Hi everyone!

I'm learning Chopin's posthumous waltz in e minor at the moment -- i think it is or used to be in the grade 8 syllabus. I'm not actually learning it for an exam (i already passed grade 8), i'm just learning it for fun!
Anyway, i was wondering if anyone had any advice on how to play it. I often miss notes in both hands or play wrong notes in the right-hand arpeggios, and when i play it at my piano lessons i can see my teacher wincing and i feel really guilty!

Any ideas are welcome please help!

musicmouse

PS. as you can see i like smiley faces!!

Fantastic piece this waltz I love it!

I've never actually learnt this waltz, but from what I've seen from the score and tried out of it, flexible hands are essential, try not to tense your hands while playing. This is what Chopin would have originally done as his hands were supposedly very flexible, enabling him to spread huge chords in one hand.

Hope that helps!

IrisH - LoonY

actually IL thats not particularly good advice.

Musicmouse....i like smileys too!!! lol

Wait for some people who've played this piece to reply...dont listen to people like IL who are trying to sound big.

Hey thanks heaps IL! That was a pretty quick reply!!

Yeah, my teacher keeps telling me to relax, which i am trying really hard to learn how to do.
And I've heard that Chopin had really bendy fingers and hands! Unfortunately that's not the case for me, i'm only 13 and have quite small hands and short fingers. oh well, just gotta keep trying!

Thanks for your advice anyway.

musicmouse

PS. to sl123451 - yeah, i probly should wait for someone who's played this piece to give advice on it.... but i'm willing to try anything that might work! Do you have any suggestions?

Hi Musicmouse,

I have played many Chopin waltzes (my teacher bought me his complete works) and yes, I have done this piece.

Just a little side note, this used to be in the Grade 8 Syllabus. My teacher and I worked on it for a long time, but then I had to use the new syllabus, so I might not remember every detail about this song.

The most technical part of this piece is from ms. 33 to 39. Lots of technical work. I, like you, have small hands, and I think that the key to getting some of the technical parts is repetition. Then, your fingers get the feel for where the notes are, and while you should have control over your fingers, they'll be more likely to "feel" towards the right notes.

I can't offer you any fingerings, because that all matters with your hand. If you feel like anything is difficult for your hand to manage, try alternative fingerings. Work it out with your teacher, and practice, practice, practice.

If you have any specific questions about a certain part, feel free to ask.

Hi Musicmouse,

I did this piece for my Grade exam in 2004. I can understand why you are hitting lots of wrong notes - I did too at first. The way the hands move quickly across the keyboard means you have to be thoroughly familiar with the distance you need to move for each note. And this can only be achieved through lots of practice and time for it to settle into your memory.
Most importantly, you must practice hands separately. Otherwise the left hand in particular will not know what it is doing. Also practice spreads slowly then gradually build up the tempo. It's important to find a fingering that will work at speed without 'bumping' any notes, so try to establish this from the beginning.

Some degree of wrist flexibility in the horizontal direction is necessary - for example in the opening arpeggios they need to be shaped dynamically to achieve an agitato mood. Use different fingers on the repeated 'Bs' in the main theme as this will help to lighten them. Pedalling must also be light to achieve the dance character of the piece.

In the forte section which has ascending and descending arpeggios in the RH, practice the quavers in different rhythms, especially the changeover from finger 5 to 1 on the second crotchet.

The middle E major section needs a different mood, more lyrical and warm. The ending can then be very dramatic, make sure you give the last chords plenty of emphasis.

Above all, this piece needs flexibility. I have heard it performed badly many times, almost metronomically. Though you can practice in 'strict' time at first, this piece needs rubato, for example relaxing at the ends of phrases, and knowing where to push forward (e.g, G# chord in middle section). Try to find ways to vary the character of theme each time it appears, perhaps through the use of una corda.

I would also advise memorising this piece before actually performing it, as you really need to be looking at your hands for when there are particularly big leaps. Do practice with eyes closed as well so that you can physically 'feel' the distance. Besides, with enough slow practice memory should come naturally when you are familiar with what each hand is doing.

This may seem like a lot but it's only a portion of what I learnt during the many months I worked on this piece. It paid off though, as I got full marks (30) in the exam.

Good luck!

Wow thanks everyone! well i'm a bit overwhelmed by all this advice but i'll definitely try all of it! thank you so much!!

musicmouse

Hi guys...

it worked! my playing of the waltz has improved heaps and my teacher says i can start a new Chopin piece: Etude Op. 25 No. 2 in F minor. Has anyone played this one before, or have comments on this piece? All advice is welcome!!

musicmouse

I've not actually played this, but one tip that I believe would be useful, instead of thinking of 3 against 2, think of 6 against 3. Think of the triplet quavers in groups of 6, and play 2 quavers to 1 crotchet.

I believe this is more of a dexterity etude so work on that

IrisH - LoonY