How to Play the Solfeggietto on Piano

Practice., Listen., Pay attention to the little things., Play through it slowly., Slowly increase speed.

5 Steps 3 min read Medium

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Practice.

     As with anything, practice is the key.  Practice often
    - even if you only have time to play it through once, that one time will help. ,  Look up the piece online, and listen to someone professional playing the piece.  Listen to it over and over again.  This will help you by letting you hear what it's supposed to sound like.

    You will get a better understanding of the music.

    If you listen to several recordings, you will find that different people render the piece slightly differently.  That's their style.  Some people cannot play as fast as others.  That's okay.  Just do the best you can while doing C.

    P.

    E.

    Bach justice. ,  Read the details in the music.

    Tempo.  The tempo is marked as "prestissimo".

    That literally means "as fast as possible".  Obviously, you will have to work up to that, but it is important to know ahead of time.

    Dynamics.  The volume of the piece is extremely important.  You don't want to pound.  Pounding is obnoxious, and it will slow your fingers down.  A light hand moves faster.  Don't play too softly either.  Make sure the sound varies.  In this piece, the music can be forte (loud) for one measure, and then instantly change to piano (soft) in the next.  These dramatic changes are what make the piece.

    Pedal.  Less is more  Keep your foot light.  Don't hold the damper down forever
    - that muddles the notes.  Bounce up often, but don't allow the piece to sound choppy.  The music has to flow.

    Fingering.  When your fingers need to hit this many notes, you have to have your fingers at the right place at the right time.  If the music says that your fourth finger needs to be on E-flat then make sure it's there.  This is something you will have to watch closely and practice slowly until you've trained your hands to automatically do the right thing. ,  You will never get all the notes in, you will never master the piece unless you practice the song through in slow mode.  It may seem boring, but it's essential!  This helps you get each note, keep an even tempo, have accurate fingering, and put in dynamics.,  Once you get the piece down in slow-mode, begin to speed it up little by little.  As you master each speed, make it a little bit faster.  It will take time, but eventually you will be able to let your fingers fly over the notes.  Soon, you will be playing the fastest you possibly can.
  2. Step 2: Listen.

  3. Step 3: Pay attention to the little things.

  4. Step 4: Play through it slowly.

  5. Step 5: Slowly increase speed.

Detailed Guide

 As with anything, practice is the key.  Practice often
- even if you only have time to play it through once, that one time will help. ,  Look up the piece online, and listen to someone professional playing the piece.  Listen to it over and over again.  This will help you by letting you hear what it's supposed to sound like.

You will get a better understanding of the music.

If you listen to several recordings, you will find that different people render the piece slightly differently.  That's their style.  Some people cannot play as fast as others.  That's okay.  Just do the best you can while doing C.

P.

E.

Bach justice. ,  Read the details in the music.

Tempo.  The tempo is marked as "prestissimo".

That literally means "as fast as possible".  Obviously, you will have to work up to that, but it is important to know ahead of time.

Dynamics.  The volume of the piece is extremely important.  You don't want to pound.  Pounding is obnoxious, and it will slow your fingers down.  A light hand moves faster.  Don't play too softly either.  Make sure the sound varies.  In this piece, the music can be forte (loud) for one measure, and then instantly change to piano (soft) in the next.  These dramatic changes are what make the piece.

Pedal.  Less is more  Keep your foot light.  Don't hold the damper down forever
- that muddles the notes.  Bounce up often, but don't allow the piece to sound choppy.  The music has to flow.

Fingering.  When your fingers need to hit this many notes, you have to have your fingers at the right place at the right time.  If the music says that your fourth finger needs to be on E-flat then make sure it's there.  This is something you will have to watch closely and practice slowly until you've trained your hands to automatically do the right thing. ,  You will never get all the notes in, you will never master the piece unless you practice the song through in slow mode.  It may seem boring, but it's essential!  This helps you get each note, keep an even tempo, have accurate fingering, and put in dynamics.,  Once you get the piece down in slow-mode, begin to speed it up little by little.  As you master each speed, make it a little bit faster.  It will take time, but eventually you will be able to let your fingers fly over the notes.  Soon, you will be playing the fastest you possibly can.

About the Author

K

Kenneth Perez

Writer and educator with a focus on practical hobbies knowledge.

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