Fingering??

[100mm]

Is there a right or wrong way of fingering? I do not have a teacher right now and if there is no indicated fingering on the sheet, then I make my own after a couple try. So far I haven't had any trouble but what's going to happen as I start playing more advanced pieces? I imagine there is not just one single way of playing a piece. But is there a wrong way of doing it? What do you do? What would you suggest?

[outin]

Is there a right or wrong way of fingering? I do not have a teacher right now and if there is no indicated fingering on the sheet, then I make my own after a couple try. So far I haven't had any trouble but what's going to happen as I start playing more advanced pieces? I imagine there is not just one single way of playing a piece. But is there a wrong way of doing it? What do you do? What would you suggest?

I try the marked fingering first if there is one, but usually changes are needed. If there are none in the score, it takes quite a lot of time to figure out the best fingering, especially if it's a fast piece. I tend to first write some fingering while just reading slowly, then I try again with the correct tempo and usually end up making some changes. Some spots that do not fit my hand in any reasonable way are just trial and error until I am somewhat satisfied. Sometimes I change later, if a few days practice on some measure/phrase still won't bring good results, I look at the fingering again, it may not be good anyway.

The point is to figure out the best way to diminish unnecessary changes in hand position, but also avoid unnecessary streching. Also not twisting the wrist of course. It's good to have some logic, so that one doesn't have to figure everything from the start, but can use the same logic for different pieces. I have been doing the fingerings myself from the beginning, that way I have learned some basic rules that work for me. I only rely on my teacher on problematic spots and when I feel too lazy to think myself...

There is no right way, but I think there are inefficient ways that may not work when you try to play something advanced or may cause tension that is harmful in the long run.

[schwartzer]

Play what's more comfortable for you. I always try to use the fingerings from the score but if I find out that a finger or two are out of place, I make my way around it.