Fur Elise Level 7 LH fingering on repeated notes
Found in: Musicality, Pedaling, Technique
Amy L., California
Regarding LH fingering in Fur Elise Level 7: I recall a training session with Nancy Reese in which she advised against using the 3 2 1 fingering. But I don’t fully trust my memory and I don’t remember enough about why. I’m about to teach this section to a bright student whose mom is both wonderfully supportive of SM and of her daughter, and is also an accomplished pianist. I need to know what I’m talking about if I’m not going to teach the 3 2 1, which I believe is fairly standard in the piano community.
Ian M., Indiana
My personal feeling is that 3 2 1 is unnecessarily complex. I usually make my students aware of it, and I’ll help anyone who wants to/needs to learn it that way, but I don’t think it’s necessary unless you anticipate doing extremely serious piano at higher levels with teachers who will insist.
Maureen K., California
I remember Nancy saying that the notes are not played fast enough to warrant needing to switch fingers. I leave it up to the student which fingering to use. I don’t make a big deal of it, just mention that many piano players like to do the 3 2 1 fingering, but that some accomplished players use just one finger.
Stephen R., California
It’s good practice for later, more advanced pieces with repeated notes. I also feel switching fingers avoids the physical stress on one finger. To me, it also helps keep better track of the cycles of 6 beats more easily.
Gordon Harvey, Australia
If my memory serves me, Nancy has said that the 3 2 1 fingering was used for repeated notes long ago because it worked better with the mechanism of pianos of the time. It’s unnecessary on a modern piano because the key rebounds in a different way. I might be wrong, but if it’s true, it’s a good example of an outdated approach that hasn’t been questioned.
Brenda D., Colorado
I remember the topic from a conference a couple of years ago. Nancy mentioned that the type of instrument used by Beethoven made it necessary to alternate the 3 2 1 fingering pattern, but current pianos eliminate the need to use that fingering. Before Simply Music training I played the passage alternating only between 3 and 2. I currently teach and play that passage the way it is taught in the teacher training.
Rebecca G., Colorado
The action on modern pianos doesn’t require a change of fingering to generate sound on rapid repeated notes. Nancy’s approach to this requires the arm to bring the finger into the note repeatedly; if the finger tries to play the note by pushing down or reaching for it, it’s unlikely to work very well.
Christine W., Kansas
When I learned this song traditionally as a teenager, my teacher said it was to create variety in the striking of the key, so that it was interesting, versus a very monotone repetition when you use the same finger. Obviously this is a very subtle different that may not even be heard by most ears, especially because there’s so much else going on in the right hand at the time!
Patti P., Hawaii
The same result can be had using one finger depending on the technique one is using and how attuned one’s ears are.