Slow vs Fast Practice
In our new blog series, our Practice Sleuths Graham Fitch and Adina Mornell investigate practising mysteries in detail and discuss ideas and insights on how to solve them! In the first episode, the duo unravelled the mysteries of piano fingering – debunking myths, challenging conventions and offering practical tips.
In this next episode, our sleuths tackle the age-old debate of slow versus fast practice and how balancing both approaches can unlock your potential. Using the last movement of Chopin’s B-flat Minor Sonata, they illustrate the power of slow practice for building control and comfort followed by the magic of rhythm exercises, blocking and even practicing faster than the final tempo to overcome performance jitters.
Works featured
- Frédéric Chopin: Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor (Op. 35, 4th mvt, Finale: Presto)
Further resources & links
- Practice Clinic – Click here to view an index of our regular Practice Clinics in which Graham Fitch answers practising-related questions submitted by Online Academy subscribers.
- The Secrets of Experts – Click here to find out more about Adina Mornell’s course on creating your own recipe for enjoyable, successful performances.
Future Episodes
A full archive of Practice Sleuth episodes will be available here as further episodes are added and in the meantime, be sure to sign-up to our mailing list to be notified of new episodes!
Practice Tools Interactive Workshop Series
Do you find it takes you ages to learn new pieces? Or do your pieces fall apart when you try to play them at speed? Does practising sometimes feel like a chore or do you find yourself losing concentration?
Starting on the 8th of March, Graham Fitch will be presenting a series of interactive workshops to coincide with publishing of revised versions of his highly acclaimed practice tools videos. These workshops will use exercises specially designed to show you how to apply the tools in your own practising to pieces you’re learning. You’ll also have the opportunity to try things out in the comfort of your own home and to get assistance and advice from Graham during the sessions. Click here to find out more!