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I am practicing Schumann's Melody (Opus 68, No.1), screenshot is of measure 15. enter image description here And find my left hand fingering to be very awkward enter image description here

Normally the fingers would be more curled and thumb more centered, but my elbow is jammed against my left ribs. I am sitting in a regular chair as opposed to a standard piano bench, should I be shifting my body to the right when playing this particular measure, and shifting left when playing the lower notes? I would guess I need a different seat if so?

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    Another option: 4 1 4 1 4 1 5
    – Richard
    Commented Jan 18, 2018 at 13:19
  • I would guess that you're seated too close to the keyboard. A stretch like this shouldn't cause your elbow to jam into your ribs.
    – MattPutnam
    Commented Jan 18, 2018 at 16:35
  • @TerryKim, what's the largest interval you can hold down with your left hand? Also, how far back are you sitting from the piano? I find it unusual that your elbow would ever be jammed into your ribs while playing the piano.
    – Dekkadeci
    Commented Jan 18, 2018 at 18:53
  • I'll try sitting further from the keyboard. The keyboard is slightly higher than the upright piano I'm using, that may have some bearing as well as the distance to the instrument itself.
    – Terry Kim
    Commented Jan 19, 2018 at 12:08
  • For left hand, I can manage an octave with first and fifth fingers... there is some lateral body shift when playing but sometimes when ascending 1+ octaves I find my elbow shifting towards the body center... it does indeed make sense to sit further back so it can occupy the empty space in front of chest.
    – Terry Kim
    Commented Jan 19, 2018 at 12:11

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Well, you don't always have to follow the fingering. The most important thing is: "Is it comfortable for me to use these fingerings?" "Is it easier to do it another way?"

The printed fingerings are not always the best.

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