The composer or editor of a piece of piano music often includes suggested fingering as a part of the score. The student, or pianist, is expected to follow these guidelines as they play the music. Though this is meant to assist the pianist, it often annoys them instead. Beginning students especially, seem to see these fingering suggestions as just something more to get wrong as they are learning to play a complicated instrument.
They forget that memorizing correct piano fingering and correct placement of the hands is an integral part of learning to play the instrument properly. The person who made the fingerings in the score has likely had many years of training and therefore understands this principle. He includes the fingering into the music in an effort to assist the pianist, providing the most efficient hand movements possible and taking the intended flow of the piece into consideration. But the beginning students still wonder if the music would not sound just as good if they used different fingers.
Ultimately, isn't it the sound of the music, and whether the performance is appreciated by your audience the most important part?
The answer is that, though fingering is important, it is the consistency of the fingering that matters the most. In other words, if a different progression of fingers works best for you then it is OK to change the fingering as long as you stick to it.
If you are a beginning student of piano, it is always best to double check with your teacher to be sure that there is not some technical reason for the particular fingering. You could be making the piece more difficult to learn in the long run by making changes.
To help a particular pianist to create the fingering pattern that works best for them, it is helpful to learn a few basics about the technique and to keep some tips in mind.
1. It goes without saying that your hand should always be positioned so that your fingers are within reach of the keys that you want to use. If you will be playing a string of notes, you should consider starting the progression with your thumb and moving across your hand with each finger playing a single note. More complex music involving strings of more than five notes may require you to shift your thumb underneath your other fingers to begin the line again. In this way, you can play melodies that incorporate strings of many notes while still keeping to the one key to one finger guideline.
2. The fingers are different lengths and this can be used to your advantage as a pianist. If your piece requires the use of both the black and the white keys, you can use your longer fingers to reach over the white keys to hit the black ones while keeping your thumb tucked underneath your palm to strike the white keys. Your thumb also provides an effective pivot point for times when you have to execute a long scale or chord.
3. Every finger can be used! Both students and professional pianists tend to forget to use the ring finger when learning to play the piano, but this is a mistake. The only way to strengthen this finger, which often seems stiff and uncoordinated to beginning piano students, is to use it. Continued incorporation of the ring finger of each hand will help you to become more confident and independent in your playing. Besides, limiting yourself to 4 fingers of each hand means that you are utilizing only 80% of your available resources!
When you return to your music, keep these tips in mind and you will have a new understanding of the importance of fingering! The printed fingerings are put in place to help you to play better but they cannot account for everything. If you understand why they are there, you can develop a plan that works for you!
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