Roy's Practice Diary - Month 3

Hilda Hello Hilda, you seemed to have the impression that I was becoming frustrated by fingering.  This used to be the case as I have a number of very old Urtext editions in which the fingering is completely neurotic - in my opinion - but I thought that the only way to play the pieces properly was to do all of the given fingering.  I think I have had a break-through this month in that Penelope Roskell advocates a range of alternative fingerings in scales, many of which I have accepted, some of which I have accepted in one hand but combined with the traditional fingering in the other.  This revelation about fingering started when I first joined TB and Dominic  was demonstrating chromatic fingers at the top end of the piano.  I think he did three different versions, at full speed.  I thought there was only one chromatic fingering until then!  I understand now what my piano teacher said almost in the first lesson, "There are often recommended fingerings in the score.  I will change those sometimes but you should choose the fingering best suits you best.  However, if you change the fingering when you play the music then change it in the score too."  I have realised that the latter is really important and I have not done it consistently with the result that, on occasions, my brain has to read the notes along with the fingering in the score [that I am not using] and then cope with my fingers doing their own thing! 

Here is my practice diary that I think is now in the correct place on the portal unlike previous versions.  My plan for this month regarding scales and arpeggios is to practise all of them over the course of the month! 

My media skills have gone through a steep learning curve this month too.  Thank you Schubert!

Another break-through this month came from Leann Osterkamp on TB, who said practise separate hands just to learn the fingering, then play hands together.  Otherwise you are learning the piece three times - LH, RH and then both together.  I have done the separate hands method for years and only put hands together in scales when I came back to the piano and found TB!  Such a find!