Originally Posted by Dandy
8. Spend a whole practice playing as fast as he possibly can, while still maintaining some small resemblance to the original piece.

I wonder if Jane's son is just naturally quick. For people who want to move quickly, slowing down can increase the difficulty associated with something.

By way of example, sometimes my skating teacher or other people at the rink comment on how fast I go when I jump. Not because I'm dangerous or super-good, but because most adult skaters are more conservative than I am, so I stand out a bit. For me, speed and height are fun, and are a major draw of skating. If I slow down at the wrong time, I'm more likely to mess up. Alternatively, when I'm zooming through a waltz jump, I can fly! It's great!

I wonder if the speed thing might be fun and/or natural for Jane's son, too. Jane, if you haven't fled this thread in horror, have you thought about giving him some short pieces that are meant to be played very fast?

Val