I have been trying to practise Liszt's La Campanella but I am facing some difficulties. Measures 5 - 13 are difficult, but from Measure 14, the acciacaturas make it even worse. What fingering should I be using in Measures 14 - 19? Also, how do I achieve quick 2 octave jumps? Is it just by sheer practice, or is there some secret? Thanks.

-- Kenneth Dinner (kapallayarbesar@yahoo.com), August 19, 2004

Answers

You might find some help for the leaps if you go to the section called "How to teach specific piano-related ideas techniques or skills" and go to the thread called "Suggestions for large leaps in left hand."

Alice Dearden

-- Alice Dearden (alicedearden@look.ca), August 19, 2004.

Kenneth: Quick jumps in either hand take a special kind of kinesthetic memory. It's something like a basketball player "setting" a 3-point shot.

What seems to work for me to do this is to practice the leaps at a moderate speed with an exaggerated "rainbow" arc. This activates the memory muscle underneath the upper forearm, and with repeated practice the arm will "remember" where to go. Once the kinesthetic memory is in place, you can probably go more quickly.

Perhaps this sounds a bit far-fetched, but it has always worked for me; I also teach this to my students and it is a super way to teach the jump bass patterns in Chopin.

Hope this helps! Ruth Farkas

-- Ruth Farkas (satb88@sbcglobal.net), August 26, 2004.

well i played la campanella myself and i agree about the difficulties but what can really help you with this leaps is practice slowly, memorize the difficult passages and then play the leaps with your eyes closed if it works with your eyes closed your problm is solved.

-- ravan babia (roroblake@hotmail.com), October 01, 2004.

It's amazing how the mind works! I have learned difficult passages simply by playing the same passage a few times each day. After a few weeks it becomes effortless. However, the greatest hindrance to me has been the way I've approached it in the beginning, thinking that it's hard or difficult. If you think like this, I suggest an attitude change. People who can play like Ignaz Friedman or Leopold Godowsky don't measure things as what's hard and what's easy. Everything is easy - after you conquer the difficulties. Sorry for getting a bit off track, but I'm trying to learn these things myself. :) Greetings from Finland!

-- Jaakko Wirtanen (weijage@hotmail.com), October 05, 2004.

La Campanella is a difficult piece... I think everyone agrees on that! :D What I did when I first started practicing it was to get some of those colored circle stickers from Walgreens and stick them on the D#. It took some getting used to but after awhile you'll know exactly where it's at! But if you think the first 19 measures of La Campanella are difficult, try the last 20! Evgeny Kissin makes me sick!! :D Good Luck to ya!

-- Drake S. Bissett (bissett@netnitco.net), March 08, 2005.