|
Welcome to the Piano World Piano Forums Over 3 million posts about pianos, digital pianos, and all types of keyboard instruments. Over 100,000 members from around the world.
Join the World's Largest Community of Piano Lovers
(it's free)
It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!
|
|
74 members (bluebilly, accordeur, BillS728, aphexdisklavier, bobrunyan, anotherscott, AaronSF, apianostudent, 17 invisible),
2,088
guests, and
350
robots. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 2
Junior Member
|
OP
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 2 |
I've been playing the piano since I was little, and I can now play moderate to somewhat advanced pieces. My fingers are still pretty slow though and I can't play fast piano runs and arpeggios without breaking time and slowing to a snail's pace. Can anybody tell me how to get proficient at this? Should I play Hanon scale exercises? If so, how long each day? Thanks in advance!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 5,870
5000 Post Club Member
|
5000 Post Club Member
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 5,870 |
Hanon's instructions "lift the finger well" are completely outdated. His title "der klavier virtuose" is IMHO misleading.
I suggest to get a teacher so that (s)he can determine exactly what you need and when.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 2
Junior Member
|
OP
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 2 |
Hi, Wouter, thanks for the reply! I am taking lessons, and have been for some time. I've asked my teacher before about this, but frankly, she's never been much help. Usually she tells me something like "just practice it [the particular arpeggio or run] over and over again until you can do it smoothly. I don't need help with any particular spot though, but with all runs and arpeggios. I'd like to get fast enough to incorporate them into my own playing (when I'm playing by ear, in church for example) I have the ear for it, just not the speed. Any other tips?
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 17,277
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
|
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 17,277 |
Are you stumbling when your thumb has to go beneath your fingers? Can you do a swift and clean five-note scale and four-note arpeggio, where your thumb stays put?
If it's yes to both, try playing complete scales and arpeggios without using thumb-under, i.e. "thumb-over", or more accurately, shifting your whole hand across to get your hand to the next position, without twisting your wrist to enable your thumb to get to its next position. When you play this slowly, you'll get a break between two notes. But when you can play this quickly and smoothly (rhythmically and tonally), you'll find that the break in sound is barely noticeable.
BTW, once you increase your speed sufficiently, all pianists will be playing scales and arpeggios without thumb under. The difficulty is just in making the hand shift smooth as well as accurate, without any 'bumps' in the flow of notes.
If music be the food of love, play on!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 182
Full Member
|
Full Member
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 182 |
For runs: a relaxed hand can move remarkably fast.
For arpeggios: combine the relaxed hand with rotary arm motion. Don't try to play rapid arpeggios legato.
Donald Lee III BM '16 James Madison University MM '18 Cincinnati Conservatory of Music
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 13,837
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
|
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 13,837 |
I agree with Wouter - better diagnostics are required. Scale and arpeggio technique depends on:
1) The motion and coordination of the arm, hand, and fingers
2) Some exercises to help you explore #1
3) Ways to practice those exercises that don't just involve playing through them
4) Diligent, regular practice and mindful repetition
"If we continually try to force a child to do what he is afraid to do, he will become more timid, and will use his brains and energy, not to explore the unknown, but to find ways to avoid the pressures we put on him." (John Holt) www.pianoped.comwww.youtube.com/user/UIPianoPed
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 9,395
9000 Post Club Member
|
9000 Post Club Member
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 9,395 |
You might find "Mastering the Scales and Arpeggios" by James Francis Cooke to be helpful. In it, there is a very specific method given for speeding up scales. I'm not advocating it, necessarily, but just saying it might be worth a try. If you are not in the EU (where it is still under copyright), you can download it from IMSLP.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 3,398
3000 Post Club Member
|
3000 Post Club Member
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 3,398 |
Scales and arpeggios every day, at a moderate pace, in a relaxed and efficient manner. Hanon is a good resource for the fingerings but wouter79 is right, just ignore what he says about how to use your hand.
Heather Reichgott, piano
Working on: Mel (Mélanie) Bonis - Sevillana, La cathédrale blessée William Grant Still - Three Visions
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,675
1000 Post Club Member
|
1000 Post Club Member
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,675 |
You might find "Mastering the Scales and Arpeggios" by James Francis Cooke to be helpful. In it, there is a very specific method given for speeding up scales. I'm not advocating it, necessarily, but just saying it might be worth a try. If you are not in the EU (where it is still under copyright), you can download it from IMSLP. I love the quote given on the second page of the book by Vladimir de Pachman: " The scale of C should reign supreme until the practice habits are formed so that they will reign supreme while playing the other scales. Pearls lie at the bottom of the sea. Most pupils seem to expect them floating upon the top of the water. They never float, and the one who would have his scales shine with the beauty of splendid gems must first dive deep for the gems"
Professional pianist and piano teacher.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Piano
by Gino2 - 04/17/24 02:34 PM
|
Piano
by Gino2 - 04/17/24 02:23 PM
|
|
Forums43
Topics223,408
Posts3,349,457
Members111,637
|
Most Online15,252 Mar 21st, 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|