Anyone learnt Mendelsshon's "Tarentella-presto" (Songs without words)
What are its difficulties etc.?
I find that the first 8 bars (in the left hand)are difficult to tackle my hand around (staccato-type chords) i just can't seem to relax my wrist....and if i do, the chords just flop, theres no "crisp" sound coming through!...what do you think?

Sorry, but i don't know the opus number off the top of my head...

Take care..

try playing them with a combination of movement from: your upper arm very slightly (to make sure your fingers travel in a vertical line), your forearm a little more, and compliment that with a slight wrist and finger tip motion. the idea is to originate the staccato from more powerful muscles in your arms rather than through your wrist, which can be very bad for it too. as soon as you hit the bottom of the keys make sure you come back up too and stay relaxed, don't strain anymore than you need to.

this might seem really basic but i only recently learned this for playing staccato notes and (basically all) fast octaves or chords. the strain has all but dissappeared when i play pieces like liszt's 19th hungarian rhapsody with double octaves and chords at the end. and of course when you have no strain you can control it more without 'flopping' around...

[ February 07, 2002: Message edited by: Rodion ]

I think that one of the easiest pieces that I've ever played was a Mendelssohn song without words. Op30, No6 (Venetian Gondala Song No2). I don't know about any of the others, expect for Spring Song (Op62 No6) and the funeral march (Op62 No3). I still struggle with Spring Song, and I've given up on the funeral march. I love that piece but some of the chords are too big for my hands. Maybe I should give it another try, though. Its been at least 6 months since I put the sheet music for it away in my fileing cabnit.