You may have seen my video, Band-Aid Approach to Practicing Music. In that video I covered how to fix problem spots in your music. However, some viewers had questions on how to connect those sections once they are ironed out. I thought this would be the perfect subject to create a follow up.
To demonstrate I am using the Clementi Sonatani Opus 36 no 1. This is a good example because there is a little section in the beginning that leads into a much more complicated passage. I have had a lot of students over the years who have had trouble with this particular section.
I would suggest, as I did in the Band-Aid approach video, to play the music until you reach a problem spot. Instead of going back to the beginning each time, focus on the problem area until it is corrected and you can play it reliably. Play it slower at first, then work up a notch at a time with the metronome until you get it up to speed and feel confident in your ability to play the section.
With this particular piece you could first play the thirds in the right hand together instead of separately as written. After you feel confident put your hands together while still playing with thirds in the right hand. Once you are secure with the passage you can break up the music as written and work it up to speed striving for accuracy and effortlessness in your playing.
While you have corrected the problem area, you will discover that it’s difficult to play the passage in context accurately. Your mind and body is not used to playing it correctly when the passage comes and you’ll continue to have the same problem approaching this section. So how do you fix this?
I recommend starting right before the section you just fixed – not at the beginning of the piece. You can play a few bars before the section you corrected, then pause slightly right before you play the problem spot; just to remind yourself that you have reached the section. You can practice and mentally prepare yourself to approach it correctly. As you practice, you can shorten the pause before the corrected passage making it shorter and shorter until eventually there is no pause at all and you’re playing it as written. Eventually you will not have a pause in the music anymore but your mind will remember once you reach that section and you will be mentally prepared for it.
After you have done this try going back to the beginning. Is it smooth yet? Probably not. You might have to go back and play a little bit before the section you just practiced and work your way back to the start of the piece adding more music each time. Keep doing this until you can connect the sections of music without problems. It might take some time but once you do this you’ll be much more confident and able to play these problem sections without issues. It’s worth spending time to get this right.
I hope this helps and I encourage your comments and thoughts on this subject. Thanks again for joining me Robert Estrin, Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729.