Music: Practice & Theory

Questions tagged [fingering]

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Choosing which finger(s) to use to press a key (of a keyboard) or to stop a string, or the set of fingers to use to produce a particular note or chord.

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1answer
72 views

Piano - Reaching arpeggios in Beethoven's Pathetique 3rd movement measure 107

If I start the piece from a neutral position in relation to my left hand I find that when I get to the arpeggios in measure 107 I can't comfortably reach them with my right hand. If I start the piece ...
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1answer
131 views

Why finger 4 on G-sharp, finger 5 on Fx=G in Moonlight Sonata mvmt. 3?

This is the Casella edition of Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata (Op. 27, No. 2) from IMSLP, and the text recommends fingering 1-4(G#4-G#5) and 1-5(A4-F##5), since G# is farther than F##(G), ...
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2answers
248 views

Is the fingering the same for Hanon exercises when you play in a different key?

For example, the fingering for Hanon exercise #1 in C is 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2. Is the same fingering used for the other 11 keys? If so, does the rule hold for all Hanon exercises?
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1answer
109 views

How is this C chord constructed on guitar?

I am following a tutorial on Black Magic Woman from Justin Guitar and at 6:18 he plays the C Chord in the following way. Since the C Chord consists of notes C, E, and G I notice that his index finger ...
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4answers
694 views

Fingering for left hand jumps on piano

I'm really just starting out with playing piano and had a look at the recommended fingering for Gymnopedie no. 1 yesterday on https://starryway.org/en/piece/4/basic/ and noticed that for the first ...
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1answer
55 views

Little finger positioning on fretting hand while playing guitar 3-notes-per-string

I would like some advice on my left (fretting) hand pinkie's (little finger) orientation when I'm playing three-note-per string scales at faster tempos. I find the pinkie flattens, especially the ...
5
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2answers
312 views

Roman numerals below the note in violin

I thought the number over the note was the string number for violin. But what are the roman numerals below the score? How do I finger this score in violin? Could you number on the score please...
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2answers
163 views

On piano how do I play one note, and the same note an octave higher with one hand?

I have been playing piano for a few months now, and I have come to a roadblock, in this one song I play CDEFG C on octave 4, while I do the same on octave 5. All of this is with one hand, I have been ...
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2answers
159 views

Correct fingering for The Frail

I'm learning to play E-Piano by myself and right now, I'm trying to play the The Frail. I don't have any problems in the first sixteen bars. But at bars 17 and 18 I'm struggling with the correct ...
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1answer
101 views

Notes on violin

I am a beginner in violin. I am confused that most of the times in music sheet the notes are normal (neither sharp or flat) but when playing it feels like one is playing the sharp of some notes (like ...
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2answers
91 views

How to move fingers on violin?

I've read that: A common violin fingering problem is the result of excessive tension: not lifting your fingers using the base knuckle. When you look at your left hand, each of your fingers (except ...
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1answer
165 views

Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto 2 - technical question

Quick question about the following section in Rach 2 3rd movement: Should this be played with the right hand only? I originally assumed so, but it's such a fast section I wondered if others played it ...
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3answers
259 views

Good way to play rapid consecutive fifths and sixths spanning more than an octave

I can't figure out how to properly finger and play the following section of a piece I'm trying to play. I've tried multiple things, but the difference in distance between the first notes and the ...
7
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4answers
779 views

Voice in bass clef too far apart for one hand

Given the sheet below (4/4 measure signature), how would you play the bass clef? My understanding is that this is one voice with a large range (not two right?). I'd hold down G1 & ♭D2 in the ...
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1answer
117 views

How do I play these widely spaced keys on keyboard?

I am struggling to play these keys, and I am not getting the right phrase to search on Google for this type of question. It's clearly impossible to play this with 2 hands. If this is played with 3 ...
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1answer
66 views

How to barre this chord without muting adjacent string?

I found this online. How do you barre with the third(ring) finger without it touching and muting the G string? Anatomically speaking it's really hard for my ring finger to not touch the G string while ...
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4answers
153 views

How to quickly play octaves with one hand (piano)?

In some songs there are portions where the melody is made of pairs of notes, where the pair spans a whole octave. Sometimes the melody is played pretty quickly. I'm wondering if there's some technique ...
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1answer
30 views

Same fingering position for fingering notation and \finger command in LilyPond?

I have found that fingering notation and \finger command in LilyPond place fingering differently. How to make finger command behave the same way as ^n, _n, -n notations? Here is a MWE: \version "...
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1answer
53 views

Fingering for the fourth valve of the piccolo trumpet

Consider the piccolo trumpet in Bb (like the normal trumpet in Bb but one octave higher). The first three valves lower the main tube by 2,1,3 semitones. The fourth one lowers the tube by a fourth (5 ...
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4answers
156 views

How do you play this chord from Étude 14 by Philip Glass

I am learning Étude 14 by Philip Glass but I found a very weird combination of notes that I cannot play naturally (and unnaturally). Do I need to practice some weird finger stretching or there is ...
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1answer
55 views

Fingerings for 2 voices on the same staff in the same direction in LilyPond

I am having a hard time finding a way to get the fingering markings for two voices in the left hand, onto the same side of a single staff in LilyPond, like in the picture below: My aim is: to get ...
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2answers
109 views

General term to cover piano fingerings, trombone slide positions, Theremin hand positions, etc

Is there a general term to describe the concepts referred by "fingering", "(slide) position", perhaps other such words, that describe the specific manipulations of an instrument to ...
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1answer
93 views

Looking for fingering advice for fast opening section of “Cynthia's Battle” theme

I've just started learning this arrangement by Marasy8 on youtube from a nostalgic video game of mine (Cynthia's Battle theme for any Gen IV'ers), and I'm at the bit right after the opening chords. ...
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1answer
66 views

Ukulele: G major chord with partial barre

I am playing on a gCEA concert ukulele. As a relic of probably incorrect self-taught guitar playing (D major), I am faster to a G major chord by playing a partial barre chord. That's index finger on ...
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4answers
142 views

Bach's Toccata is a bit confusing, how am I supposed to play this?

I've started learning Bach's Toccata in E minor (BWV 914), and I'm having trouble understanding which hand plays which notes. Since I don't want to assume and learn it wrong I'd like to clear my ...
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1answer
94 views

Can anyone give me blues scale fingering numbers for left hand piano? [duplicate]

I want blues scale fingerings for left hand piano
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4answers
117 views

Piano - Playing the G# Key with left hand

I’m only a month into using SimplyPiano and there are a few songs that have left hand combos of E and G#. The numbers suggest I use 1-3, but I can’t get my thumb up to G# unless I slide all the way to ...
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2answers
83 views

How would you finger this arpeggio on guitar?

What would be your approach for right-hand-fingering this arpeggio pattern with classical guitar or fingerstyle technique (no pick)? I've tried out several approaches, being this one the most ...
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2answers
439 views

Piano chord fingering notation with only 1 finger number for multi-finger chord

The following score has suggested fingering, where some left hand chords only have one finger number indicated. Does it mean the other fingers on the same chord are obvious or whatever your preference ...
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1answer
58 views

Correct Fingering for Piano Long Stretches in Bass Clef

I am a piano student at the early intermediate level. I am fortunate to have long fingers that generally proves helpful. However in the below arrangement of O Holy Night, the last two sections in ...
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1answer
37 views

Would you have the fingering for the left hand of these two measures?

The score below is "Moldau", transcripted for piano. **On the measure number 24 (second on the scan), on left hand, should we really play "thumb (1) thumb (1)" and keep the B white ...
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3answers
3k views

How am I supposed to play this chord?

I've tried to play this chord a couple different ways and I have no way to play it. I tried to have my index on 10 my pinky on the 16s and my middle or ring on 14. Is there something I'm missing or ...
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4answers
3k views

Why are there fingerings in Liszt's Beethoven's 9th transcription, a piece for a very skilled player who presumably doesn't need the finger markings?

I was watching along with an entertaining video of Liszt's solo piano transcription of Beethoven's 9th symphony. This thing is over an hour long with numerous technical feats and is surely something ...
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3answers
86 views

Where do you place your pinky when playing recorder?

do you place your free pinky of your left hand underneath as a support or do you let in hang free?
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8answers
2k views

How do you know which finger/key to press for the next note on Piano when thumb is not on C?

This is related to How to you know which finger/key to press for next note?, but the example in that question made people to suggest I need to practise fixed position first, which was great for ...
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2answers
57 views

Should I alternate fingers in this piece?

Should I stick to the "always alternate the striking hand's fingers rule" here ? That is to say : mim imi for the six first notes and mim imi mim imi for the last measure. I am asking this ...
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5answers
893 views

How to you know which finger/key to press for next note in Piano? [duplicate]

Let say you have 2 notes C and E: When your thumb is pressing C, then see next note is E, do you memorize the pattern that C and E is skipping one finger and in this case the middle finger to press E? ...
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3answers
150 views

Need advice on a bent pinky problem

I am looking for a good reference for hand exercises and advice on pinky problems. After an accident on 2017 where I sprained my wrist (3rd degree that forced me away from my guitar) my index and ...
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1answer
491 views

Piano recomended fingering for blues scale [duplicate]

Is there an 'official' or best practice fingering for blues scales for the piano? Fingering for the C major scale as described by the exam boards (for at least the one I did) is: RH 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 1 2 -...
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2answers
55 views

If I play on a small keyboard, should I use the same fingering as for a full-size piano?

I just started playing on an Akai MPK Mini keyboard, and I find the fingering recommended for the piano to be quite uncomfortable on this small instrument. Should I make an effort to follow the ...
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6answers
430 views

Is this a reasonable fingering for an arpeggio in the right hand that starts on a note that is held in the left hand?

This is from the book "The Art of Piano Fingering." I'm stuck at this point. I have checked out related/duplicate questions but wasn't able to understand the answers concretely. I think I ...
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1answer
90 views

(How) Can CPE Bach's *Solfeggietto* (Solfeggio) in C Minor be played left-hand alone?

In researching CPE Bach - Solfeggietto - cross-hand playing style?, I stumbled on the following statement in Wikipedia: The work is often performed by left-hand alone. How?
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1answer
235 views

Help with fingering on Chopin's Nocturne op. 9 no.2 coda

I am trying to learn this nocturne and this fingering is really confusing to me. Why are three different, consecutive notes played with the same finger? Should I just "hop" from note to note,...
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1answer
94 views

Joplin's Peacherine Rag, piano fingering in bar 16

I attach bars 15-16 of Scott Joplin's 'Peacherine Rag' for piano (in 2/4 time). Perhaps I'm overlooking something obvious, but how is one supposed to play bar 16 - I refer to the super-stretch ...
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3answers
995 views

Piano: Left handed Gmaj7 chord

I have trouble playing the Gmaj7 chord with my left hand. I'm using 5-3-2-1 fingering, but I can't avoid hitting the A key with my 4th finger. What exercises or techniques are used to void that?
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2answers
90 views

Does one play the same note two or more times in a row with different fingers if it's LEFT HAND? (Piano) [duplicate]

There was a discussion about why pianists often repeat a same key with different fingers: Which fingering to use when playing the same piano key twice in a row? My question is: does it only apply to ...
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4answers
1k views

Is there such a thing as F♯ position on the piano?

I am practicing a song that uses the F♯ aeolian scale ascending and the melody sits between the notes F♯ and C♯. If I play this melody with my right hand (in F♯ position) and place my thumb on F♯, my ...
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1answer
59 views

What is the meaning of the various fingering on this arpeggio?

What is the meaning of the two fingerings : "3" and "4" in the D # minor arpeggio (second inversion) ? Should I "choose" one ? Is there an "academic/official" ...
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2answers
84 views

Fourth finger curling back towards the palm of my hand

I'm trying to play, with my right hand, A4 E3 D3 E3 C3. The score suggests the 5th finger on A, and the three first fingers on C, D, E, that is 5,3,2,3,1. I'm able to play it comfortably but I notice ...
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3answers
250 views

Proper repeated note fingering on piano?

Is there a proper fingering for playing a fast repeated notes on the piano? I understand that using multiple fingers to play to the repeated note is the best way to go but does it matter which ...

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