octaves

[bartleson]

Please give advice regarding how to teach/play consecutive octave passages and scales, especially for those with small hands.

[omar_roy]

It's all about releasing tension.  If you try to play a scale faster than your abilities, you become very tense, and mess up, yes?  Start slow, then speed up.  Make sure to stay loose.  The only point of tension should be as you hit the keybed, and then it should be dissipated as quickly as possible! The only way to do this is to start slow and speed up. 

[fleetfingers]

Stretch the hand to more comfortably reach an octave.
Strengthen the pinky.
Play slowly enough to maintain accuracy.
For left hand practice, try Scott Joplin rags.

A great little exercise is to break up the octaves, but play them quickly. For instance, instead of playing middle C and high C together; play middle first, then high, in quick succession. Go right into D, then E, and so on. Try playing it in scales of other keys, too.

[jian10]

I agree with omar roy.  Also pay attention to your shoulders and your upper arms.  They should stay loose.  I have my students play octave scales.  Very slowly first then faster.  I usually have them do until they can play as fast as quarternote = 120 playing eighth triplets.

Good luck!