Week 2 Thread: The Era of Haydn and Mozart!

Antonella Di Giulio One day perhaps but not yet, certainly not the Mozart.  It would be sacrilegious! 

I am returning to the piano late in life.  My first target was to practise all of the major and harmonic minor scales in similar motion, and then I followed that by adding the arpeggios.

Dominic set out a few weeks ago that routine 'basic' scales practice should include contrary motion and a third apart, and dominant 7ths should be added to the arpeggios.

The standard of playing on TB is so high that I want to be able to get around the choreography of the piano before sharing my efforts with the world.  To that end, I am now working through all of the additional basics at six scales on three weeks' rotation, three major and three harmonic minors.  It will take me three months to go through all of them.  I am now in the 5th week.  It's going much better than I expected.

I shall then rotate the 'basics' at six majors and minors over a two week period - covering all the majors and minors in one month.  I shall finish by establishing a routine of half of the majors and harmonic minors each week - so a two week rotation.  I don't have enough time or energy at the moment to attempt to do all of them every day.

I shall then be in a position to consider sharing my learning steps with others - but not until.  Those are my thoughts a present. 

My plan is then to turn to introducing double thirds. 

I have written elsewhere about the pointlessness of practising melodic minor scales, which was a little facetious, but it is true to some extent - say on the flute - although I always did them as part of my flute practise, in any case.  They are the same as the majors on the way up apart from the minor third, and the same as the relative major on the way down, but starting a minor third loser than the relative tonic. 

Of course, it's a completely different story on the piano - especially with thirds and contrary motion to accomplish!  Although, as we know, Martha Argerich said she didn't bother with practising minor scales [when she had become a phenomenally talented adult after being a precociously talented child!].  No doubt her childhood training included the minors!

However, Ms Argerich's reasoning included that she preferred to practise the minor sections in her repertoire. 

This has a lot of sense as most composers mix the two minors along with the modes, so there becomes little point in developing a muscle memory that then becomes a challenge when the music requires something other. 

However, I shall devise a plan for the melodic minors when the 'basics' have settled down into a routine.

My reason for writing this essay is to start a discussion for some of us who are returners or even new adult beginners. 

The usual approach with a child would be to add batches of scales for examination purposes in each progressive grade - through into the teenage years. 

The learning curve of an adult is much steeper so we can take on more material.  Also, there may not be enough years left to progress as slowly as a child!  

Has anyone developed a scales and technique methodology for adults, who have not completed their training as pianists when they were children?            

Antonella Di Giulio Thank you again.  You have confirmed that my approach is similar to your own.  I am building up my technique in stages.  I have looked at the whole of the Kuhlau and the Mozart and am going to analyse them for structural elements that they have used and then practise them separately as exercises.

I shall find the Beringer.

It's not that I don't think that TB is not a safe space, nor that I am nervous of playing to others.  I am a trained flute player from many years ago, albeit that I still play in public from time to time.  The difference between my facility on the flute and the piano is vast and I need to have more technique under my belt before it would be worthwhile for anyone to hear my renditions.

This community challenge and your guidance has come at exactly the right time for me.  Also, I was once a sociologist.  It's like being a musician.  It never stops being a part of our lives.

Roy James-Pike Antonella Di Giulio Double [triple?] negative...apologies...it's not a Freudian slip...

Correction... 'It's not that I think that TB is not a safe space...' etc.

Antonella Di Giulio I think that Dominic shared info with us on some wonderful Brahms exercises many months ago?  I was enjoying them and then got too busy to give them the attention they deserve.

Antonella Di Giulio Buon compleanno (in un poco di ritardo!)

Antonella Di Giulio Yes, Dominic gave the us the link for the Liszt ones also.  I just need to find the time to practice!

Roy James-Pike 

in answer to your question about a method for adults who did not learn their scales as a child: I did not practice scales much at all until I was an adult. I then learned all the majors first in fall semester, one new scale per week, Then all the harmonic minors in spring semester. I practiced them in parallel and contrary motion in what I believe Dominic referred to as the “grand scale?” Up two octaves, out two, back in, then up another two then back down similarly. After that crash course I practiced 4 scales a day - 2 majors and their relative minors so I was reviewing them all every week. I continued that for several years until they were pretty well ingrained. 

Susan Rogers Yup, we REALLY need to drill those scales to make them part of us.  As a kid in the summers, I would actually put a book on the music stand and read something while I played scales.  That way I could eventually do them automatically.