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Topic: Help with fingering, my hand can't reach the notes  (Read 284 times)

Offline stanis

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Help with fingering, my hand can't reach the notes
on: January 05, 2024, 09:33:58 PM
Hi everyone, there is a bar where I'm supposed to play 4 notes, two with left hand and two with right hand. The left ones are too far away for my hand, what should I do?
I'm attaching the portion of the piece, squared in red.

Thank you

Offline brogers70

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Re: Help with fingering, my hand can't reach the notes
Reply #1 on: January 05, 2024, 10:59:13 PM
You could either (1) play the low F# as a grace note before the A but catch it with the pedal so it continues to sound or (2) if that blurs the melodic line too much, just bring the low F# up an octave.

or (3) play the left hand A with your nose - supposedly Bach did that in some contest with another organist.

Offline quantum

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Re: Help with fingering, my hand can't reach the notes
Reply #2 on: January 05, 2024, 11:01:12 PM
Option 1: Roll the LH interval

Option 2: Catch the tied E with pedal, then let go of it with the finger.  Play A-A with the RH, and F# with the LH.  Catch the F#-A-A-E harmony with pedal, then let go of the A.  Continue the RH with D, C, Eb...

Option 3: Omit the bottom A.  The pitch has been doubled, and is represented an octave above.  You won't loose harmonic content by doing this.  However, it will change the flavour of the chord voicing. 

Option 4: Redistribute pitches of the chord.  brogers70 has suggested moving the F# up an octave.


Looking at the following bar, we also see another minor 10th of G-Bb.  Rolling the F#-A, as well as the G-Bb would lend more continuity to the pattern. 
Made a Liszt. Need new Handel's for Soler panel & Alkan foil. Will Faure Stein on the way to pick up Mendels' sohn. Josquin get Wolfgangs Schu with Clara. Gone Chopin, I'll be Bach

Offline ravelfan07

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Re: Help with fingering, my hand can't reach the notes
Reply #3 on: January 11, 2024, 03:36:04 PM
Hi everyone, there is a bar where I'm supposed to play 4 notes, two with left hand and two with right hand. The left ones are too far away for my hand, what should I do?
I'm attaching the portion of the piece, squared in red.

Thank you
Try and roll it, won’t sound perfect but it’ll sound better than not playing it at all
Amateur pianist and composer(will show works soon)
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