Musings about piano technique
Definition:
Curmudgeon - An ill-tempered (and frequently old) person full of stubborn ideas or opinions.
I will write some things that will probably be interpreted as curmudgeonly. If I say something to which you take offense please accept my apologies in advance. (On a side note, my father was also branded a curmudgeon so it may be a genetic defect of mine.) If you have a question or comment please feel free to contact me. If you really think that I am out of my mind on something, please say so.
This content is from a talk I gave in Berlin at the 2018 Enlightened Piano Radio Awards gathering. The original title that was suggested - Recognizing Various Technical Approaches to the Piano - was a jumping off point. I started there, but as I will soon state, I don’t think there are different approaches. Here then is my first curmudgeonly statement in this post.
I believe that regardless of style, healthy piano technique is healthy technique and is appropriate for any style of music. There isn’t Jazz Technique, Classical Technique, Stride Technique, whatever. There is only technique that is healthy and does not promote injury. The musical vocabulary of a specific style will certainly be different, but the technique in playing the instrument will be the same across any style.
How many pianists are also athletes?
hint: We ALL are. We participate in a craft that requires physical interaction with an instrument. As such, the physical aspects of that craft should be analyzed, cared for, and nurtured.
The Orchestral Musicians Rate of repetitive stress injuries is somewhere between 64% and 76%. (As a side note here, if you are playing in pain, there are medical resources out there. There are specialists who specialize in medicine for musicians.)
Gary Graffman and Leon Fleischer both had to switch to Left Hand Solo Piano works due to injury.
Robert Schumann reportedly ended his performing career with the use of a mechanical device to strengthen the fourth finger. (It may or may not be true.)
By viewing ourselves as athletes, we have a model from which we can borrow aspects that work for us, like a physical warm up away from the piano. How many people do this?
A great example of a physical warm-up to do prior to practicing is:
On YouTube: PianoCareer - Holistic Piano Coaching. Wrist, Arm & Shoulder Warm-Up for Pianists.
Until next time - go practice!
