Hi everybody!
I'm just wondering how one is to achieve perfect evenness when playing scales.
Let's say that I play C major scale with the fingering 123, 1234 etc. Then it's like I can always hear when I change the fingers from 123 to 1234. It always sounds like dadada, dadadada, but I want all the notes to sound even. I don't know how to make it sound right so does anyone know how to make all the notes come out even??
I want evenness:)

Thanks!!

This is tough without seeing you, so I'm just guessing at what the problem may be.

Make sure you're not playing with a low wrist. The wrist should be parallel to the keys to allow room for the thumb to cross under. The hand should remain pretty level as well. The bigger the movement you make to cross under, the more likely there is to be a sound change.

If you just put your hand up and signal the number 4 with your fingers, you can see what your thumb should be doing when crossing under (although it shouldn't touch the palm when playing).

Also, don't slam down on the thumb when you play it. Try to keep everything going horizontally from left to right, with no vertical motion.

Practice! Thousands of hours! Seriously, but limit yourself to 3 - 4 hours a day. And you might consider using a metronome to assist.

A question, Morodiene,

I've run into the confusion about the word wrist time again. Sometimes people mean the joints with the knobbly thing between hand and forearm that allows the hand to move. Sometimes people mean the "hand" part that isn't fingers. Do you mean the second one? Or the joint?

I suspect Morodiene means the joint; having hand in line with the forearm, and the whole forearm are hand above the level of the keys. Then there will be room to get the thumb under.

Some scale practice tips - there are many variations on these themes for endless hours of fun
Take one scale:
Play it as you do now, at your best max speed with all the humps and bumps. Record the tempo (metronome!)

From now work one hand at a time (HS)
Play scale slowly and velvety, legato, slow enough that you are playing evenly. LH then RH.
Play at a medium tempo quietly with a distinct accent every 3rd note. Keep going up and down the scale until the accent arrives on the final note. Don't use 3 octaves or you only get to go up and down once! Use 4 or 2 octaves. LH then RH. This section can be extended to other groups of accents (e.g. 5s, 3 + 2, 6s, 7s...) but do this exercise only once if this sort of practice is new. Listen to your hands and don't overdo it.
Play forte, LH then RH, just once. Omit this one if hands are tired.

Play piano, LH, RH, Hands Together (at last) focus on evenness and legato and calm hands
Another to try: piano, crescendo to top, decrescendo down again
With these last 2, choose medium, fast and slow tempi.

Then do your test run 2H, listen to evenness, and check your tempo. Hopefully you'll notice some definite improvement even after one session.

Let me know if this helps, hope I've pitched it at a useful level

I've never heard of the wrist meaning the non-finger part of the hand! I mean, doesn't the finger technically go all the way through the palm?
Anyways, I meant the part the bends when you push your palm flat against a wall.

Sorry for the dumb question, Morodiene. It's just that I got caught out twice with someone calling the wrong thing the wrist. I was having trouble imagining that little part being parallel so I thought I'd ask. I got it now - sorry, it was me. Just having one of those days.

Do you even know what even sounds like? Next question: Do you want that? Hey, an' welcome to PW!