Here’s an exercise I use to help speed up Alberti bass figures:
First, sit so that the C above middle C is directly in front of you.
Second, turn your body to the right so that you’re facing the top C on the keyboard.
Third, practice this, using 5131 5131 for your fingering:
Doing this simple exercise can help students develop fluidity and speed in Alberti bass figures. It aligns the arm and hand in a much more natural position, and it’s much easier for students to get used to the type of rotation necessary to develop speed.
I started doing this with students because I so many beginning pieces that use Alberti bass require you to play in the octave between Bass C and Middle C, and they usually use white keys. While this promotes pattern recognition and reading, it’s physically awkward, and students often end up with a crooked wrist and tense fingers.
Once a student has practiced the exercise above and knows what playing Alberti figures are supposed to feel like, I ask them “now, see if you can have that same feeling in the piece you’re playing.”
I actually tried something similar to this with a student who could not get good wrist motion with her chords. I had her sit sideways to the keys and she finally achieved great flexibility in her wrists. After years of playing multi-keyboard/synth setups sideways, I can’t believe I never thought of having a student try playing sideways. It really worked in this situation and you could see how happy my student was. Thanks for the tip!