#AskVidasAndAusra 103: Is fingering important in improvisation?

Vidas: Let’s start Episode 103 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. Today’s question was sent by Victoria, and she wants to know if fingering is important in improvisation. That’s a question that she sent me after hearing my livestreaming on Facebook, when I improvised for 2 parts (I think note-against-note) some of the Genevan Psalm settings, like a counterpoint exercise. Sometimes the tune was in the soprano and sometimes it was in the bass. So she probably thought she might try it at home, this kind of approach; but first, of course, she wanted to figure out if she has to choose the fingering wisely. What would you say, Ausra?

Ausra: Well, yes, you always have to choose the fingering wisely; but it’s sort of...not as easy when you are improvising things. But you could write fingering for an original Psalm.

Vidas: For a chant?

Ausra: Yes, for a chant, yes, a Psalm tune.

Vidas: Exactly. It’s like a theme. The theme is given to you; you can notate the fingering ahead of time, and add one additional voice (or two, three, four voices) in addition to the chant for yourself at the time you’re playing in improvisation, spontaneously. And as Ausra says, it’s difficult to do this with perfect fingering if you don’t have experience.

Ausra: That’s true.

Vidas: But in my case, for example, it wasn’t difficult, because I use some basic principles: I avoided using thumbs on the sharp keys, I avoided finger substitution and finger glissandos...and that’s about it, I think. Those 3 principles allowed me to create a nice, articulate legato, because the style, of course, was early style.

Ausra: Did you have to think about fingering while improvising these Psalms, or not?

Vidas: Uh...That’s a great question, because I had to think about other things! If you have to think about fingering when you improvise, of course, you are doing something wrong. Because in improvisation, fingering has to come naturally. It’s a byproduct, right? You play your music, and you figure out how the music will go--the flow of the music--ahead of time, when you’re playing; but your fingering principles should be set, basically, in your mind, well ahead of time, with your practice. So Victoria has, of course, a long way to go in this; and she needs to work on many many pieces of organ repertoire first, to get familiar with this foundation of fingering--and even pedaling, too, if she wants to play with pedals.

Ausra: Yes, I couldn’t agree more--you build up your technique while you are learning organ repertoire, and then later on you can apply the same things, the same rules, to your improvisations.

Vidas: Some people also like exercises, like scales and arpeggios with hands and feet and chords; that’s also part of any musical composition, and they basically isolated specific technical ideas into one exercise. And some people like to practice that, too, and it gives good results. Some people don’t, because they are bored with mechanical stuff, so they jump into music right away; but there’s a danger of straining your hands, because your hands will be cold at first--you have to warm up. So what I like to do is to warm up with improvisation. Slowly at first, gently, maybe, for a few minutes; maybe for 10, 15 minutes, whatever I like to do; and then I continue practicing repertoire--with, of course, correct fingering.

Ausra: Yes. So correct fingering is definitely important, but don’t try to learn the correct fingering while improvising. You have to do it with your repertoire.

Vidas: Maybe just keep the basic principles in mind, right?

Ausra: Yes.

Vidas: If you know the style that you will be improvising in--let’s say, Baroque style, right-- the basic principles which help you to achieve the desired articulate legato, and the 3 principles we adhere here to, are simply: avoid using the thumb on the sharp keys, avoid using finger substitution, and avoid using finger glissandos (because that leads to legato articulation). If you are improvising in Romantic style or modern style, what kind of fingering could you use, Ausra?

Ausra: Then, of course, you would have to do all the things that you would be avoiding in the Baroque music: glissandos, finger substitutions...play as much legato as possible, especially if it’s Romantic style.

Vidas: So first of all, you are free to use the thumb on the sharp keys.

Ausra: Yes, definitely

Vidas: But it’s not that convenient--it’s not that comfortable.

Ausra: But you cannot avoid that.

Vidas: If your key or the mode has many sharps or flats, then you are stuck with sort of modern fingering. Can you avoid finger substitutions and glissandos in modern music, too? Sometimes?

Ausra: Well, very rarely. Usually you have to substitute.

Vidas: Because...why? Because of course, the texture is thicker.

Ausra: Yes, yes.

Vidas: But if you are improvising in 2 parts--I’m not sure if there are a lot of Romantic pieces for 2 parts. That’s a little bit different style, right?

Ausra: Yes. Usually you have thicker texture and more chords.

Vidas: At least 3 parts--

Ausra: Yes, that you have to play legato.

Vidas: So whenever 1 hand plays 2 voices, or even more voices, you have to almost always use finger substitutions and glissandos.

Ausra: That’s right.

Vidas: But in 3-part texture, if your RH, let’s say, plays just 1 solo line, you could get away without finger substitutions and glissandos, right? Basically, don’t use finger substitutions and glissandos as a crutch instead of right fingering. Because sometimes people don’t even bother to think about fingering, and they use all kinds of basically incorrect versions--accidental fingerings. Right? This is not healthy, don’t you think?

Ausra: Yes, that’s right.

Vidas: Why?

Ausra: Well, I think I mentioned this thing before--that if you’re playing with accidental fingering, it means that you’re playing the same thing over and over again with different fingering, so you will never get comfortable with that piece, or your process of learning will be very slow.

Vidas: True. So figure out your fingering ahead of time. Write it down, especially the difficult spots. And that’s why we also like to help you practice with correct fingering, by providing you our choices of fingered and pedaled scores. That’s why they are so helpful for people. So basically, in modern music, you can get away without finger substitutions and glissandos only when the texture is rather thin. So in 2-part texture in modern music, there are some biciniums, right? You can do well with simple fingering, right? But then if you have chords and progressions when 2 voices are playing with 1 hand--it’s another story; you have to do all kinds of things. But prepared things in advance, right, Ausra?

Ausra: Yes, that’s right.

Vidas: So, for example, next time we will be playing a recital only of Baroque music, right?

Ausra: Yes.

Vidas: So we will not use any of those finger substitutions and glissandos in the November recital.

Ausra: Well, I’m playing Mendelssohn…

Vidas: Oh, you’re playing Mendelssohn. Are you using finger substitutions there?

Ausra: All the time!

Vidas: Right. It’s too thick.

Ausra: Yes.

Vidas: It’s a different story. So yes, we are also applying our own tips in our practice, you see guys. And whenever we play Baroque music (which of course we do regularly), we avoid finger substitutions and glissandos. And when improvising, also, keep the same fingering principles in mind.

Ausra: Yes.

Vidas: Thanks, guys! Please send us more of your questions; we love helping you grow. This was Vidas.

Ausra: And Ausra.

Vidas: And remember, when you practice…

Ausra: Miracles happen.