PianoWell™System
All practice journeys

Sergei Rachmaninoff

Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor

Movement III — First section

Day by day · 3 videos

A continuous day-by-day recording follows the opening section of the finale from score preparation to technical refinement, joined by a closing reflection and an excerpt from the finished performance.

This practice journey follows Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Movement III — First section day by day, across 7 stages. Each stage moves from the first study of the score and mental practice through physical integration at the piano to technical refinement, memorization and artistry. It closes with the finished performance.

A Piece in Practice: Day by Day.

This sequence follows the daily development of one piece. It is not a collection of isolated lessons. Follow the stages in order to see how the complete practice process develops over time.

The practice journey

Day 1

Building the foundation

Skills applied · Volumes I and II

Score preparation
Mark the fingering, elbow motion for position-change notes, and pedaling.
Mental practice
Imagine the sound texture, sound movement and individual voices within the polyphonic texture.
At the piano
Integrate sound imagination, 3D wrist motion, elbow motion, posture, and inner singing for intonation, arm-weight transfer and articulation.

Day 2

Harmony, dynamics and voicing

Skills applied · Volumes II and III

Score preparation
Mark the dynamics.
Mental practice
Imagine the harmony, dynamics and voicing.
At the piano
Integrate sound imagination, wrist and elbow motion, and inner singing for intonation, arm-weight transfer and articulation.

Day 3

Musical speech and phrasing

Skills applied · Volume III

Score preparation
Mark the phrasing.
At the piano
Integrate sound imagination, wrist and elbow motion, and inner singing for intonation, arm-weight transfer, articulation and musical speech—across motifs, phrases and sentences.

Day 4

Musical form and timing

Skills applied · Volume III

Score preparation
Mark the musical form.
At the piano
Bring together sound imagination, wrist and elbow motion, and inner singing for intonation, arm-weight transfer, articulation, musical speech, complete phrasing, musical image and musical form. Add timing through inner pulse and strong and weak beats.

Day 5

Artistry, repetition and memorization

Skills applied · Volume III

Artistry — Step 1
Integrate posture, energy fields, musical image and form, and timing.
Artistry — Step 2
Refine the elbow motion.
Consolidation
Continue through repetition and memorization.

Days 6–10

Technical refinement

Skills applied · Volume III

Play through the piece and refine the technically challenging passages.

Day 11 and onwards

Listening and surrender

Skills applied · Volume III

Artistry — Step 3
Listen to the higher mind and surrender.

The resulting performance

The first section, in performance

An excerpt from the complete third-movement performance, beginning at the first section.