My part 4 of Chopin's Method or Methods (last part) Chopin begins with N.B. (note well) "N.B. No one notices inequality in the power of notes of a scale when it is played very fast and equally, as regards time. In a good mechanism, the aim is, not to play everything with an equal sound, but to acquire a beautiful quality of sound and a perfect shading. For a long time, players have acted against nature in seeking to give an equal power to each finger. On the contrary, each finger should have an appropriate part assigned to it. The thumb has the greatest power, being the thickest finger and the freest. Then comes the little finger at the other extremity of the hand. The middle finger is the main support of the hand and is assisted by the first. Finally comes the third, the weakest one. As to this Siamese twin of the middle finger - bound by one and the same ligament - some players try to force it with all their might to become independent, a thing impossible and most likely unnecessary. [Poor Schumann "Hats off gentlemen, a genius" - if he had only known Chopin earlier before he reportedly ruined his hands, and any career as a pianist, with his rope/pulley contraption to equalize finger strength]. There are then many qualities of sound as there are several fingers. The point is to utilize the differences; and this in other words is the art of fingering." That's it. I hope you enjoyed this insight (his) into Chopin's approach to the instrument (I realize some may have already been familiar with this document). I will quickly summarize No question of musical feeling or style - just mechanism (in three parts) 1. Learn to feel the keyboard independently in each hand by playing scales, all types, offset in each hand. Use fingers 3,4, and 5 also in chromatic work. Learn black key scales first. C is the hardest. 2. Music is a language where thought is expressed, like all spoken languages, in sounds. To make music many sounds are required. 3. The aim is good quality of sound with perfect shading from the many sounds available due to the inherent difference in the strength of the different fingers. This all sounds obvious in some sense, yet Chopin wanted it saved for posterity. In my mulling over it, reading between the lines, etc. I have come to this possible interpretation. In much of Chopin's music the player must have four hands. (Finger # 1 is the thumb) The left hand is divided betwen fingers 4,5 -- 3,2,1 or sometimes 5,4,3 -- 1,2, and the right hand is divided between fingers 1,2,3 --- 4,5 or sometimes 1,2, --- 3,4,5 Each hand thus becomes two sub-hands. Two hands can thus yield 4 seperate voices in a passage (see his statement "For the production of music, many sounds are required" - he could be referring to parallel parts). For example, a bass line played with the little finger of the left hand, with a rhythm/harmony chord played with fingers (4),3,2,1 of that hand, while in the right hand, the melody is played with fingers (4),5 and a little secondary harmony figure played with fingers 1,2,3 of that hand. Many examples of this can be found in his music. That is quite difficult to do and many other composers require it as well, especially if they were also pianists. This would naturally assign parts to each hand (and sub hand) and would require the 3,4,5 dexterity he described eariler (play chromatic scales, thirds, sixths with 3,4,5 as well as 1,2,3). This would also produce the shading he described. Therefore, I have interpreted the Method of Methods as a treatise on the exercises required to get the effect of 4 hands from two as the artists gets the effect of 3 dimensions on a flat surface. Naturally there is not always four parts to each passage - just what the "feeling" of the passage requires, which he exempts in the very first statement or the Method of Methods. Any comments from the other pianists? Bill Pirkle