Tchaikovsky Concerto: Fingering or Grouping

P.I. Tchaikovsky

     A student came with the Tchaikovsky concerto, asking for help with fingering for the following passage, measures 17 and 18. I've written before about concepts that govern our fingering choices, pointing out that a lot can be discovered about a pianist's technical point of view from the fingering he chooses. In this passage, the first question to ask is what is the most convenient grouping? Is there a way to make the passage seem fluid, without awkward jumps? I'm happy to report that the answer is yes. Instead of following the metric grouping by locking into the beamed 16ths as groups, move the group over to the next eighth, so that the groups would be sung "and 3, and 4, and 1," etc. Oh well, I never could sing. Maybe you'd better look at the example:

Tchaikovsky Concerto, mm 17 and 18. Grouping vs fingering.
Click example to enlarge.

     So, this is really first about  how to group the chords conveniently, and only then about which fingers to use. There's a related passage in the opening cadenza of the Liszt E-Flat concerto, but that's another story.

Chopin Fantasy Impromptu: Four vs Three

A student asks about learning to play four against three in the Fantasy Impromptu. Here is a rhythm chart of four vs three:

Click to enlarge.

     Some pianists find it helpful to learn to tap out this pattern first, before adding pitches. Notice that the second triplet comes after the second sixteenth and the third triplet comes just before the fourth sixteenth. The chart shows where each note in one hand falls in relationship to the other. Most modern editions print the relationships correctly (though not always): 

Click to enlarge.

     What I find most helpful is teaching each hand where its own pulses are until they are very sure. Then, I put the hands together feeling the main pulses. The object, of course, is for each hand to learn to be independent in its own rhythm. At first, try practicing one beat only, stopping on the next strong beat. When that feels secure, try playing two beats.

Chopin Etude op. 10, No. 3: Stretching

     A student working on Chopin's etude Op. 10, No. 3, asks—more than once—about stretching the hand in order to accommodate the cadenza of slurred chords. 

Chopin Etude Op.10, No. 3.
Click on example to enlarge.

     "About stretching exercises: At the risk of belaboring the point, and one last time, what if you've done all you can to to optimize hand position and you still feel strained. Wouldn't it be, under those circumstances, beneficial to have a longer stretch ability?"

     Well, I hate to sound like a broken record, but the truth of the matter is, if your hand feels stretched—strained—then something is wrong, that is, you haven't yet found the right movements. To be clear, the hand can be open without feeling stretched to an extreme. It is very important, though, to avoid extremes of motion. It's always more efficient to move than to stretch, even though it may sometimes seem counter intuitive. Once you feel the difference, moving rather than stretching will become the intuition.

     Try this: Play each chord individually with the fingering you've decided on. How does that feel? If each chord feels fine, then the issue is not the chord itself, but how you are moving from one to the next. You should consider where you are on the keys, probably a little more out for white keys and, of course, in for black (thumb and fifth finger). Notice if when moving from one chord on white to the next you bump up against a black key, for example. Is your fifth finger too in among the black keys? The problem with this passage is that pianists keep the hand too open in order to accommodate a series of chords without moving appropriately. The moving is the crux of the issue.

     Having said all of that, I use the following fingering, which allows the hand to feel more closed:

Click on example to enlarge.

The Pianist's Guide to Practical Technique

The "Look Inside" feature will be "available by April 3rd, no later than April 10th," according to the nice folks at Amazon. Apparently, something fell through the cracks and the job didn't get done in the usual amount of time. But people have been enjoying the book anyway.

Piano Technique Demystified, the Book, Second Edition

Some readers have asked about the video demonstrations (iDemos) for Piano Technique Demystified: Insights into Problem Solving, 2nd Edition. They are now located in the tabs at the top of this page at the right.

New technology—new to me technology—gave rise to the inspiration to invest the time and energy into revising "Technique Demystified." It now has more information on fingering and expansions in other chapters. It also has a new chapter on geography for pianists, links to iDemos and a nifty index. The technology made it possible to clarify and unify musical examples throughout, but I think the changes are particularly effective in the teaching moments section. When you get a

chance, have a "look inside" at the second edition of Piano Technique Demystified at Amazon.  I'd be glad to know what you think.

Chopin Etude Op. 10, No. 3

       A pianist writes complaining of problems of stretching and discomfort in the middle section of this otherwise quite playable etude. It seems at first to be a problem of fingering, but it turns out to be more one of technical approach.

Chopin Op. 10, No. 3  Fingering Approaches

Click on score to make it larger.

Note: In the left hand, the 4th interval of a sixth

 should be 5-2, not 4-2. Also, the tempo should be eighth-note = 100.