Mastering Tricky Passages and Answering Your Questions: Live with Dominic Cheli

When working on more advanced repertoire (I am working on Rachmaninoff's Polka de W.R. right now), do you have suggestions for the best way to get it from learned relatively well at a moderate tempo to up to the full tempo and clean enough to play for a performance in early March? It is coming along well, but advice as to how to manage tempo given the frequent large jumps in the left hand and overall fast passage work would be great. Thank you!

Hi Dominic, please would you give me some advice on how to practice a rolled chord to get it up to a decent speed. It’s the Chopin prelude A major bar 12. I’ve decided to roll the chord, I’m using LH 521 RH 1235 then LH 42 (or whatever manages to hit the top two notes most times accurately!). (BTW, I’m really enjoying the prelude, thank you so much for suggesting it!)

Hi, how do I avoid 'stumbling'? For example Chopin op 25 #2: I have this piece memorized, I have no problems with the speed, I can play this piece. Except that I always stumble somewhere, never in the same spot. What is going on and how do I fix it? 

Hello Dominic. I’m new to tonebase and am enjoying it very much! I have been working on Mozart’s 12 variations on “Ah, vous dirai-je Maman.”  I am having difficulty especially with the left hands for Variations II, VI, and XII.  For variations II and XII, my left hand is stiff, tight, and full of tension. I want the left hand to be light and quiet compared to the right hand melody but struggle to do so. For variation VI, the sixteenth notes lack evenness and often seem to almost “run away” in tempo. I’ve tried practicing the sixteenth notes slowly and also with dotted rhythms.  Would be grateful for any recommendations on particular technique practices that I can do and any other suggestions. Thanks!

I am working on Chopin's Scherzo nr 2. I am still not quite getting it when the left hand shoots down the bottom and the RH shoots up the top ...  Which hand to look at? How to look at both at once

Hello Dominic Cheli !

JSBach, BWV971 Concerto Italiano: what's your mind?

1.Do you arpeggiate the chords or not?

2.How does the rule of staccato the second fastest value work? Why doesn't it work in the third movement (Presto)?

3.If the instruments of the time didn't have dynamics and you had to interpret with tempo variations... then what's the use of the metronome?

P.S. I've already seen all the Tonebase courses on this piece and they say conflicting things. I know that everything is subjective in music.

Thank you and take care!

Ciao!

Hello Dominic,

I have 2 very specific questions about fingering in 2 spots of the G Major Fugue from Book I of the Well Tempered Clavier.  I've attached a PDF showing my present fingering solutions in RED., which are still awkward and unsatisfactory and probably won't allow for much speed when the time for that comes. Here are the measures & questions:

1.  mm 13-14.: It seems that these have to be divided up between the hands. I have several editions and they all punt on suggesting fingerings for this passage! The BLACK fingering is Schiff's. the RED is my current solution.  The GREEN indicates further unsatisfactory experiments with jumping in with the LH to cover some of the Alto notes. Do you have any suggested alternatives? I have smaller hands, can reach a 9th comfortably and some 10ths.

2. m. 62: Is it possible to hold the Bass A for the duration of this measure? if you try, the only solution seems to be to play all the Tenor 16ths consecutively with the Thumb. Seems like it would be near impossible to do quickly and fluently, but it would require contortions to introduce 2nd finger into the pattern.

see attached PDF.  Thanks as always for your guidance to all of us!

Excellent! Thank you, Dominic! So many valuable lessons were given with such characteristic depth of knowledge, thoughtfulness, clarity, and passionate optimism. And, importantly, realism. Thank you to all who asked questions, too. Some notes: 

Often what is required to improve is a type of "problem solving"...interleaving  is important to do.

I benefit greatly from the analogies Dominic provides...speaking of the singing, ringing tones...a "bloom to the sound"...the character, attitude, spirit of a piece and what story we want to convey. I am delighted by this. Once more, the "musical philosopher" moniker comes to mind. The depth of his analysis and the way he teaches with gentleness and humility is extraordinary.

When Dominic asked attendees if we could hear the "singing, ringing" sound he was demonstrating, the answer is a resounding yes: it came through loudly and clearly.

A "patient, methodical approach to learning" often yields worthwhile results.