In this month’s Practice Clinic, Graham Fitch answers questions on when to pedal in Scarlatti, co-coordinating the hands in Schumann’s Melody and how to practise playing softly and lightly in works by Chopin and Mendelssohn.
Practice clinic questions
Scarlatti Sonata in A Major, K208 – Is it acceptable to use the pedal in this work? If so, how do I go about deciding where to pedal and where not to?
Schumann Melody from Album for the Young, Op. 68 No. 1 – I’m earning this piece and find it incredibly difficult to synchronise notes when playing hands together. It sounds very “coarse”, particularly in bars 8 and 11, but really pretty much throughout the piece.
Chopin Grande Valse Brillante in E-Flat Major, Op. 18 – How do I practise the piano and leggiermente parts, also the places with the grace notes?
Mendelssohn Song Without Words, Op. 19 No. 1 – I find the turn in bar 5 really difficult, and keeping the accompaniment soft is also proving a challenge. I love the piece and would like to do it justice!
Next practice clinic
Our next practice clinic takes place on Wednesday 15th June on our Facebook page at 12:00 BST (11:00 GMT). Please sign-up to our mailing list here for updates on future practice clinic dates.
Watch previous clinics
Recordings of past practice clinics are posted up on our Facebook page and YouTube channel shortly after each event. You can also view our full archive of previous events via these links!
How they work?
Further information on how our practice clinics work is available here or please click here to find out more about the Online Academy.
Online Academy subscribers can submit questions for practice clinics up to two weeks before each session. This can be done using the link provided on the Online Academy dashboard under “subscription benefits” (click here to sign-in and visit your dashboard).
Further information on how our practice clinics work is available here or please click here to find out more about the Online Academy.