Scales: Part II

 

If you've read my previous post on scales, you'll see that I do not recommend students practice them in the ways that are often prescribed by most teachers of piano. (It is best if you read the previous post before reading this one.)

I also depart from commonly-held beliefs about scale fingering. For hundreds of years (since the beginnings of keyboard instruments), it was believed that the fingering for all scales beginning on a white key is 1-2-3-1-2-3-4-5 (this refers to the ascending scale in the right hand and the descending scale in the left hand), with the exception of F major, which would be 1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4 for the right hand. All scales beginning on a black key start with the second finger. The reason for this, as you probably are aware, is to avoid having the thumb fall on a black key. Presumably, the thumb, being shorter, had a harder time playing the black keys, which is further in (towards the fallboard). However, the are multitudes of situations when you must have thumb on a black key, such as playing chords which have a black key as the lowest note (or highest, for the left hand). The hand must adjust for this, but it is still entirely comfortable and natural for the hand to do this. So why not for scales?

In the Baroque and pre-Baroque era, most music written for keyboard (harpsichord, primarily) were in keys with very few sharps or flats, in other words, very few black keys. One reason for this had to do with how the instrument was tuned. In those times, C-sharp and D-flat, for example, were not tuned the same, even though they are physically the same note on the keyboard. Therefore, if a piece were to be played in a key with sharps, and the following piece had flats, the keyboard would need to be retuned in between. They avoided this by using a limited number of different keys (tonalities). As composers and musicians wanted to have more range of possibilities, this became a significant obstacle, and the idea of "equal temperament" was born. Now C-sharp and D-flat would be tuned the same. Bach celebrated this new normal by writing his two books of "The Well-tempered Clavier," each of which has one prelude and one fugue in every one of the major and minor keys. One could play them all in succession without the need for retuning.

Before the advent of equal temperament, since most of the keys used for compositions were on primarily white keys, the idea of the traditional scale fingering seemed to make sense; there weren't many situations where you'd need anything else. (Look at the complete list of Scarlatti sonatas; about 80% are in keys using fewer than one sharp or flat,  about 10% use two, and about 10% use three or four.) And although the pieces written for keyboard were not without technical challenges, they did not require the lightning speed and acrobatics of later music, such as Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt and Brahms. There are many places in the compositions of these composers (and many others) where one needs more tools in their toolbox, so to speak, than just the traditional scale fingering.

The traditional fingering involves what is known as "thumb under," where you pass the thumb under the hand in order to move it to the next hand placement. Every early student of the piano is taught this technique. The goal of this is that there is a smooth (legato) connection. However, when done badly, there can be a "clunk" when the thumb plays. Even when the technique is done well, it is inefficient for extremely fast scales. In addition, there is the possibility of injury. I have met people who injured their thumb joints from too much scale work using the thumb-under method.

It is known that Chopin, and possibly Liszt as well, taught a method they called "thumb over." It is, of course, not possible to pass your thumb over your hand. Many people have tried to figure out what Chopin meant by this. If you do an internet search on this you will find quite a few explanations of what people believe Chopin meant. Some of these are truly bizarre and most are just not really do-able.

The approach I use for scales (and arpeggios), and what I believe Chopin meant, is a very quick "flick" of the arm to the new hand position. I do not pass the thumb under but instead quickly flip the hand to the new place. Like any technique, it needs to be worked at until you master it. But for fast scales, it is the quickest, most efficient, and has the least possibility for strain or injury.  Because you are using the arm (and wrist), you can "flick" to any key, white or black. It is equally easy for both situations. Therefore, I can play any scale that starts on a black key with the same fingering I would use for a white key, with equal ease, speed, and legato. Or I can use 1-2-3-4-5 and then flick, whereas you could never really pass your thumb under the pinky. Depending on the particular scale passage in the piece, I can used the traditional fingering (which still works the best in some situations), or something different. 

I would like to mention that many jazz pianists, who did not have classical training, often employ non-traditional fingerings, and they have lightning speed and agility. This is proof there is always more than one way to do things. We all have hands of different sizes and, to a degree, shapes. Different methods work for different people.

I once had a student whose previous teacher, and older man, once had a melt-down and tore up her music in a rage right in the middle of her lesson when she dared to use a scale fingering other than the traditional. This is absurd (and borderline criminal?). 

If you've been reading this blog from the beginning, you know that I diverge from most traditional beliefs about piano technique and interpretation. Scales are no exception. If you are a student of the piano, make sure you find a teacher who is knowledgeable about, or at least open to, many approaches.