jumps/leaps for the left hand. How to improve the accuracy? HELP!!

[musicioso]

Hallo guys,

I have another problem. When i make big jumps/leaps with the left hand I always have to look at my hand, but then i miss the accuracy in the right hand. So do you guys know some methods and exercises to improve the accuracy? I mean how can i learn to make those jumps/leaps blindly?

What i am doing right now is playing the first bars of La Campanella (Liszt) with the left hand, i mean those leaps that are meant for the right hand haha. Is that i good idea? And What kind of exercises do you guys know.

Any help is most most welcome.

[ted]

I think the reason I have never had this common problem is because of the amount of stride, swing and ragtime I have played over the years. These styles have so much bouncing around that looking at hands is not feasible. If you constantly fear you might miss, or allow the occasional miss to worry you, it creates a habit of insecurity. Playing in the dark now and then might help. You will probably be surprised just how accurate the mind's spatial retention is once you stop the habit of worrying about it.

[andreslr6]

The most important thing about leaps is to ALWAYS keep your hands as close to the keyboard as possible, that's one of the key factors for accuracy and speed. A very common habit is to raise the hand while attempting a large leap which will most surely result on a wrong note, etc. At faster tempos, raising your hands will result on inaccurate pulse as well, the faster you're playing, the closer your hands will need to be to the keyboard since there's no time for them to be on the air.

Another important factor is to envision your hand on the note/chord you're going to land on before you even leap; think of this as when you're going to grab a pen or a glass of water from a table, you're eyes are already fixed and targeting the object and your hand automatically lands on it and grabs it, it's the same with leaps.

I think it would be better to show you a video of how I practice leaps since I believe that if I write it down I won't be able to explain it as accurate as with a video, I'll search for one that shows my method or something similar. BUT, I suppose there are numerous methods for solving leaps and that all of them work, but as far as my experience has shown me, those two things I mentioned are the basics for solving leaps. Do you have a teacher?

I may add though that a good way to practice is to keep the sensation/mentality of trying to play the leaps as if they were legato, even if point A and B are marked staccato, practice the leap legato and without pedal; a very common bad habit, or rather cheating device, is the use pedal to hide the unsolved leaps, that's cheating!

I remembered, a great etude that focuses on this problem, on the left hand actually, is Chopin's op.25 no.4 in A minor, I recommend you study that one too, even better if you start with one by Czerny before it. Damn, the more I think of this the more I start considering on making a video for this , but talk with your teacher if you have one, I'll check out Czerny meanwhile.

Yeah, Czerny's op.740 no.9 looks like a good option, the left hand has leaps all the time, you can start with that one and practice hands separately. Start with the left hand, even though you're playing staccato quavers, practice the left hand as if they were legato quarter notes, once you can do them legato play them as they are written, again, keeping in mind the two things I pointed out earlier. Hopefully, "always close to the keyboard" and "envisioning your hands" will help you, if not definitely, solve the leaps, and apply that to every piece that has that problem.

[j_menz]

Practice. Slow. Blindfolded.

Consider your launch point and your target point if there are chords involved.

You need to be able to do these without looking.

I also find it useful not to think of them as leaps, just as notes to be played.

[musicioso]

Dear ted, andreslr6 and  j_menz thank you guys. Your suggestions sound very useful.

I really appreciate it, thanks for your time and effort 

[faulty_damper]

I have another problem. When i make big jumps/leaps with the left hand I always have to look at my hand, but then i miss the accuracy in the right hand. So do you guys know some methods and exercises to improve the accuracy? I mean how can i learn to make those jumps/leaps blindly?

If playing La campanella, there is a technique that allows you to play those right hand jumps super fast, faster than is musically necessary. There's a video of a pianist, not as well-known, who uses this technique as he plays it.  I can't recall his name but the jumps are super fast, faster than any other pianist I've ever heard.  It's the same technique I figured out that just works really well and is pretty easy to achieve.

The technique:
Quickly flap your elbow to and away from your body with your forearm held horizontally.
Notice that as you flap, your hand moves in the opposite direction, i.e. elbow goes out, hand goes in, sort of like a helicopter rotor.
If you look at the center of your forearm as you do this, you'll see that it doesn't move much - that's the central pivot point.  This is where your forearm is balanced.  This is the movement you are trying to achieve.

Your hand is slightly pulled back.
As you flap, the hand moves in a waving motion, like a windshield wiper.  The hand can be completely relaxed without the need to stretch for the notes.

If you've never done this motion before, your shoulder muscles may need to be conditioned through extensive practice over a few days.

The more relaxed the hand is, the easier it is to do.  The accuracy requires practice but once it's achieved, it'll be pretty easy to play these kinds of leaps with either hand.

edit: I think it was Kemal Gekic...

Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was Gekic who had this technique.