Chopin, Left Hand Evenness, Runs and Trills

By Informance, 2021-09-23 Posted in: Practising

In this month’s practice clinic, Graham Fitch answered questions on works by Chopin, Mozart, Clementi and Grieg. Topics discussed included practising trills and runs, achieving evenness in the left hand, tone production and addressing problems with coordination and tension.

practice clinic with Graham Fitch

Practice clinic questions

  • WA Mozart – Sonata in F Major, K332 1st mvt – I’m having trouble with bars 86-89 as I’m finding the trills tricky to coordinate with the left hand. I would love some practice suggestions for bringing this section up to speed.
  • Chopin – Nocturne in B-flat Minor, Op. 9 No. 1 – Please could you help me with the runs in bar 4 and the similar run near the end.
  • Clementi – Gradus Ad Parnassum, No. 1 – The tempo is marked Veloce or a half note = 80. What speed should it be played at?
  • Chopin – Waltz in B Minor, Op. 69 No. 2 – I’m having a little trouble with keeping the left hand even in terms of tone and was wondering if you had any tips on technique to produce the soft, even tone I’m looking for throughout the piece?
  • Grieg – Butterfly, Op. 43 No. 1 (Bars 7 – 9) – I’m struggling to coordinate my fingers in Grieg’s in bars 7 – 9. I end up feeling very tense, and dissatisfied that my playing is lumpy and out of control. I would appreciate any help you can give me here.

Next practice clinic

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