24/12/2025
Fast passages don’t become secure because they were practiced fast or slow.
They become secure because they were practiced from multiple angles.
Each approach trains a different layer of control:
• Grouping teaches the brain what belongs together. At speed, notes are no longer individual events but shapes and gestures.
• Rhythmic practice stabilizes timing and exposes weak links that are otherwise hidden at tempo.
• Slow practice isn’t about patience, it’s where excess motion, tension, and inefficiency are removed.
• Over-articulated (staccato) practice exaggerates control. When clarity is over-trained, legato speed becomes easier and cleaner.
• Mental visualisation ensures the passage is clear away from the keyboard. If the mind is unsure, the hands guess under pressure.
None of these approaches replace the others.
They stack.
Security comes from redundancy:
when timing, motion, clarity, and mental mapping all agree, speed stops feeling risky.
Speed isn’t a practice method.
It’s a byproduct of thorough preparation.
