Liszt
9 Practice Tips on Liszt's Feux Follets
Taught by renowned pianist
Jeffrey Biegel
In this bite-sized lesson, American pianist Jeffrey Biegel shares nine concise and practical tips on Liszt’s fiendishly difficult etude “Feux Follets,” or “will-o’-the-wisp.” These essential practice methods make studying this piece far less daunting and lead to fluid and crystal-clear playing.<br><br>Biegel's advice focuses on the infamous double notes that resurface throughout the piece, offering many insights from his studies with Adele Marcus, famous Juilliard professor of the late 20th century and herself a student of the legendary Josef Lhevinne.<br><br>In addition to remarks on fingering and use of the wrist, Biegel comes up with many ways to create variety in your double-note practice: keeping the upper voice legato while playing the lower voice staccato; shifting the accent pattern to emphasize the second note of each group; and, importantly, playing in many different rhythms – Biegel shares eight options!<br><br>Other key insights include exaggerating left-hand leaps, Josef Lhevinne’s sparkling pedaling and “4 Speeds” concept, strongly emphasizing the upper voice in slow practice, stopping after landing a jump, and the powerful add-a-note method.

Difficulty:
Advanced

Duration:
1
hours
hour