Ernest Hutcheson - The Elements of Piano Technique

(ffifflNIQUE fl

(jnest f}utdiEson. Price

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1.25 net.

(Excepting Canada.)

Copyrighted 1907 by Ernest Hutchesoo. English Copyright Secured

THE

Q. FRED

KRANZ Music

327 N. Charles

Street,

BALTIMORE, MD. PNINTftD IN U.

A.

Co.,

Mf

PREFACE.

Many

of the

exercises contained in this

are purely preparatory in nature al

or

special ute

some

omit as

not

hesitate

apology.

my aim

to

act directions for practising

of an exercise, however,

the

to

It is

11,

re-

ise

I

is

ic*!

moment pretended

that this short treat-

original. No particu-

any respect startlingly is advanced or defended.

Maria von Unschuld, Die

I

Buok

I.

Hand des

Pianisten.

Malwine Bree, The Groundwork of the Lcschetisky

To the pupil who has really mastered the elements of technique, the studies of Cierny and other

composers supply

not for a in

Kullak, School of Octaves.

altogether excluded, because

that remains lacking in

many

Zwintsehcr, Technical Exercises.

ad-

Method.

it.

all

some

everything unessential and repetitive. Some of the books which have been consulted are:_

most ex-

disbelieve in the necessity or expediency of spending

time on

the

have merely un deavored to bring the best ideas contained in a large number of modern works into a small compass, discarding

vantage to suit peculiar needs. 'Advanced'' technique

is

lar "method"

them properly. The form

may often be modified with

Teacher" perhaps require

recognise the value of occasional hints from a practical pianist. These notes, it is hoped, will also be of benefit to advanced students.

reduce the exercises to the

greatest possible simplicity and to give

to the

have given them for the sake of

ers, gladly

when once they have thoroughly served their

purpose. It has been

I

teachers who, not claiming to be accomplished perform-

as can be spared in each individual case.

Preparatory exercises, for instance, such as Exs. 1,2, 1ft, 20 26, etc., may be discarded (except to correct lapse*)

The "Notes

permanently some stages of study or should

pupils, but the teacher

many

work

Only about twenty are

eNBcntial. All are necessary at to

little:

Others are for occasion-

Moszkowski, Ecolc dcti Doubles Notes.

mechan-

Schmidt,

equipment.

i,

FK

I

Das Pedal dex

Pianoforte's.

Notes on Backs "Well -Tempered Clamekord'.'

GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR PRACTICE.

1

middle of the keyboard, about so high that the elbows are on a level with the keys, and for-

Sit before the

ward 2.

in

merely to repeat 6

your chair. The chair must not be too near

the keyboard. Do not stoop. The upper part of the body, indeed,

4.

mechanically. the exercises in this book are written out

hand

only-

The

left

7.

Watch your fingers as you practise. Listen to every note you play, and judge whether

good plan

Try

improve whatever you are

three days 8.

studying,

be played directs.

same fingering. Those marked C. It is a

not intended for transposition are

it

not

is to

Nearly all the exercises are meant to be transposed into different keys, keeping the

to

hand

an octave or two octaves lower, as the teacher

lean slightly forward but the shoulders should not be rounded. Do not make faces.

sounds well or not. 5.

all

for the right

may

3.

Nearly

it

to choose a if

new key every week, or every

preferred.

Practise slowly, and usually with only one hand at a time, at least until you know the exercise thoroughly.

5-33

SECTION

I.

Hand- position, Finger- action, and Touch Exercises.

Exercise

Exercise

1.

3.

Place the fingers on the notes-. t z

Directions: 1

Curve the fingers so that they touch the noteswith the tips. Hold the nail -joint of th- fingers firm,

and 2.

Direction-*.

vertical position Keep the wrist low and ^lightly oifttcagd from the in

I

body. 3.

4.

5.

3 and 4

Keep the knuckle* rather high and firm, so the hand will be slightly arched.

Do not little

let

the hand slope

downward toward

arm

'I

tn>-

3

let

the weight of

Hand position as 1

The wrist may occasionally be raised or lowered to ensure relaxation, but not

may be necessary

only the

to use the following

8.

.

Directions: -

used

at n, raise

it

at V

:

(these signs

same sense throughout the the wrist movements at first: Exaggerate in

the

Exercise

afterwards moderate them. 2.

preparatory

A.

J

volume)

often so

Normal Hand -position.

2.

will be

is

difficult to beginners, especially to children, that it

inward.

Lower the wrist

Keep the weight of the arm on the key*, holding them down steadily with the fingers.

Hand -position UK before This exercise is meant to combine looseness of wrist 8.

with correct hand -position.

o r K

direc-

Avoid stiffness

Exercise

1.

Read again the

exercise:

This may be called the

Exercise

before.

with regularity as in Ex 2. A correct performance of Exs 3 and 4

Hold the

thumb well away from the hand, turning

.

and" Keen the fingers well curved.

tions for Ex

rest on the finger-tips, keeping the notes

steadily down. 6. Separate the fingers from each other.

tip

That

finger.

Hold wrist and arm loose, and the

and drop the fingers with the greatest precounting"! and 2 and

Lift

cision (see end of Note 4

i

3.

B

j

There must be a great deal of weight in the touch. The tone should be strong but sweet: lis-

3.

ten to

Exercise

it

carefully.

6.

These exercises should be discarded as soon as Ex. 3.

can be played without stiffness. Other good methods of avoiding excessive difficul-

ty at the outset are: 1. Omitting the thumb in Exs. 2.

1

and

2.

Practising Exs. 1-4 very lightly at first gradually increasing the weight of the touch

Directions: 1.

The same as for Ex. 5, but take care

that all three

(or four) notes of each ehord arc equally strong.

Play vigorously. 2.

Hand -position

3.

Practise first with each hand separately. Observe

as usual.

the fingering, which is the

Exercise

same

for all keys.

7.

i

23 34

X

4

S

Directions: 1.

Hold down to play.

2.

3.

all

the fingers except the one

f

about

Keep them curved, and watch them. Practise slowly. Begin softly:

8

4

lat-

Play legato. er, increase the tone, always avoiding stiffness. Lift the fingers with precision. The fourth and fifth fingers

may be

lifted

more than the

but the thumb should be raised very

others,

Directions:

little.

Drop the arm on the

first note

of each bar

;

lift

it

after the second note, but do not shorten the second

Exercise

5.

note more than necessary. is a combination of portamento and

(Portamento.)

Exercise 7

and

legato,

particularly instructive (though far from difficult), because it contains the germ of proper phrasing.

Directions: 1.

2.

Exercise

Drop the whole arm

(not merely the

on each note: raise

it

let the

is

elbow

rise

and

at the rests.

fore-arm) Be sure to

4 5 8 4

fall.

The wrist must be very loose and yielding. The fingers should move very little, always staying quite near the keys.

O.F.K. 1

2

:i

1

2

8. (Legato.)

i!

11 *3*

\etc.

4

8

V

Directions:

Lower

etc.

the wrist at the sign n, raise

it

Do not

at V.

make

the movements jerkily. Preserve the legato carefully, and try to produce a full, round, singing tone. The fingers need not be lifted very high.

Exercise

11

has two objects, looseness of wrist

It

may

also be used in the following variations:

and

production of singing tone. All legato melodies are played with more or less of this up-and-down wrist motion, which

maybe exaggerated

etc.

for purposes of study.

The tone should be produced by the weight

of the arm,

the finger-tips resting firmly on the keys.

etc.

Exercise 12. In all cases, observe the different fingerings, and do not forget transposition into other keys.

Exercise

14.

Directions:

Continue as tion,

in

Ex.

11,

but with less

and add a slight

up-and-down mo-

outward movement

of

the

wrist"at the points marked 3. The combination of the two motions imparts what may be called a "rolling" action to the wrist.

Do not exaggerate

43243 64364

this.

Exercise

etc.

15.

to

n

i etc.

V

4

ft

a

to\

* -f

i

5432

*

I

i

The following variations of Exercise 15 if

desired)

may be

(and others,

used;

Exercise 13 should also be practised with different accents, thus:

do not forget what has already been learned. Keep a good hand- position; use proper finger-action, attending particularly to the In practising Exercises 12

m

c)

curve and etc.

loose;

and

and speed.

*>

That

is to say,

turn

it

a

little

farther out from the body than usual. G.

F.K.I

lift

-

15,

of the fingers; hold the

arm and

wrist

listen to the tone. Gradually develop strength

We cone now

to a

form of action which

is

ments until the fingers hardly leave the keys and the exercise is performed entirely by a slight but rapid shaking of the arm The fingers need not be so much curved as aiual

often

a great difficulty to beginners, vn., the Tremolo The following preparatory exercise is useful

Exercise

16.

Exercise 18.

etc.

Directions:

At

at,

raise the

thumb ax high as possible after hand and vrist bod-

each note by tnrntng the

holding the little finger down as a pivot. At b), raise the little finger in a similar manner, holding the thumb down as a pivot.

ily,

Exercise

17.

Directions:

Practise until great velocity and complete ease are attained. Small hands may substitute the folluwing;-

etc.

Exercise 19. is*

Directions:

when playing slowly, combine the motions a) and b). The whole arm will turn slightand to fro on its own axis, it must be perfectly loose. Increase the speed and diminish the movely

Thin very "stupid" exercise is included because it shows a form of Tremolo -action very common in Molart's and Beethoven's works and often troublesome to

In Ex. 17,

of Ex. 16

inexperienced hands

SECTION

III.

SCALES. Exercise 20 The peculiar difficulty of scale -playing is the putting of the thumb under the hand and of the hand over the thumb. This difficulty may best be attacked by Meant of the preparatory exercises Jios. 20 - 26.

*) Ijterelse*

marked C

are not to be transposed

OPK

1

10

them

in position exactly over their proper Preserve looseness and good, even tone.

3

4

Exercise 23.

Directions: 1.

well outward from

The wrist must be held

the

body, and must preserve this position in all the scale- exercises and in playing scales. The

hand

must not move during

must

this exercise, but

not be in the least decree 2.

it

stiff.

Count four. In Ex. 20 a), play C at the first beat; place the thumb on P, touching the note, at the second beat, play F at the third beat; and let the thumb return to C, touching the note, at the fourth beat. Treat Ex. 20 *)., c), ana d) similarly.

3.

the thumb from the keys; let it glide from note to note. The motion, must be very rapid and pre-

Do not

lift

cise. 4. 5.

Keep the fingers properly curved. The small crosses indicate the moment at wnich the thumb must move; they will always be used in this sense in future exercises.

6.

Play each repeat many times.

Exercise

21. C. 4

Directions:

The same as for Ex. 20. The thumb must always prepare

Exercise 22. n

next note at the sign x.

its

C.

128132

1

5

3

!

1

1

^

1

,

2

3

4

|2 3 4

1

4 3 2

SI 3 *

_

j .

1

Directions:

As above. Be sure

to retain the

of the wrist throughout.

outward position

Curve the fingers and hold

*t :

" 1

C.

notes.

11

Exercise 25.

G.

Exercise 27 sA*' i

s

4 *

i

t

riyioi

The student should now proceed to practise major. melodic minor, and harmonic minor scales in all keys,

Directions:

wrist above. Keep the fingers curved and the with good, even loose, always well outward. Play

As

at first slowly, in

only,

and with each hand

separately.

Do not raise the thumb.

tune.

two octaves

The next exercise combine* the hand and thumb movements No new direction* ore required. but A!) those given for Exercises 2(i-2f> must be remembered

The fingering of the thirty- six different scales is usually a source of much distress to the beginner. And yet

should not be very difficult, provided that scale

it

formation

is

-

understood. To begin with, do not think

thumbs or where they come in the scale. you only remember when- the fourth finger falls you know the whole scale, for the fourth finger is used but once in each octave. about the

Exercise 26. a

I

C.

If

4

1

1

4

,

1

t

1

1

o

o

1

2

4

1

.1

<