First Specific Blog Post

Just written up my first specifically aimed post Interestingly enough, what I've realised as I've put this more into a practically aimed form, is that a lot of the results of are basically going to be a kinds of awareness through movement exercise- based on translating a key mechanical concept into a particular type of perception. In fact, I suspect that it's likely to become primarily movement based, but with the intention of giving a clear and fully accountable background in the concept that leads to the exercise, as a well what I hope will be a credible illustration of why the concept might lead to improvement to movement. In that respect, this owes a hell of a lot to Alan's approach- which has been a great influence. Without it, I could easily have ended up writing something that comes across as far too abstract, with little practical use. For that matter, it probably wouldn't have even occurred to me to think about any mechanics in the first place, as I would have been less likely to wonder about how it can directly inform better movement. Anyway, what I've realised is that for this to be useful, I need to make a real effort to aid the translation from concept to practise. I hope that even for those with the most instinctive learning approaches, there could be a lot of benefits to some of the issues that I'll be going through. PS. I've discovered that I was a little careless in the terminology. A plane is already a 2 dimensional thing, and I should have used the word "axis", to describe a direct path. It doesn't have any bearing on practical issues. If I didn't already reword it, please note that I will be fixing that detail soon.

Hat off to your blog interesting approach. Intelligent explanation of how gravity works. The riddle of the pen is a nice way to start to think.I'd say the least energyconsuming way to strike the key is the way Alan explained how Gekic moves the finger forward-up when possible. Looking forward to next chapter. I guess there is some line between promoting other "methods" and discussing pianotechnique in general... So next time I'll comment your findings on your new blog:-) Best regards Eric

Hat off to your blog interesting approach. Intelligent explanation of how gravity works. The riddle of the pen is a nice way to start to think.I'd say the least energyconsuming way to strike the key is the way Alan explained how Gekic moves the finger forward-up when possible. Looking forward to next chapter. Eric Yeah- exactly! That's what I found too. I didn't want to state that yet in the post, as I'm interested in whether others would find the same conclusion for themselves. I realise now though that one thing I should have warned about is ensuring that the key lands comfortably. With such a goal, it's especially clear that the slight angling is both efficient and absorbent of the impact. To be honest, I'm not sure if my physics is quite on the level of truly proving WHY this is the case, but that's certainly what I found works best. I think the most important thing is the practical consequences anyway- so in the next post I'll try to illustrate a few basic elements of physics that at least point strongly towards it, as well as why alternatives can be inherently flawed (not least that ludicrous wrist collapse from Grindea, which is equivalent to angling the end of the pencil down as you move- it's so inept that it simply beggars belief that some people try to take this literally for sound production). Funnily enough, I barely did any practise for a few days while I was writing all this stuff, but having come back to it was feeling even easier than before. Focussing on the backward/forward line more than the up/down so much in discussion immediately had me doing it vastly better. I can barely believe just how little effort there is the elbow and wrist now. It's a kind of pairing off between the way the finger action pulls not only the knuckle up but also the whole arm at the elbow. From feeling both sides of the equation you can get a perfect cancelling out and find that magic stillness without seizure. It's the kind of inner working that permits finely balanced stillness instead of stiffly enforced stillness. The elbow and wrist can quite literally become MORE relaxed when the fingers activate than when you are simply hovering over the keys in preparation to play.

I've used the "forward-up" since I read about it but I can't apply it all the time so I kind of alter regarding the context.It's obvious when going "backwards" you need a really well-gymed hand ecpecially with the second finger.Can't blame Alan for understating the the role of the second and thumb it's just that I didn't understand until now that thats the sine qua non.And really standing on the thumb does liberate the whole mecanism. One exercise of mine in practise is to always play with the whole pad of the thumb keeping the first joint straight which over time has eased up everything and given me a Cziffra-feeling. Don't know about the physics but it's obvious that with the "forward-up" approach you have like 86Kg (my weight) behind you... I heard that Zimmerman is on the same track.

Congratulations, Andrew, I am very happy you are doing this... And thank you for the acknowledgement. It is gratifying to see my ideas stimulating others to their own investigations and not just blindly trying to copy. I've been rather snowed under lately and still am so cannot respond in greater detail right now, but a big thanks for all your efforts... AFF

Congratulations, Andrew, I am very happy you are doing this... And thank you for the acknowledgement. It is gratifying to see my ideas stimulating others to their own investigations and not just blindly trying to copy. I've been rather snowed under lately and still am so cannot respond in greater detail right now, but a big thanks for all your efforts... AFF Cheers for having a look! I'd be very interested if you do have any criticisms at any time, but no hurry at all if you're busy. I'm currently preparing something to introduce aspects of momentum/slower but more continuously driven movements. Also, about two-way understanding of all movements with reference to the law about equal and opposite reactions. Strangely enough, the way it's turning out it's going to be even more about how to build the perceptions than I might ever have realised. I'm intending to start using numerous movement exercises away from the piano and I'd be extremely interested in what you would think from the Feldenkrais point of view. By the way- one thing that I think might help resolve the gravity issue. I can't remember for sure now, but I may well have been careless in my descriptions. I might possibly have talked about it adding 'energy' or at least, implied that rather strongly even if it wasn't explicitly stated? Just to be clear, gravity certainly cannot input energy unless something moves downward. If I had either implied or directly stated that gravity is an energy source, it was certainly a very careless description. - Rather, it gives a well proportioned balancing force that enables the finger to apply energy in greater quantities, without its ability to operate being limited by the opposing reaction from the key and without the arm having to be pulled forward by the finger (or stiffened to prevent that). Could we agree with that version? I think we've both been simultaneously right in a way but wrong in a way at the same time I realise now that the fullest technical explanation is that the energy definitely does come solely from the hand itself, but the counter-force of gravity the finger to apply so much energy by balancing the arm without fixated joints (via the backward pull that gravity exerts on the elbow being offset against the forward pull of a natural finger action- leaving the arm free to hang naturally and effortlessly and causig virtually no discernible movement other than that of the key going down). It definitely does need to involve the matching up of forces that I've described (I'll give the fullest illustrations of this in future with diagrams on the blog), but it's equally true that it definitely does create a system in which the hand is responsible for the source of energy input.

Andrew congratulations for your blog site,and as usual i wish you have new thuoghts and ideas for us to read and think.I was thinking of creating a facebook group that i would post some videos and some thoughts of mine regarding piano technique,would it be ok if i posted links or some of your ideas as references?(always paying attention to have you as a reference or anyone else that had the idea,i hate plagiarism). Again congratulations for your blog. Kind regards

Andrew congratulations for your blog site,and as usual i wish you have new thuoghts and ideas for us to read and think.I was thinking of creating a facebook group that i would post some videos and some thoughts of mine regarding piano technique,would it be ok if i posted links or some of your ideas as references?(always paying attention to have you as a reference or anyone else that had the idea,i hate plagiarism). Again congratulations for your blog. Kind regards Cheers! That's fine if you want to refer to any of the ideas at all. If they are of any use then I'm certainly glad for people to know about them.

Just wrote a new post on there. I'd be really interested in Alan's views of this one. It contains virtually nothing specific about piano playing but simply introduces a general way of looking at virtually any movement from two alternative (and seemingly opposing) perspectives- with a view to converging on a point where you end up with one movement, regardless of which of the opposing perspectives you view it from. That may sound a little confusing in abstraction, but I hope it will all fit together in the post. I'd be really grateful if people could let me know if it comes across very clearly or not.