CBA fingering: is Maugain pulling my leg?

[insert-witty-username]

This is piece 69 from the second volume of Maugain's method (for those who have the books): in measure 3, we have a sequence of 3 chords in the right hand: FAD' - AD'F' - FAD', with suggested fingering 234 - 345 - 234. Note also that we're supposed to be playing on just the first three rows at this point.

I find it physically impossible to play the second chord 345 (so the question in the title is rhetorical, he clearly is), while 234 for the first one seems possible, though quite uncomfortable. I was wondering how experienced players would play this. I can see two quick fixes that stay close to the suggested fingering: (a) use 1 instead of 3 for the A; (b) use the 4th row.

The whole business of right hand chords on the CBA somehow reminds me of those piano pieces I always hated where the whole piece (both hands) takes place in a very narrow space. This sounds awful of course, and your fingers usually stumble over each other because of lack of space.

 

[losthobos]

Makes perfect logical comfortable sense...if you use the fourth row...
Bear in mind french players like to keep thumb on side of accordion for stability so unlikely they'd be using 1 in fingering..
There was a user on the forum before named Maugein too, and he often stated the rule...the French don't play with forked fingers.. ( meaning don't let your middle fingers play on lower rows while you index and pinkie play the higher rows ) you'll feel it..

 

[Pipemajor]

I have no trouble playing ADF on the first 3 rows using 345. Mind you 123 would be easier

 

[insert-witty-username]

Bear in mind french players like to keep thumb on side of accordion for stability so unlikely they'd be using 1 in fingering..

He does use 1 all the time in the book, though almost exclusively on the first row.

Basically, the fingering philosophy of Maugain's method is: (1) if you just played a note with finger n, and the next note is higher, use finger n+1; if it's lower, use finger n-1; (2) exceptions are granted to keep the thumb on the first row exclusively, or if you foresee running out of fingers, but by and large (1) is enforced ruthlessly.
[This is my summary of the concrete fingerings given, of course no general fingering principles are ever formulated in the books.]

For example, the C major scale is 12345123; someone less dedicated to (1) would probably not enjoy passing the thumb under 5 that much.

 

[Ffingers]

10 cents worth from a youtube addict - the rules for fingering are irrelevant if the top players on those videos are the ones to judge by.
I reckon that most of those top performers use their whole body to enable them to extract the very best from themselves and their instruments.
I have found it rather interesting to observe how individual they are in that respect as well as in their own 'fingerings'.

 

[Siegmund]

I would find putting 5 two rows farther back than 3 quite uncomfortable. One row is bad enough. Left to my own devices I don't... but there is an arpeggio exercise in one of my books where one plays CEGC EGCE GCEG CEGC etc the full length of the keyboard using 1234-1234-1234, and back down again, and then the same using 2345-2345-2345, and back down again. I find the 2345 patterns noticeably harder, even when it's 3 that is on a back row, and find it downright uncomfortable when 5 is a row farther back than 3 and 4. (And I am realllly bad at putting 5 in the right place when I move my hand to prepare for the next set of four notes downward. But then that is why we do these exercises, to get better at it...)

That exercise is intended for two adjacent rows. first-third-third-first row fits nicely under 1-2-3-5,
but in other inversions is a real pain. The 1-2-3-5 pattern can be extended to 1-2-3-5-4 but at least for me, my whole hand moves when 4 reaches for the last note (so 1 and 2 are no longer hovering above the keys they were pressing.)

If I have to play third-first-third row I think I most often use 2-1-4 in a low register and 2-5-3 in a high one (depending which way my hand is rotated.)

the French don't play with forked fingers.. ( meaning don't let your middle fingers play on lower rows while you index and pinkie play the higher rows )

That's an excellent rule no matter what country you are from.
And it dictates a lot of exceptions to "use finger n+1 for the next higher note."