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Topic: Fingering Help for Liszt Technical Exercises for the piano!!!  (Read 1786 times)

Offline dolce cantabile

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Hi, hope someone could help me with this.

I came across a small passage of Liszt's Technical Exercises for the Piano, Book II, No.47 from a technical book but I really can't play with the given fingerings! :'(

For those who have the exercise, see the first bar. The fingerings given are: 1C - 2D -  4F -  5G - 1C/E - 1C/E - 1C/E......
You need to hold 2D -  4F -  5G while you trill with C and E (i.e 1C/E - 1C/E - 1C/E).
Now, the book says use thumb for E but I can't trill like that cos I thought in the beginning it says thumb is for C. So what should I do? Trill both C and E with thumb? 

My teacher is not so sure too...Anyone can help???
Thanks very much!!!

p/s: I know I'm not very clear with the explaination, I can explain further if needed....

Offline thierry13

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Technical exercises were written to be played with the EXACT fingerings that the composer has indicated. If you're not able to do it with the indicated fingering, then you're not able to do the exercise like it should be played. Practice more, that's the only solution  ;)

Offline dolce cantabile

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Hi Thanks for the reply!  ;)

I believe it's not that I can't do "it" but the fact that I'm not sure which fingerings is for which note cos it looks rather "complicated" to me. It's actually a simple exercise but I find it strange to play trills (two notes) with a thumb (same finger). Are there any pieces out there that uses the same finger for trills?

Offline thierry13

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I know of this exercise (I think). It's to help for the thumbs under technique. Do it with your thumb  ;)

Offline lostinidlewonder

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I agree that it is trying to increase the flexibility of the thumb. I do not think it is a good idea to play C E as a trill though in a peice, but in this excersise it is ok of course. And the trill doesnt have to be as fast as a 2 fingered trill, no way near that speed, that is impossible to achieve and not the point.

In reality a peice will probably use something similar for preparation of a run up the keyboard, so when the Thumb falls on the E you have more opportunity for all the other fingers to stretch up the keyboard. But if the piece called for these held notes and a trill, you would use the orthodoxed 13 on C and E of course. So the thumb on the E just gives potential to run up the keyboard, it might be good to see how that works, like Hold the DFG play the C then E with the thumbs, then hold the next chord FAbC and thumb on E and then G, so on. That would make the excersise more applicable than the back and forth C E drill which only drills the thumbs movement, going up would also drill the form of the other fingers working together with the thumb which would be further more valuable. I guess this stuff would be helpful for pieces which utilise the thumb a great deal like Ravel's Tocatta.
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Offline dolce cantabile

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Thanks lostinidlewonder and thierry13!  :)  I think that sounds more like what it's to be done....I agree it might not mean the C E thumb is a trill, but just a thumb under exercise. Thanks, you guys! That really helped!  :D
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