Fantastic lesson! And so timely for me as I broke my right wrist in a fall five days ago. So now I have no option but to focus on my left hand, and I'm motivated to really give thought to each of your teaching points. Another thing I have decided to practice is managing leaps in the left hand without looking - for example, Chopin waltzes. Its something I have always been a bit clumsy with. So now I can see my silly fall as an opportunity and not just a darned nuisance. Thanks Kate!
Dr. Boyd - your students are incredibly fortunate; you have a gift for organizing piano pedagogy and explaining it fluently and accessibly. Many thanks for these contributions! I've studied, played, performed, collaborated for over 50 years and yet, there's always something to learn in this "gradus ad Parnassum"...
These tips are soo good :) And articulated: support, hand position, speed, accuracy... Even the examples were good. Made me sit down and play through these examples for an hour thru.
Thank you for such valuable information. I have been challenging myself to learn Chopin’s Étude No 12 for a while now and have struggled to play the left hand at speed. I have a few more tools to try now. Thank you! ❤
I am glad this video has been valuable to you! That piece is an excellent choice and the left hand does present many challenges, but I hope this video will provide helpful, new ways for practicing! 😊
Good advice all around. I clicked on this video to help with what i really struggle about. That is the salon albums, where the left hand are stereotypical, a bass note and a chord filler an octave away, with almost no variation. I gess that my uncle or the friend of my mother don't even look at the bass line. They feel the chords they have to play.
Glad this video has helped! A left hand part with many jumps like what you have described can be very difficult to play accurately and at tempo. I hope you will be able to apply these tips to your this style of playing! Happy practicing! 😊
I love the great way you explain things, thank you ! I am new to piano and music, but very stubborn for some things; this time I've decided to be able to play (slowly!) Sibelius opus 76 nr. 2 'Ètude' ... It's been 4 months since I've started (I do not practice for enough time) but I still love to try it; I combine it with other things like music theory, of course
Practicing left hand Alon is good forincrease speed and hand independents also , during that the R.H is free and can shed cords for the other hand . That I used
I recognize that using hand position minimize parsing fingers over the thumb or the thumb under the fingers, that is very comfortable and healthy ,thanks
Tip 8: Mirror your hands and/or mimic the notes in the left for right hand parts. This helps to correct position and motions in your hands. Tip 9: Always return to basics. If your hand is not improving, there’s something missing you are not taking into account. I recently started feeling improvement in my left hand. I basically did everything you proposed plus the things I m suggesting. In order to improve your hands you need to take a lot of time to understand deeply how the instrument, your hands and the combination of these work. Otherwise you will get stuck. So I had to go back to all the fundamentals and see what I have been missing or realize how to make it work better. Now I feel both of my hands way better. More articulated, precise and faster.
I appreciate all of your videos. My biggest left hand challenge is while playing Ragtime or Chopin Waltzes. Playing the bass with my pinky and then going up 2 octaves for the chord can get messy. And my pinky often misses the bass note. Any tips for playing this kind of stride in the left hand would be appreciated!
Try practicing these large distances by playing the bass note and quickly moving to play the following upper chord, repeating several times in a row. Repeat for descending distances as well, playing the upper chord and quickly moving to the bass note. Repetition is key! Slow practice for accuracy also is crucial. Hope this helps!
As an ex-'cellist I have a fairly good left hand. But there was still loads of good advice here which is not left hand specific! For speed I have heard also practising passages in staccato is helpful (presumably as it forces you to lift the fingers quickly after playing). Is this something you would use?
Yes, this kind of practice can be very helpful - but it's important to not use the entire arm on every note when you play staccato if you're working on speed.
@@ThePianoProfKateBoyd Very useful. Thanks. To be honest, I am working on my first Chopin Etude (so exciting!) Op10#3, so starting by practising the scary bit at measure 46. Maybe this is not the appropriate video for that. But if not you could always make another!? (he said cheekily). Using your metronome technique starting at about half my target speed (target 120bpm; I am not over-ambitious!), which is comfortable after a couple of runs.
![Play Fast Piano Passages with EASE [The FETCH Framework]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/_fhAq-p9wxw/mqdefault.jpg)
Watch this next: ua-cam.com/video/1TTAN95ASw4/v-deo.html
I will!
@@ThePianoProfKateBoyd I will do
As usual, several times I stopped the lesson and went directly to the piano!! Thanks Prof!
That's so great to hear - thanks!
Not only do you give great advice but you're also helping expose us to unknown repertoire!! Sartorio has some great pieces, thank you!!
You're very welcome! Happy to do it! 😊
Fantastic lesson! And so timely for me as I broke my right wrist in a fall five days ago. So now I have no option but to focus on my left hand, and I'm motivated to really give thought to each of your teaching points. Another thing I have decided to practice is managing leaps in the left hand without looking - for example, Chopin waltzes. Its something I have always been a bit clumsy with. So now I can see my silly fall as an opportunity and not just a darned nuisance. Thanks Kate!
Thanks! Sorry to hear about your accident! Good luck with your left hand!
Dr Boyd - your explanations and technical instructions are so clear and accessible. Thank you so much for sharing your gifts.
You are very welcome! I'm glad it has beenhelpful! Happy practicing! 😊
Dr. Boyd - your students are incredibly fortunate; you have a gift for organizing piano pedagogy and explaining it fluently and accessibly. Many thanks for these contributions! I've studied, played, performed, collaborated for over 50 years and yet, there's always something to learn in this "gradus ad Parnassum"...
Thank you so much for your comment! I feel fortunate to have the chance to work with my students!😊
Oh my god. This is what I need! Thank you so much! You are such a good person ❤!
Yay! You're so welcome! 🥰
I appreciate your clarity and all that you do for the piano community. Seeing you just looking at you make me want to become a better musician/pianist
It is my pleasure! 😊 Happy practicing!
The explanation about hand position changes @ 7:12 makes good sense. It is a valuable tip. Thank you
I'm glad it was helpful! Thank you! 😊
Thank you so much. a fantastic breakdown of practice strategies
You're very welcome! Glad it helped! 😊
Your videos are always so helpful. Thank you!
You're so welcome! Glad you're finding it helpful!
Amazing lesson Ms Boyd🙏🏾💯
Thank you! 🤗
That was really helpful, thank you! Specially cause I’m struggling with the left hand of Burgmuller’s Arabesque! 😊
Great to hear! You got this!
These tips are soo good :) And articulated: support, hand position, speed, accuracy... Even the examples were good. Made me sit down and play through these examples for an hour thru.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Happy practicing! 😊
Thank you for such valuable information. I have been challenging myself to learn Chopin’s Étude No 12 for a while now and have struggled to play the left hand at speed. I have a few more tools to try now. Thank you! ❤
I am glad this video has been valuable to you! That piece is an excellent choice and the left hand does present many challenges, but I hope this video will provide helpful, new ways for practicing! 😊
Thanks Kate 🎉
😊
Good advice all around. I clicked on this video to help with what i really struggle about. That is the salon albums, where the left hand are stereotypical, a bass note and a chord filler an octave away, with almost no variation. I gess that my uncle or the friend of my mother don't even look at the bass line. They feel the chords they have to play.
Glad this video has helped! A left hand part with many jumps like what you have described can be very difficult to play accurately and at tempo. I hope you will be able to apply these tips to your this style of playing! Happy practicing! 😊
I love the great way you explain things, thank you ! I am new to piano and music, but very stubborn for some things; this time I've decided to be able to play (slowly!) Sibelius opus 76 nr. 2 'Ètude' ... It's been 4 months since I've started (I do not practice for enough time) but I still love to try it; I combine it with other things like music theory, of course
Sound great - you can do it!! 💪🎹
Practicing left hand Alon is good forincrease speed and hand independents also , during that the R.H is free and can shed cords for the other hand . That I used
Sartario reference contains arrangements for the L.H, from Mozart ,Wagner ,… it is interesting
I recognize that using hand position minimize parsing fingers over the thumb or the thumb under the fingers, that is very comfortable and healthy ,thanks
Tip 8: Mirror your hands and/or mimic the notes in the left for right hand parts. This helps to correct position and motions in your hands.
Tip 9: Always return to basics. If your hand is not improving, there’s something missing you are not taking into account.
I recently started feeling improvement in my left hand. I basically did everything you proposed plus the things I m suggesting. In order to improve your hands you need to take a lot of time to understand deeply how the instrument, your hands and the combination of these work. Otherwise you will get stuck. So I had to go back to all the fundamentals and see what I have been missing or realize how to make it work better. Now I feel both of my hands way better. More articulated, precise and faster.
This is brilliant - thanks so much for sharing!!
Thank you Ma'am
You're very welcome! Happy practicing!
A left hand Masterclass. Merci
You're very welcome!
I appreciate all of your videos. My biggest left hand challenge is while playing Ragtime or Chopin Waltzes. Playing the bass with my pinky and then going up 2 octaves for the chord can get messy. And my pinky often misses the bass note.
Any tips for playing this kind of stride in the left hand would be appreciated!
Try practicing these large distances by playing the bass note and quickly moving to play the following upper chord, repeating several times in a row. Repeat for descending distances as well, playing the upper chord and quickly moving to the bass note. Repetition is key! Slow practice for accuracy also is crucial. Hope this helps!
Dear Prof I love your videos are very helpful
Could you please do a tutorial on Chopin aelion harp etude? Thanks!
Great suggestion! I'll add it to my list of ideas!
As an ex-'cellist I have a fairly good left hand. But there was still loads of good advice here which is not left hand specific!
For speed I have heard also practising passages in staccato is helpful (presumably as it forces you to lift the fingers quickly after playing). Is this something you would use?
Yes, this kind of practice can be very helpful - but it's important to not use the entire arm on every note when you play staccato if you're working on speed.
@@ThePianoProfKateBoyd Very useful. Thanks. To be honest, I am working on my first Chopin Etude (so exciting!) Op10#3, so starting by practising the scary bit at measure 46. Maybe this is not the appropriate video for that. But if not you could always make another!? (he said cheekily). Using your metronome technique starting at about half my target speed (target 120bpm; I am not over-ambitious!), which is comfortable after a couple of runs.
I can see my left hand weakness when playing arpeggios too.
Play Brahms study number 5 based on a Chaconne by Bach, or Scriabin left hand solos.
Great suggestion, thank you!
wow！🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Playing the fast scale if I didn't press to the key to the bottom sometimes it sounds too light or even didn't sound at all. What's the problem is?
You have to find the balance between too hard and too light. It's the Goldilocks story! 😊 🐻
🔥🔥👍❤
I recently bought the Berens book for left hand. It’s nice to have a short daily exercise exclusively dedicated to left hand.
Great tip!
Can the book be downloaded?
Context. Ty.
Play Bach Inventions.
Great suggestion, thank you!