EYES on left or right hand

[bachopoven]

One can't always look at and focus on both hands at the same time. You can use your peripheral vision and train your mind to focus on both hands at the same time.

But that is most likely not practical for some pieces. Some pieces like some of Chopin's Preludes and Nocturnes have really fast, dynamic and stretchy left hand movements. These in my experience oblige you to focus and look at the left hand only.

For some other pieces, however, I usually try to memorize the left hand and let it "do its own thing" from somewhat-automatic finger memory with occasional glances, and concentrate my eyes and mind on the right hand.

I know some of you are about to say we should use whatever works best, since some of us also do have a left hand that is as good as the right.

But at least, please give me your opinions in regards to Chopin preludes and noctures with the fast left hand dyanamics. Thanks.

[Hmoll]

But at least, please give me your opinions in regards to Chopin preludes and noctures with the fast left hand dyanamics. Thanks.

I usually try not to focus on which hand I am looking at. I let my mind work it out. There are passages where you have to consiously work it out though. For example, I tend to look at my left hand most of the time during Chopin etude op. 10#7. Also, there are a couple areas in the last two pages of the Ballade #2 where the hands are spread out but both are very busy, where I have to consiously make sure my eyes are in the right place.

Most of the time I use peripheral vision, and scan rapidly back and forth between the hands.

If your left hand is busier than your right, then look at your left to ensure accuracy. Just make sure that focusing your eyes on it doesn't translate into bringing out the left hand more.

[Rach3]

Most of the time when this is an issue, it would be best to use the feel of the keyboard and the feel of different intervals or jumps. Often however it is quite necessary to supervise the hands, as they are very disobedient with huge octave leaps and the like, such as at the beginning of Liszt's 1st concerto. In that example, both hands have parallel difficulties, I'm not really sure what is most "safe", nothing is really safe there, just have really solid octave hands and use your eyes, I guess. In most cases one hand clearly needs to be watched more than the other, in most of the first movement of Rach 3 this would probably be the left which jumps around all the time. I think feel is very important, if you are well centered at the first note then you might know where the next is. Don't stare at your wrist because it will cause it to explode! or at least become very tense which is also bad.

Most of the time when my hands are far apart I see the other one with sort of peripheral awareness, like you said, I don't actually look in its direction. Focus wherever it feels natural to focus, let your eyes watch whatever wants to be watched. There is no set rule, use your judgement of the context. The more important hand to focus on is the one that does worse when not watched; with chopin preludes for example, no. 3 the left hand does lots of stuff and has a huge range and lots of different hand positions, but falls in a regular pattern with no leaps; the right hand doesn't do much but you should probably watch it or you might miss the notes.

I hope this helps.

[Sketchee]

I usually don't think about what hand I'm looking at unless I'm having a problem.  I notice though I tend to look at the left hand more no matter what's going on.