Learned something interesting today

[BoliverAllmon]

I was working on a bach invention today. I noticed that I tended to loose strength, power, and evenness when playing passages that involved my 4-5 fingers. At first this really upset me. I quickly learned though, if I payed close attention to and concentrated on really throwing my weight into those sections they became as strong as the other passages. This may have been common knowledge to you, but for me it was a revelation that expounded my technique by a ton.

boliver

[Glissando]

Hey thanks for sharing!
I'll have to try that tomorrow.. there are a few passages that are driving me crazy. Also in Bach. Of course.

[JP]

Hey thanks for sharing!
I'll have to try that tomorrow.. there are a few passages that are driving me crazy. Also in Bach. Of course.

 

[steinwayguy]

Mmmhmm.

[BoliverAllmon]

Hey thanks for sharing!
I'll have to try that tomorrow.. there are a few passages that are driving me crazy. Also in Bach. Of course.

yeah no problem, it really came down not to that i have to strengthen the 4-5 fingers necessarily. Instead I just have to concentrate more to use the whole weight of my arm. I was only using fingers for them and complete arm weight for my other fingers which gave a completely different tone and volume.

boliver

[lostinidlewonder]

A pianist needs the facility of 4 and 5 (most difficulty to act as a trill between two notes, which isn't called upon that much in music thank goodness). Utilising the weight of the hand to strike the first note with 4 for instance then playing the 5 is good in particular instances. But you also have to realise that you need ability to play this without a drop of the hand or throwing weight as Boliver says too, a turn like 34345 for instance. You should have the technique to do this repeatedly at a pretty rapid speed. If the fingers are not strong enough then it will feel very hard after more than 10 times or so. If you do this turn and have to do something strange with the arm to play the 4 and 5 then there is problems.

[BoliverAllmon]

and how would you work to fix this problem?

[lostinidlewonder]

There is a one hanon excersise which is a little helpful.

CDCD   AGAG  |   DEDE  BABA |   etc
using 12 and 45 only for both hands.

so Rh would be. 1212 5454
and Lh would be 5454  1212


also i think that mastering arpeggios is very important. Especially train  1245 and 1345 patterns. Moving up and down and turning on 245 or 345 fingers. Turns are like... 24542 or 454542, 5454542 etc held on the arpeggio form.

[Lauren98]

Boliver: Thanks; I'll have to try that!  Have you ever seen Terrence Rust's technic books?  I recently started using the Intermediate and Advanced level books.  They emphasize on using arm weight, not finger weight.  I only started it on Saturday but I recommend it.
Lauren

[steinwayguy]

There is a one hanon excersise which is a little helpful.

I don't recall Hanon being helpful at all . . . 

[lostinidlewonder]

That's cos ur fingers are too strong for them

[RobWill]

There are some measures of Beethoven sonatas that require that 4-5 trill, but generally it's important to recognize that it's all in the shoulder. Perhaps you can focus on playing those measures, single-handedly, of course, and develop a comfort level with getting your shoulder into it. Don't end up like Robert Schumann, amigo.



Joke for the day:

What's the definition of an optimist?
A folk musician with a mortgage.