fingering question
the question is about fingering. in c, i think i got it comfortable, i'll do with rh:
1-3-2-4 1-3-2-4 ...
in f, it took me a bit longer to figure it out: rh (starting on f)
1-3-1-2 1-3-2-4 1-3-2-4 1-3-2-4 etc ...
in bb, i'll use my thumb even more, rh starting on bb:
1-3-1-3 1-3-2-4 1-3-1-3 1-3-2-4 1 etc ....
is that good?
There are 9 comments, leave a comment.
so, in f i would play:
1-2 1-3 2-4 3-5 1-2 1-3 2-4 etc
i would also start the bb scale on a 2-4 as well...
but what about descending?
barry's fingering works great going up, but going down, i can't pass from 1 to 5, can i?
4-2 3-1 4-2 3-1 4-2 3-1
basically, as long as you try and avoid thumbs on the black notes and make sure your fingering allows you to maintain a legato then it doesn't matter that much...
hope that helps
this is of course an impossiblity in keys like b, f# and db. so make sure that your thumb falls on a black note that has another black note right next to it so that you can pull off the transition smoothly.
the whole deal about avoiding the black notes is that it's almost impossible to transition to an adjacent white note.
i would expand barry's finergings above to include the 2-1 fingering:
4-2 3-1 2-1 4-2 3-1 2-1 4-2 3-1 2-1
my teacher made a comment once that all these fingering questions made students sound all the same. that i should find my own. i believe 7 you're not monk's biggest fan, but he certainly comes to mind.
sometimes however i get stuck on parts of a piece, not realizing i can sound much better using proper fingering ...
there i go off topic again... thanks for the help!
the first fingering method is called the two-group method, because only two hand positions are used. for c major it would be: 12 13 24 35 - 13 24 35, and repeat in successive octaves. reverse it on the way down.
the other method uses three hand positions. for c major it is:
13 24 35 - 13 24 - 13 24.
these fingerings are the same for all keys, but you have to work out where to start the pattern, and this is where avoiding the thumb on black notes comes in. if the scale starts with a black note, the first two notes will be 24 or 35 depending on what comes next.
the exception is f# major, where you have no choice but to put the thumb on f#. if using the 'two-group' fingering the larger group (12 13 24 35) has to start on the note b.
both sets of double thirds fingerings are given for all keys (major and minor) in the abrsm book 'a manual of scales and arpeggios' (published in the uk by the associated board). this great boklet is very reasonably priced and covers all sorts of other useful stuff too...
tim
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