From solving difficult passages to staying focused in performance
In this Ask the Faculty video, Graham Fitch responds to five questions on practising and performance. He looks at specific challenges in Ravel and Brahms, how to structure and prioritise practice, ways of working with scales and arpeggios, and what to do when a mistake in performance causes confidence and concentration to unravel.
Questions answered
00:00 – In Ravel’s Pavane pour une infante défunte, how can I tackle the awkward passages at bars 28 and 60?
07:41 – In the più moto section of Brahms’s Intermezzo Op. 117 No. 3, what is the best way to practise the jumps so that the passage eventually feels both secure and beautiful?
14:29 – How should I structure my practice so that I know what to prioritise, how long to spend on each area and when I’ve done enough to move on?
25:21 – How much of my daily practice should I spend on scales and arpeggios? Is it better to stay with the same key or rotate more often, how do I know when a scale is good enough for now, and how can I keep this kind of practice mentally engaging?
33:23 – How do you control performance nerves when one mistake causes a sudden drop in confidence which then snowballs into more mistakes?
Get More from Your Practice
Graham’s Practice Tools video lecture series offers strategies and tools for making your practising more effective, creative and enjoyable, helping you solve problems and get better results from your time at the piano.
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Build Your Next Piece on Solid Foundations
Building Firm Foundations is a comprehensive course on deep learning and memorisation, helping you develop a deeper understanding of the music, strengthen recall and build the foundations for more secure, confident performance.