Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner What did you practise today?

Really? I think that's just about unforgivable. I suspect Liszt wouldn't have been impressed either - he certainly wasn't trying to pass off Widmung as his own composition.

I had a similar experience with "Flight of the Bumblebee" attributed to Rachmaninov in a school recital... It looks like sometimes arrangers get more attention than they really wanted.

Yeah I actually like no.3 a lot as well!! Though I'll give myself more years to finish off the set, because there's a ton of other stuff I'm pretty much dying to play right now!

The Waldstein is killing me...no on second thought, I'm killing it. Groan.

Any specific parts that you're having trouble with?

You asked so here goes:

Overall - my expression isn't there and there are bumps and places where it sounds choppy and unprofessional. I've done a lot of practice in sections so transitioning from section to section needs a ton of work. I'm still trying to learn how to play forte and relaxed and fast all at the same time without tensing up.

Here's some of the problems in the Allegro con Brio
1. LH M20-22 tensing up
2. Transitioning from M 26 to 27. I'm getting the notes but it just doesn't sound right. There's a tiny rubato I just can't pull off.
3. M36 and on - not sweet enough or legato enough.
4. transitioning between M 41 and 42 with that drop to P. The melody line seems to end on the first beat of 42, yet it is also part of the ascending scale.
5. 2nd half of M 46 - When I bring it up to tempo I keep missing the last third and I don't have good control over my decrescendo.
6. Expression M62-65. 62 -63 build but then I want to pull back a bit and build 64 -65 even more. Just can't pull it off.
7. M 104 - 108 - getting the LH even, (small hands).
8. M136 and 138 - sudden drop from F to P.
9. M272 - 274 -I keep rushing.

Then the Rondo (still learning notes in this).
1. My trills are decent but I can't seem to get my LH to sound right.
2. Tensing up with the RH octaves M71 etc.
3. Getting the LH up to tempo M357-366.

I've got a fantastic teacher who is helping me work through this but another viewpoint would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Hey - I haven't played this before, but since I needed to procrastinate on something else, so here are a few suggestions.



(I'm assuming your fingering is 5-3-1)
I have a couple suggestions, based on a similar passage I worked out recently:
Practice this with the double notes removed, so C-A-C-A, until that feels comfortable, and then E-A-E-A until that feels comfortable. I've found this helps the bottom fingers in my hand "understand" how little they have to work. If I just practice with the CE played together, I find that they grip, and especially my fifth finger pulls too much. Of course, the thumb may be the culprit too.

For measure with the A#, I would slide my hand into the keys a bit more to avoid cocking the wrist to get the thumb on the black key, and also make the 5th and 3rd fingers stand up more so that the thumb is not raised significantly higher than if it were playing on a white key.


I always hate these passages. It comes to a flexible wrist, finger legato, legato help from the pedal by doing shallower and delayed pedals, and enough sound, especially on the top note to make it sing. Playing this too softly or delicately just lets the sound die away too soon and makes it impossible to phrase.


I'm going to guess it is because you are anxious about getting to the LH grace notes on time. Do you know why you're rushing? If not, try hands separately to see why. If it is because of the LH grace notes, I found a weird trick useful - just play the LH part, but split it between the hands so that it is easy to play everything in time. Then go back to playing LH only. My theory is that this resets in your mind how it should really sound because in your mind right now you have the incorrect rushed sound.

Prokofiev Suggestions (again)
Chopin 25/9
And also started Brahms 117/1.

Thank you. They're all great suggestions.

Today I practiced something pretty easy (actually I sight-read it), but still beautiful - Tiersen's Amelie Poulain.

Ooo, this thread is back.

Bach P&F for the day, A major, book I.
Schubert sonata D850, 2nd movement
Some song accompaniments: Webern, Schubert, Duparc, Britten.

Just finished practicing Corigliano's Etude Fantasy. It's almost completely memorized, but still a good month away from performance-worthy...which is ok, because my recital is a month from tomorrow.

WTC II/12 - F minor P&F. Have the P under control and half memorized. Started on the F today. Its fun!
WTC I/1 - P&F C major. Halfway through the F. Have to stop and untangle fingers frequently.
D.Scarlatti L23 Sonata in E. Great for trills, p & pp dynamics and delicate articulation.

No more practice for a week while travelling interstate, and have first lesson of the year with my teacher the day I fly back.

Liszt Mephisto Waltz - If you have not heard it go listen to it - The finest piano piece ever written.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2Cgr0eZ0rk

And pretenders like Beethoven's Op. 111 rate honorable mention at best.

I thought it was Op. 109... Oh, well.

Today, it was: Chopin, Trois Etudes No. 2 (forgive my frinch); Chopin, Preludes Op. 28, Nos. 3, 6 and 21; Bach, Partita No. 4, Allemande and Courante; Chandler, "Melody"; and Beethoven, Bagatelle Op. 33, No. 1.

God, I love playin' piano!

Can't fault your practising list bear ...
thanks for the reminder of the Chopin Prelude 28-6 ... I'm off to my Grotrian Steinweg to
give the work a trundle ... am reminded of the blurb in my version which says

"The slow beating of the repeated notes in the RH should resemble a 'Bebung' effect, every 2nd 8th note barely audible. The important thing however, is the complaining cello-like melody in the LH."

No way... he comes closer with 111, which I'm not sure I'd call it THE finest piece ever written, but it is, without a doubt, B's greatest sonata. At any rate, it sure has helll isn't the Mephisto (or anything Liszt, though the sonata makes a very strong case).

I'm working on Duparc too, but on the singing side. Marvelous stuff. Elgar and Grieg too.

I'm working on Chopin Etude 10/7, 25/6, 25/12, impromptu No.1, Waltz op.18 and op.42, 1st movement from Concerto number 2. Also Prokofiev piano sonata No.2, First movement.