Group 3
Welcome to the NEW TWO WEEK INTENSIVE on tonebase!
Improving your Scales with Dominic Cheli
We will be working on different techniques on building speed, virtuosity, and confidence in our scales with assignments posted by Dominic!
Post your progress with videos and written commentary on how things are going for you!
- Course Period: May 13 - 25
- Class Size: ALL are welcome!
- Optional check-In via Zoom: May 22 at 11am PT
- ZOOM MEETING LINK:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87650346065?pwd=iNGsfHMSqMVopfHw3bnxalYfaDuwpe.1
Assignment #1
In this assignment Dominic discusses "grouping practice" for your scales. This is a great way to increase your speed, finger control and independence.
- Choose a scale to work on (could be C major, or a relevant scale from your repertoire)
- Let's work on "2 note groupings"
- Start slow, start hands separate, and increase to 4 octave scales with both hands together
- IMPORTANT: Remember to keep the proper fingering at all times for the scale! (The Standard fingering found in any technique book, or in your decided fingering for a scale passage).
- Between each grouping, take as much time as you like, and focus on fast movements
- If a group poses trouble, stop and work on that specific part of the scale!
Assignment #2
1. Focus on your thumb and (optional) take a video of it!
2. Choose a passage to apply grouping practice to, and share why!
3. Make sure to focus on your scales and practice hands separately, even just polishing/perfecting a few groups! Don't need to complete the whole scale!
-
so I take it you use the same fingering with grouping as you do for normal scale practice????
-
Conrad Winn Yes! It felt kind of funny to put my thumb on scale degree 4 so quickly (F in C major). But I think that’s what we are probably aiming to do quickly.
-
Conrad Winn This is correct! Stick to the fingering that is the "core fingering" and do not switch the fingering! The whole point is to find the "friction" points, and practicing "ironing them out!"
-
-
Hello team - this is Harm, from Pennsylvania, good meeting you all. I liked how Dominic says that the traditional method is to use the metronome and click it up little by little - that's what I was doing, and I was at a ceiling, never getting past that point. I think the grouping may help move faster, will get going on that!
-
Harm Scherpbier Yes! Hopefully this helps, looking forward to your progress!
-
-
I'd like to increase my speed and agility with a view to applying similar techniques to my repertoire, especially Grieg's Butterfly which I'm currently playing rather slowly.
-
Janet Great! apply it to your repertoire!
-
-
I’ve been working on D major scale for 2 days, hands separate and together, with this method. I sweat!! First off, my fingering gets riled up, I neglect to consider the interval and start counting keys, and so much time goes by with the focus on “getting this” that I’m late for practicing the rest of my repertoire and exercises. But it’s all good!
-
Adena Glad that you are working on it - it can take some time to get into the swing of things!
-
-
I'm working on the chromatic scale (so, intervals of a minor third, not a perfect fourth) and D major. I've gone through the first hurdle of figuring out how to record a video for the first time using an Android phone. This one is the chromatic scale. Should I upload it here?
-
Douglas McCarthy Yes you can just upload here!
-
-
Hi, Dominic Cheli ! Could you write down a list of all the types of scales which a professional pianist should know? So I can practice on the ones I miss! Thank you!
Ciao!
-
Letizia Sure!
Major Scales
Minor Scales (Natural, harmonic, melodic)
Chromatic scales
Make sure to play them hands together and separately, 4 octaves up and down!
-
Dominic Cheli great! Thank you!
-
-
I took a video the first day and then I attempted to upload it but then I realized we're supposed to upload to YouTube and then post here. I haven't had time to do such a thing. I wonder if for the future is there an easier way to just upload directly to here? Anyways, I'll just join for the zoom meeting on Wednesday.
-
karen try: "attach file", choose the video and upload from your gallery!
-
Letizia I tried that that day but it didn't work. Maybe I did it wrong. I'll see whether I can do that again. Thanks!
-
karen Yes, just click the paper clip icon below when you click the "reply" button and you should be able to attach a video file!
-
-
I'm still waiting for an answer on this. I have my week 1 videos, compressed and all on Dropbox, but still don't know if we're supposed to upload here or at some YouTube address. No one seems to be uploading here in the forum. So I presume YouTube is the way. But where exactly?
Onward to passage work.
-
Douglas McCarthy Hi Douglas, you upload to your own Youtube studio (as public file) and give us the link here so we can all see. Cheers. SC
-
Sedef CANKOCAK Hi Sedef. Ta very much. Will do.
-
Douglas McCarthy try: "reply to topic", "attach file", choose the video, upload from your gallery!
-
Letizia Yes, thanks, and as I wrote and could demonstrate if I uploaded umpteen screenshots of the whole discussion thread in this group, no one else has done this.
Only today do we have Sedef who's followed her advice and provided a link to her passage video, and, from my end, she's the first to have posted anything at all.
-
Douglas McCarthy oh, Sorry, I thought you were looking for technical advice.
You can take a look to other groups and watch their submissions: group 1, 2 and 4!
If you want you can also Watch my video of Fantasia in D minor from March Springtime Recital, which you can see without being "public" on YouTube.
Ciao!
-
Letizia Thanks!
I won't submit my scale grouping videos at this point, but will instead provide a link to the one coming up on passage work, and use Sedef's suggestion on procedure.
Will have a look at your recording on YT too.
Auguri,
Douglas
-
Douglas McCarthy Yes, alot of people just upload their video to YouTube and then share the link here.
Or you can click the paper clip icon below when clicking "reply" and select the file from your computer!
-
