Technical Studies S.146 (Liszt) (mini review and thoughts)

[nadapez]

Hello. I have found this interesting piece of work which is Technical studies by Liszt.

It consists of 10 volumes of exercises for different aspects of piano technic

Lacking almost any musical interest, they are pure technical exercises, equivalent to playing scales, arpeggios or Hanon.

Unlike etudes, they are intended to train mostly motor abilities and knowing the keys, scales, etc..., not to develop musical sense.

But it offers a huge menu of mechanical patterns to play, which in turn can serve as model to invent one's own exercises or etudes.

At any case, it's worth inquire into it putting attention to fingerings of scales, arpegios etc...

I myself have been struggling with that fingerings, trying to not learn the wrong ones. Moreover I have seen a lot of discussion here on that subject.

So, what more credited source for that could be than this indisputable master?

Isn't there a kind of delight in using a fingering which you know it is good because the composer itself put it (Chopin, Liszt), for your brain is then free from doubt as you discover how the composer played?

That said I want to point out two exercises which have fingerings for scales/arpeggios through all keys.

Namely Book II, last exercise and Book III, first exercise.

One thing I've always wondered is the fingering for major arpeggios or chords in the left hand with notes 1º 3º 5º 8º (C E G C)

For chords with only white keys there is no deal, just use 5 4 2 1. For D I start to doubt for the third between finger 3 and 4.

And for Bb Eb etc... I had major doubts for the third. For those I always suspect that the correct fingering was using finger 4, although it seems ackward and one tends to use finger 3, which also is the fingering used in many editions of pieces or exercises.

But looking at those Liszt exercises I found that he use exactly what I suspected. Even for the D major key he puts a 4 but also a 3 alternatively for the third.

Now for A, E and B he put a 3 for the third, not a 4.

At first glance you may think it is not consistent, but it has to do with the geometry of the keyboard, which has different distances between for example D-F# and A-C#, despite there is the same amount of keys in between.

Anyway if you got to here, then you are already boredom proof to play Technische Studien

[cuberdrift]

I personally had lots of fun playing around with these! Though nothing beats just practising the pieces themselves imo.

[sdphins]

I love these exercises...especially book 1. I've found if done right they can be quite beneficial. Of course, there is quite a danger in them too. I think they're great in developing the use of arm weight and relaxed hands if you have a good teacher to guide you.

And I totally agree there is such a thrill in using the same exercises, patterns, and fingerings Liszt used.

[douweziel]

Funny how you say for a white key chord in root position LH there is no deal, you use 5-4-2-1. If I spread my fingers apart comfortably, my 2 and 3 can spread wider than my 4-5, which is why I use 5-3-2-1 (except in very specific scenarios where my 3 has to go to a note higher right after the chord). 4-5 is not necessarily uncomfortable, just less comfortable. I try to minimize minor 3rds with 4-5, major 3rds I refuse (unless consecutive, like in an arpeggio). I guess this comes down to hand size?

[sharpie]

@nadapez thank you very much for this!  That spatial answer (3rd or 4th, dependent upon where on the keyboard the intervals are) is one I thought must exist but wondered if I was just imagining something from nothing. 

Hello. I have found this interesting piece of work which is Technical studies by Liszt.

It consists of 10 volumes of exercises for different aspects of piano technic

Lacking almost any musical interest, they are pure technical exercises, equivalent to playing scales, arpeggios or Hanon.

Unlike etudes, they are intended to train mostly motor abilities and knowing the keys, scales, etc..., not to develop musical sense.

But it offers a huge menu of mechanical patterns to play, which in turn can serve as model to invent one's own exercises or etudes.

At any case, it's worth inquire into it putting attention to fingerings of scales, arpegios etc...

I myself have been struggling with that fingerings, trying to not learn the wrong ones. Moreover I have seen a lot of discussion here on that subject.

So, what more credited source for that could be than this indisputable master?

Isn't there a kind of delight in using a fingering which you know it is good because the composer itself put it (Chopin, Liszt), for your brain is then free from doubt as you discover how the composer played?

That said I want to point out two exercises which have fingerings for scales/arpeggios through all keys.

Namely Book II, last exercise and Book III, first exercise.

One thing I've always wondered is the fingering for major arpeggios or chords in the left hand with notes 1º 3º 5º 8º (C E G C)

For chords with only white keys there is no deal, just use 5 4 2 1. For D I start to doubt for the third between finger 3 and 4.

And for Bb Eb etc... I had major doubts for the third. For those I always suspect that the correct fingering was using finger 4, although it seems ackward and one tends to use finger 3, which also is the fingering used in many editions of pieces or exercises.

But looking at those Liszt exercises I found that he use exactly what I suspected. Even for the D major key he puts a 4 but also a 3 alternatively for the third.

Now for A, E and B he put a 3 for the third, not a 4.

At first glance you may think it is not consistent, but it has to do with the geometry of the keyboard, which has different distances between for example D-F# and A-C#, despite there is the same amount of keys in between.

Anyway if you got to here, then you are already boredom proof to play Technische Studien