Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Hands together, why is it so difficult?

I hadn't thought of that. I wonder if there's something to it.

Here's another slant.

If you only do HT, you automatically reduce the speed you can play significantly. Don't you want to spend at least some time trying to be fluent at a faster speed? Your strong hand can play way faster than your weak hand, which is still much faster than HT, so your strong hand doesn't come close to being challenged without some HS work.

This is an interesting point. In my case it is certainly true that when I practice with right hand only, I achieve a tempo and fluidity that actually sounds like music, something I've never achieved when I play HT. So frustrating. I've sometimes thought maybe I should just be content learning to be a one handed pianist.

Which hand is your strong hand? Might you think, people who are left handed would have it easier?

Everything you do at the piano is learned.

I have found that people who have great difficulty with hands together playing have not spent enough time building a strong foundation with simple HT pieces, and with exercises specifically designed for HT.

Instead, people tend to go for the harder more fun pieces, and they struggle. This is because the mental (and often the physical technique) foundation is simply not developed to the level necessary to play those pieces.

At least this is my observation from teaching for almost two decades, and seeing a wide variety of students, from self-taught, to poorly taught, to well-taught.

The well-taught have progressed thru the stages of repertoire and exercises so that they have developed the skills required.

When new students who can play come to me for lessons, many require remedial training with simpler pieces/exercises so they can develop the skills to play musically the pieces with which they are struggling.

I wish there were an easier way to gain HT skills, a magic pill, but there just isn't. Bottom line is "no foundation, no smooth HT playing".

Suggestion: Take it slow. Find HT pieces you can easily do. Work with Czerny and Hanon and Scales HT to develop those skills in a wide variety of configurations. And go real slow, slow enough to play everything well, with clean sounding notes.

Have you ever tried to learn cycling Foot Separately (FS) ? Of course not for one main reason: Riding is a Foot Together (FT) activity. Piano is no different. While the piano's forgiving nature of SH playing introduces unnecessary deficiencies, the bike would be far less forgiving. Anyway, this is my 2 cents opinion.

If you want to be a master, you will never achieve the real mastery by playing HT. Why? Because by playing hands together you cannot concentrate properly on the all details which are in the music. Taking hands rather will come automatis with years, so do not worry.

I when I want to know the piece, I play HT, but when I want to practice properly, I play HS.

And, yes, piano is very different from bike.

Besides, playing separately you work better on your technique, in all its dimensions like proper finger work, muscle tension, fast playing, not "gliding" on the notes. It has a lot lot lot of good things.
If you want just play for fun, it's ok. If you want to be good amateur pianist, playing only hands together will never bring you in that point.

And if you have problems with taking hands togehter, this is a sign that you shuold play more and that that the piece is probably a bit to hard for you but with time you will be ok with it.

Well, if you wish to ride with the better (read, faster) cyclists, then one leg drills will be part of your training. However, if the casual stroll through the neighborhood is enough and you are okay with your friends disappearing into the distance, then neglecting the one leg training is just fine.

sorry, had to write that, even though the cycling analogy is not apt in this situation.

Hands separate practice is an excellent way to address technical issues. Once resolved, you can move on to the coordination issue that hands together playing presents.

Forrest (former competitive cyclist)

Not wishing to beat a dead horse, but here is an advanced pianist's approach to a new piece.

Note how he starts!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STFkkY6BO7Y

Forrest