I cannot teach my left hand, please help

[casparma]

I always use my right hand to teach my left hand scale.

But, I am practicing D scale, but left hand, although use the same fingering, strike at different black keys from D, the thumb, to D an octave down, the pinky, in comparison to the right hand.

Because of this, I find it is very inefficient to teach my left hand. Can any one help here?

thanks

[abell88]

Can you play the scale with your left by itself? Maybe you should learn your scales first with the left hand.

One thing that sometimes helps is watching the left hand while verbalizing (internally) the right -- so as you play D C# B A G etc. you are saying "white white black white white" or "1 2 3 1 2" or whatever.

Also, if you play slowly enough you can look at each hand in time to get the fingers on the correct keys.

[casparma]

Thanks abell, but, why saying the notes aloud help practicing d major scale?

I can play d major scale moderately, but I wanna play at superfast speed.

My right hand can play d major scale fast enough but i want my left hand to catch, so that's why I used my right hand to teach my left hand the better movement.

You know that, all the fingering is the same for both hands, ie, 12312341231234...., but on left hand, you strike black keys with 2nd(index) and 3rd(middle) fingers and on right hand, you strike black keys with 3rd(middle) and then 4th(ring) finger.


Please help

thanks

[abell88]

Thanks abell, but, why saying the notes aloud help practicing d major scale?

This is sometimes a useful trick -- if you want to be watching the left hand to be sure it's playing the correct keys, but the right hand is playing inaccurately. If you don't need it, don't do it.

Can you play the scale LH superfast by itself? I'm not sure I understand what you mean by using your RH to teach your LH. Can you explain your method?

[casparma]

oh...your method is to help when I dont press right keys.... but my problem is not that I dont press the correct keys on d major scale....

My aim is to make my left hand to play at fast speed as my right hand...

Usually, for example, C major scale, I first practice on right hand..., and after that, I play a fast C major scale ascending and my left hand will do the same thing again. So, this cycle continues, and it seems that the left hand can feel what the right hand does.


However, for d major scale, as I said, you dont strike the black keys with the same fingering for both hands.... And this is my problem, because I cannot use my right hand to guide my left hand.

So, I am asking for advice and alternatives....

please help

thanks

[juliax]

If the issue is strength, then step up your technique exercises (hanon, czerny, whatever you use) otherwise it sounds like you just need to work your left hand alone for a little while.  You should not be depending on your right hand to "help" your left hand do anything.  That is what we in music (and I guess life) call a "crutch."   The more crutches you take on, the more limited you will be in your musical ability. 
If you are right handed, you will definately need to practice coordinating your left hand fingers more than your right because your brain moves those fingers less accurately than your right.
Break up your scale into steps.  Work these steps individually for speed then combine them.  Play ascending til it is quick, then descending, then try ascending 2 octaves, then descending 2 octaves.  When you can do this at the speed you want with the left hand alone, you will be ready to put them together. 
I'm not sure I quite followed your question, but I hope this helps!

[fencingfellow]

Usually, for example, C major scale, I first practice on right hand..., and after that, I play a fast C major scale ascending and my left hand will do the same thing again. So, this cycle continues, and it seems that the left hand can feel what the right hand does.

I'm sure you're not, but...
When you say your left hand feels what the right hand does, you don't mean your starting both hands with the thumb (i.e. an ascending scale in RH, and descending in LH), right?


Regardless, my only advice would be to try to break the habit of having your right hand teach your left hand.  If you can instead learn to make each hand completely independant (difficult I know), you will have greater success learning the different fingering patterns in scales, and this will become even more useful when playing elaborate music requiring very different action in both parts.

[casparma]

thank you all.

I know that making one hand dependent on the other hand deteriorates musical ability.

But again, when I said I use my right hand to teach my left hand is that I play a scale ascending with right hand very fast, and then play descending scale with left hand. This has helped me to find the correct movement for left hand.

I am left handed btw.

I will try your methods (I think I've heard it). But I think the best is that I videotape my movement and upload the link and so you people can pinpoint the errors, if it's ok.

Any more help is appreciated.....

[amanfang]

What about starting your scales hands together in contrary motion?  Then you'd be using the same fingering in each hand.  Of course you don't hit the sharps at the same time in each hand, but the fingering would be the same. 

Learn your scales slowly.  Make sure you have the right motions, fingering and notes are solid.  Speed will eventually come, but I'm not sure why "super-fast" is the ultimate goal.

[mike_lang]

Another good way to practice is to set metronome at 1/4=100, perhaps.  Play your scales in 2 octaves (1/8 notes), 3 octaves (triplets), and 4 octaves (16 notes).  It'll ease you up to tempo, and instill a very good sense of subdivision, as a bonus.

[casparma]

thanks for both advices....

I think I better just videotape what I did and let you people see.... because this is faster, since I cant in the meantime find what's the problem with my left hand which takes so long......

thanks

[abell88]

Two more thoughts:

1. If your hand is not in among the black keys you will have to stretch up for the #s, which will have a different feel for the two hands, so you could try moving your whole hand back closer to the fallboard.

2. Teach your RH this scale: E F# G A B C# D E. This follows the same pattern as LH descending D+ scale.

[casparma]

thanks for your reply, abell


1, what's "fallboard"? It sounds like the lid of an upright piano which covers up all the keys,  but I want to be sure though.

2, I have just quickly tied that scale for RH, and it's surprisingly difficult for my right hand....



thanks

[abell88]

what's "fallboard"?

Unless I have mixed up my terms, the fallboard is the vertical part of the piano right behind the keys -- where you'll typically find the maker's name. Anyhow, that's what I meant...

[casparma]

thx abell!