Scales Thumb Under... What max speed ?

[drooxy]

Hello and a great sunday to you all !

I am now pretty confident in all major/minor scales (although I have to finish polishing a couple of the latter...).

I am focusing on the Thumb under method (I do not foresee to play very fast pieces in a close future !).

I have the feeling that I reach a speed wall while playing scales, even those in which I am absolutely at ease.

So I wonder if somebody could tell me the maximum speed we can expect to reach playing scales using the Thumb under method ?

That will tell me whether I am experiencing a 'normal' speed wall or if my technique of playing is not correct...

Thanks very much !
Drooxy

[thierry13]

It's simple, there's no speed wall. Maybe YOU have one, for the moment, but continue practicing and you will be able someday to get your speed. What's your speed wall? ( say 4 16th by metronome beats). I don't think your technique would be two wrong, if you have a good teacher... but with the thumbs over, your bench must be far from the piano, to give your arms a great circle of action. If you don't, you will be obligated to twist your wirst a lot more to pass your thumb under. Maybe this is your problem. If not, then you should be able to go faster and faster, just continue to do it.

[seepiano]

I do believe there is a speed limit wall. I think it depends on the physical ability of each person. My piano teacher never taught me TO method. In fact, she seem not to realize that this exists. Before I knowing TO moethod, I was able to do scales upto 132 (indicated by the metronome) with four note per beat. I can force myself to play up that upto 152, but that are too fast and I am affraid that I could make meself injury.

After browse this phorum for a while, I fould TO method, and have read Cheng's book including some others discussion in this phorum. TO sounds interesting to me, and I am trying to do that. However, I am not sure if I can do it correctly or not. Hope that someone can show that to me.

Back to the speed limit. Let me give an example by C major scale. Try to play C-E-F-B-C.... (1-3-1-4-1) with TU as fast as possible, and see how fast you can handle comfortably. That will be your speed limit.

Anyway, why do you bother to buit up that kind of speed in the fact that you can play that TO and produce the same sound feeling? You will waste your practicing time for this, right?