Resources for Finger Dexterity & Piano Technique
Sometimes, people on Instagram ask me what resources I recommend when it comes to working on finger dexterity and just overall technique. Of course, scales, arpeggios, and chords are excellent for developing technique, but there are tons of other exercises and etudes that you can practice as well to really take your playing to the next level.
This series is a GREAT way to start working on technique. I would recommend this for kids and beginners. Each exercise is very short, but effective, and allows you to work on various techniques for piano playing. Some exercises focus on scale passages, while others focus on articulation. There are also exercises focused on playing certain types of rhythms correctly (for example, triplets), as well as exercises that allow you to work on chord transitions. I love teaching from this series, and I always notice a significant improvement in my students' playing after they work on these exercises.
Another favourite of mine that I teach from, this series features short and fun etudes, which are pieces of music that focus on specific techniques. Just like the Dozen a Day books, the Technic is Fun series provides a comprehensive selection of etudes that each focus on something different. In this video, I'm specifically showing Book 2, which is geared towards early intermediate learners.
This book is for intermediate learners. I really enjoyed learning from this book when I was a kid, because it was so FUN to play!! Again, each etude focuses on something different, but each piece is so expressive and allowed room for my own creativity and interpretation as well. I also loved how some of the etudes in this book were so programmatic, meaning that the music would clearly convey the title of the etude.
I'm not going to lie - this one isn't as fun. However, it is EXCELLENT if you are more serious about developing the independence of your fingers. The exercises are progressive, and gets very difficult as you move through the book. I would recommend this for late intermediate to advanced players. The goal for each exercise is to be able to play quietly and evenly without any excessive movement of the hands. It is also recommended to play each exercise in all the keys with the same fingering. Tempo can be increased gradually as well.
Oh boy, I have such a love-hate relationship with these books. As a kid, I HATED them, but now as an adult and a professional piano teacher, I am SO GRATEFUL that my teachers made me play these. They were such a source of misery for me as a kid, but honestly, it is HIGHLY UNLIKELY that I would be the player I am today without having gone through these books. I would not recommend these for kids unless they are extremely serious about going the classical / examination route in their piano journey, because these could easily make anybody feel discouraged and unmotivated. These are suited to advanced players though, especially those who enjoy playing more virtuosic pieces.
Definitely for advanced players. These pieces are all beautiful, but very difficult to play. I still struggle with some of them, and need to continue practicing. This is perfect for those who enjoy a challenge, but still want to produce something that sounds amazing and expressive. When playing these, they almost don't even feel like etudes, because of how nice they sound. It's a very enjoyable experience to learn these etudes, even though they are not the easiest to play.
Important note: While practicing these technical exercises and etudes, you really want to make sure that you are playing them correctly and with proper technique. Playing them incorrectly, even unknowingly, would defeat their purpose, and playing with improper technique can lead to injuries as well. Having a teacher guide you through this is extremely helpful, and if you would like personalized guidance in your piano learning journey, feel free to contact me for private, one-on-one lessons.
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