The San Francisco call., 1904-04-13
MEN aualMAa1EERS In
THE fORIsz lie WORLD
MONIES

ercise again, and this time the second
finger is to do the changing. This Will
make the notes c, D (E double fiat),
G fat. A and c. IT will be seen that
in this way every finger in turn has
the benefit Of the accent, and also that
every imaginable form of note group
ing that could be of use in arpeggios
is brought in The fingers are strength
ened and stretched at the same time
and are benefited in many ways be-
sides the mere simple finger practice
that an ordinary study Of arpeggios can
give.
Next in order comes another arrange
ment of the exercise. In this the sec
ond finger raises the sound half tone
making the notes TO be played c, E
fat. G fat, B fat and c.
This must be taken through all the
accents, after which comes the next
form, in which the third finger is raised
half a tone and the notes thus become
c. Z fat. G, A and c.
I. After this comes c, Z natural, G fat,
a. c.
Then comes still another variety of
arpeggio, in which both the fourth and
third fingers are raised half a tone,
making the notes c, Z natural, G nat
ural. A and c.
Next comes c, D, F, A. c. which ar
rangement is just the opposite Of the
one before it, as it lowers the fourth
and third fingers half a tone.
After this comes two more forms, c,
f fiat. G natural, b fiat, c, and c, f
fat, F, A and c. These complete the
set of arpeggio exercises, and when the
pupil has mastered them all he will
have studied the arpeggio in practi-
cally every conceivable form known in
music. These different forms are nat
urally not all intended for practice at
once. On the contrary. one form at
a time is quite enough, and the pupil
should not go from one form to another
until he has perfected each little de-
tail, step by step.
In the lesson to-day I have given
the student enough material to last him
a year if conscientiously practiced, and
if at the end of a year he has faith
fully studied his arpeggios along the
lines here laid out / am certain that he
will keep right on practicing them as
long as he has anything to do with the
piano.
These arpeggio forms are excellent
helps to keep one in good practice, for
they accomplish more things at once
than does almost any other branch Of
piano work. For instance, there is the
finger practice. 1t must be just as ac-
curate in the arpeggios as in the scales,
and there is not the chance for SLOW
&c s,, la
playing, for one is naturally more
exact and particular because of the in
tervals between the notes, which neces-
state care and concentration on the
part Of the performer if the tone Of
each note is to be properly brought
out. Then there is the strengthening
and stretching process already alluded
to, and the practice in rhythm, TO say
nothing of the familiarity with the diff
ferent tone intervals that is to be
gained in this way. Last, but not
least, the alternating free motion Of the
arms keeps the whole body in a state
of relaxation, and the rests, first in one
hand and then the other, make it pos
sible to keep up these exercises for al
most any length of time without weari-
ness.
In addition to this, the pupils or
binary scale playing will be greatly
benefited by. his arpeggio practice, for
after the different stretches between
the potes comprising the arpeggio
forms the ordinary scale will be found
to run NEST easily and naturally. The
student must, of course, understand
that each arpeggio form must be fol-
lowed to its legitimate conclusion and
that in every case the accent must be
carried up the four octaves. On this
point I wish to make myself quite
plain, lest after having raised the ac-
cent four times and being brought by
this means to the point where the be-
ginning of the accent comes on the c
an octave above where he originally
started the pupil imagines that he has
finished that part of the exercise, or at
least has pursued the accent as far as
is necessary. On the contrary, his
work is at this point only one-quarter
done, and he must keep right on chang
ing his accent until he has elevated its
starting point sixteen times, thus ulti-
mately bringing the beginning of the
accent four octaves higher than it
started, and, in other words, to the
top Of the arpeggio.
If the student is very enterprising
and anxious to improve every oppor-
tunity for advancement he may (after
he has conquered all the difficulties in
the arpeggios herein described and has
worked each form up ito a high rate
Of speed, with the aid of the metro
nome) invert the whole exercise and
begin all over again, working up grad
ually. BY inverting / mean in this case
beginning on low c, as before, but
with the right hand this time instead
of the left BY this change the right
hand plays all the ascending arpeggios
and the left hand the descending. 1t
is twice as difficult as the other exer-
else, but it is magnificent practice when
taken in conjunction with the first ex-
ercise, for, as the student will readily
see, there is thus no point left uncov-
cred. 1 have purposely left this great
arpeggio exercise until to-day, because
this is to be our last lesson, and / wish
to leave the pupil with plenty of mate
rial to work on, so that his interest and
en- cf Will