left handed (only) piano playing - seeking advice

[bonesquirrel]

Hello everyone. If any of you still remember, I injured my hand several months ago, and it never healed correctly. I have been recommenced surgery, and I am thinking about under going it, since it is becoming particularly painful and stiff lately (with or without rest).

Anyway, I didn't post to spill a life story about the injury. I was wondering if I could use this time to my advantage to drastically improve my left hand playing (I am right handed). I have begun learning 'Study No. 5 (for left hand alone) after Bach's Chaconne, BWV 1016' today, since I didn't know where to start, so I just picked a random left handed piece off the internet.

Any advice on exercises and/or pieces would be appreciated. Thankyou in advance.

[stoat_king]

I'm afraid I'm too ignorant to give any advice.
Tbh I read the thread because I was intrigued by the idea of a "left-handed piano"

However, I'm very impressed with your attitude.
In my experience people that deal with misfortune by finding ways to turn it to their advantage tend to do pretty well.
Good luck!

[birba]

Here are some things from the IMSLP site.
https://imslp.org/wiki/List_of_Piano_works_for_the_left_hand

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Fumagalli's arrangement of Casta diva is interesting and not obstructively difficult (unlike some Godowsky). I certainly enjoyed working on it and found it educational.

[j_menz]

Some of the Scriabin etudes are LH only and not too difficult. The Godowsky Chopin LH studies are quite a challenge, but you can probably learn a lot from them without going for gold. Mmmm.. Ravel...... birba's list.

[michael_c]

When I was in the same position I worked on the Saint-Saëns 6 Etudes, the Bach-Brahms Chaconne and the Bartók study (a very romantic piece from his young years). All these pieces are on IMSLP.

A word of warning: pieces for left hand alone often have large stretches and can be tiring for a hand not used to such intensive playing. Go slowly and break chords instead of making your hand do hard work in a stretched position. The last thing you want to do is to strain your good hand!

[iansinclair]

Join the (unhappy) club.  Just to keep things going while my right hand was in a cast, my daughter picked up a copy of "Piano Music for One Hand", G. Schirmer&Co. edited by Raymond Lewenthal.  She got it from Amazon, I think, but it should be available.  All sorts of good (and fiendish!) stuff.

Have fun!

[michael_c]

Here's a website dedicated to piano music for the left hand. With a catalogue of more than 700 composers who wrote for the left hand alone!

[anamnesis]

One hint I would like to give, is that studies or pieces for the left hand alone are somewhat of a misnomer.  The right side of the body should still be used to influence how you move even if you not directly strike notes with it.

I'm going to argue that you should be aware of it just as much as the left, despite it not being directly involved.

Approaching this type of music becomes much easier once you get over this misconception; moreover, you can transfer the principles you learn when you get back to music that fully uses both hands to produce tones.  

Also, these are also studies in orchestration and voicing, because the registration in this type of music is inherently different and can be flipped at times from what you are normally used to. 

[liszt1022]

I worked on Godowsky's study 12A (left-handed 10/5) and that was quite a journey. I own the before-mentioned "Music for one hand" book and I enjoy that also. One suggestion made in that book is to simply take music for other instruments (like Bach cello suites) and play those with your left hand. I recommend that too.

[faulty_damper]

My advice: Practice on an excellent and well-regulated piano.  If this is not possible, you won't be able to learn the required touch since you will be struggling against the piano action.

If you have such a piano, then anything is possible with the most efficient movements. I recommend Godowsky's pieces; most of them are easily accessible with these movements.

[bonesquirrel]

Thank you everyone for your answers.

I would like to ask, what is the most difficult piece written for the left hand alone? I don't mean in it's length either, I mean technically difficult.

[liszt1022]

Raoul Sosa arranged the whole Firebird suite for LH solo, I'm sure that's plenty difficult depending on your tempo.

[bonesquirrel]

Raoul Sosa arranged the whole Firebird suite for LH solo, I'm sure that's plenty difficult depending on your tempo.

I can't find proper scores on any of Raoul Sosa's music, none what so ever.

[8_octaves]

I can't find proper scores on any of Raoul Sosa's music, none what so ever.

Hi bonesquirrel,

one could try, e.g., this:

on https://www.musiccentre.ca/sheet-music enter the word "Sosa" in the search field. Then execute the search. Some works are listed on the 2 result-pages, and may be purchased or loaned (?) via the page. I spotted some works for the "main gauche" (left hand), too.

But as far as I could see by first glance, there are no example-views of sheetmusic-pages there.
Additionally, one should, perhaps, read this:

https://www.musiccentre.ca/about/services/publishing#sales

Cordially, 8_octaves!

[bonesquirrel]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fJo1lCodOGA - I can still use one finger..... Kind of regretting it now, won't try that again hahaha.

[8_octaves]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fJo1lCodOGA - I can still use one finger..... Kind of regretting it now, won't try that again hahaha.

That's nice, bonesquirrel. You've got quick hands, so why not trying now this, with 1 finger as well:

The Var. XVI (Lento) of Rachmaninow's variations on the Chopin-Prelude ?

After that, then, perhaps a look at some parts of the Polka de W.R., or others of the variations?

Cordially, 8_oct!

[visitor]

Carlos Chavez did some wonderful left handed inversions of some Chopin etudes.  you could work those and just exclude the RH as the meat and potato of the studies are for m.g. 

or you can pony up to his original etude for lh

[sashaco]

I got the Scriabin Nocturne for Left Hand off this site and enjoyed working on it.