Piano Technique: Fingering Revisited

Good fingering and good technique are inseparable, but "good fingering" is so much more than just knowing which finger goes on which key... If you want to take your playing to the next level, you must appreciate two other important factors: where and how your fingers make contact with the keys. https://youtube.com/watch?v=v9-a8ElhVB0 learn more... Piano … Continue reading Piano Technique: Fingering Revisited

Piano Technique: Right Hand Fingering Patterns: Major Scales

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Enjoy this fresh approach for simplifying the way we think about fingering for the major scales in all keys... By taking advantage of large-scale patterns and not by getting bogged down in the details, we are going to eliminate the need to "memorize" every detail. Because we don't have to THINK so much, we can … Continue reading Piano Technique: Right Hand Fingering Patterns: Major Scales

Piano Technique: Fingering Principles

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Musical fingering is not about following "the rules", but about applying flexible principles... Fingering Principle #1 Good fingering is easy fingering--both physically and mentally! Fingering Principle #2 Choice of fingering should always be based on goals, not rules. Instead of asking “What is the “right” fingering for this passage?” Instead, ask “What fingering makes musical, physical, … Continue reading Piano Technique: Fingering Principles

Scales: Ways to Know a Scale: Performance

music notation for b flat major scale in broken thirds

Never, ever, ever, ever, ever play scales as mere "exercises"... like mindlessly lifting weights or doing jumping jacks... Doing so is not good preparation for performance. Scale study, done right, should make your brain, not your body, tired. To that end, keep the following points in mind... Study-practice scales in musically-useful patterns (see below). Always … Continue reading Scales: Ways to Know a Scale: Performance