I got two new assignments yesterday. Carl Czerny Book 740 Etude #8. This is predominantly about left hand work but there are sections of the right hand that are near impossible for me at the moment. She wants some of the chord progressions in the right hand to sustain without the pedal. And of course, she can do it. That means holding notes with two fingers while changing the hand to a new chord position and then release the held fingers while placing the new ones. My hand just seizes up. This technique is required in Bach Fugues where one has to play two voices with each hand. You do not see this technique much, if at all, in Liszt, Chopin or Debussy.
Here is a kid performing the Etude. I can sight read the piece at very slow tempo right now if I do not sustain the right hand.
The other assignment is to play the alternate version of Bach's Two Part Invention #1. The alternate is the same voices / notes but Bach adds triplets to play against even notes and the Baroque embellishments. It adds distinction between the two voices in counterpoint and sounds very cool. And of course, I cannot do that either.
And I am to bring my Three Part Bach Invention book next week to start on adding a 3rd voice in counterpoint.
When I was in engineering school, I had professors that assigned homework and when I showed up in class, they were always pushing the envelope. One does the homework but the questions were all new and maybe one could be responsive if one did the assignment and really understood the material so that a different spin did not throw one off.
I worked on an Etude with a special dotted rhythm with my right hand. I get to my lesson and she wants me to play a different etude in the dotted rhythm with both hands. Did that no problem. Then I have to play the Bach Invention from memory without music. It is a good thing, I had it memorized anyway since she had not assigned it.
I think this is all great stuff. Anticipate what is to come and the harder the better.