Arpeggios and rotation
· Scales and arpeggios · Level 4 · 16 min
An arpeggio is a chord whose notes are played one after another. On the piano it is one of the most common gestures in the repertoire: romantic accompaniments, Bach preludes, concerto cadenzas. It is also one of the most demanding, because the gaps are wider than in a scale: the thumb has to cross a third or a fourth, and the hand keeps opening and closing.
Basic fingerings (white-key roots)
| Arpeggio | Right hand (2 octaves) | Left hand (2 octaves) |
|---|---|---|
| C major | 1 2 3 1 2 3 5 | 5 4 2 1 4 2 1 |
| G major | 1 2 3 1 2 3 5 | 5 4 2 1 4 2 1 |
| F major | 1 2 3 1 2 3 5 | 5 4 2 1 4 2 1 |
| A minor | 1 2 3 1 2 3 5 | 5 4 2 1 4 2 1 |
| D minor, E minor | 1 2 3 1 2 3 5 | 5 4 2 1 4 2 1 |
For arpeggios starting on a black key, apply the same logic as for scales: the thumb takes a white key. In E♭, A♭ or D♭ major, for instance, the right hand plays 2 1 2 4 over one octave (E♭ G B♭ E♭: 2 on E♭, thumb on G). The site's exercise generator shows the fingering for every key.
M:4/4 L:1/8 Q:1/4=66 K:C !1!C!2!E!3!G!1!c !2!e!3!g!5!c'2 | !5!c'!3!g!2!e!1!c !3!G!2!E!1!C2 |]
Rotation: the secret of fluid arpeggios
Trying to play an arpeggio with the fingers alone, the hand frozen in a stretch, is exhausting and dangerous for the tendons. The solution is forearm rotation, the movement you make to turn a door handle. Between the thumb and finger 5, the forearm pivots slightly: it "pours" the weight towards the little finger, then brings it back to the thumb. Every note gets help from the arm, and the hand never has to stay stretched wide open.
Rotation exercise on a broken chord: the thumb plays, the forearm turns outwards for the 5, back towards the thumb for the 3, and so on. The fingers are almost passive: it is the arm that turns.
M:4/4 L:1/8 Q:1/4=72 K:C !1!C!5!G!3!E!5!G !1!C!5!G!3!E!5!G | !1!D!5!A!3!F!5!A !1!D!5!A!3!F!5!A | !1!B,!5!G!3!D!5!G !1!B,!5!G!3!D!5!G | !1!C!5!G!3!E!5!G !1!C4 |]
The thumb crossing in arpeggios
- The thumb travels early, as soon as finger 2 has played, and the wrist glides sideways.
- The elbow goes with the movement: it moves away from the body going up (right hand).
- To avoid gaps, practise the 3→1 "jump" on its own: G (3) then high C (1), ten times, slowly, keeping contact with the keys.
- Above a certain tempo, the hand no longer really "passes" the thumb: it shifts in small sideways movements of the arm. This comes naturally if the foundation is supple.
- Stretching the hand as wide as possible and keeping it stretched: tension sets in fast and the sound hardens.
- Swivelling the wrist like a windscreen wiper instead of moving the arm.
- Accenting the thumb every octave: the arpeggio turns into a string of three-note bundles.