Basic Technique Development?

[MrPillow]

I need some excersises to develop just basic technique and proper finger placement etc.

I ask because I taught myself how to play the piano, and more or less just made up what goes where when and how as I went along. I know my poor technique, or lack thereof, is hindering my speed and accuracy, so I think it's time to do some self-correction.

Any help is helpful help, thanks a bunch.

[arroyomusic]

For single note technique, the first thing I did to start my technical development was to learn the Major and Minor scales. I used Jordan's Keyboard Wizardry book for the correct fingering. I am an intermediate level keyboardist and this helped me tremendously. I first started with one hand at a time, then two. When I worked on two hand scale runs, it challenged me personally to start using different fingerings for each hand as oppossed to mirror-image runs a lot of books were showing me. Example, if we look at D Major going diatonically up the scale for two ocateves, here is the fingering foe each hand:

Right hand: 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5
*Left hand: 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 3 2 1

I not only learned the Major and Minor scale patterns, I also learned how to use the thumb to allow my hands to 'shift' positions for long runs, and I also began to 'think' in terms of different fingerings in each hand at the same time. That was the starting point for me. Then I began applying this method to different scale sequences.

[Mathieu Fiset]

Traditionals scales are realy good of course BUT, I think their is some kind of bad things to it as well...The finger "5" is not used very often, and everybody know that it is the weakess of all !

so in my own lessons I teach these exercises :

RH 543212345434
LH 543212345434

So all the fingers are involved, and the weakess fingers are playing more often. it is in mirror image of course. You can play that on ABCDE or whatever you want !

another one I like is more complexe :

RH 534543423432312321423432
LH 534543423432312321423432

it is good to break the traditional finger paterns so this exercise is quit chalenging.

of course the goal of all exercices is to develop strenght, indepandance, acuracy and regularity ... NOT speed ! so you have to play slowly before even think of going faster hehe!

[Narek]

Traditionals scales are realy good of course BUT, I think their is some kind of bad things to it as well...The finger "5" is not used very often, and everybody know that it is the weakess of all !



I've always known the 4th finger as the weakest. I think I remember Jordan saying it as well.

[Staccato]

Well, I think the fourth finger is the most unindependent. But I consider the fifth finger being weaker, though it is more easy to control by itself. But you need much practice with both of them. And I really want to point out, like Mathieu said, speed is not important! Accuracy and timing are much better tools! Speed will come along the way.

[twg88]

The 4th finger is always the hardest to control in my opinion - I think because it's connected to the same muscle as the 3rd finger. Try putting your hand flat on the table and tucking your middle finger under your hand - it's impossible to lift your 4th finger at all.

[Tom_JM2]

I tend to use some trill exercises to improve the independence and the strength of my 4th and 5th fingers. At the moment, I am aiming to get all of my fingers of equal strength and performance. Trills help a lot with this. If you are looking for help with speed, I try to just lift my fingers off the key enough so there isn't any pressure on it (this may be an obvious thing to do but if you practice at it and incorporate it into your technique from the beginning it will help you A LOT with speed as it is much faster and uses less effort than raising your fingers up to an unnecessary distance above the keys). Just do simple scales or arpeggios while having this in mind and your speed will come along nicely (if you practice that is :wink: !)

[Staccato]

By the way I jsut remebered a good old thing about technique. When you start practicing, you should play strong and have a fast speed on your finger when you press down the keys. It actullay helps you too increase the speed and accuracy in playing. So play precise and hard!

[gylfih]

when playing you should never wave the forearm/upper arm about, playing is all in the wrist and fingers, when practising the above techniques try at first doing it with one hand and with the other hold the arm in use still, and let the wrist and fingers do the work...it takes a short while to get use to, but the benefits are immense. jordan also says this on his keyboard wizadry dvd

[Narek]

I might be preaching to the choir here, but what I would recommend to anyone for technique development would be Czerny (teacher of Liszt), specifically the book entitled The School Of Velocity. Not only does it build speed, but it also incorporates odd times signatures, independence of hands and fingers, use of odd groupings for example groupings of 9 and 13 and more.

I have noticed in the last 3 months since joining the JR Conservatory, that exercises from this book and exercises from the JR Conservatory are a perfect meshing of technique development. In fact many of JR's techniques are covered in the book, including some of the stuff that you see in the the "ragtime" left hand parts from Jordan Etude's "Trills and Drills". And much more, including exercises for rapid one note, which I know some of you are looking for exercises for. Just my two cents.

[mlunapiena01]

what a brilliant idea... when I start playing piano regularly again, I'll have to grab the book...