Alan Belkin, composer

Technical Advice

Many difficult passages in the piano repertoire are based on recurring figures, or patterns. Such patterns usually lend themselves to one general solution, which can be made into a small "practice capsule". Here we will propose "capsules" of this sort from the standard repertoire, referring both to the general principles involved and to specific ideas for practicing these passages.

Bach - Fugue in Ab+, WTC I (polyphonic playing)
Chopin - Prelude in F# minor (awkward shifts between black and white notes)
Chopin - Scherzo #2, m. 680 ff (fast arpeggio figure with wide extension)
Chopin - Scherzo #2, m. 552 ff (frequent shifts from/into awkward positions)
Chopin - Scherzo #3, m. 39-41 (quick octaves in an awkward layout)
Liszt - Paganini Etude #4, beginning (leaps and repeated notes)
Liszt - Transcendtal Etude #11, m.100-102 (fast leaps between loud chords)
Scarlatti - Sonata K. 141 (fast repeated notes)

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