Am I playing the F scale right?

[Amber_Bagz]

Hi

I recently joined a piano class in Chennai, India. The first class was about scales (major and minor) and their fingering. The fingering pattern for the F (major) scale was

RH: 123 12345 -> (What I'm being taught)
LH: 54321 321

But any fingering chart that I see online shows this fingering pattern

RH: 1234 1234 -> (What I see online)
LH: 54321 321

Could someone please tell me if I'm being taught some "wrong" technique?

[Gill the Piano]

Your chart shows the only fingering I have ever used for F major as it is well nigh impossible to place the thumb on the B flat using the first fingering you mention. So RH 1234 1234.

[Colin Nicholson]

Time to change teachers if getting the basics wrong!!. F major right hand (only) never uses the 5th finger, for any amount of octaves. Gill correctly shows fingers for one octave ascending.
Buy the ABRSM scales and broken chords - Grade 1, has it in there. Not to be confused with the broken chord which omits the B flat, so using 1 3 5 at the start.

[gizzy]

I think it's possible that the OP has just been taught the standard fingering for all white-note scales, and has not yet been taught that F in RH is different - if they have just learnt what the notes are, they may be thinking ahead (just trying to give the teacher the benefit of the doubt)

To the OP - there are in fact many ways to finger all scales, though some are more sensible than others. Even in the early grades, the 123 12345 fingering is what's taught, but an advanced player may choose something different - the simple reason is that you would need to learn different fingering for every scale, almost. Anyway, when a scale appears in a piece of music, it is very often not quite the way you play it when just studying the scale on its own, so you have to adapt.

The very best fingering for any scale is one where the thumb turn goes under from black to white, and fingers-over from white to black - there are some refinements even within that, but that kind of turn is most comfortable. When you get several sharps or flats in the key, the scales are actually far more comfortable (physically( to play, even thought they may hurt your brain more!

Hi to Colin and Gill, sorry I've been absent so long. Umm, got a bad back - yes that does sound about as plausible an excuse as the little girl in The Sound Of Music who says she can't sing because she's hurt her finger : will Try To Do Better!

gizzy in Cambridge

[worov]

Here are the fingerings for all scales :

Major scales (over two octaves):

C
Rh: 123 1234 123 12345
Lh: 54321 321 4321 321
G
Rh: 123 1234 123 12345
Lh: 321 321 4321 321 43

F
Rh: 1234 123 1234 1234
Lh: 321 4321 321 4321 3

D
Rh: 123 1234 123 12345
Lh: 21 4321 321 4321 32

Bb
Rh: 4 123 1234 123 1234
Lh: 321 4321 321 4321 3

A
Rh: 123 1234 123 12345
Lh: 21 321 4321 321 432

Eb
Rh: 3 1234 123 1234 123
Lh: 321 4321 321 4321 3

E
Rh: 123 1234 123 12345
Lh: 54321 321 4321 321

Ab
Rh: 34 123 1234 123 123
Lh: 321 4321 321 4321 3

B
Rh: 123 1234 123 1234 1
Lh: 1 321 4321 321 4321

Db
Rh: 23 1234 123 1234 12
Lh: 321 4321 321 4321 3

Gb(F#)
Rh: 234 123 1234 123 12
Lh: 4321 321 4321 321 42

Minor scales (harmonic):

Am
Rh: 123 1234 123 12345
Lh: 321 321 4321 321 43

Em
Rh: 123 1234 123 12345
Lh: 54321 321 4321 321

Dm
Rh: 123 1234 123 12345
Lh: 54321 321 4321 321

Bm
Rh: 123 1234 123 12345
Lh: 1 321 4321 321 4321

Gm
Rh: 123 1234 123 12345
Lh: 21 321 4321 321 432

F#m
Rh: 34 123 1234 123 123
Lh: 4321 321 4321 321 4

Cm
Rh: 234 123 1234 123 12
Lh: 21 321 4321 321 432

C#m
Rh: 34 123 1234 123 123
Lh: 321 4321 321 4321 3

Fm
Rh: 1234 123 1234 123 1
Lh: 21 321 4321 321 432

G#m
Rh: 34 123 1234 123 123
Lh: 321 4321 321 4321 3

Bbm
Rh: 4 123 1234 123 1234
Lh: 21 321 4321 321 432

D#m
Rh: 3 1234 123 1234 123
Lh: 21 4321 321 4321 32