G. Schirmer Editions

I'm currently learning the Tempest Sonata by Beethoven, and I'm using the Schirmer edition. Why do the fingerings on the runs feel so utterly uncomfortable and unnatural? Is this something that's common throughout Schirmer's? Why can't I get my fingers around them? Do Schirmers suck, or do I?

Fingering isn't objective. Everyone has different hands and a different way of using them, so everyone also needs to make their own informed decisions on fingering. If the fingerings are uncomfortable or unnatural to you, by all means change them. This doesn't necessarily mean that there's something wrong with your fingers--but it also doesn't necessarily mean that there's something wrong with the fingerings. They might suit someone else very well indeed. I haven't seen the Schirmer edition, though, so I can't really offer any comments on it.

I second Henle and Peters, but you could also check out K

Luckily it is just a photocopy of a Schirmer edition from my teacher, so I didn't spend any money on it. I had heard that Schirmers are pretty bad, so not like I'd buy one anyway. Thanks for the help.

In the same vein, might I add that I got the Paderewski edition Chopin complete Preludes and Etudes and it is the best music book I have ever owned.

Yes, Schirmer is notorious for bad fingerings, as well as wrong notes outright, and a zillion unnecessary expressive markings. If you're serious about learning a piece, try to get an Urtext edition (which basically means the piece is being published as it was originally published, with no editorial intervention) -- and for this Barenreiter and Henle can't be beat.

Yeah, I've found that for a not-so-advanced piano player, Henle or the Wiener Urtext are certainly good because they have at least a few suggestions on fingering, and is otherwise fully 'Urtext'. So I use Henle for stuff like Beethoven, Chopin, Schubert etc. However, for some reason, I prefer using Barenreiter for Bach because of the really in-depth research that goes into the Urtexts and which is presented in a way that really allows you to make your own choices where the text is unclear. I mean, for example, the Wiener edition of the French Suites sort of glosses over important aspects like the order of movements, and Barenreiter really tells you beforehand that it's unclear what Bach intended - in a way that makes you notice, instead of in a little note at the back of the book.

So I play the Italian Concerto, WTK, whatever from Barenreiter... although I refer to the Wiener edition sometimes for suggestions on fingering.