correct way to play arpeggios piano-ology

[goodtone]

I came across this series of lessons on youtube. What do you think of the advice on playing arpeggios :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYySEUEAvj0

My teacher told me to rotate my arm and wrist and stretch my thumb under which is the complete opposite to the advice on the piano-ology video.
I'd be interested to know what you think
Thanks
GT

[markymark]

From a technical viewpoint, I disagree with his advice because it encourages musicians to take the easy way out using the sustain pedal and would be penalised heavily in an exam context.

The method you described is the standard way of doing it and eradicates the need for any use of the sustain pedal.

He certainly spent a lot of time talking about this 'pianological philosophy' but he's thinking way too much about it, not that it has done much good. There are some good ideas about using fingers to pivot and rotation of the wrist for example, but this should be viewed with caution imo.

[goodtone]

thanks for the advice Mark. There's a lot of conflicting advice out there so as a beginner it's difficult to sort out the good advice from the bad.

[joseph]

Basically there are a movements your hand can make quite naturally. I would be surprised for instance if anyone found it impossible to put their thumb on C, and their 2nd finger on the G below and play the two notes together (so the thumb is under the hand).

OK so if your upper arms are at about 45 degrees to the sides of your body, the slope from your shoulder to your elbow is also about 45 degrees, and you are relaxed, you should now be able to take that 2nd finger that is currently playing the G, and play the E above the C. That is the hardest part of the arpeggio.

Now, you may have to modify what you do slightly because you are probably a different size and shape to me.

Legato isn't just about connecting the notes, which you can obviously do with the pedal, it's about the sound relationships between the notes, and thats about the ear and the fingers.

[goodtone]

sorry, been offline and missed your reply Joseph. It wasn't a case of whether or not it's possible but whether it was practical. I found the piano-ology video quite convincing. If playing it at speed would it be practical to contort your hand like this or would you lift and reset the hand position as per the video. I'm sure if you did it skillfully enough then you could get it to flow and still make it sound legato.

[joseph]

Trust me, it is practical to play arpeggios the way I suggested at speed. I play them like that all the time, but I practise them slowly and methodically in every piece that I play when they occur. I aim to produce the best legato I can, and perhaps I produce something like the composer intended. It's not actually contorting your hand, it's making a movement that your hand can do naturally. Of course, done without due care it can become contortion.

The piano-ology website doesn't actually teach you to play a legato arpeggio. It teaches you to play broken chords slurred in three note groups, using the pedal to fill the gap. Different sound.