Hi Patrick

Here's a couple of questions kind of related to the previous ones about speed but maybe more detailed. I think it would be interesting to see what your thoughts are about this...

I have noticed that I reach a "top speed" not only depending on what I'm playing but also because of what key I'm dealing with. I'll give you an example: If I want to play a Db melodic minor scale (that being spelled as a "major with minor third" scale, both ascending and descending) and let's say I play 16th notes at 120, I found it physically a lot more challenging than playing the same exact thing let's say in Gminor or C minor... How do you approach that?

I have also noticed that a lot of the Rabbath studies and related method books deal with "easier" keys, except for the 3rd book where you have all those scales... for example the Progressive Repertoire books hardly ever include any pieces in keys like B, Ab, etc... I studied with Rabbath myself and don't need to be convinced about the benefits of his technique, and I've seen him play anything in any key, but the rest of us mortals might benefit from some insight about how to approach those more "obscure" keys.

Thanks a lot and all the best

Alexis

Hi Pat

I had forgotten that I wrote this a while back. Wondering if you had anything to say about it...

Thanks!

Hi Patrick

Here's a couple of questions kind of related to the previous ones about speed but maybe more detailed. I think it would be interesting to see what your thoughts are about this...

I have noticed that I reach a "top speed" not only depending on what I'm playing but also because of what key I'm dealing with. I'll give you an example: If I want to play a Db melodic minor scale (that being spelled as a "major with minor third" scale, both ascending and descending) and let's say I play 16th notes at 120, I found it physically a lot more challenging than playing the same exact thing let's say in Gminor or C minor... How do you approach that?

I have also noticed that a lot of the Rabbath studies and related method books deal with "easier" keys, except for the 3rd book where you have all those scales... for example the Progressive Repertoire books hardly ever include any pieces in keys like B, Ab, etc... I studied with Rabbath myself and don't need to be convinced about the benefits of his technique, and I've seen him play anything in any key, but the rest of us mortals might benefit from some insight about how to approach those more "obscure" keys.

Thanks a lot and all the best

Alexis

Hey Alexis,
Sorry I have not responded on this earlier... been a very busy semester and I have done a lot of travel... anyway: Regarding speed of different keys.
I use two approaches to fingering: one I call "Rhythmic" the other called "Positional." Both are used all the time, but I find by separating them, to concentrate on the aspects of each, I can use them each as tools that work together... much like the left and right hands need to be independant to work well together. Okay, so Rhthmic Fingering was championed by David Walter and takes into the highest consideration the rhythm of the passage to determine the fingering. This means how it is bowed and whether there are string crossings as well. So for a dotted eighth-sixteenth passage you would want to shift "when you have the most rythmical time," between the dotted eigth and the sixteenth, so that the sixteenth "leads" to the next dotted eighth in the fingering. This is fine if the passage is fast, but not so good if it is slow and slurred. This is ONE example of Rhythmic Fingering. Positiional Fingering I relate to the Rabbath approach to a great degree but not totally. Simply, you shift as little as possible, getting as many notes in the passage in one position as possible. By combining these two approaches, one can be sensitive to color, rhythm, slurs, etc. to match the musical desire of the passage. Now: THIS MEANS that no key is any more challenging than any other. The practice of the two approaches necessitates that one play in all keys everyday. I do not find F# major any more or less challenging than G or C or D, except in that a particular passage's rhythm might affect where I play the notes of that key. This is great because, when i play with out-of-tune ensembles, I must adjust depending on key. If I have only one or two fingerings for a particular key, I am dead in the water. I rarely put fingerings in music because I have too many choices and I do not want the fingering suggested to influence my interpretation of the music. That said, it makes auditioning for orchestras a bit confusing, so in this case I would establish ONE WAY and be able to repeat it ad-naseum. Anyway, I hope this helps. Practicing scales in Rhythmic Fingering for about two months in ALL keys in all registers of the bass, makes for great ease and flexibility. Then doing the same thing in positional fingering, adds another dimension and again, more ease and confidence: knowing where every note is on the bass.
Ciao!
Patrick

Thanks for this Patrick! Just read it now. Very useful!

All the best

A