Questions about playing methods

[NetherMagic]

Okay I've been playing piano for a while (I'm lvl10 at the royal conservatory) and I've never really focused on my methods with practicing techniques until now that I start playing some of those performance songs like Mephisto Waltz, Campanella by Liszt, Ballad op23 by Chopin, that sometimes my technique isn't good enough

and also I need to mention that I'm not really good with scales and arpeggios still, I know that I'm in lv10 already but in lower grades I wasn't really into piano until lv10 so I never really practiced much... and now I regret that

Anyways, I got this site from here about like methods to practice piano
I was just reading this part:
https://members.aol.com/kwanmc/page/scale.htm
and I was REALLY REALLY confused at how they were talking about the TO (thumb over) method.  I know about the TU (thumb under) method for playing scales but can someone please clarify the TO method for me?  I just can't get what the author's trying to say, and also
if I'm correct, how it says the principle of the TO method is to treat the thumb like normal fingers, when you play scales and arpeggios wouldn't you have a gap when you're going to move your thumb over your 3rd/4th finger?

Another thing is the thrust and pull method, I also have no idea what the author's trying to say, so if anyone could clarify that too please?

Also when you're playing the arpeggios, do you tend to move your wrist a lot?  Is wrist moving bad/good to playing arpeggios?  I've got a relatively small hand (barely reach a 9th) so I have no idea whether or not I just move my wrist a lot while playing arpeggios

And also what methods do you guys use?  I use the TU method but iunno maybe I haven't developed my basic skills well enough yet so that I can't play that good

Hehe thx so much I'd really appreciate it if you could answer my questions, I really wanna get workin on my skills on the last few days of Spring Break

again, THANKS!!!

[ted]

Nethermagic:

I read the article you mention. I didn't have any trouble understanding what he means but, like most writing on technique, it tends to classify different ways of playing into distinct groups. In fact there are infinitely many ways to play anything and different approaches will produce different musical effects.

You are right. If you don't pass the thumb under of course there will be a jump. However, the trick is that at speed the jump is unnoticeable - the player will feel it minimally but the ear will not detect it at all. Unless I'm mistaken a good example of what he calls TO would be the right hand of Winter Wind (Chopin) - not the chromatic downward bits but those alternating broken chords up and down. To play this at speed passing the thumb under is possible for large hands and flexible wrists but it's very strenuous to do so. It's much easier to jump position and with practice it sounds very brilliant and smooth. It also permits much more control of volume and phrasing because the hand isn't using all its energy to connect and lean on notes.

Because I wasn't taught properly when young I did things this way for many years. For me it was the other way around - I had to learn TU and legato later on. I did wonder why he didn't use rapid double note runs as examples - e.g. scales in thirds etc. because the method can be applied to even greater effect with them.

The only deficiency of the article, it seems to me, was that the classification seems to imply there are only two ways to play everything where, in fact, an infinity of ways exist between the two states.