I`ve been playing the piano for three years, and lately I`m having this problem, which is that after playing fast passages for a while my arms get easily tired. I also get a minor muscle sore afterwards. I know one should drop the weight of arm into the keys, but this is kind of hard to do when you have to play fast. So I guess ?I just end up using my muscle to do so. I don`t know how I`m supposed to fix this problem. Any tips????

I had that problem too, but getting a spectacular teacher corrected that. So if you have an OK teacher, get a fantastic one, if you have no teacher, still get a fantastic one. If you have gotten to the point where the pieces you`re playing can tire you out, then you need some real instruction

I had that problem on the "Presto con fuoco" part that goes until the chromatic-scale right hand. Being efficient is what solved it. By being efficient, I mean that I moved as little as possible---nothing I did was for no reason. After that I made the music sound louder by accenting stronger and playing less important notes weaker.

That was on Chopin`s first Ballade.

Muscle tension is my problem in general. I think I rely too much on the strentgh of my arm instead of the weight of my arms. I need to know how to correct this problem. (based on the fact that my arm muscles are getting bigger). I also have a problem with Ballade No.1, especially measure 129th, where the notes start ascending.

that happened to me on the pathetique first movmnt. (the left hand octave tremelo), but that was only when i was a wee 7th grader, so now i`m stronger.

you might consider tai-chi!!!try breathing evenly when playing mind-wrapping fast passage,while saying to yourself "don`t go fast"