Chromatic Scale Fingering

[raintree]

Please help! 

What is the best fingering for the chromatic scales starting on E and D flat? I need to play two octaves hands together.

Thank you kindly!

rt

[nanabush]

Fingering shouldn't change:

For starting on E, try:  1231313123131231313123131, etc, etc.

For Db you should be following the same fingering patter (3rd finger for all black notes, groups of two white notes you do 1 then 2) so yo will have: 313123131312313123131312313, etc, etc

This is for the Right hand.  Left hand is the same pattern going down the scale.

[iroveashe]

There has been several threads about this before. For evenness try nanabush's suggestion, for speed, try this one suggested by Marik some time ago, starting on E going up:

123 1234 12345 123 1234 12345, etc.

And going down (from C):
4321 4321 321 321 4321 321 4321, etc.

Also Chang's:

1234 1234 1234 1234 etc.

which involves playing a black key with the thumb, so you should practice the G-G# (which is where you use the thumb) jump mostly, and the rest comes easy.

Some say Liszt used 12345 12345 12345, etc.

Basically, there is no best fingering, it depends on the musical context and the pianist's hand.

[nanabush]

Oh god, 12345 12345 would be a nightmare.

iroveashe's suggestions have come up a lot too for me.  Sometimes a piece has a VERY fast chromatic passage, and the fingering I suggested just doesn't cut it.  I've used the 1234 1234 1234 before.  For raw scales (I'm guessing you are preparing for an exam), I use the first one I suggested.  For other circumstances though, it's bound to change.

[raintree]

Thank you both - that helps!

rt