What are your difficult passages?

Hey Everyone, Let's talk about difficult passages.

 

What are you playing this week that is making you sweat and work hard?

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    • Khaled
    • Khaled
    • 1 yr ago
    • Reported - view

    The only passage that made me stop practicing a piece was in Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody no.2 in the latest section before the cadenza. To do these leaps accurately and at the right virtuositic speed required was just insane.

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    • Khaled Hi again. I’m glad you found the article helpful. Did you see the link to the video at the end of the article? Andrew

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  • Bach Chromatic fantasy, in the fugue bars 55-59 and 103-106. 

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  • Rach Sonata 2 (1931) 3rd mvmt Presto up to the beginning of the cascade (which looks hard but isn't so bad). I can do separate hands but coordinating both hands at tempo is very difficult for me especially the four RH runs which are 3-2 with the left hand.

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  • Chopin nocturne d flat. The lengthy fioritura. 

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    • Hazel
    • Hazel
    • 1 yr ago
    • Reported - view

    I started the aeolian harp etude by chopin. I’m finding it quite tough.  Although I’m using lots of arm and wrist movement it still feels like my hands and fingers are stretched and tense. I have quite small hands and short stubby fingers 🤗

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    • Ted
    • Ted
    • 1 yr ago
    • Reported - view

    Hommage a Rameau.  Not the showy bits.  Just these three escalating chords.  There just seems to be no way to play them without disrupting the surface of the pond. 

    Like 1
    • aliceyip
    • aliceyip
    • 1 yr ago
    • Reported - view

    Liszt Spanish Rhapsody Difficulties 
    (1) In the Molto vivace section, I found the Interlocking octaves challenging to play evenly (wrist relaxation) and without missing notes. When try to play leapings and switching between Staccatissmo and marcato, l tend to rush after the chords.
    (2)  I found the Arpeggio Octaves both similar and contrary motion difficult to play (wrist relaxation) and challenging to play evenly and without missing notes. 
    (3)  I found the wide leaps with left hand leaps in contrary motion difficult to play them accurately.
    (4)  P.12 - P.13 Semiquaver triplets (Wrist moving), Accuracy and relaxation, coordination with left hand chords
    (5)  P.15 and P.18 - P.19 Double notes with single notes (Wrist moving), I have adpoted your suggested fingerings and allocated some notes to the left hand.  It definitely helps ease the burden a lot :). However, I tend to build up tensions when I play the whole passage and it  becomes difficult to maintain coordination(and to not miss notes).

    Like 1
    • Denise
    • Educator
    • Denise
    • 1 yr ago
    • Reported - view

    I just started Schubert’s Impromptu Op 142 No. 3 - Theme is coming along… but I am sure… I will be acquiring more grey hairs… so far in the them there is only one measure that is giving my fingers a work out, but it’s been one day. I can’t wait to get to the minor variation… IF I can ever get it under my fingers. GOALS! Gotta have them!!

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      • Gail Starr
      • Retired MBA
      • Gail_Starr
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      Denise I am working on this also for a concert on May 16!   Message me & I'll give you my phone # so we can commiserate.  (Or chat happily if you've already nailed all the variations!).  i started it for our Schubert month, but never got around to learning it all due to an illness in the family.  Or DM me on FB.

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      • Denise
      • Educator
      • Denise
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      Gail Starr Thank you! I have not nailed much.  I can play through the theme, and just starting to get the voicing on the first variation. I do think for my level of playing it is a bit lofty, but I also trust Bren. (my teacher)  I'll look you up on FB. I am Denise Rene there. :-)

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  • Here, it's memorizing Debussys preludes book 1: (...Voiles) and (...le vent dans la plaine). 

     

    Not really difficult, but so rewarding to (finally) spend time memorizing (for an exam) because I always have trouble memorizing piano music while I can sing and conduct hours of choral music as a choral singer/conductor. But now my piano small grey cells are growing and this is very motivating for me!!

     

    Difficult passage: In (...le vent dans la plaine) the E flat minor 6 downward right hand chord, and the crazy leaps in the middle of the piece - explosions! Practise slowly. 

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    • Inanc
    • Inanc
    • 1 yr ago
    • Reported - view

    chopin etude op.25 no. 11

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    • Adena
    • Adena_Franz
    • 1 yr ago
    • Reported - view

    Dominic, re trills: I listened to your webcast of August 17, 2021 on trills. Wow! A phenomenal amount of knowledge you shared! As per your suggestion, I’d like your opinion on how many trills to play per measure, starting with ms 65 of Paderewski’s Menuet, Opus 14, #1. And especially how to coordinate the left hand’s 4-notes on beats 2 and 3 of measure 66, etc. Thank you. 

  • Everything is hard some days! Haha! My big technical challenge goals of the week - Chopin Etude 10/1 (aka Waterfall) from m.25-48. Schubert A major sonata d. 664 (early one) 3rd movement jumps and run sections smooth and accurate. Other stuff I'm working on is more just musically challenging - these sections feel like real labour!

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      • Gail Starr
      • Retired MBA
      • Gail_Starr
      • 1 mth ago
      • Reported - view

      John Denton I’m not working on those pieces at the moment, but I totally know the passages you are referring to.  Check out Henry Kramer’s lesson on the Chopin for some pointers.  The Cortot exercises that go with it are pretty helpful!

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    • Gail Starr I use Cortot all the time! I find Marina Lomazov's tutorials so helpful (though she hasn't focused on 10/1). I've made it so much further with that piece than I ever thought I would but there are still a few spots that are murderous! (I think my most challenging measures are 31 and 35 - something about the stretch on the ascent I haven't figured out yet). I also liked Garrick Ohlson's tutorial. Cheers and happy practicing!

      Like 1
      • Gail Starr
      • Retired MBA
      • Gail_Starr
      • 1 mth ago
      • Reported - view

      John Denton OMG! I know exactly the measures you are referring to! 😂

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    • Gail Starr the ascending A major is starting to yield - and that murderers row from about 31-36 is starting to yield a bit - I'm finding my next challenge to be the major hand position change type measure - like when an e major arpeggio is followed by G7 in the same bar - on the off beat - I can't quite figure out how to coordinate it smoothly! 

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    • Michelle R
    • Michelle_Russell
    • 1 mth ago
    • Reported - view

    Since I'm a beginner, nothing is really that hard! But right now I'm working on JC Bach's Prelude in A minor, and the color matching (dynamics) that my teacher is having me work on is both challenging and delightful (when I get it right).

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      • Gail Starr
      • Retired MBA
      • Gail_Starr
      • 1 mth ago
      • Reported - view

      Michelle R You are doing so great, dear friend!

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      • Michelle R
      • Michelle_Russell
      • 1 mth ago
      • Reported - view

      Gail Starr Thanks so much, Gail! Last week words like "extraordinary" and "awesome" escaped my teacher's lips, so I'm feeling pretty good about my progress right now. 🙂

      Like 3
      • Gail Starr
      • Retired MBA
      • Gail_Starr
      • 1 mth ago
      • Reported - view

      Michelle R I agree with your teacher!  You do have exceptional musicality!

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  • Great topic!  I'm currently working on Beethoven 109.  The 2 spots giving me the most trouble are in the 3rd movement:  1) Variation III - getting the some of the left hand up to tempo perfectly (I made the mistake of changing the fingering several times.  Ugh...)  and 2) Variation VI - playing the section with triplets and trills in both hands (beginning in the 12th measure) up to tempo accurately.  Otherwise loving the piece.  

    Like 1
    • Tomoko
    • Tomoko
    • 1 mth ago
    • Reported - view

    I am having difficulty playing continuous multiple notes quietly.

    For example, the left hand’s part of Chopin Prelude OP. No.4 is hard.

    If I play very delicately, I miss some sound of the notes, or the volume of each note does not come out the same.

    I wonder if there are any tips.

    Eric Lu is doing a wonderful job on this video.

    Eric Lu – Chopin: Preludes, Op. 28: No. 4 in E Minor, Largo (youtube.com)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNDHb4fbOuE

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    • Tomoko I personally find practicing with a full tone and louder volume helps to make playing softer a little easier, but I would approach the softer playing gradually. Of course, every piano action is different, so knowing how slowly one can depress the key before the it stops speaking is incredibly useful information. 

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