I'm learning Reverie by Debussy. I always hesitate when fingering arpeggios. I can figure it out, but I always feel like there's a better way which I'm not thinking of. Does anyone have any tips for doing this?
asked Apr 10, 2012 at 19:17
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2 Answers
These arpeggios are very irregular, which does not help your case. If you're not convinced that your ideas for fingering are the best for you, I'd suggest getting a few different editions of the music and seeing what the editors suggest. IMSLP has 2 editions freely available online here; the score submitted by Feldmahler has suggested fingerings.
These suggested fingerings are just that--a suggestion. Unfortunately, you'll have to find what's most comfortable for yourself, but these are a good starting point. When you work out fingerings, you need to balance the comfort of the fingering with how accurately you'll hit the notes and the control you'll have over your playing. Experimentation will tell you what works best for you.
Good luck!
Just as there are standard fingerings for scales on piano, there are standard fingerings for arpeggios. Charts for these fingerings seem less popular than for scales, probably because they are less "interesting." One source explaining, rather than giving sheet music for, arpeggio fingerings can be found here.
Even if the arpeggios in, say, Debussy do not exactly correspond with major or minor arpeggios, drilling yourself on arpeggios as you would drill yourself on scales can help in overcoming hesitation. The patterns for arpeggios will seem more natural if you practice arpeggios in isolation. Then, it will not matter so much what piece you are playing.
