“ I play scales, but with the accents totally disconnected from the time signature and arrangment of the notes. For example, I might play groups of five notes, but accent every seventh note, so my right hand is thinking one way and my left hand is thinking another. I’ll choose a scale, such as harmonic minor, and run through it playing just the first five notes, then go back to the second note of the scale and play the next five notes, then go back to the third, etc. I’ll run through that scale from low to high, and then from high to low, and once my left hand knows what to do, I’ll take my mind off my left hand, and focus on playing the accents on every sixth or seventh beat. Determining where you are going to place your accents by conscious choice - rather than just playing them in predictable ways based on how the notes are grouped - frees you up and allows you to play more expressively.
— JF
