I'm a piano beginner and trying to practice scales correctly. What confuses me is that all guides mention how important it is to practice scales, but none are explaining the difference in fingering when one aims to practice only one octave, or multiple.
E.g. the D major scale for the left hand. Guide happily recommends to start with the 5th on D, the pinky finger. Yes great, that is easy until I want to go over more than one octave, because then I get confused - when I reach D again and I want to go on, the fingering doesn't fit.
I figured out that actually I have to start with my index finger on D, then thumb on E, fourth on F#, third on G, index on A, thumb on B, third on C# so I land again on D with my index finger.
I'm afraid if I learn the "easy" fingering for only one octave, I will teach my muscle memory incorrect stuff.
So my question is: Shouldn't I practice - even if I do only one octave - the (in my opinion correct) fingering for being prepared to go beyond an octave?