A Higher Method to Play Sooner

One of the vital frequent questions requested by readers of this weblog is the way to play quicker. We’re in all probability all acquainted with a situation by which we’ve laid cautious foundations with gradual follow solely to seek out that every thing falls aside when rising the tempo past a sure level.

Sluggish follow is superb for the preliminary note-learning phases and may assist us as we construct up velocity. How can we get a bit as much as the total velocity whereas retaining the sensation of coordination and management that’s attainable at slower tempos?

Utilizing a Metronome to Play Sooner

A standard strategy to construct velocity is the incremental metronome methodology. This works by taking a bit of a bit and setting your metronome to a pulse that you would be able to already comfortably handle (this could be very gradual). When you’ll be able to play the passage comfortably, improve the velocity of the metronome by an increment of your selection (maybe 5 bpm, and even much less). When you’ll be able to management your taking part in at this velocity, make one other incremental improve in your metronome.

It is a favoured methodology of many nice pianists and clearly has its deserves. Nonetheless, it will also be considerably time-consuming and tedious, working the danger of changing into mechanical and senseless after some time.

A Higher Method to Construct Velocity

Another methodology, which I discover much more environment friendly in going from a gradual notice studying tempo to the specified tempo is taking part in little bits quick, typically known as “chaining”. This methodology allows us to construct the reflexes for quick taking part in, and since we restrict the size of the chain in every iteration to what’s manageable or simply outdoors our grasp, we’re in a position to finesse the sound we’re after at full efficiency velocity.

Right here’s the way it works:

• With out the metronome, play just some notes at velocity, then cease. Consider a sound chunk from a full efficiency, with dynamics, good sound, shaping, and so on.
• Consider your end result as exactly as attainable – for instance: “The LH was uneven”, or “The fingers weren’t collectively”, or “It felt tight” utilizing the Suggestions Loop.
• Mentally rehearse the snippet you performed earlier than you repeat it, imagining the way it sounds and feels to play evenly, with the fingers exactly collectively, freely, and so on. See, hear and really feel in your creativeness. It’s most necessary to undergo this stage earlier than diving into the keyboard once more.
• Repeat the earlier 2 steps till you’re blissful.
• Add one other notice, or group of notes and repeat the method, now with this longer chain.
• Begin a brand new chain from the notice(s) you ended on, and work in the identical approach.
• Now you might have two quick chains. Be a part of them collectively till you might have one longer one.
• RESIST the temptation to go over issues slowly and comfortably – we’re constructing new reflexes and this shall be difficult!

On this clip from a current on-line workshop, I present the way to apply chaining strategies to the Allegro of the primary motion of the Pathétique Sonata of Beethoven:

Additional Studying

• For a extra indepth I discover this topic in depth in Half One among my eBook collection, Practising the Piano – The Observe Instruments
• The next weblog posts comprise extra detailed info on the ideas coated on this article: