Taking basic chords and making rhythmic patterns from them is an essential springboard for compositional creativity. Broken chords are essential components in so much of the music we play and love. Think of all the passages based on broken chords in Mozart and Beethoven concertos as well as Beethoven’s sonatas and sets of variations. Remember the importance that Czerny places on them in so many of his studies. Look at Scarlatti’s sonatas as well as figurations from 19th-century composers from Mendelssohn onwards.

Because broken chords appear so often it follows that pianists will feel much more secure if they study them systematically over four octaves, both hands separately and together. Fluency should be cultivated and speeds built up so that confidence is achieved not only in major and minor keys but also with dominant seventh and diminished patterns too. It all develops confidence and general co-ordination, as well as harmonic awareness.

Example 1a The first of three practice patters of broken chords

Example 1b The second of three practice patters of broken chords

Grade exam neglect

Many pianists do not practise broken chords to the extent they could and possibly should. There are historic and current reasons for this. Because examination boards tend to neglect this area of technique in syllabus requirements many students simply miss out. This is a pity because arguably the use of broken chords without pedal is much more common in the keyboard repertoire than non-pedalled arpeggios, which feature to an almost overwhelming extent in most of the grade exam syllabuses I have seen.

Apart from anything else, the study of broken chords can help to increase confident hand position changes by encouraging relaxed lateral movement. Healthy broken-chord playing means relaxed joints, preparation in advance of notes about to the played and the ability to change position without thinking about doing so. When you use lateral movement your hands appear to remain stationary as the arm smoothly moves to the right (up the keyboard) and the left (down the keyboard). Students who practise only non-pedalled arpeggios often find it harder to master lateral movement than those who also regularly practise broken-chord patterns. When they are practised hands together in all the different permutations students frequently feel more empowered technically. Indeed, there is something exhilarating about rattling off pattern three in particular (Exacmple 1c) over four octaves at an athletic tempo!

In fact, all three patterns (Examples 1a, 1b and 1c) are fun to cultivate in their own separate ways. Try utilizing the suggested fingerings. Nurture facility for each pattern through every major and minor key as well as on all 12 pitches as well as using notes from dominant and diminished seventh chords. Use the same fingerings for every key, regardless of whether you begin on a white or a black note.

Example 1c The third of three practice patters of broken chords

Third or fourth finger?

Be mindful and consistent when deciding whether to use your third or fourth fingers. Examples 1a-c outline my own personal preferences, but these may well vary from pianist to pianist. In general, players with smaller stretches tend to use the fourth finger more than those with larger hands, though choice may also depend on artistic context (often stronger sounds will be more convincing when realised with the third finger, while delicacy can be achieved more immediately with the fourth). In any case, comfort is vital, and consistency – not only from octave to octave but between the hands – will unquestionably make realisation both easier and more reliable. Anatomically we have a greater chance of feeling at ease when the hands move in synchronisation simply because the human body is symmetrical.

Wave movement

Broken chords are excellent for developing freedom in the wrists and elbows as the hand effortlessly glides from position to position. We have already mentioned lateral movement: all three patterns rely on this for successful execution, with wrists consistently parallel to the keyboard. Never lose that position. A good broken chord technique should feel as though your hand is not doing the work – it is transported by the wrist from position to position. Avoid unnecessary finger movement too. The ten digits should not move off the keys until your wrists lift and then drop onto notes in the next hand position.

Practise patterns 1 and 2 (Examples 1a and 1b) initially with wave movements as you move up and down the keyboard. For the pattern in Example 1a in particular, it is helpful to feel a natural, smooth undulation as you allow your (relaxed and free) wrists to move gently up and down, guiding the hands to each new position. In both patterns all the notes in each hand position can be landed on virtually simultaneously. The fingers move as a team under the umbrella of the hand rather than separately. Starting at a neutral position parallel with the lower arm, the wrist gently rises to the last note in each group, gracefully lifting the hands up and guiding them down onto the next set of notes with the wrist facilitating movement by dropping back into the neutral position. Avoid harshness of tone by touching the first note in each hand position in advance, allowing the notes to be executed not so much by the thumb or fifth finger on their own as through the release of weight generated from the arm-wrist-hand unit as your wrist moves down at the beginning of each four-note flourish.

A word of caution: physical movement in broken chords should be largely invisible. Exaggerated wave movements mean lack of energy, focus and potentially synthesis between fingers, hands and wrists. For reliable success there should be a sense of complete co-ordination and physical ease. It can help to begin with unbroken chords using pattern 1: play the three notes of each triplet simultaneously and move up and down the piano with concentrated and easy wrist movements. In patterns 2 and 3, playing four-note chords in succession is best avoided for those with small hands if they find it awkward. And even if you can cope with the ‘unbroken’ chord progressions of patterns 2 and 3, it is always good to avoid fixing your span as you change position: draw your fingers together like an unfolded fan as you lift your wrists up, then unfold your hand as you land on the next position, not unlike a parachute as it opens up on land.

Rotary movement

In pattern 3 rotary movement can be useful. If you cannot prepare all four notes in advance in each hand position by shadowing them over the keys in advance (something those with larger hands can experiment with) then small oscillating movements of the wrist first to the right (up the keyboard) and then the left (downwards) could enable more flexibility as well as greater power. Think of how an old fashion circular doorknob operates as you use miniscule rotary movements to facilitate relaxation and clarity of articulation from the wrist.

Example 2 JS Bach G major Prelude from Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1

Leggiero

The joyfully energised Prelude in G major from Book 1 of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier gains much of its exuberance from the broken-chord figurations constructed from pattern 1 that appear throughout (Example 2)

Beware of stabbing fifth-finger movements on the first notes of each three-note group as this could lead to tension, a harsh tone and unwanted accentuations at the expense of the overall texture and the other notes in the broken-chord patterns. Indeed, relaxed fingerwork is essential to create the effortless mobility on which this piece, and many other 18th-century examples, thrive. As we work at wave-movements we should be mindful of the quality of tone we produce, and practise until technical wherewithal is hard-wired.

Though pattern 1 is less common in the repertoire than pattern 2, it is used extensively by Czerny and can be found in other Baroque pieces including Scarlatti sonatas. Schubert makes most effective use of it at the end of the Scherzo third movement (bars 72-73 and 76-79) of the great A major Sonata, D959.

Example 3 Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No 1, Op 25, third movement

Example 4 Beethoven Piano Concerto No 5, Op 73 (‘Emperor’), first movement

Block Movements

In contrast, Example 3 shows how Mendelssohn exploits pattern 2 as a means of creating pianistic fireworks at the start of the finale in his First Piano Concerto. In extreme contexts such as this, where brilliance, power and clarity of articulation cannot be over-emphasised, there is a danger that relaxed wave movements will be insufficient to produce the sonic richness required. If this is the case, it may be helpful to try moving the hand position with more solid, block-like movements. Imagine the sides of your hands as staples. As you finish in one position, lift your hand directly up, move sideways and lower into the new position. Always be mindful of the danger of tension and stiffness in the wrists with this type of movement. Make sure, too, that the lateral movement when playing in wave shapes remains intact (keep the wrists parallel with the keyboard at all times) but avoid anything other than minimal movement unless you truly wish to pinpoint a specific musical gesture.

Block movements may also prove helpful in projecting muscular strength and intensity in Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto. Example 4 comes from the development in the Concerto’s first movement and requires supreme clarity of articulation if the piano is to project successfully over the orchestra with the required energy and definition. Fingertips need to be firm and ears alert. Beware of broken-chord laziness whereby you simply move into a new hand position with an accent on the first note and allow the others to fade away. Do not allow a single note to pass your critical ears without consideration!

You can articulate in contexts like Example 4 by refusing to allow your finger joints to collapse, ensuring that you play from the knuckles (bridge) of the hand and listening acutely at all times. Work initially with a non-legato touch so that you can separate each note aurally. But a word of warning: do not over-compensate for lack of clarity by pushing into the keyboard beyond the point of escapement. Strength does not mean digging into notes with laboured heaviness. Indeed, fatigue can be eliminated completely if you embrace the concept of releasing as you play. Try building up clarity at a slow tempo with fast finger action: place fingers over each note in a broken-chord pattern in advance, then simply lift up each one off in turn as fast as possible. 

This feature originally appeared in the SUMMER 2025 issue of International Piano – Subscribe Today