Objectives

• Fix technique
• 7hr/week of good-quality practice

Technique

• Single arm/hand motions per phrase instead of bouncing
• Movement between keys also part of the phrase
• Rolling hand, not finger articulation

Log

2010-03-24

• Slowly, VERY slowly!
• Don't lock the arm before a phrase
• Thumb-under exercises
• Rolling motion rather than digital articulation
• Focus on one piece at a time
• Claire de Lune

2010-03-31

• Exercises

  • Rolling
  • Fluid and rounder movements when moving between positions

• Moonlight Sonata 2nd

  • Texture, staccato vs legato
  • Need to relearn

• Claire de Lune

  • Fix wrong notes
  • Legato melody
  • Lift hand for repeated chords
  • Hold pedalling for left hand phrasing

• Moonlight Sonata 3rd

  • RH octave contractions too mechanical
  • Left thumb too strong, roll hand

2010-05-05

• Claire de Lune errors
  • Fix by next week
• Moonlight Sonata (1st) errors
  • Tempo! Notes, crescendo
• Chopin Nocturne
• Chopin Polonaise
  • First two pages by next week

2010-05-10

• Test play very slowly - check movement of hand
• "one continuous movement" per phrase

• Watch attack and lift-off carefully.

• Claire de Lune

  • not fixed!
• Chopin Nocturne
  • Attack: "Down-up, down". Not "Down-up, down-up; down-up"!
• Chopin Polonaise
  • First three pages by next week

2010-05-18

• Chopin Polonaise

  • Play at a speed I can read it

• Chopin Nocturne

  • pp in bass
  • Complete each bass arpeggio before starting the next. Practice with stress on 2nd and 4th
  • Practice E-scale sections as single regular movements.

2010-05-31

• Chopin Polonaise

  • Do D-flat major section rest of piece over next three weeks
  • Opening octaves: RH relax prior to attack. Hand position ends down.
  • Slow the trill, make it part of the melody

• Chopin Nocturne

  • Opening chords: start lifting off very slowly as soon as chord is sounded
  • Rondo much lighter

• Claire de Lune

  • Count aloud to isolate insecure sections

• Brahms Intermezzi Op.117 No.2

  • Look at this over the next three weeks

2010-06-21

• Chopin Polonaise

  • Attack the fff
  • First theme romantic, repetition more ethereal
  • Emphasise middle notes of the chord
  • Octaves are harsh

• Chopin Nocturne

  • Opening passage: where's the thumb!?
  • Learn turn of the page
  • Solidify the notes

• Brahms Intermezzi

  • Octaves in RH
  • Shared LH/RH notes in arpeggios

2010-06-28

• Chopin Polonaise
  • First theme
    • Resolution bars without pedal
  • Second theme
    • piano sotto voce
    • SLOW arpeggios
    • forte right up to C-flat section (D-flat minor)