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I've been working on a new piece and I can't figure out the fingering for the circled measure attached below. Can someone help me? (The tempo is 180 for the quarter note, so it has to be a fingering that works well with speed). enter image description here

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    What's the problem? The thumb has to play the bottom line. The top line can start with 4 and continue with 5, and then the other fingers automatically fall into place.
    – PiedPiper
    Commented Feb 5, 2023 at 19:52
  • I think the problem is going for the Am to the next chord. The E sharp also throws me off
    – Wgw327
    Commented Feb 5, 2023 at 20:00

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You don't have a lot of choice here.
Try 124 for the first chord, 124 again (better than 125 because you're coming back to 124) 1235 and back to 124.

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Fingering is something very individual and might depend on the size of your hands and such. Thus you’ll need to find fingering that works for you.

Personally I’d do 1-2-3 for the E major (B E G#), then 1-2-4 for the A minor (C E A), 1-2-3-5 for the E dominant 7 (D E G# B) and then go back to 1-2-4 for A minor. This can easily be done at quite high speeds, because essentially the only finger that changes position is the thumb.

This is how this fingering looks in practice: http://petzel.at/dont-stop-me-now.mp4

EDIT: As PiedPiper pointed out I overlooked the E# (which should in my opinion be notated as F natural). This is a bit more tricky to get done. I’d still go for the same fingering, which then requires you to shift 2 from E to F and back.

One thing to keep in mind: Such piano arrangements of pop pieces are not always scored in the most playable way, and it can be useful to rearrange parts to be nicer to play.

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  • There are E-sharps in there that you've missed.
    – PiedPiper
    Commented Feb 5, 2023 at 20:34
  • Oh, damn. I blame the score, because this an awful way to notate a b9. Thank you for pointing this out. I’d still go for that fingering I think.
    – Lazy
    Commented Feb 5, 2023 at 20:50
  • Does 1-2-3 for that B-E-G# really work naturally for you? I would find 2-3 on the E-G# horrible — a slight stretch and a very awkward angle.
    – PLL
    Commented Feb 6, 2023 at 9:14
  • @PLL It does. Yes, it is a slight stretch, but nothing bad. Occasionally you need to play octaves 1-3, this is just a sixth. If this does feel weird one could also to 1-2-4, then go 1-2-5 on the A minor, or do PiedPiper’s suggestion. This then requires you to jump with 5 from A to B, which is quite doable. As I stated in the answer, fingering is personal, and you need to find what works for you. Just do not force yourself to a certain fingering if it feels awkward just because it works for someone else.
    – Lazy
    Commented Feb 6, 2023 at 10:17
  • Awesome! I think the E sharp and fingering issue arose when I had the score transposed from F to G.
    – Wgw327
    Commented Feb 6, 2023 at 11:40

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