Why do I have to use my fourth finger?

[squinchy]

My teacher was horrified to discover a few weeks ago that I played arpeggios/I-III-V-I chords with 5-3-2-1 instead of 5-4-2-1 in my LH. It's odd, since I've been studying with her for three years and she just noticed it. I think I was playing a Mozart Sonata in F major when she found out.

I'm working on using the fourth finger, but I'm curious about why one is supposed to use 4 instead of 3. 5-3-2-1 seems more natural to me, but that might be because I've been doing so for so long. Does the use of 3 become a problem in harder music?

Puzzled,
Squinchy

[in_love_with_liszt]

Well there really isn't anything wrong with using the third instead of the fourth, but I guessing your teacher is afraid that you're not using your fourth finger enough and that as a result it is weak. Try practicing it the way she has dictated and try to  get a feel for doing it that way, and if you can't, tell her that using 5-3-2-1 is much more comfortable for you. If she objects, ask her why she wishes you to do it the other way.

[donjuan]

I second everything In_Love_With _Liszt said.  I cant imagine a teacher being "horrified" to see that- It's quite common.  However, one reason why your teacher wants it that way could be because you were playing Mozart- In classical music, your hands must remain as unstretched as possible to play in style.  I dont agree with this kind of stuff, but my teacher has talked about it, and I should probably change to do it the "approved" way.
donjuan

[ted]

I'm not an expert in these matters but the older I get the more mysterious an entity the fourth finger gets and the less I seem to understand. Faced with a barrage of double notes, for instance, I often find that the fourth is more agile and articulate than its neighbours. On the other hand, there are just as many situations where I do not hesitate to use third and fifth instead.

Worse than this, because certain fingers are used to play a right hand figure it doesn't seem to follow that the mirror image figure in the left hand is best played by the mirror image fingering.

[cellodude]

My teacher was horrified to discover a few weeks ago that I played arpeggios/I-III-V-I chords with 5-3-2-1 instead of 5-4-2-1 in my LH.
...

Does the use of 3 become a problem in harder music?

Puzzled,
Squinchy

Not likely. Not that I have played that much 'harder music' but whether you choose to use 3 or 4 is not dependent on how hard a piece of music is.

I think the choice may depend on hand size or just simply personal preference. I say hand size because when I use 4 I have to stretch and that gives me discomfort. My hands are small and can span a ninth only, so when I use 3 the fourth finger is nestled comfortably between the third and fifth fingers.

So my personal preference is always to use 3 (both hands) and only to use 4 if it is unavoidable like when you have a dominant seventh in the arpeggio or you will run out of fingers to complete the group of notes if you use 3. I use 3 in all the white-keys-only arpeggios, C, F, G majors, A, D, E minors.

Regards,

dennis lee

[Tash]

yeah i'm good at creating my own fingerings in arpeggios and my teacher always notices, and i then question what's wrong with mine, and she always tells me that it's just more 'natural' to put whatever finger there instead cos if you just put your fingers loosely over the keys then they sort of fall into the keys they should be hitting. however if she finds that my fingering works perfectly fine for me or better than the 'proper' fingering, she lets me keep it. also if your doing exams, the examiner apparently marks on what your fingers look like when they're playing, like you don't want your hands looking awkward or anything...

[abe]

i recently finished mozart sonata in F, and there is a spot in the 3rd movement with the left hand to right hand arpeggios (in the minor, development section), and I use 5321 as well. Its just easier. Why change the fingering to make it harder? seems counterproductive, unless specifically training the 4th finger.

[cellodude]

...
So my personal preference is always to use 3 (both hands) and only to use 4 if it is unavoidable like when you have a dominant seventh in the arpeggio or you will run out of fingers to complete the group of notes if you use 3. I use 3 in all the white-keys-only arpeggios, C, F, G majors, A, D, E minors.

Regards,

dennis lee

I just remembered. I also use 4 when playing the first inversion of the white-keys-only arpeggios. e.g. E-G-C-E. Use whatever allows you to play comfortably without tension.

Regards,

dennis lee