Chopin Etude Op10 No1

Hi Alan Thank you for your reply earlier. I've been working on Chopin Etude Op10 No1. I've been playing the piece a lot slower than its original tempo. Is there a way to speed up and not lose the arch? I've incorporated a lot of rotationary movement at the forearm to reach large arpeggios. But there still is a lot of limitation on my tempo. Is it a relaxation problem? When I try to play the piece skeletally with rotation, I find that the speed is somehow impeded because it just takes more time to reach the next note. Let me state an example: in the first measure, I play CGCE with 1, 2, 4, and 5 accompanied with supinating motion. Then when I try to play the next C with my thumb, my whole hand has to rotate downward (pronate) to drop the thumb in the right position. This action hinders fast tempo. But I cannot play these large arpeggios without the rotation because my hands can't reach that far. Is there a way to solve this problem? Thanks Abbie

Can you play CGCEC (12451) at tempo? Do that and HOLD THE LAST TWO NOTES. That should stand you up into your structure and also help your thumb learn not to pull itself towards you (a niggling tendency I often see people doing). About the rotation: it should be able to take place at tempo. The one I show in the film is designed to speed things up not slow them down. Try to play those first five notes any which way but FAST (and hold the last two). Observe what your hand and arm do. I suspect that you will detect a rotation that is there but minimized so you don't really notice it at speed. In other words, if the rotation is slowing you down, you are probably doing too much of one. This exercise helps clarify the exact amount of rotation that should happen almost automatically... Hope this helps, let me know! AFF