# Best studies for accuracy (hitting right notes)?



## cmhodge

Hi, I am pretty sophisticated musically. I play classical guitar at an advance level, have sung in choirs for years, etc. However, I am terrible at the piano! My biggest problem is hitting the right notes--if I have to jump to another position, I often miss. My eyes and brain can keep up with the music but the hands can't. I don't have the time now for lessons, but I was wondering if there were any suggestions on studies that can help with hitting the right keys?

thanks,
Chris


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## Rasa

Czerny, School of velocity


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## hlolli

I can agree on that, Czerny is very good for technique. I play sometimes easy 12 tone music, when you have mastered all the scales and arpeggios, the 12 tone music makes you really think about each note, increasing the accuracy very much. 



 This guy could play Liszt, Chopin and Alkan, "easy!".


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## Rasa

Haha, he's dressed like a prison-inmate gone crazy.


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## Saul_Dzorelashvili

hlolli said:


> I can agree on that, Czerny is very good for technique. I play sometimes easy 12 tone music, when you have mastered all the scales and arpeggios, the 12 tone music makes you really think about each note, increasing the accuracy very much.
> 
> 
> 
> This guy could play Liszt, Chopin and Alkan, "easy!".


The most ridiculous piece of music I have ever heard in my entire life.


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## cmhodge

OK, thanks for the responses. I actually have the Czerny Practical Method, op. 599, so I will try that for a while. One question on fingering--I notice that in this book and in many others, when there is a repeated note, you are told to use a different finger each time. What is the reason for this? Is it for speed, or legato playing, or just to make life difficult for beginners  ?


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## Rasa

It's for speed.

With one finger, you'd have to lift and let fall to repeat. These are two seperate events. However, with multiple fingers, the next one is falling as the previous one is lifted. This makes for a significant speed boost.


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## kmisho

Rasa said:


> It's for speed.
> 
> With one finger, you'd have to lift and let fall to repeat. These are two seperate events. However, with multiple fingers, the next one is falling as the previous one is lifted. This makes for a significant speed boost.


And accuracy and smoothness. Using different fingers for repeated notes even in slower parts can increase tempo accuracy.


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## Lukecash12

However, it isn't necessarily the only technique for repetitive notes. As long as you have minimalized the necessary motions to play the notes, your technique is just fine.

For example, try watching Aline d'ambricourt play:


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## Rasa

I wonder if that isn't just possible because of the instrument's different touch. I imagine this would be quite straining on a piano mechanic.


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## Lukecash12

Rasa said:


> I wonder if that isn't just possible because of the instrument's different touch. I imagine this would be quite straining on a piano mechanic.


You're right. That's a technique that should only be used by pianists who can first play repetitive chord studies without feeling tension because of uniformity in the rising and dropping motions and minimalizing of motion. The action on a piano is definitely harder.

However, if you are capable if the technique and use it for repetitive notes, you will find that playing a separate line whilst playing repetitive notes is much easier, and that when you are required to do so by a difficult study you aren't out of your element.


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## Rasa

I've heard of a technique though where, when playing quickly repetitive chords, one would make an additional motion with the wrist that should help stress relief. Never really seen it happen or managed to do it myself though.


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## Lukecash12

Rasa said:


> I've heard of a technique though where, when playing quickly repetitive chords, one would make an additional motion with the wrist that should help stress relief. Never really seen it happen or managed to do it myself though.


That's a periodic wrist flick/roll kind of thing, and my teacher Jenna did that. Not sure whether or not it's the best habit.

Shouldn't it suffice just to minimalize motion, hold the wrists correctly (and loosely), and rise and fall in a metered out uniform motion? I've never needed to do any more.


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## Ravellian

The trick in playing rapid chords (as in Scriabin's 5th piano sonata or Prokofiev's Toccata) is to get the arm involved. Let the arm "fall" into the keys, playing the entire series of chords in one rapid motion, in addition to having the wrist move very quickly up and down (in an actual performance, you can just barely see the wrist undulating up and down). You can't do it with just the wrists or you will get very tense, no matter how good you are. It also requires supreme strength of the fingers for proper voicing.

Above all, you must have absolute flexibility in the arm and wrist.


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## Lukecash12

@Ravellian: Well, I would say that a good litmus for chord attack is when your fingers actually touch the keys just before each time you depress a key with a finger. If you can minimalize your motion that much, then it shouldn't take very much arm motion to play repetitive chords. With that said, the arm and wrist position for that that I have seen espoused most well is a raised elbow with the wrist almost parallel to it, but pointed more upwards.


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## emma

cmhodge said:


> Hi, I am pretty sophisticated musically. I play classical guitar at an advance level, have sung in choirs for years, etc. However, I am terrible at the piano! My biggest problem is hitting the right notes--if I have to jump to another position, I often miss. My eyes and brain can keep up with the music but the hands can't. I don't have the time now for lessons, but I was wondering if there were any suggestions on studies that can help with hitting the right keys?
> 
> thanks,
> Chris


Accurate playing is controled by intonation. You have to internally sing all connections between sounds - then you'll feel distance between notes and always hit the notes!


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## jtattoo

I am new to this site, but like it very much. I do Hanon about 15-20 minutes, usually studies 21-30, then work on scales (I use a variety of methods to stay interested!). Then 10-15 minutes on Velocity. It has done wonders for me over the past year. The point is just doing something that is well organized, highlights your weak points and doing it everyday. Like brushing your teeth.......................J


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## Irfan

Haven't read all the posts, so I'm not sure if this is mentioned.
1) Relax your arms completely and make sure you have perfect posture.
2) Do NOT move your arms completely. When you're jumping from one position to another move your ELBOWS only. Do not even think about moving your upper arms. This really helped me A LOT when playing Rachmaninoff's Prelude Op. 23 No. 5 (G minor). Listen to it or see the notes, and you'll see how many jumps there are.
3) Play slowly. Yes, I know that you've heard this before, and you're most likely pretty impatient to play a piece fast and probably get over with it, but please trust me on this one. Try playing the piece VERY slowly for a whole week (never speed it up during the week) and only after the week has passed and you've spent a good amount of time on that same piece can you speed it up slowly.

I wish you the best of luck mastering accuracy.


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