In this practice clinic edition, Graham Fitch answers questions on polyrhythms and ornamentation in two popular Nocturnes by Chopin. He also provides advice to two teachers on helping their students avoid tension, play repeated notes, improve coordination and develop security in works by Burgmüller and Grieg from the ABRSM Grade 4 and 5 syllabuses.
Practice clinic questions
Chopin Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1 (Posth.) – I am experiencing difficulty with the polyrhythms in bars 32-37. I have omitted the ornamentation for now, but would appreciate any guidance as to how to practise these polyrhythms so that I can gain more fluidity and consistency with the rest of the piece. Also, would you have any suggestions for incorporating and practising the ornamentation in bars 35 -37?
Grieg (Arr. White) In the Hall of the Mountain King (from Peer Gynt) – My student is struggling when attempting to play this piece up to speed. She will tense up and play notes either overlapping or slurring when accelerating. I’ve asked her to play at a slow pace but the tension returns as soon as she tries to increase the tempo.
Burgmüller Tarantella (from 25 Études faciles et progressives, Op. 100, No. 20) – A Grade 5 student of mine is experiencing problems with this piece. The repeated notes (especially LH) in the opening and coordinating the RH slurs from bar 21 are particular challenges. The coda is also unreliable – sometimes it works, other times it falls apart!
Chopin Nocturne in E-Flat Major, Op. 9 No. 2 – While the overall piece feels manageable, I’m really struggling with the ornament in the last few bars (RH). I’m using the suggested fingering (3-2-4-1) and I try wrist circles to avoid keeping it in the fingers. This feels comfortable and controlled at slow speeds but when I try to increase the speed, the wheels fall off. Do you have any practice suggestions for how I might get this fast and light while retaining coordination?
Workshop Recordings & Resources
We’re taking a break with our online events and practice clinics over the summer. In the meantime, if you haven’t yet watched the recordings for workshops that you signed-up for, head over to the events tab in your library to view them.
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- Practice Tools Interactive Workshop Series
- Making Friends with the Notes (Parts 1 & 2) – William Westney
- Introduction to Keyboard Harmony
- Key Skills for Sight Reading Success
- The Secrets of Experts
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Further information on how our practice clinics work is available here or please click here to find out more about the Online Academy.