What are some good tips or advice when learning Chopin Etude op. 10 no.1 in C?

This will be my third etude, I have since finished the ';easier'; ones, op.10 no.6 e- flat min, and op 25 21 G-flat. Now I'm looking to begin the 1st one. I can get through it very slowly and cleanly, but I'm just curious if anyone has any tips on perfecting this etude, and how long it took you. I'm figuring 8-10 months or even a year. Thanks. And please only answer if you already play the etude. Thanks again.What are some good tips or advice when learning Chopin Etude op. 10 no.1 in C?
1) Make absolutely sure you are always relaxed!


2) some rhythms/groupings: CGCE, CGCE, CGCE


or C, GCEC, GCEC, and things like that


3) I find that the metronome helps sometimes with etudes. I start with a comfortable/easy slow tempo, work my way up until I am just about to lose it, then work your way back down. Everyone always gets gradually faster when they play, but I think it is even more important to get gradually slower. That way, your body is getting more and more relaxed and you are getting more and more in control of the passage as you practice.





4) Minimize your movement. Use only the motion you need to use, and get rid of everything else. Slow, soft practice is good for this.





5) Godowsky (you know his affinity for Chopin Etudes, right?) suggests several tips. I know his general approach included practing with all possible combinations of speed, articulation, and dynamic in order to get a ';complete'; working of the technique. For example, if you took 3 of each: (slow, medium, fast--staccato, detached, legato--soft, medium, loud) you'd get 27 different combinations! (Note: he didn't suggest running through all the combinations, but MASTERING the etude at each individual combination)





6) Check out Godowsky's Chopin Etude reworkings. He provides practice examples that are interesting. There is a new edition of his complete works in 5 volumes (or 4, I can't remember), that has these.





I remember one exercise was playing C, then the chord GCE, etc.





7) Consider some ';cheats.'; For example, I had a hard time playing the ascending AEAC# one, so I used fingering 1352 1352, etc. Where finger 2 goes over you hand to reach the C#, and your 135 is blocked on AEA.





Another good one is for the descending EG#EB: 5213 5213, where 5=E, 2=G#, 1=E, 3=B. I always had trouble with this one, and this cheat fixed it.





There are TONS of ways to cheat, if you feel like it, but I'd suggest only using a couple of them AFTER you've given it a fair chance the 'correct' way.





I've never perfected it...this just isn't a good etude for me. You can either do it or not, I think. Then again, I've never really spent much time on it...I'd say if you want to master it, keep playing it forever!What are some good tips or advice when learning Chopin Etude op. 10 no.1 in C?
I'm starting on this as well: I agree, stay off the cheats if you can, Chopin intended this to improve us as piano players, and striving to physically overcome the rough stretches should come first. Allow your wrist to stay fluid and flexible - and check out Ashkenzy on YouTube! Inspiring.

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I agree, stay off the cheats if you can. One stress-reliever I use is to play it rubato and pretend the RH is playing the most soulful operatic melody ever written. You add expression, then guess what! it stay added when you speed up. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpZr_cbYbXo%26amp;feature=related

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Yes, I studied it. First of all, keep your fingers, hands and wrists relaxed, try not to get tense..Then I remember my teacher had me practicing it, but doubling each arpeggio, then playing as if every other note was dotted, etc..Slowly at the beginning, then increassing the speed..





Practicing it with different rhythms helped a lot. Good luck!
Hand postioning and exact shifting are required and mandated for accuracy.
Sigh~~


why you choose one of the most torturing etude to be your 3rd?


I hate C major...I believe this is the hardest key...


because of 2 particular pieces..


Chopin Etude Op.10 No.1 and Schubert Wanderer Fantasy..





first thing is relax..


I can not reach 10th, (I wish you have bigger hands, will make this easier..) inevitably I tense when I try to reach out some BIG stretch...


and TENSION is a killer to this etude...


once you start the stiffness, game over..


Relax is the only way out..





then it comes to fingerings,


Chopin's fingerings do not always help...I change some of them for my own benefit, you might want to look for Cortot's edition to look for some clues - how to practice, fingering...





Need a fine balance strength of fingers, you need train to have strong independent 4th and 5th fingers..articulation is impossible to achieve without having strong fingers..


and you need to slow practice to figure out most natural patterns of arm and wrist movement to help you execute this..


once you have your own patterns, you must follow it until it happens naturally...





Always do under tempo..and make sure the accuracy..








Unfortunately, I never play this etude flawlessly in tempo..but I am ok with it, because Alfred Cortot did not either...(makes me feel much better [as a human being] after hearing his recording of this etude..)





';perfecting this etude';..I guess only the fine fine pianist can able to execute this..


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpZr_cbYb鈥?/a>





good luck, and have FUN practicing...