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Is there a secret to syncing both hands while performing the Simultaneous Parallel Motion drill? I've been at this for over 4 hours, I can't seem to nail it consistently. I suspect the notes triggered by the left (is it possible different note release times are effecting delayed note ones) are slightly late. I suppose I could record this via midi and inspect all the note On/Off data. Sometimes I can do 1-3 passes (L5-1,R1-5 and back) with close to perfect sync to both the metronome and each finger, but then when one note is late or early then this pattern seems to follow until I either stop and start again to find sync or continue until a note finally locks together. I can quite consistently do this with each hand to the metronome from 60-120bpm without to much trouble.

Is this a case where I just have to be persistently doing this drill over and over until one day it just magically works? I guess I could bare more of this activity if my back didn't hurt so much in any posture this really kills my concentration.

You're referring to five finger exercises hands together - that's what we call them. You need to learn what it sounds like to play them hands together then use your ears to make it happen.

Detroit, you can do it.

But it is not just about doing parallel motion. It is also about how our brain works and how we practice. You are trying to get that in 4 hours, and it is difficult.

The fact is you can do it in less than 4 hours of practice but over a longer span of time.

Try this: just do it for 10 minutes (for me, I only do 5), then rest. One or 2 hours later (if your schedule permits you to do it), do another 10 minutes, then rest. Get the fingering right even if it means you are going super slow.

Repeat this 3 or 4 times per day. You can always squeeze 5 minutes here and there.

Then do that again tomorrow and day after days.

In a week you will be VERY SURPRISED! And if you count, you will notice that it probably takes less than 4 hours altogether.

When you finally get it, you will be very happy, but remember what I said before, in the process you learn how to learn and the mystery of how our brain works. And you should apply the same thing to other pieces that you learn.

One things that might discourage beginners is they think, if it takes so long for me to just do a parallel motion, how long will it take for me to play well? Well, they fact, once you learn one thing, the next one will be easier. Also, because there are different parts of our brains (which I don't know if we completely understand), you can learn different things at the same time. Like you can learn this parallel motion, a song, some theory about chords, etc. at the same time because they get to different parts of memory.

Another thing is to do it every day (and preferably broken into 2 or 3 times but not too short each time). What is happening is you practice something, let it sink in, and then before you forget it, you practice again. This is much much better than a super long practice like 4 hours. The sinking in part is needed.

Don't get discouraged. I once thought I would never do parallel motion either. Now I think of it as nothing. Whatever motion it is, you do it a few minutes each day, and in a week you get it. This is really not unlike driving, skating, bicycling, knitting, etc. You just train your brain-hand coordination basically (and some strength too of course).

Remember to try what I said above (if you just want to do this motion, I would suggest 10 minutes each time, 3 or 4 times a day, and repeat day after day). If you are a real beginner, it might take you two weeks, but at the end of two weeks, you will say, ha, this is nothing! And the additional benefit is it will give you great confidence that you can do it.


Dave
(from Michigan too)

My view on this is that getting the hands
in perfect sync in, say, scales with both
hands in parallel motion and similar
exercises, is not critical and may not
even be desirable. The reason for this
is that in actual playing you don't want
the hands in lockstep sync with each other.
For really impressive playing your hands
need to be sightly out of sync with each
other, otherwise your playing will sound
like a beginner toiling away to the
beat of a metronome.

Therefore, just play without being obsessed
with perfect syncronization of the hands.
As you gain more strength and experience
you'll be able to get the hands in perfect
sync, if you want to, but, as explained
above, this is not necessarily a desirable
thing.

Gyro, yes! I am glad you said it. I agree with what you said completely.

I think as beginnger sometimes there are some standard exercises that we need to do. If we find that doing parallel motion is so difficult to learn, it might point to the fact that our fingers are weak, or we don't know how to practise yet, and that part is important to know.

But once you get it reasonably well (doesn't need to be perfect), you learn something from the practice and the process itself, and you might not even need a perfect parallel synch (although I am sure some might disagree).

Well, I am a newbie here. I guess I can be called a restarter although I never completely stopped playing. I feel like I have many things I want to share with beginners so that they would keep up and don't feel discouraged. Hopefully I won't talk TOO much.

Unless you're actually going to make music of course.