Tension During Fast Octaves

When I play octaves at a slow or moderate tempo, my hands and arms feel very free. However, when I play octaves at a very fast tempo, I sometimes feel excessive tension in the hands and arms. Is this a common problem? Some teachers have suggested that if you feel tight when playing fast, it is a sign that you are playing too fast too soon. Instead, you should gradually build up the tempo (with a metronome), not going any faster until your arms feel perfectly free. Is that the right approach to building up speed?

Best advise: throw away the metronome. The energy of the arm should be transtted through flexible wrists. I think practising fast oktaves is best done in a combination of the following 3 ways: 1) slow with full grasp and the most beatiful sound possible 2) slow practising with very fast short energetic staccato attack and fast relaxation (bounce). Let your arms fall back into your lap or something like that. Do not think. 3) fast small amount of oktaves. then same as in (2)

Eric, the problem with your reply is that you completely neglect the central issue. It is NOT the energy of the arm coming down through the wrist that makes it work. That concept is all backwards! It is only that will bring the octaves up to speed retaining freedom. AFF