PianoWell™System
All practice journeys

Maurice Ravel

Sonatine

I. Modéré

Day by day · 6 videos

The first movement of the Sonatine across five days, some split into morning and evening sessions.

This practice journey follows Maurice Ravel's Sonatine, I. Modéré day by day, across 6 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 artistry, listening and surrender.

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

Morning & evening sessions

Foundation, then harmony and voicing

Skills applied · Volumes I–III

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

Day 2 — morning

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 2 — evening

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 3

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.

Day 4

Technical refinement

Skills applied · Volume III

Play through the piece 20 times, and refine the technically challenging passages.

Day 5

Listening and surrender

Skills applied · Volume III

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