Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Tips & Approach for Mendelssohn Albumblatt Op. 117?

My instructor thinks I need to diversify my repertoire away from Chopin (and I sadly agree). I'm a major Mendelssohn fan and want to learn a few pieces of his.

I decided on Albumblatt 117 in E-minor which is a very catchy and passionate piece. As with most all Mendelssohn pieces, the left hand is incredibly active performing perpetual bass line arpeggios. I swear that Mendelssohn must have been left handed at times.

I'm struggling with maintaining smooth legato with the left hand, especially with how far you're expected to stretch between your 3rd and 4th fingers. I won't sit here and complain about my smaller hands but do want to see how others have approached this piece and if they took their own path in terms of fingering.

Any feedback is helpful!

Can you list some of the measures numbers where you are having a problem?

Maybe I don't understand, but would most of the 3-4 in the LH be covered by pedal?

Stretching between the fingers at speed can lead to all sorts of problems. In this piece I would keep the LH in a fairly natural position and move the hand from left to right position each finger. With this technique, fast arpeggio playing becomes much easier, but you do have to practise it quite a bit before it becomes natural.

It's also a good idea, if the music allows, to keep the thumb gently touching the index finger initially. When you tell your hand to do this, it overrides the unconscious message to reach with the thumb before moving the hand. Sometimes it's necessary to reach, but not in the LH of this piece, unless there's the odd bit here and there.

Yes, I just started sight reading it yesterday and the first measure where things start to get stretched is 5. If you use the recommended fingering (only provided in the first measure of this score) you're going from E2 to C3 to F3# with your 5th, 3rd, and 2nd fingers respectively. I'm having issues really keeping legato smooth going from E2 to C3 and also that F3# with finger 2. I've tried to find videos with a top down view of pianists playing this piece and can't find one. From the side angles it looks like they are maintaining this fingering throughout the score.

This specific measure is also difficult going back down as it's both unnatural and hard to reset with the starting E.

I can place my thumb on that C and use 3 on the F# and 2/1 on the A but I don't think that will work for the tempo that's required.

That's what I've been doing for the easier measures (the first three for example). You don't have to worry about resetting the starting E as there is a natural gap every time you start so after you make the first hop it's smooth sailing with the wrists.

Most of the other measures are difficult even with good wrist movement. I think other pianists are able to land their finger on the further notes fast enough so the gap is unnoticeable with good pedalling.

Measure 5: I would do 51 3 1 3 5 and then repeat. These are two separate phrases do I would not have a problem with the repeat ‘5’; just be careful that two 5’s in a row are not ‘bumped’ (from C back down to E)

I think that's the only way to do it tbh although I might opt for finger 2 on the peak A as it's faster. .

Regardless, this will be exceptional left handed arpeggio practice!

I wonder why I bother sometimes.

I have played a lot of Mendelssohn. I don’t think this sort of left hand is very common in his pieces. I have played a piece by his sister which has this pattern

https://youtu.be/ti1eZ2B63Ro

Although I have not played this my suggestion at high speed you need very simple fingerings. legato would done via the pedal. You can collect the hand as you go up and down. Collecting 5th as you go up and thumb as you go down.

Why not 5 4 2 1 2 4 5 for measure 5?

The 2nd finger on the A creates an awkward stretch between the 2 and 3.

Your input was appreciated without a doubt and applicable in many measures of the piece. Watching professionals, they don't seem to crossover with the thumb handling this arpeggio however. This is on par with the recommended fingering at the start of the piece. Also, pedal can't fix choppy left hand, very smooth and fast legato is required for the bass in this piece. The gap from the E to C would be a bit cringey.

I think all things considered I'm going to have to use my thumb to cross over for now until I get a better understanding of the piece. I'll try to find some videos for how this specific measure is handled as switching from no thumb cross-over to using thumb in the more difficult measures could lead to consistency issues.

I would suggest that you take this difficulty to your teacher. It is easy to go from a 5th for a bottom E to a 4th for a C but you need to move your hand rather than stretch. The pedal will legato so you let go of the 5th. If you can’t do this then wait until your teacher shows you. You won’t be able to play up to speed if you choose unnecessary complicated fingering. Good luck.

That's interesting, most of my favorite Mendelssohn pieces; most everything in Songs Without Words, Op 104bb no 3, 104b no1 from his etudes, variations serieuses, his Caprices, his scherzos, etc. all have very strong left hands.

The fingering you provided is definitely what the score recommends and what others are doing but I just worry that the gap between E2 and B3/C3 would be too noticeable, even with pedal. You have to move the fingers so fast to hide it and get it sounding smooth. I'm wondering if I should take the time to really get your fingering down smooth or cross over with the thumb. I think crossing over with the thumb will be too slow once things come together and I'm in the polishing phase of the piece.

Looking at the other measures, they seem pretty straight forward and completely doable with the recommended fingerings so I might just go for it. If I can't stick it well with the fifth then I'll cheat a little bit with the pedal and crossing the thumb over (keeping what Brahms said about how he doesn't care how people play his pieces as long as they can play them in the back of my head).

Sound advice.

You may get some fingering ideas from this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdg9_NbYCcQ

These two have a much better close up of the LH:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXCErI_nDf8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wh55Ic0vYlY

EXACTLY what I was looking for. I really appreciate you sending these!

I had this same pattern of up down arpeggios over an octave in nocturne in the link above. I don’t remember Mendelssohn having a similar pattern in songs without words. But it is about moving the hand, collecting the 5th going up and the thumb going down helps. My teacher had to teach me to collect the thumb as it was something I had to practice a lot to be able to do. In the end you go up and down in a wave 🌊 the notes are smooth and it flows. I would suggest you go to your teacher.

I'm unsure about him utilizing a similar pattern but he has a very strong left hand in general. His basslines are kind of insane in so many of his pieces.

This specific piece will be very good practice as I'm weak with my left hand. The arpeggios remind of the quick little ones in measure 11 of Mozart Sonata Facila k545 except a lot harder haha.

Learning this will be tricky and I really appreciate the advice.

I've never played this piece nor am I at a piano atm...

This kind of open arpeggio pattern is common. I was taught to finger* it as 5 4 2 1 2 4, 5. This requires pedal, a shift and roll. And a shift requires a lift. With practice this is fast and legato but I'm not going to lie, you need someone to show you how to do it. It is an advanced technique that assumes a total lack of tension. If you stretch & tense it will sound like carp.

* I have small hands but my teacher said hand size is not issue here because you're shifting. She was right.

I agree with you here. I'm starting to play more pieces where hand size is kind of an issue but I don't think this will be one of those times.