How do you study a piece to bring it up to speed as quickly as possible? My former professor used to say to always play slowly for months without ever performing. To work on the most difficult parts with variations and to study it in small sections.
This method has always worked, but to reach a decent performance speed, it takes me months. For example, for the third movement of the Appassionata, it took me almost 10 months. I study at least 10 hours a day and I have posed a question to myself: am I making mistakes or is it normal to take this much time?
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Marta23
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Reply 2 by Marta23
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153
When you are a student, it takes time to assimilate pieces and, in particular, there is a tendency to improve technique, so it wouldn't be just 10 months dedicated to "one piece."
Of course, 10 hours a day for 10 months, just the third movement of the appassionata seems excessive to me. In parallel, in 10 months you should have prepared at least another dozen pieces.
But there is no rule; every student has their own timing and it depends on where you started, in the sense that it could also be that it was a sonata that was too difficult for you, so you have to see it as an investment.
10 hours a day for 10 months on the same movement of a sonata seems a bit excessive to me and probably even boring (excuse my frankness).
Study should be more varied and range from technique, to etudes, and repertoire; in this latter case there must be a certain variety in the choice... let's say fixed Bach, something classically classical, a romantic piece and something (relatively) modern.
A bit haphazardly and based on your inclinations/tastes/abilities.
Somewhere I spoke about the study with a pause on the beat. With repetition and without repetition. This study teaches how to speed up the piece by playing fast between one pause and the next, observing and perfecting the micro-movements that can only be shown and corrected in speed and therefore in performance
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nancy
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Reply 5 by nancy
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521
Did you really do 10 hours for 10 months on a sonata tempo? Didn't you have hysterical crises? No, jokes aside, such intensive study certainly makes one nervous at the expense of timbral quality and even technical performance, since the tension that accumulates in the compulsive attempt to reach—and not quite reach—certain goals is certainly counterproductive.
I agree with everything that has been said...
A piece must be studied with calm and concentration, giving it space and time to mature... sometimes even by not playing it!
Studying with a stop on the strong accent is excellent for speeding up scales and arpeggios, and must be performed with great concentration and attention. And in any case, to progress, it is indispensable to spend them [the hours] on a greater variety of pieces....
User alexwaston banned. I have already forgiven him one more time and he continues to write posts with links to gambling sites. If you notice things like this on the forum, let me know.
I think study sessions shouldn't be extended too much. Every day there must be a result for what has been done. It is like this every week. In my opinion, if one does not progress, it means they are studying mechanically and "undergoing" the piece rather than mastering it.
Personally, I mark myself at the piano and trace a phrase or the measures that I intend to study. Once finished, I must see the result of what I have worked on.
In complete agreement with what was said above and kudos to Nancy... Not studying it... very true.
Being too immersed in a piece means no longer seeing it... it's great to take a break and think about it, perhaps by studying other things or for another period as Frank used to say.
