Chromatic Scales

Hello Alan! Would you please, can you give me an advise, when I try to play chromatic scales in 3'ds(minor and major) , and 6 (e-flat and c ) with two hands, it is sounds not simultaneously when I try to play it in fast tempo, what should I do? How to gain coorditnation?

Happy New Year everybody, sorry to take so long with these posts - have been busy celebrating! (Actually, have been busy working like a dog finishing The Craft of Piano Playing Second Edition and Study Guide!) For chromatic scales I have no easy answer - you would basically have to develop your legato touch in the way I sketch out in both my book and film. 1. Practice overholding several notes to find out where your structure is failing you. Do this in various tempi from very slow to very fast. 2. Try articulating your fingers more to discover where in the scale they tend to become inert, and to see how much you can increase articulation without undermining structure. 3. At a slow tempo become hyper-demanding of the DEGREE of togetherness - bring new meaning to the word by making the hands more absolutely together than they have ever been. You are probably NOT NOTICING slight inaccuracies here at moderate tempi which lead to the breakdown at high speeds. 4. Return to an extremely fine, 'fingertips close to keys' feel to refine the scale and give it speed, smoothness and subtlety. Good luck! AFF

So, again thanks, your advise again helped me. Yes, DEGREE of togetherness - this is the Key. Also I noticed, that this scales have a Snaky structure, when I understood that, it become more easy to play together.

Glad it helped. I do like the challenge of being ultra-succinct; I think that short instructions are more likely to be effective - you're less likely to get bogged down in theory... Onwards and upwards! AFF

agree, too much theory is not good idea. By the way, what do you think about practicing in dark room, with little light ? I noticed, that for me more easy to play at this room when only light of Television comes.

I have had some fascinating experiences practicing at dusk, the room getting darker and darker and instead of getting up to turn on the light, I stay there and sink further and further into a strange, richer tactile relationship to my instrument and the sound. I start to feel my self, the keys better, and to hear the sound in a more detailed, highlighted way. I don't do it all the time but it is a valuable experience. We live in an overly visual society, and I think our visual relationship to the keyboard tends to diminish the actual richness of our perception via the other senses. But couldn't you pick some other dim light than that of the AFF