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What are the main problems with playing piano scales in graded exams?
For pianists, what is the most difficult thing about playing scales on the piano, and how can problems with the thumb be dealt with?
I hear hundreds of pianists a years in the competitions I judge ( NYSSMA) in NY. This is muscle memory, pure and simple; make sure that each hand knows the correct fingerings, and that when you play, both hands are perfectly together. I hear players get in trouble when one hand is *audibly* ahead of the other - this tactile disparity creates great nervousness in the player (and doesn't do much for ME, either . . ). Yes, you have two thumbs - so? You also have two fourth fingers, and they are more problematic for many players. Your best friend in the practice room is slow, relaxed yet deliberate tempo. Group the scales according to like fingerings - practice a group each day. Do not attempt to pay ALL the scales each day until you are certain they are stable; you will find yourself rushing and crashing thru. Better to do less and do a better job. Every instrument has its easy scales, and its inconvenient ones; I usually ask the student which scales they would like to play first. The ones that say "I don't care - C??" do not know how the hand works at the piano. The ones who look at me as if I have given them a gift, say "Really?? - Oooh - B!" - or Db, Gb, maybe E - all the one where you hand gracefully falls on the black notes. THESE kids know scales!!
PLAN to practice - do not just throw yourslef at ALL the scales. Think about fingering and how these fit the hand. Good luck!
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