|
Welcome to the Piano World Piano Forums Over 3 million posts about pianos, digital pianos, and all types of keyboard instruments. Over 100,000 members from around the world.
Join the World's Largest Community of Piano Lovers
(it's free)
It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!
|
|
75 members (bluebilly, accordeur, BillS728, aphexdisklavier, bobrunyan, anotherscott, AaronSF, apianostudent, 16 invisible),
2,119
guests, and
357
robots. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 13
Junior Member
|
Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 13 |
During my years taking piano lessons, I had some good teachers, and one great teacher. His name was Alexander Mlynarski; the piano teacher lineage went back through Paderewski, and on back many generations to Beethoven, according to my teacher (whom I have no reason to doubt).
He taught that my hand should be shaped as though I were holding a large orange. Wrist low, knuckles high, elbows out slightly, hand always relaxed when possible between playing and sustaining chords.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 561
500 Post Club Member
|
500 Post Club Member
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 561 |
Thanks robert . Video lessons on these aspects of piano really help. I recently came back to piano playing and my new teacher as an adult taught me about playing with 'calm hands' I was quick to get his meaning since I've done a lot of yoga and body training. I know what releasing tension feels like but never thought about it in my piano playing before. It is true you really can play for hours without getting fatigued. Now I am no longer with that teacher your videos help re-inforce the great lessons I have learned lately. I will look forwar to more of your tips and tricks!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 21
Full Member
|
Full Member
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 21 |
I know this is very late but I think you will find helpful... I say fix. For your finger to stick up, it must be tense, tension = bad tone and damage to muscles. It is also inefficient. You just need to strengthen it with isolation exercises, which, of course will take more than a couple of weeks before you have some marked improvement. e.g. 1. play a triad and while holding the bottom two keys down, play your fifth several times, slowly, but firmly. Then once comfortable, double-tap your fifth with dotted rhythms i.e. dotted-quaver and semiquaver and then reverse. (double-dotted is even better). You MUST lift your fifth straight up and curved, DO NOT flap it out in an arch. Pull it straight up. The fifth finger itself, however, is not the only problem. The 3rd and 4th fingers are very lazy and very clumsy. E.g. 2. Download Delioux op. 86 from imslp.org and flick through that. Part I Series I is very good. (Pick out exercises for 3,4, and 5 individually and also combined). If your 5th finger lifts to help your 4th lift and then relaxes as your 4th finger strikes then that's ok: holding it up and straight is not ok. If it helps your 4th then it must play exactly with your 4th as though strapped to it. I hope that helps
Prokofiev Seventh Franck Prelude, Choral and Fugue
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 55
Full Member
|
Full Member
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 55 |
Thanks, Robert, for this enormously helpful video. I look forward to seeing more!
Cheers,
--Phil
===================== Rank Amateur Noodler Howard/Kawai 550 "Tier 5" Yamaha Motif XF-8 =====================
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 43
Full Member
|
Full Member
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 43 |
These videos are wonderful. Robert is a very good player and teacher. Thanks!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 2
Junior Member
|
Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 2 |
Online learning provides many advantages to everybody. First of all there are numerous software packages to choose from, which provide the required help in playing the piano. Online piano lessons will work out to be cost effective and provide an effective way in mastering techniques which relate to this musical instrument.
Another major advantage of an online piano lesson is that you can do it from any part of the world. You also do not require superior hardware configurations to download the software packages for online piano learning. What is even better is that you can access the various piano lesson packages from the online “shops†any time of the day or night.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 608
500 Post Club Member
|
500 Post Club Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 608 |
It does make me laugh a little bit when people talk about no longer playing as if there is a ball in your hand and similar things which must have gone out of style 30 years ago ... unless there are some really bad teachers out there!
it's specially laughable when we know that Byrd and his contemporaries used flat fingers to play the keyboard fads...
unlocked by keys wordless poetry sings free - piano music -
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 89
Full Member
|
Full Member
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 89 |
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 23
Full Member
|
Full Member
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 23 |
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 1
Junior Member
|
Junior Member
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 1 |
Hi, thanks for the video sharing, Seems like finally i've found the right info. Kindly share more info soon
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 4
Junior Member
|
Junior Member
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 4 |
I love this video! I enjoy every minute of it! My students would benefit greatly from this video. So the question is --> Can I share it on my website? Thank you! All the best! Carlinton http://www.choose-piano-lessons.com/piano-exercises.html
Last edited by Carlinton; 11/09/13 03:44 PM.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 9
Junior Member
|
Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 9 |
“The Easiest and Most Effective way
to Learn Piano & Keyboard Onlineâ€
http://pianoforallbuy.blogspot.com/
Last edited by careezma; 11/13/13 06:32 PM.
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,808
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
|
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,808 |
At the beginning of the video Estrin mentions Horowitz's flat fingered playing but then Estrin seems to recommend a more curved fingers approach. Does this mean he thinks Horowitz played incorrectly or was some kind of exception to the rule or was able to play the way he did despite some technical flaw or...? I think leaving an explanation of this out makes the video somewhat unclear.
There are also other pianists who use a more flat fingered approach although none as famous as Horowitz.
Last edited by pianoloverus; 01/13/14 01:40 PM.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 999
500 Post Club Member
|
500 Post Club Member
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 999 |
I think he fails to mention that both curved and flattened fingers can be used depending on what is being played. I've read books and have noticed some professionals using both.
The Melody Hand is weighty and 'dead,' so to speak. The touch is made with flat fingers; the ball of the finger comes in contact with the key, the whole arm, hand and fingers are relaxed—as loose as possible. You caress the keys as though you loved them, as though they were a very part of you; you cling to them as to something soft, velvety or downy—with pressure, pressure, pressure, always."
The technical hand employs finger touch and finger action; the hand is held up, in military position, so to speak; the finger movements are quick, alert and exact; the hand is alive, not dead and heavy, as is the melody hand. The two ways of playing are quite opposite in their fundamental character, but they can be modified and blended in endless ways."For the technical or coloratura touch, the hand is in arched position, the five fingers are well rounded and curved, their tips are on the keys, everything is rounded. When a finger is lifted, it naturally assumes a more rounded position until it descends to the same spot on the key from which it was lifted, as though there were five little imaginary black spots on the keys, showing exactly where the finger-tips should rest. The fingers are lifted cleanly and evenly and fall on the keys—no hitting nor striking. I make a great distinction between the coloratura touch and the melody touch. The first is for rapid, brilliant passage work, sparkling, glittering, iridescent— what you will—but cold. It is made, as I said, with arched hand and raised finger action. Melody touch expresses warmth and feeling; is from the heart. Then there are the down and up arm movements, for chords, and, of course, scale and arpeggio work, with coloratura touch
Thuel Burnham
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 2,925
2000 Post Club Member
|
2000 Post Club Member
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 2,925 |
Great video, thanks! "The magical line where the white keys meet the black keys." Amazing.
"Imagine it in all its primatic colorings, its counterpart in our souls - our souls that are great pianos whose strings, of honey and of steel, the divisions of the rainbow set twanging, loosing on the air great novels of adventure!" - William Carlos Williams
|
|
|
|
|
|
Piano
by Gino2 - 04/17/24 02:34 PM
|
Piano
by Gino2 - 04/17/24 02:23 PM
|
|
Forums43
Topics223,408
Posts3,349,457
Members111,637
|
Most Online15,252 Mar 21st, 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|