi Jarred and Dominic! 

I’ve started working on the 3rd movement of BWV 1052. 

How would you guys tackle this passage? (probably the most difficult one in the movement)

Appreciate any feedback!

Hi Jarred and Dominic!

Jarred, I am so sorry to have missed my scheduled lessons with you at CIPSS in Manchester in August; on account of a strike and shutdown of Air Canada at the time, I was unable to travel.

My question today is how to achieve fluidity and balance on the last page of Ravel's Sonatine, 3rd mvmt. There's a lot going on there, and I'm trying to get the inner notes in the right hand to be even:

Hi Jarred! I have a question on Chopin op. 10/5. I struggel with bar 65 - pp and fast. Maybe I have the wrong fingering. And at the end the octaves: how can I practice to speed up. And in generell is there a method/way to practice to get more speed. (Affects almost all Chopin Etudes) 😄Thanks

Hi Jarred and Dominique,

 I have a question concerning the Toccata of Bach’s Partita No 6. I use the Henle edition and in that edition not all voices of the fugue are marked with the thrills. I’m just starting to learn the piece, and it seems quite challenging to play the thrills every time. Do you have a recommendation? 
And how to choose a good fingering for these thrills? Thanks and best regards, Ursina 

Hi Jarred! I have a question on Chopin 10/4 bar 29-30. This is where I find most difficult to speed up in the piece esp when shifting RH from high to low position (for example from beat 3 to 4, or beat 1 to 2). I feel my hand/wrist sort of tighten up playing at the high position and quite an effort to shift the hand position down as if a bit stuck (possibly because weaker 4+5 fingers playing 4534, ending with 4 more difficult to send the hand up) so I always feel there is a "pause" in the sound there as I try to move down.

Much appreciated if you could demonstrate and explain the movement and how to practice. Many thanks!

Hi Jarred,

I’d be very grateful if you could help Scott with the beginning section (measures 1–16) of the Polonaise in Chopin’s Andante Spianato et Grande Polonaise Brillante, Op. 22.

Scott has attempted this passage (4:38 – 4:57) in the following video. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00u7APriYKI

I’m hoping you might guide him on how to refine and improve it.

Many thanks,

Hai

Hi Jarred and Dominic,

Many thanks for this opportunity.

I would like an advice on playing the ornaments on measures 8, 14, 16, and 17 of Chopin's nocturne in Bb minor, op.9 n1. In particular, on or before the beat?

Thank you,Nocturne-Bb-minor

Rita.