Quick question....


In the Grade 8 Scale syllabus you are required to play a select major scales, with one hand, a third apart.

Do i need to use the pedal in order to achieve the legato feel or is there some wonderful fingering technique that will allow me to do it without ?

Well I was taught never to use pedal in any scale! You just have to get them as smooth as possible, though its difficult not to jerk when going from 3/5 to 1/3 (RH)

Fingering for right hand C major (Starting on C/E) - (1 is 1/3, 2 is 2/4, 3 is 3/5)

123121231212123, reverse for going down. Left hand is same but reading it backwards for down and reversing it for up.

Hope I got that right, no doubt I'll be corrected if not !

I am working through these scales right now. The legato can be achieved but by pressing down firmly and the abrbsm scales book for grade 8 gives finger suggestions. I've kind of used my own in the end as I can't remember the pattern of fingers off by heart but slowly and firmly pressing on the keys seems to work! They are a little tricky at first!

I just don't see how i can get finger 3 from the E to the A with it sounding legato...

I do have the Scales book

I'm afraid its the only way ! Wait till you have to do both hands together

Stop worrying and get practicing. As the fingers become fluent you'll figure out how to get the sound you are after. Until you have the basic co-ordination to play thirds (however badly) there is no point fretting it.

MT

When passing fingers over hold on to the top note of the pair you are moving from as long as you can.
'Cling and glide' was how my teacher described it.

I was taught that so long as one of the parts is legato the ear is tricked into hearing both parts legato.

The E/G to F/A problem - You need to keep the G held down with finger 5 and pass over fingers 1 and 3 to play the F and A. Similarly for other cross overs.

Good luck!!

Alternative fingerings -
my book (which is downstairs) has 2 versions and many years ago I learnt the one where one of the thirds is played with 1 and 2 (might be called "two-group"). Does anyone have any views on the merits of either?

Well I'm hardly fretting or worrying about it Tom lol. Although i take your point that the more it is practiced the more fluent it will become....something I'd have expected anyway.








Great advice, thank you. I was talking to a friend of mine who works at the RAM last night and he told me exactly the same thing

I didn't do that version and found that the first suggested fingering pattern was easy to learn once I knew which pair of notes were fingered 5/3 in each hand.I seem to remember it's only once an octave and twice an octave for the chromatic. Apart from that it's all alternating between 3/1 and 4/2.

My piano teacher prefers the alternative, but I found the first one much more easy.

Firstly, I can't believe I started this thread all the way back in September. Here we are in May and I'm no further on with much of my Grade 8 work (musical work being the main reason).

Now though I have entered the Grade 8 exam for block B and looking through the new scale syllabus.

I'm no doubt going to have loads of questions to pick your wonderful and varied minds with....the first of which is this...


I've recently been learning the Major and Minor Scales a third apart with hands together (as opposed to separate hands a 3rd apart as the thread was initially started) ...however, I've just realised today that I've actually been playing them a 10th apart. Do these scales quite literally need to be a 3rd apart or is that just a reference to the distance between the notes ? (i feel this makes no sense but can't think of any other way to type it.....)

I have read somewhere that they are allowed to be a 10th apart, im not sure if it might have been in the scale book, although i may be mistaken so someone can correct me if i'm wrong.

My instinct was to make them a 10th apart. When I started looking at the Major 6th scales I started to think that the hands were closer together and felt easier...then, went back to the 3rd scales and realised that the 3rds were actually written a 3rd apart...

I realise the scale books are written for "ease of reading" but in this case I could actually do with knowing the actual pitch I'm supposed to be starting on

You have to play them literally a 3rd apart.

So for C major:
LH = 5th finger on C
RH = 3rd finger on E
and continue like that - with the same fingering you would use with a 'regular' scale.

I don't see why you would be allowed to play them a 10th apart because the proximity in relation to your hand co-ordination is part of the skill/challenge.

Cheers for that

Think I will call the ABRSM tomorrow to check but having played the Major 6ths I started to think that the Major 3rds were probably supposed to be played in a like-wise literal way.

It does actually feel easier with the hands closer together.

Currently trying to learn one of the pieces (Sonata in D Minor) and my housemate has just come in, door wide open, and is playing and singing his guitar really loudly (and badly) in his room grrrr

Just spoke to the AB and they confirmed it is to be played a literal 3rd apart.

Cheers for the advice

Just going back to the original post....

Am I allowed to use different fingering for these thirds ?

I seem to find it easier alternating between fingers 1/5 (C/E) then 2/4 (D/F) throughout. It certainly sounds less clumpy than both the suggested fingering in the scale book

You can use any fingering that works!! If you want to see dozens of different fingereings for scales in thirds take a look at the Cortot edition of Chopin's etudes Op 10.