Making double thirds smooth

DavidYoung

Hello. In my attempt to get from Grade 3 to Grade 4 on the piano, I would like to learn how to play the double thirds at the bottom of the page in the picture smoothly.

What should I be focussing on? In particular, the part I can't work out is how to get a smooth transition when one of the fingers (e.g. 3) is on one note for one of the thirds then at least two notes separate for the next third.

Is it about changing the fingering? Starting with one finger then substituting it for another before the next third? Something to do with sustaining a note while my hand is off the keyboard? Other?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

For the record, when I have piano lessons decades ago, I never did anything with the sustain pedal at all.

pianoloverus

DavidYoung In particular, the part I can't work out is how to get a smooth transition when one of the fingers (e.g. 3) is on one note for one of the thirds then at least two notes separate for the next third.

Do You mean when at least two fingers separate for the next 3rd? If that's the case then it's impossible to play a perfect legato without the pedal.

keff

DavidYoung Hanon shows different fingerings which may be easier, but to keep this legato you will need to keep finger 5 on the A as you put 1&3 on the G&B, and similar when passing from B&D to C&E at the end of the bar.

pianoloverus

keff DavidYoung Hanon shows different fingerings which may be easier, but to keep this legato you will need to keep finger 5 on the A as you put 1&3 on the G&B, and similar when passing from B&D to C&E at the end of the bar.

That will make the top note in the 3rd legato but not the bottom note.

keff

pianoloverus True but unless the pedal is to be used, and I would prefer not, the player using Hanon fingering is faced with the same situation on the very first C&E followed by the D&F.

MRC

Don't worry about making everything perfectly legato. It's not necessary.

When learning the scales slowly, start like this:

Firstly, and most importantly, relax as much as possible while still holding the keys down. You can even wait a few seconds on one third, making sure your wrist is free and that there is no more tension other than that strictly necessary to stop the keys coming back up.
Then move quickly to the next third. In cases where you can play both notes legato (going from 3-1 to 4-2, for instance), by all means play legato. In cases where you can't play legato, just move across as quickly as possible, so that there is only a very short gap in the sound.
As you increase speed, concentrate on an even touch and a steady rhythm, making sure the gaps remain short.

If your thirds are played like this in a steady tempo with the same weight given to each note, they will sound legato and nobody will notice the tiny gaps in the sound. If your tempo is unsteady or some notes are louder than their neighbours, the scale will sound lumpy and not legato.

DavidYoung

Thank you for all the suggestions.

On the Hanon note above, am I right in saying that Hanon 'The Virtuoso Pianist' is a Marmite thing among pianists i.e. some people love it and others hate it?

lautreamont

I do a little double thirds practice every day. Part of my practice is purely on voicing the double thirds. It's easy when practicing to just go for speed and fluency, yet if you're paying attention they're a little choppy sounding. So I practice them slowly at first, sounding the higher note more prominently and smoothly as I ascend and descend. If that's to my liking, I then do the same but making the lower note more prominent. An upside of this for me is that it also cues me in on my legato playing and how to play legato--obviously if there is a more prominent part of the double thirds that is carrying the melody or line, you don't want to break that line if possible, and you won't notice as much if the other less prominent note is not perfect legato.