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Piano Board => Student's Corner => Topic started by: frank_48 on October 13, 2008, 10:30:22 AM

Title: Chromatic Thirds sheet music
Post by: frank_48 on October 13, 2008, 10:30:22 AM

hi peoples.  :D

would somebody be so kind as to be able to find an exercise sheet containing chromatic thirds going up and down with all fingering included? ive been searching every where and even in my czerny books i cant find what im looking for..

thanks.

Title: Re: Chromatic Thirds sheet music
Post by: term on October 13, 2008, 01:50:41 PM

I don't quite get why you need an extra exercise shet for that, but here it is.

https://www.leopoldgodowsky.com/exercises/jonas5.pdf

Title: Re: Chromatic Thirds sheet music
Post by: g.gould on October 13, 2008, 01:52:39 PM

If you want to practice thirds here is some helpful studies of Brahms:


Brahms Exercises: https://imslp.org/wiki/51_Exercises%2C_WoO_6_(Brahms%2C_Johannes) (https://imslp.org/wiki/51_Exercises%2C_WoO_6_(Brahms%2C_Johannes))

Exercises 2a,3,22,23

Title: Re: Chromatic Thirds sheet music
Post by: frank_48 on October 13, 2008, 01:56:15 PM

cheers guys! ;D

Title: Re: Chromatic Thirds sheet music
Post by: ramseytheii on October 15, 2008, 09:20:13 PM

Quote from: term on October 13, 2008, 01:50:41 PM

I don't quite get why you need an extra exercise shet for that, but here it is.

https://www.leopoldgodowsky.com/exercises/jonas5.pdf

Thanks for posting that, I had forgotten about those Godowksy things.  He also made an interesting analysis of octave technique; I have the pdf somewhere in my computer's collection.  I remember he advised practicing octaves as two-against three: in any octave, the thumb repeats the note in triplets, and the pinky in duplets, or vice versa.

i don't use any of these fingerings.  Mine is (starting on C-Eb):

3-1 (Eb-C)
4-2
5-1
3-2
4-2
3-1
4-2 (A-F#)
3-1
4-2
5-1
3-2
4-2
3-1 (C-Eb)


I think it is useful to remember how to practice thirds.  You shouldn't treat them as finger contortions: rather the fingers should be as normally shaped as possible.  To that end, I put my hand in C position (C-G on white keys) and practice the fingering, without moving my hand.  It's very helpful.  This method of practicing makes Godowsky's personal fingering suggestion make more sense.  Otherwise, that 4-3 5-2 passage would be severely awkward.  But play it in a normal five-finger pattern, and it is actually a natural progression of fingers.

Also important is to be able to play both of the voices individually, at the tempo you want to play the thirds.  Actually faster than that tempo.

Walter Ramsey