Anyone have any tips on shredding on a keyboard?
Do I just need to practise practise practise scales/arpeggios etc etc?
Improving finger speed?
-
Count_fuzzball Count_fuzzball https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=182471
- KVRian
- 765 posts since 9 Jun, 2008 from Ireland
-
- KVRian
- 1084 posts since 12 Sep, 2008 from Your basement
http://www.amazon.com/Charles-L-Hanon-V ... 0769285775Count_fuzzball wrote:Anyone have any tips on shredding on a keyboard?
Do I just need to practise practise practise scales/arpeggios etc etc?
-
Count_fuzzball Count_fuzzball https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=182471
- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 765 posts since 9 Jun, 2008 from Ireland
This'll help me with my sight-reading as well! 
-
- Skunk Mod
- 21249 posts since 10 Jun, 2004 from Pony Pasture
Stay young and don't type too much. :-S
Sorry, unhelpful. Yes, I think practicing (however spelt) is about the only way. Helps if your arms and hands are the right shape and size and so forth but I know plenty of people who've made the most of what they had. Sadly I'm not among that group, am slow and plodding at best.
Sorry, unhelpful. Yes, I think practicing (however spelt) is about the only way. Helps if your arms and hands are the right shape and size and so forth but I know plenty of people who've made the most of what they had. Sadly I'm not among that group, am slow and plodding at best.
-
- KVRist
- 63 posts since 2 Dec, 2003 from from the undifferentiated everything to the individuated I
Scales up and down with both hands doing the same.
Scale up and down then up with right but down with left from your starting note so your hands are now moving away from each other doing the scale (right up left down then back to center).. .then both down, then up... keep doing this starting as slow as you need to keep it together.
When you're good at that, put pennies on the middle of the back of your hands while doing it and do it all over trying to keep the pennies on your hands from from falling off.
This will train your hands to be in a good active position for optimizing your fingers moving along the keyboard. Proper arching of your hands and only moving your fingers will definitely improve your finger speed & dexterity.
Yes I did all these things as part of Royal Conservatory of TO piano lessons.
Sorry if this is old news... you didn't mention how far along you are.
Scale up and down then up with right but down with left from your starting note so your hands are now moving away from each other doing the scale (right up left down then back to center).. .then both down, then up... keep doing this starting as slow as you need to keep it together.
When you're good at that, put pennies on the middle of the back of your hands while doing it and do it all over trying to keep the pennies on your hands from from falling off.
This will train your hands to be in a good active position for optimizing your fingers moving along the keyboard. Proper arching of your hands and only moving your fingers will definitely improve your finger speed & dexterity.
Yes I did all these things as part of Royal Conservatory of TO piano lessons.
Sorry if this is old news... you didn't mention how far along you are.
-
- KVRian
- 756 posts since 21 Sep, 2006 from Kranj, Slovenia
Dang, how to explain that ..... we'd need a video conference. It's an exercise we called Marching Russian soldiers.
Practice the passage slower, but .. um .. move the finger quick, then pause, then move quick again, then pause ... and the striking finger moves in lightning fast and strong and aim for the very center of the key, while the "previous" finger is lifted exagerratingly high.. so if e.g. you're practicing with 2 and 3 fingers alternatingly, it'd remind someone with vivid imagination of a finger puppet goose-stepping...
make any sense?
Practice the passage slower, but .. um .. move the finger quick, then pause, then move quick again, then pause ... and the striking finger moves in lightning fast and strong and aim for the very center of the key, while the "previous" finger is lifted exagerratingly high.. so if e.g. you're practicing with 2 and 3 fingers alternatingly, it'd remind someone with vivid imagination of a finger puppet goose-stepping...
make any sense?
Every time you use autotune, God kills a kitten.
Please, think of the kittens.
Please, think of the kittens.
-
- KVRAF
- 7791 posts since 20 Jul, 2004 from Clearwater
That's what she said.Count_fuzzball wrote:Improving finger speed?
Wavsen.com - Professional mix delivery platform with client approval, watermarking, and portfolio page builder.
-
- KVRAF
- 1585 posts since 13 Nov, 2005 from St. Paul
Just a couple of bits of advice I picked up from some very good pianists over the years:
Be sure that you're holding your hands in a very relaxed and comfortable manner when you're building up speed. It's very easy to develop repetitive motion injuries with keyboard exercises like Hanon. Fortunately, your muscles also move faster when you're relaxed, so not only does relaxing avoid injuries, it helps increase velocity as well. Check out some ergonomics advice as well. This is very serious, some professional pianists permanently ruin their hands and wrists with the wrong sort of practice.
Also make sure you play along with a drum machine or a metronome so your rhythm stays strong. It's easy to get sloppy rhythm habits with technique exercises.
Never practice speed technique more than 1/2 an hour a day, and make sure you're blending in some songs (more expressive playing) in there as well.
If you're relaxed and playing consistently, in time, your speed will pick up surprisingly quickly.
Be sure that you're holding your hands in a very relaxed and comfortable manner when you're building up speed. It's very easy to develop repetitive motion injuries with keyboard exercises like Hanon. Fortunately, your muscles also move faster when you're relaxed, so not only does relaxing avoid injuries, it helps increase velocity as well. Check out some ergonomics advice as well. This is very serious, some professional pianists permanently ruin their hands and wrists with the wrong sort of practice.
Also make sure you play along with a drum machine or a metronome so your rhythm stays strong. It's easy to get sloppy rhythm habits with technique exercises.
Never practice speed technique more than 1/2 an hour a day, and make sure you're blending in some songs (more expressive playing) in there as well.
If you're relaxed and playing consistently, in time, your speed will pick up surprisingly quickly.
-
- KVRAF
- 43961 posts since 11 Aug, 2008 from clown world
You could do a lot of fingering, and never pleasure anyone!
There is a saying: If you keep doing the same things, you get the same results (or words to that effect)!
My advice would be to study about the theory of fingering first. There are 'devices' that are worth bearing in mind, for fast fingering on different instruments.
One such piece of device advice, is that it is essential for the fingerer to be relaxed. If your muscles are tense, then you can not play in a fluid style!
There is a saying: If you keep doing the same things, you get the same results (or words to that effect)!
My advice would be to study about the theory of fingering first. There are 'devices' that are worth bearing in mind, for fast fingering on different instruments.
One such piece of device advice, is that it is essential for the fingerer to be relaxed. If your muscles are tense, then you can not play in a fluid style!
Anyone who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.
-
Count_fuzzball Count_fuzzball https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=182471
- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 765 posts since 9 Jun, 2008 from Ireland
Cool, thanks for all the tips guys!
-
- KVRer
- 5 posts since 16 Jun, 2009
Hello,
Practice any scale you can find, up and down starting each time on a degree of the chromatic scale. Do it with a quarter note speed on 1 octave, an eighth note speed on 2 octaves, eighth notes triplets speed on 3 octaves and finally with sixteenth notes speed on 4 octaves.
You may find the scales here :
http://www.musiclassroom.com/cours/harm ... hp?lang=en
regards
Practice any scale you can find, up and down starting each time on a degree of the chromatic scale. Do it with a quarter note speed on 1 octave, an eighth note speed on 2 octaves, eighth notes triplets speed on 3 octaves and finally with sixteenth notes speed on 4 octaves.
You may find the scales here :
http://www.musiclassroom.com/cours/harm ... hp?lang=en
regards
-
- KVRian
- 1000 posts since 25 Feb, 2008 from Sydney, Australia
+1 practice with a metronome ....
.... its no good playing like the proverbial wind if you cant keep time.
Also, practise the crap out of a "Party Piece" tune ala Rimskys Bumblebee or Toccata in Dm or whatever.
It doesnt matter if you can or cant keep up for now.
It will be awesome for speed and technique, whilst keeping it all musical, fun and challenging.
.... its no good playing like the proverbial wind if you cant keep time.
Also, practise the crap out of a "Party Piece" tune ala Rimskys Bumblebee or Toccata in Dm or whatever.
It doesnt matter if you can or cant keep up for now.
It will be awesome for speed and technique, whilst keeping it all musical, fun and challenging.
Prestissimo in Moto Perpetuo
-
- KVRAF
- 26033 posts since 20 Oct, 2007 from gonesville
if there's going to be scales in the music, practice scales.
lotta people practice scales cause they know how.
don't get trapped in 'practice scales' all the time. practice music. practice what you don't know how to do and stretch.
lotta people practice scales cause they know how.
don't get trapped in 'practice scales' all the time. practice music. practice what you don't know how to do and stretch.
-
- KVRAF
- 43961 posts since 11 Aug, 2008 from clown world
I play guitar. You need to get your technique right from the beginning. Which finger plays which note? Over time you can speed it up, but if your technique is flawed, you forever make a mess of it!
Anyone who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.
-
- KVRian
- 1084 posts since 12 Sep, 2008 from Your basement
+1 on the metronome thing. Here's another thought. There was a man (can't remember his name) who was a quick draw champion with a six-gun. He made a remark which every musician should hear.Aloysius wrote:I play guitar. You need to get your technique right from the beginning. Which finger plays which note? Over time you can speed it up, but if your technique is flawed, you forever make a mess of it!
"Smoothness is nine-tenths of speed."
So what that means to me is that SLOW, SOLID practice with a metronome with every note solidly and confidently in place every time is the basis for moving rapidly, and that at each new level of speed, one should STILL be able to maintain the solidity, smoothness and confidence. Otherwise things break down into a mush of lightning-fast hackery.
Just go to any Guitar Center on a saturday afternoon to listen to a lot of fast playing that is sloppy, out of time and inconsistent. Why join those ranks?