READ ME and FAQ
WELCOME TO OUR LATEST TONEBASE PIANO COMMUNITY PRACTICE CHALLENGE:
Mini Challenge: The Pillars of Piano Technique
We invite you to participate in this mini challenge leading up to a livestream on
March 22nd at 11am PT with Penelope Roskell
The Pillars of Technique: an Interactive class with Penelope Roskell
Get started in this challenge by:
1. Picking a Pillar of Technique that you want to focus on
Check out this link to view the course!
2. Post a video of you practicing this technique in your repertoire, or excercise (Or just scale/arpeggio)
BONUS:
A Few chosen participants will be selected to participate in an interactive live stream with Penelope Roskell herself on March 22nd at 11am PT! Please also comment if you are available and willing to be considered!
When does this take place?
Challenge start: March 13th
Challenge days: March 13th - March 22nd
Why are we doing this?
Because we want to challenge ourselves to practice every day
Because learning together is more fun than learning alone
Because we get to share our progress with others (whether video or just text)
Because new music is wonderful and these pieces were written especially for us!
Because we want to meet our fellow tonebase community members
Because we get to hear new music which we might not play ourselves
ASK ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE BELOW!
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I have small hands and decided to relearn all my scales and arpeggios with Penelopeās suggested fingering from her book āThe Art of Piano Fingeringā. It is hard to unlearn what I learnt as a child, but I am finding they flow much more easily with her suggested fingerings. It would be great if she could talk a little bit about fingering in general and overcoming the challenges of small hands in playing. There are so many pieces I want to play, but sometimes it is hard to figure out how best to approach them. I can just reach an octaveā¦ Also is there a way to safely (without injury) increase the span of my hands?
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Sorry, I seem to be at a more basic level than the others here... It is wonderfully serendipitous that this mini-challenge is happening just as I finished updating my Hanon book with the new scale and arpeggio fingerings and said to myself "this week - C Major and C Minor". So this is the first week of tackling these new fingerings...
A few short videos:
C Minor melodic scale with new fingering...
Movie on 2023-03-18 at 2.10 PM
C Minor arpeggio with new fingering... Much easier for my small hands!
Movie on 2023-03-18 at 2.24 PM
Hanon exercise with cantabile touch (pushing fingers feeling). I did do the finger exercise on my knee for a month to kind of get the feel of it...
Movie on 2023-03-18 at 2.26 PM
A short clip of Bach using the nimble finger touch (flatter finger) which does seem to help to lighten it up a bit. But I had to really concentrate on staying on the flat pads of my fingers rather than curling them onto the tips (my "normal" playing style).
.Movie on 2023-03-18 at 2.28 PM
BTW I watched a YouTube video of Bach's 4 keyboard concerto with Martha Argerich, Evegny Kissen, James Levine and Mikhail Pletnev. It has great shots of their hands and the different techniques they all have! But on one overhead shot it looked like Martha Argerich was playing with very flat fingers. Here's the link, for anyone interested... https://youtu.be/tJ49G2-Chhs
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Gillian Thank you for all of this!
Would you be able to join the stream LIVE? Penelope would like to have a discussion with you regarding hand size (small hands)!
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Dominic Cheli Yes, I would love to. Thank you!!
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Gillian I watched the replay and I also have small hands. I am going to try these repertoires.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0739021982?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
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Hello everybody!
after many years, I resumed playing my beloved piano, starting from technique. Iām struggling with my fingers not following my orders anymoreā¦
Iād like to play faster scales and have no tension in my arms while doing technique
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My current challenge is Lisztās āUn Sospiroā; there are two main places that always fall apart under pressure, and Iād like to figure out why and how to fix them. One is the second section when the theme repeats with flying leaps in the left hand; the other is the bravura section in F with arpeggios in the right hand and more leaps in the left.
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Hi to all!!
My current challenge is the Etude op.10 no.4 of Chopin. The changing patterns and bringing out the melody in the chords (as much as possible) since I know itās not the main melody.
Dominic Cheli I want to be considered for the live stream with Penelope Roskell.Will upload videos later today or tomorrow :)
Thank you!
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Adriana LĆ³pez Hi, Penelope would like to work with one of your videos and you, LIVE if possible. Please upload it if you wish to be featured!
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Thanks much for this challenge. I have just started on the Brahms cello sonata, so more or less constant blind lateral leaps are the flavor of the month.
I thought an excerpt from mm107-115 of the first movement would be a great place to start. In addition to the leaps there are constant two note slurs emphasizing the weak beat, which I thought to practice by playing the second note quickly and staccato.
I have lost my voice, but I am mentally saying the keys. any advice appreciated.
oh, and it being chamber music my gaze is in the cellist and the score. I try not to watch the hands if possible.
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Harry Neuwirth I canāt make tone see uploads work.
here is a link to the video at youtube
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Harry Neuwirth Thank you for the video. Youtube is fine!
Would you like to join the livestream LIVE as a participant to talk about Leaps with Penelope?
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I would like to accept the challenge in playing the leaps in the Chopin B Flat Minor Sonata Scherzo.
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In the last "Ask me anything", Penelope offered to answer my questions about dealing with fibromyalgia / pain syndrome during the live Q&A.
Here my previous message:
Thank you so much
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Hello, Here is my Kulau Sonatina Op 20 No 1. I am working on scales. There are lots of opportunities to practice in here!
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Randi can you make your video "unlisted" or "public" we cant view it since it is "private" right now!
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Done. Sorry about that.
