Total beginner, Am I using wrong fingering for left hand chords?

[samtheman2]

Hello everyone,

I have a keyboard at home and I have a basic knowledge of music cause I can play guitar a bit. So I'm basically started playing some keyboard by ear, using right hand to play melody and using left hand to play a chord where necessary. My problem is when playing simple chords from left hand I find

1,2,5 fingering easier than 1,3,5 fingering for a basic chord. Since I have no teacher, I want to know  would playing 1,2,5 fingering put you into a disadvantage later on or is it ok use that instead of 1,3,5. I'm asking this as I'm a total beginner, so I have not created any habits yet, so might as well get into good habits early on. Thanks a lot
)

[bronnestam]

The right fingering is the one that you feel is the best for you. Things to consider, though:
- does it really feel comfortable or do you experience unnecessary strain or tension in your hand with this fingering?
- Where do you come from when you land on this chord, and where do you go next? You goal is, as you know already, to make the playing as fluent and as effortless as possible.

It may also be of help to you to exercise some finger stretching over the keys. We often exercise just the span between finger 1 and 5 and forget to exercise what is between 2 and 3, 3 and 4, 4 and 5 ... you are not supposed to injure yourself during these exercises, of course, but try this in a gentle way: press 2 on C and hold, then "walk" away with your third finger, to B, to A, to ... as long as you can. And then do the same with your third and fourth finger. Remember, do this slowly and gently so that you never overstretch.

Maybe you will find, after a few exercises this way, that you prefer to play the chord differently. But again, it is you personal preference that matters in the end. 

[samtheman2]

Thanks a lot for your detailed response 

Yes I will try that exercise. Just want to make sure, since I'm only playing 3 note chords now as I'm beginner, would 1,2,5 fingering put me into a disadvantage where I have to use more than 3 fingers, example 7th chords etc.

Also the reason I don't like 1,3,5 fingering is 1 and 5th finger I can easily put in correct position, but 2,3,4 fingers I feel like still I don't have much control over. When I play 1,3,5 fingering the 2nd finger tries to go the note first finger is pressing (eg 2 fingers pressing on the same note). I feel that this is due to lack of exercise to 2,3,4 fingers in left hand. Are their more exercices to strengthen my left hand 2,3,4 fingers.

[dogperson]

Thanks a lot for your detailed response  

Yes I will try that exercise. Just want to make sure, since I'm only playing 3 note chords now as I'm beginner, would 1,2,5 fingering put me into a disadvantage where I have to use more than 3 fingers, example 7th chords etc.

Also the reason I don't like 1,3,5 fingering is 1 and 5th finger I can easily put in correct position, but 2,3,4 fingers I feel like still I don't have much control over. When I play 1,3,5 fingering the 2nd finger tries to go the note first finger is pressing (eg 2 fingers pressing on the same note). I feel that this is due to lack of exercise to 2,3,4 fingers in left hand. Are their more exercices to strengthen my left hand 2,3,4 fingers.

I like Berens' "Training for the Left Hand"  
https://imslp.org/wiki/Die_Pflege_der_linken_Hand,_Op.89_(Berens,_Hermann)

EDIT:  Don't know why the link doesn't link to the score.
But go to imslp.com, search home page for Berens.  The left hand exercises are under 'P'

Please note that the fingerings are for exercise purpose, not ones that you would necessarily use for the same notes in the score.

Imslp is a great source for copyright-free music!

[anima55]

If you are a complete beginner, the chances are that you are playing pieces in the key of C major.  There are only a few chords you need to know about at this stage and these are likely to be C, G and F major and A, E and D minor.

I would play these chords like this: (notes listed are from left to right)
C major: GCE using 521
G major: GBD using 531
F major: ACF using 421
D minor: ADF using 521 or 421 depending on the chord you are moving from
A minor: ACE using 531 or 421, again depending on the chord you are moving from.

I would practise moving from the C chord to the G chord first, using the fingerings I have suggested above.  They try moving from the C chord to the F chord, again always using the correct fingerings.  Then try moving between all three chords until you become fluent.  Moving from C major to A minor will become easy if using the 2nd inversion of C major GCE to root position A minor, ACE changing your little finger on G to your 4th finger on A. 

In this way, you will begin to build good habits that will last you a lifetime and help you find these chords easily without having to look at your hands.

Good luck and enjoy your practice!

[dcstudio]

I would say that using 521 is not going to put you at disadvantage with four note voicing because most 7th chords are voiced 5321 anyway... if they are in block form--which most of the time...they are not.
the same with the guitar...  some folks bring their thumb around the neck to play the low E --while others claim this should never be done.

531 splits the hand evenly that's all...  it's not etched in stone--just highly recommended

if you play the guitar than you should do pretty well at the piano... guitarists tend to have good ears and a great sense of rhythm... (mostly)   

work on making it comfortable for you..   I promise you--as a teacher of 20 years---voicing your chords 521 is not going to hold you back like some other FAR worse habits will.

[indianajo]

Also the reason I don't like 1,3,5 fingering is 1 and 5th finger I can easily put in correct position, but 2,3,4 fingers I feel like still I don't have much control over. When I play 1,3,5 fingering the 2nd finger tries to go the note first finger is pressing (eg 2 fingers pressing on the same note). I feel that this is due to lack of exercise to 2,3,4 fingers in left hand. Are their more exercices to strengthen my left hand 2,3,4 fingers.

Teachers make you do exercises to build muscle strength and independent finger coordination. Self taught people usually skip the boring parts.   I was assigned the Schmitt exercises the first and second year, then on to Edna Mae Berman exercises the third year.  Schmitt exercises can be downloaded from pianostreet.  I used the Schirmer book.    I did ten minutes of several of these a day always some for right and left hand.  
Like all exercise, repetition is mindless, so I was allowed to read novels at the piano doing these after I had memorized this week's exercises.  It is not like the gym where the weights might fall on your foot if you lose concentration.  
To the point of the original question, hand configurations vary, so fingerings vary.  My NA hand has 2,3,4 fingers the same length.  The thumb reaches the first joint of the second finger flat.  The 5 finger reached the second joint of the 4 finger.    Most Europeans have the third finger much longer than 2,4. At least Horowitz does to look at his videos. I find fingerings printed in books don't usually work for me.   

[anima55]

I think it would be a mistake to play a chord such as GBD, a root position chord, using 521 because to do so would put the hand at an unnecessary angle and create bad habits.  Also it's more helpful to move through chords in the most fluid way possible.  For instance, moving from GBD to GCE, it would be more natural and fluid to use 531 on the G chord moving to 521 on the C chord and it also helps build up muscle memory of the movement between the two chords.

When playing a keyboard, unlike the piano, the root of a chord is rarely doubled because keyboards don't need or recognise two roots when the keyboard is in fingered chord mode.  If in manual mode then yes, use piano fingering as outlined in broken chords and arpeggios found in any graded scale book.

The fingers used when playing keyboard chords can vary depending on the chord you are moving from and the chord you are moving to.  Sometimes you might use root position while at other times you might use a first or second inversion.  I would aim to use fingerings which allow the hand to be in a reasonably straight position parallel to the keyboard so that bad habits don't set in.  I foresee problems if using 521 for all chords.  Yes, it may feel slightly easier at first but that doesn't make it better.  Practising using more suitable fingers may take a little longer to practise but will be more beneficial in the long run, in my opinion.