This article is primarily for some students I'm working with at present. For anyone else, the piece should be self-explanatory, despite my covering of certain aspects relatively quickly (i.e. already discussed with students, no need to write up here).
Video illustration Here.
Exercise is in the manner of Tausig/Thalberg/Liszt etc.
Repeats on YT vid are x4; when performing the exercise with full musical variations, x2 is likely more useful.
I'll make another recording, with the first 24 fingering variations (see the bottom of the article): dull, but it'll illustrate the point/will be useful for reference.
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I'm sitting on the blacks (beginning on Gb) purely for illustration purposes - but the best method of practise is to start in C position (C D E F G), and play the pattern on:
C major, C minor, C diminished
After this, repeat the sequence one semitone lower (i.e. B major, B minor, B diminished etc). No break when transitioning.
The image below illustrates the positioning:
Continue the descending pattern through every semitone until reaching C one octave lower from where you began.
This is what we'd class as the Musical/Harmonic Variation.
- Remember - only do this for the first exercise. The final exercise on the video is a technical variation.
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Technical Variations
There are 120 fingering sequences in total for this exercise.
Included below is every exercise beginning on finger 1 (RH fingering only included below, but the LH fingering can be derived i.e. mirror it):
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5
1 - 2 - 3 - 5 - 4
1 - 2 - 4 - 3 - 5
1 - 2 - 4 - 5 - 3
1 - 2 - 5 - 3 - 4
1 - 2 - 5 - 4 - 3
1 - 3 - 2 - 4 - 5
1 - 3 - 2 - 5 - 4
1 - 3 - 4 - 2 - 5
1 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 2
1 - 3 - 5 - 2 - 4
1 - 3 - 5 - 4 - 2
1 - 4 - 2 - 3 - 5
1 - 4 - 2 - 5 - 3
1 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 5
1 - 4 - 3 - 5 - 2
1 - 4 - 5 - 2 - 3
1 - 4 - 5 - 3 - 2
1 - 5 - 2 - 3 - 4
1 - 5 - 2 - 4 - 3
1 - 5 - 3 - 2 - 4
1 - 5 - 3 - 4 - 2
1 - 5 - 4 - 2 - 3
1 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2
* The final exercise in the video is actually exercise #24 (i.e. the last exercise from the above list).
Remember to practise the other 100 fingering variations.
3 per day for the entire set (i.e. including the above variations) = just under 1 1/2 months to play through all variations. Add to your warm-up.
Exercises up until this point in history haven't utilised mathematics to yield every possible variation. Therefore, it could be said that there has been no 'complete pianist' - mathematical oversights lead to technical oversights (i.e. omitted sequences).
Regards
Kris
