Piano Video Discussion Group #1: Martha Argerich's Scarlatti

I couldn't have said it better! AFF

Here is an interesting clip speaking of muscels: Gen Hirano is a prof bodybuilder AND what I can hear a really good performer. Any comments?

He certainly is a very accomplished pianist, and a thoughtful one as well - see his transcription of the Barber Adagio. But this performance shows that it's not the muscles that are so important but how you use them. His sound is solid but it doesn't particularly move me... AFF

He certainly is a very accomplished pianist, and a thoughtful one as well - see his transcription of the Barber Adagio. But this performance shows that it's not the muscles that are so important but how you use them. His sound is solid but it doesn't particularly move me... AFF Wait a minute, can one workout without affecting his/her technique?? I've always wanted to workout but my piano teacher simply prohibited me and told me that if I did so my hands would fall off (ok maybe she didn't use those terms) but anyway, can I be somewhat of a decent pianist with rock solid body??

I beleive it is a misconception among pianists.I knew 2 accomplished performers who did advanced tennis and mountainclimbing. It's an important question a lot of musicsans deprive themselfes of sports maybe for faulty reasons? Eric

At a certain point in my studies my teacher told me not to lift anything because it would strain my hand. And indeed, at that point it was at a sensitive point in its development and needed to be handled with care. I remember having a wonderful, Feldenkrais-like lesson where the sensations of my hand were so enriched and intensified that it felt completely different when I left his studio. I played a game of tennis a few hours later, and lost all that subtle feeling in my hand. But now I play tennis whenever I like, and do lots of other strenuous things with my hand as well. It has the capacity to be both strong and sensitive. And it NEEDS both - you need great strength to play piano, especially to manage a good pianissimo! My problem with this particular video: it seems that the actual process of building muscle bulk has reduced his sensitivity. All that bulk is slightly inert and I don't feel it is helping his sound. The inert-ness of it actually gets in the way. But remember, it's not the muscle bulk that's the problem, it's the general state of his technique - the limited extent of his understanding. This can be improved regardless of how much body building he's doing... AFF