Scale fingering – blues and diatonic
Found in: Blues, Musicality, Pedaling, Technique
Kristin I., Illinois
I’m wondering if someone can help me figure out scale fingerings, both with the scales for Blues and Improv (specifically Eb), and traditional v. SM fingering for the diatonic scales. I understand the concept of NO34 (naturally occurring 3s and 4s), but it doesn’t always seem to agree with the traditional fingerings I learned myself growing up. So it feels awkward when I try to play the scales a different way, and I don’t know if I understand this aspect of the program very well, and I’m not sure if I’m teaching it the way it was intended.
Gordon Harvey, Australia
Are there any particular diatonic scale fingerings that don’t marry up with your prior experience? My scale experience is mostly through SM so I’m not an expert in other fingerings, but let me know and I’ll have a look.
Re Eb blues, in the RH I would use 2 3 4 1 2 3 4. That makes it easy to remember: two groups of blacks using the same three fingers, and reserve the thumb for the one white.
Laurie Richards, Nebraska
I think the fingerings should work out the same – the only difference being that in the beginning phase of teaching scale in SM we are not concerned with a starting and ending point like diatonic scale. Usually the NO34 fingering starts on C, not on the tonic. Does that make sense?
I concur with Gordon Harvey on the Eb blues scale fingering!
Kristin I., Illinois
So when you want to play two octaves or more of the Eb blues scale, how does this fingering work? If you start on Eb with finger 2 and go up, then finger 4 lands on the Eb again an octave higher, and then you have to “hop” from finger 4 on the Eb to finger 3 on the next note, Gb. Is that correct? I can’t find a way to play more than one octave that doesn’t involve some sort of hop, rather than a smooth “thumb under or over another finger” transition.
Neil Moore
An addendum: https://www.facebook.com/ThePianoCoach/videos/10156490368836959/
Kristin I., Illinois
Thanks for this Neil. This is pretty much what I have been trying to do; I guess my doubts come in when I think of them heading off to university with fingerings that may be “wrong” in a music professor’s eyes. And, still pretty confused about how to play the Eb Blues scale smoothly…
Neil Moore
I get what you’re saying, and it’s your call, but it sure is a tough road if we try to live our lives by the standards of others.
