[MusicTlk] piano arpeggio PLAYING

[Christopher Gilland]

Re: [MusicTlk] piano arpeggio PLAYING
I teach piano, so let me try helping.

I assume that you're trying to do a standard C major triad chord 
consisting of C E and G.

So, the best way is with your left hand, it would be pinky on the lower 
C, middle finger on the E a 3rd above that, index finger a third  above 
that E
on the G, and then finally your thumb on the C one octave above your 
pinky. So, more easily put from lowest note to highest note in ascending 
order would
be:

pinky: C
Middle: E
Index: G
Thumb higher C.

I'm not real sure what was meant by the one person who said to be sure 
you get your thumb under your hand. That doesn't apply here unless 
you're doing
a C major scale, as then your thumb would tuck under and to the right of 
your index finger to hit the F, then descending, your middle finger 
would cross
over your thunmb back down to the E. That's assuming you're using the 
right hand.

Getting back though to your C arpeggio, again, I'm gonna start from the 
lower C, and then work in ascending order. You'd have

Thumb: C
Index: E
Middle: G
Pinky: Higher C.

Rather than trying to start with the arpeggio, try this with either of 
your two hands.

Left hand, pinky on low C, thumb on high C. Now, just try alternating 
between the two. Let's not worry right now about the whole chord plus 
root on top.
Let's just simply focus on C, C. Just play the two C's octave broken. 
One after the other. C, high C. C? high C.

Another thing I want you to do is, in your left hand, try to leave your 
pinky on the lower C. You don't have to keep that key depressed, but at 
least keep
your finger there. Then just stretch your thumb up to the higher C. It 
may take a little work, but with some practice, I promise you will get 
it. For me,
it took me when learning about half a month doing it for about 15 
minutes every day. Everyone's different though, so don't set that 
expectation for yourself.
Go at your own speed. This isn't a race nor is it a contest. Be gentle 
with yourself. You will? get there. I assure you. Now, I can play that 4 
note arpeggio
practically in my sleep with both hands tied behind my back. LOL!

Once you've gotten that down with the left hand, let's try it with your 
right hand. So, now, thumb on the lower C, and pinky on the higher C.

Now again, just practice going back and forth. don't move your hand. 
Don't move your fingers.

The other thing that may be causing you an issue that I see with a lot 
of my students is, they get off a bit with their note attack accuracy 
because they're
not positioned correctly at the piano keyboard. So let's talk about that 
briefly.

Make sure you're sitting upright good posture, your fingers are slightly 
curled, your wrists are raised at about a 40 to 45 degree angle, no more 
than
that, but certainly you don't want them flat, then just relax your 
wrists, and extend your elbows out a little bit from your sides. You 
don't wanna squeeze
your love handles so to speak. As for location, you want the E directly 
a 3rd above middle C, that's E4, basically 2 whole steps above middle C, 
to be
directly even with your body. So, say you took your right hand and 
touched your chest. You should then be able to extend your hand directly 
on a straight
line path outward from your chest, and without moving left or right, hit 
the E note.

Some teachers will tell you to line up with middle C. This is debatable. 
My teacher back in the days always told me line up with E. Why, I don't 
know,
but I have found that every time I've talked the second approach, it 
works flawlessly once the student gets the feel of it, and it really 
helps them with
their fingering in the long run.

So try those exercizes, then get back with us, and let us know how 
you're coming along.

I'd be happy to work more with you if you need it.

Chris.