Good evening everyone! I discovered the beauty of Chopin's music at 15... I started studying his pieces when I was 16, and my first piece learned was op. 25 no. 12, and it took me about 2 months to learn it all... I would like to specify that I am completely self-taught; I use the Synthesia program on PC to see the notes, but I also use sheet music... I would like to know if the time spent is appropriate and would like some of your advice on how to approach Chopin's pieces in general... Thank you!
Ah! And for those interested in the final result, I'll leave a recording of this piece here, but this recording is from a few months ago, it's not recent...
Thanks anyway!
op 25 n 12.mp3
Audio and score
Follow the score as you listen
Score synced with the recording
Performance breathingAbove the line the performer speeds up, below it slows down against the written tempo.
In my opinion, for being self-taught, you have done a truly remarkable job. Op. 25 no. 12 is not a "simple" piece to tackle so early on, especially because in addition to speed, it requires stamina, sound control, and continuity of movement. Two months to reach the point of playing it in its entirety seems like an absolutely credible timeframe to me; in fact, many students with a teacher take even longer before making it fluid. The advice I would give you is not to focus only on the notes, but above all on the quality of touch and dynamics, because Chopin lives so much through color and musical breathing. Synthesia can help at the beginning, but gradually try to rely more and more on the sheet music and your own critical listening. That is where you make the real leap in quality.
In my opinion, for being self-taught, you have done a truly remarkable job. Op. 25 no. 12 is not a "simple" piece to tackle so soon, especially because in addition to speed, it requires stamina, sound control, and continuity of movement. Two months to reach the point of playing it in its entirety seems like an absolutely credible timeframe to me; in fact, many students with a teacher take even longer before making it fluid. The advice I would give you is not to focus only on the notes, but above all on the quality of touch and dynamics, because Chopin lives so much on color and musical breathing. Synthesia can help at the beginning, but gradually try to rely more and more on the sheet music and critical self-listening. That is where you make the real leap in quality.
By the way, tackling such a "physical" Étude right away can also be useful for developing a certain technical solidity, but one must be careful not to become too rigid. In Chopin, the risk is always wanting to demonstrate speed while sacrificing lightness and musical line instead. I would also tell you to work very slowly every now and then, even if you already know the piece by now, because that is precisely where useless tensions or poorly controlled passages emerge. Another important thing is to listen to different performers without copying them directly: everyone has a personal way of breathing the phrases, and this helps immensely in understanding how much Chopin leaves space for individual sensitivity. For your age and being self-taught, you are definitely on an interesting path.
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martello
Member
Reply 5 by martello
Posts
18
Good morning. Two months is a very short time for such a complex piece... I believe the risk is fixing technical errors that are difficult to correct later.
Perhaps it would be useful to try studying the work by focusing on wrist management, especially if using a vertical or digital [piano]... Thanks to anyone who wishes to respond.
Etude op. 25 no. 12 is a very demanding etude. We find the same technical rudiment that accompanies this entire etude also in Chopin's fourth ballad.
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AJPiano
Member
Reply 7 by AJPiano
Posts
18
Good morning. I agree with martello on the risk of fixing errors... two months seem really short for such a physical piece.
In my opinion, besides the wrist, it would be useful to compare different editions to find the most ergonomic fingerings :) This helps a lot in not stiffening the hand and managing anxiety better when playing in front of others.
