Hi everyone, I have just finished studying Chopin's Etude No. 2 from Op. 25 (it is a presto); I studied it according to the rules, very slowly. Sometimes I feel the urge to speed it up immediately, but I know that is the wrong method... in your opinion, is it right to go gradually with the use of the metronome (in this case, it's not for keeping time) increasing the speed one notch at a time? In what way can I increase it after repeating it several times or as the days pass? This is also one of my flaws, having to try immediately and mess around, so I think it would be useful for any other etude or sonata as well... What do you say?
Look for my posts on fast study with stops. I will summarize the concept. Gradually increasing the metronomic tempo is equivalent to continuously changing the micro-movements that lead from slow to fast (completely different!!). Studying instead at a certain speed, with a stop at every unit of time (in your case, every half measure), is equivalent to already observing the correct micro-movements in performance without demanding continuity immediately and without altering the rhythm and musical sense of the piece. In this case, play two complete triplets up to the starting note of the third, which will constitute the stop from which to restart for the next two, and so on. Start from one accent to reach the other without absolutely stopping! Only later, after a phrase, evaluate the errors, correct them, and start again, imposing yourself to arrive "cleanly" from one accent to the other. The stop and restart notes must not be very marked. Monitor the synchronization of the right hand with the left! Monitor the "tension" of the muscular systems with concentration. Take breaks every 15 minutes of concentrated study. If the reading of the piece has been well assimilated, with this method you will easily bring the piece up to speed in a few days.
Thank you Paolo... if I may use the informal 'tu'..., I will take your advice! I was asking you for some help with studying. As I had already mentioned in this forum, I have started playing the piano again after a 23-year break and I wanted your advice on how to divide my entire study program throughout the week, since working means I can only dedicate 2 hours a day; my level 23 years ago was at the 8th-year exam. Currently, I play daily: Martucci's Scherzo, Children's Corner (Debussy), Chopin Etude No. 2 op. 25, Clementi 23 studies from Gradus ad parnassum (I have resumed numbers 16 and 17 (scales right and left), number 2 and no. 5); for now I have resumed these studies and gradually I will add the subsequent ones which will take me time for the first reading; all of this daily takes me 3 hours and 15 minutes without ever getting up from the stool, because if I were to get up to take a break I think I would reach 4 hours. Would you advise me on how to divide everything so that I can play for 2 hours? Not having a teacher anymore, I wouldn't know how useful it might be to know how to divide the study correctly.
Generally, study sessions are divided into half-hour increments. Decide for yourself how much to rest. Rather than a rest, it is a "distraction" from repetitiveness and loss of concentration. Constantly knowing what you are doing is fundamental. Never put off "things".. they will come eventually! It is better to study small complete phrases and then stitch them together. It is like knowing you have many kilometers to travel on a path. For now, let us set out without the frenzy of arriving. And above all, without having the impression that understanding with awareness is "wasting time." In an accelerated world like today's, where "everything is immediate," one can suffer from this. Understanding well what you are doing is a good investment. Studying with pauses allows us to observe, without losing continuity, what we do IN SPEED between one accent and the next. It requires great concentration and is tiring. After a half-hour done well, take a break. And then there is no precise rule. Everyone will find the right timing. If after a short time there are no results, it means that something was not observed correctly.
