I would like to know how to practice to learn to play Schumanns Soaring piece.....It is probably one of the fastest songs i know of..so its difficult....Tempo marking it at Very Fast Dotted quarter note=160....

Aufschwung is a very difficult part of the Fantasiestucke. This is clearly advanced repertoire. You will probably get your best advice in Pianist Corner. People there tend to be more "into" specific pieces. This forum is more about teaching issues and techniques than specific items in the concert list.

Just curious though, what sort of advice are you seeking? I remember half learning the piece many years ago. I never fully polished it. Lack of time and all that.

I haven't checked to see if you asked this question over in the Pianist Corner. They would have many helpful suggestions over there.

I imagine that the standard response would probably be to work the piece slowly and carefully, making sure that all fingering, hand position, etc., etc. is correct. As you gain confidence, gradually increase the speed.

May I comment on the general aspect as I do not play classical.

All piano playing can involve fingering dexterity and I would assume that the talent and individual's ability is either with them or not.

In the latter situation if the music is very unusual then the technique may require a special talent for certain fingering of a rather rare ability.

Certainly in jazz, some pianists had amazing ability in fingering which in some cases could be special to them with no one ever to copy.

Some classical pianists stand out as being of unique talent maybe. In this case at least it is achievable!

I personally am a lazy player, insofar as playing something over difficult and just leave it. But on an overall learning curve I suppose we all gain from time and hours on the piano.

The fingering is quite a difficult matter to advise perhaps, as we all have some differences in the required means to an end. It must be true that the fingers can only do what the brain orders, so is that where we start on advice??

Alan

Let me clarify my perception of fingering issues. Everybody's hands and fingers are different sizes and capable of different things. Some people can reach spans that I cannot reach, whereas, I may be slightly more flexible than somebody else.

As far as fingering goes, it's not a rigid "do it exactly the way the book is fingered". By no means! Some books are well-written for my hands, many are not. In every piece, I must find what works well for my hands, while still following all the correct phrasing, etc. Then I pencil in my fingering and do it exactly that way every time. When I have a logical fingering that I follow each and every time, the piece become easier for me to memorize and perform with confidence.

On the teachers forum there is a thread running in more depth about this subject. I'am amazed at the way some people sit at the piano. I have a friend who is about 5' tall and I'm about 5'7" so she asked me to sit at her piano and try it. I had to hold my wrists up like a dog begging!

That is a complete contrast to the way I play which is to have my arms slopeing down to the keys from the elbow and then play into the keys. That is the basic stance, I alter the position of the fingers to suit the passage that I'm playing.

So I'm not what is known as a flat-hand player. I've never thought about the matter before.

I could not believe my eyes though. with example above.

Alan

The entire song is either played very staccato or very legato..So it difficult