Dear Mr. Chappell:

I’m having trouble playing several octaves in a row with one hand, as in playing a scale, arpeggio, or melody in octaves. Do you have any tips?

— Doubler

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Dear Doubler:

Remember that the classic fingering for octaves is 1 and 5 on white keys, and 1 and 4 on black keys. This is because the fourth finger is longer than the fifth finger, and consequently more easily reaches the black keys.

If the octave passage in question includes both white and black key octaves, keep your thumb near the black keys so that the hand doesn’t move back and forth to travel from white to black. Your thumb should move in a straight line right and left, in other words, in order to negotiate the passage efficiently.

When you move from one octave to the next, don’t let your hand change shape. Keep the frame of an octave between your thumb and fourth (or fifth) finger at all times.

You can play octaves with an arm technique, a wrist technique, or a finger technique. In each case, only the arm moves as a unit from the elbow joint, or only the hand moves as a unit from the wrist joint (like waving goodbye), or only the fingers move. By “as a unit”, I mean “without bending any other joints.” One of these techniques works best for each musical passage. Try each to determine which one suits what you are working on.

If you need speed and efficiency, don’t lift your hand up in the air when traveling from one to the next octave. Move sideways only, staying as near to the key surface as possible.

As is always the case when playing the piano, you need to choose a focal point for your attention. I recommend that you think of, and if possible look at, your thumb as you play the octaves. Let the other note in the octave just be a companion to the thumb.

To reinforce this idea, practice the octave passage by playing only the notes that the thumb plays, omitting the other note in the octave.

— J.C.