fingering
Walk at 11
Any advice on “Walk at 11”? I’m struggling with this one. Do just one level per week (advanced levels may need more than one week). Level 1 LH isn’t too challenging because it is based on Honey Dew chords. Make sure you have them stick…
Blues Scale Fingering
Is there anywhere in the program that explains how to count and play triplets? (of quarter, eighth or 16th notes)? When doing the blues improv in some keys, like Eb, the blues scale notes don’t seem to fit with I, IV, V. In other keys…
Bishop Street chords: identifying and playing with small hands
I’m trying to figure out the I, IV, V chords in Bishop Street Blues. I know how to play it, but what are these chords? What makes it a I, IV, and V? Are the inverted/suspended/diminished chords? I wouldn’t explain it to my students at…
Lack of expressive instructions in classical pieces
I’m wondering why there are no expression, dynamic, or tempo indications in the written music, particularly on classical pieces. It seems to me that especially by the Development levels, wouldn’t that be important for students and to be faithful to what the composer intended? I…
Fur Elise 3+3 fingering
One of my Foundation 2 students was wondering re: Fur Elise if she could use just the RH (no LH) for the 3+3 (after the 9 E’s). She said she feels that may be simpler or easier. She did not argue as such, she was…
Difficulty in playing finger 5 on chords
I have a student struggling to play all three notes of the triad evenly. She is playing fingers 1 and 3, but neglecting to push down finger 5 consistently. Any tips on how to work with her on this? See if she can rotate the…
Fingering with large hand span
To any with a very large hand span: what advice do you have for a young adult whose hands are so large that playing a chord with fingers 1, 3, 5 is as uncomfortable as playing C, E, E with those fingers would be for…
Fur Elise C section, LH fingering
Is there a significant advantage to using fingers 321 beginning with the 3 as opposed to beginning the first count with finger 1 (132132132) in the left hand of Fur Elise in Foundation Level 7? I just tried it. I find 321321 easier, particularly at…
Fur Elise Level 7 LH fingering on repeated notes
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…
Student is learning Fur Elise from keyboard with incorrect fingering
I’m teaching Fur Elise to a group of boys in Foundation 1. One came in today talking about his keyboard: “It has all of Fur Elise. It’s a really long song! We’re only learning a little bit of it”. Apparently it has lights or sounds…