left hand dexterity independence (right handed person)

I have a big problem with the above, and I was wondering if any of you lovely people could make suggestions on exercises, and music in the more popular styles (but not pop) if possible that could help me improve it.

thanx ppl

I waited for one of the pianists in the group to answer your question, but , allas, in the smoke of the flame wars, none of them saw the question.

First there is no way to help acquiring 'left hand dexterity':

dexterity Dex*ter'i*ty, n. [L. dexteritas, fr. dexter: cf. F. dext['e]rit['e] - Right-handedness. (

(Obviously I choosed the 'right' definition amongst others)

Second, I am obsessed with the same problem. It is known that Czerny exercises are mostly 'right-handed' . Hanon practiced with both hands does not help either - the right hand leads the left hand. Moreover, unless the exercises are mirrored (as in Schmitt) , the left hand does not get the fair treatement the right one does - but as the piano is built as it is, we don't have many choices.

So... what I can do is to give the right hand a day or two off, and play with the left one alone. Sorry for the bad taste, but sometime I imagine that I'm left with the left hand only and try to do every thing with it : open bottle caps - feasible, tie the shoe laces - unfeasible. Even if the left hand keeps up with the right one (in some parallel exercises like Hanon) I don't feel it 'at ease' and completely relaxed. So I play left hand only, very, VERY slowly, monitoring the 'relaxation' of each finger after he finished his 'job'. I constantly compare the relaxed feeling of the right hand and try to duplicate it in the left one. In fast passages the left hand tends to get very tensed and, eventually, stops to react (gets 'cramped'. So far, I could not find any other way except playin a lot, slow, for extended periods, with the left hand alone. Do whatever you are inclined to do with the right hand - as playing by ear some tune - with the left hand. As 'Marbeth' said, get control - the speed will follow.

An easy way to watch for the left hand is to do the 'boring' exercises (Hanon, Schmitt) each measure first with the RH and then 'replying' to it with the LH. Also try to modify the 'rhythmic' patterns : dotted sixteenth at RH (lagging the second note) while LH plays normally and THEN try to do it with the LH while the right hand plays normally (an exercise in mental control). Or the RH playing twice as fast and then LH playing twice as fast as the Right. Any thing you can device to make left hand life misserable will probably help to get control over it (Just now, stop picking at your nose with the RH, use the LH - beware of that eye !)

And finally, give a Chopin Etudes recital at Pleyel Hall in Paris and keep us informed of the public response.

Good luck !

Maybe you should be trying to make yoru left hand more sinister or gauche! Leftie McKay

<snip>

kewl I'll give it a try, I guess I should have mentioned exactly what I want to do:

I'm soon to be getting my second (aha) synth (Korg Trinity for those of you for which this means anything, sickeningly it's only going to cost me £500 <<read and weep), and the band that I'm working with requires slightly more than your normal piano/organ/strings, basically I need to be able to play the piano cords in the left hand (rhythmycally not block) whilst soloing with the right, or whatever needs to be done, as well as the standard just playing on one keybaord.

And yes I do have allusions to being jean michelle jar or whatever his name is

Al

unattainable aspirations to geniusness

Al, the hardest part of playing two different things is rhythm. You need to focus on the rythm of the left hand and the rythm of your right hand wether it is soloing or not. One excersize that helps me is by actually slapping my left knee in the rythm of left hand and slapping my right knee in the rythm of my right hand. I know that seems goofy and stupid but it really helps to get the rythm down first then you can position your fingers on the correct notes and chords. you may want to give your self some standard 'rhythm' chops for your left hand. Something that you know you can always pull of a solo with. There is a left hand part from a song by the Allman Brothers called 'Jessica' which I often apply to other rock songs for my solos. there is a left hand part from 'Moondance' by Van Morrison which I can apply to many many blues solos. Always remember when you play two or more keyboards and 10 or more fingers

Passagework, Al? Exceptions occur, particularly in Op 740 {'The Art of Finger Dexterity}, and Op 299 {The School of Velocity}; since Czerny was already mentioned.

And greetings to you also, Radu, my friend! I trust you are well ... Best,

Gee, David, I was practically shouting for help in my post. I was expecting some teacher (with a better grasp of english) to jump in and gave some valuable advice.

As I was practicing today my left hand, devising new tortures, it crossed my mind to cross the hands. Wow, the left hand playing over the right one, in the octave starting at 'middle' C felt relaxed and 'at ease' while the RH started to have a hard time. I started to wonder if there is a regulation problem and put some coins to check the keys. It seems that the octave bellow the middle C is 'harder'. It is the octave which had been adjusted when I complained that it cannot be played soft (SAMICK, you know !).

Anyway, I'm now concentrating in practicing trills, mordents and other ornamentations with the left hand which are rare, but still appear here and there (Bach, Chopin).

Jean Michel Jarre. Mostly performing in open spaces (not in the small Pleyel Hall). For a start you might try eating frog legs 'schnitzels'. Delicious !

Bach's little preludes are full of them. I am learning the mordent an praller (correct english word??) right now to be able to play those beautiful little pieces.

Bye, Christof

aaah, you're preaching to the devil incarnate I feel, I gave up classics in favour of synthesiser technology and midi, with which I am now obsessed (and very poor).

Is there a book containing these which is available or for preference somewhere online I can download it (being a pauper)?

thanx

I can already vomit to a high degree of accuracy, surely this would just cause me to leave my keyboard unplayed? and thus have a negative impact on technique