A Tip For This Difficult Spot in Chopin Polonaise Op.53...

[@NDNIN]

Been practicing this for about a week, and a couple hours before this showed , I realized a similar strategy can be employed on the rolled chords on bar 20. I spent a couple days trying to get those long left hand stretches up to tempo and just couldn't - specifically the top of the E and D of the third and 4th rolled chords. But adding those top notes to the bottom of my right is making it much clearer and steady. It's obviously slightly off what chopin wrote, but I think I can make it work without getting bogged down in this section for too long.

[@josantonioalcantara]

If the music sounds as it’s supposed to, I don’t find any issues if you want to use your feet as well 😂. There are so many passages in music where it doesn’t matter what hand or what fingers you are using if it sounds as it should

[@richardcasey4439]

I’ve struggled with this passage maybe forever, but this fingering and distribution works beautifully. Made my day.

[@GB_99999]

6:19 In another case I used a different form of distribution for Debussy’s Rêverie. In measures 76-81 I crossed over with my left hand to play the higher notes because I didn’t want to switch up the right hand. I was definitely making it harder for myself and my teacher would tell me too. But because that’s how i practiced it felt more natural and it ran as smooth as it should have. I still had to learn it the correct way though.

[@quain5063]

I doubted myself for a sec and thought I played your way but sadly I played it the 'right' way hahah

[@luismanuelsotomartinez550]

Thanks Josh, very fine tipos, for playing piano, greetings from Aguascalientes México!

[@bjornviir3333]

great video format showing piano, pedal, and fingers all on one screen. yeah that's the tough section...great ideas shown here, i m gonna try them for sure, thanks.

[@thegreenpianist7683]

How are you doing Josh? Hope you and your family are doing well! I've always admired how candid and transparent you are in your videos. It's so easy for someone to cover up their blemishes in videos with editing (or even straight up lying) and you've always been very clear and transparent in this regard, massive respect to you! Also, any plans on doing Chopin's 3rd Sonata for a ProPractice anytime soon?

[@joshwrightpiano]

I plan to do one in the future. I need to relearn it - it’s been about 7 years since I last played it

[@BenSadounJeremie]

Great tip ! One day if I play this polonaise, I’ll think about this tip. As you once said in a video, there is no problem at distributing things between the hands except if the piece is meant to be an Etude to work on certain difficulties…

[@ThePianoFortePlayer]

Hand redistribution has solved so many problems that I came across, awesome tip

[@abiromeroramirez]

Seriously I can't thank you enough for this unbelievable amazing tip (trick?). Totally worked and made my performance smoother. Muchas gracias amigo!

[@MrRicksStudio]

I played this in my thirties, and dropped it from my repertoire after a bad experience (after performing it successfully three or four times). I am in total agreement with you on redistributions. My graduate teacher, a student of Gorodnitzki at Juilliard, was very much into them. I would go so far to say that the Ravel Sonatine is MUCH EASIER to play with redistributions. The original edition is very difficult in spots. I'm 62 now, and not a "performing pianist", but I plan to watch your long-form video and see if I can work it up again.

[@TonyWinston]

Great idea master!

[@ciararespect4296]

Great teaching method I've used the redistribution in many pieces but have to change the notation otherwise I forget until I've learnt the pieces in my memory. I used to think of it as cheating but at the end of the day all we want is correct sound production and fluidity. If it helps to change notation then why not?. Obviously a study it may be different if we're trying to train certain fingers

[@nicholasasplund]

This is exactly the solution I use. I prefer to play that passage crisply 100% of the time instead of 40-50%.

[@arman.kashef]

Please have a video on Polonaise f#minor !

[@MrNewtonsdog]

The Horowitz solution was to start the trill early. Probably necessary at the speed he played it. Also he plays the trill 4-5-4 (as far as I can make out from videos). Short cuts are all well and good but with passages like these remember that Chopin is often thinking of some technical aim too. Maybe he wanted to sharpen his 4-5 trills (why else would he have written the passage out like that?). Think of op10 no2 in a similar vein. I totally understand if one has to work this up for an imminent performance that hand redistribution may be needed. However if that isn't the case it's surely better to drill the passage as written and get the technical benefits too.

[@LazlosPlane]

great tip!

[@waggawaggaful]

Cutest piano instructor ever, haha! Have you heard of PASK - pianists for alternatively sized keyboards? I didn't realize until a month ago that a whole movement of frustrated small-handed pianists has been organizing and quietly fomenting a revolution for the mass production of smaller sized keyboards. Not that this would be an issue for you, haha. Most classical/romantic composers were well under 5'5" and played on keyboards that were not standardized in size but tended toward the smaller side. I can't wait to try out a smaller sized keyboard and see if it opens up new material for me. Would be amazing to finally have a chance at playing even the simplest Rachmaninoff piece. Seems like a smaller keyboard could also help with "jumps" since there'd be less space to navigate. I wonder if a smaller keyboard would actually be more difficult for larger hands?

[@virtuozlaboucledor9083]

Great tips i tried to apply ! exactly i feel so guilty to do it, it is prood or kind of respect for the composer will ? Both i think ...

[@marshan1226]

Super interesting

[@ooorenji4641]

2:44

[@aaronogden9900]

I’m not a cheat then😂 I always do it this way. It seemed daft to spend forever on this bar when the rest of the piece is hard enough and like you say, your left hand is already there to take those lower notes. I agree that you should feel no guilt distributing notes in a way that suits you, classical piano music is very difficult so do whatever lets you learn the pieces you want to play.

[@Wherecatsrule-y6w]

Why didn't I think of that!!!

[@etele2613]

I have a feeling I shouldn't play this after learning polonaise in a major

[@tubule22857]

I felt like the scales fell from my eyes.

[@KeyNoir]

Excellent thanks Josh! I think it's important to encourage a little distribution here and there. The anatomy of our hands is so varied! Another one not to do it on so I've read is rachmaninoffs prelude in c sharp minor isnt it. So much easier to play as inversions In each hand but if you go for the octaves, the voicing is much easier managed🧐

[@sergiolo044]

such a useful video!

[@captivator13]

Sam 🎵✌🏻

[@lasicoah.9209]

My hands can only do a 10th at best so I can only do 4 and 5 fingers for the trills 💀

[@prorobloxplayer8182]

I am nowhere near being able to play this, but great advice nonetheless

[@luismanuelsotomartinez550]

The home of Manuel M Ponce.

[@MsTwiggy28]

Mmmm I need to work on my trills...