Grasping In Scale

Hi, I recently watched The Craft of Piano Playing and have quick question. You mentioned 'grasping' as vital method in piano playing, are you suppose to use grasping in scale and arpeggios ?

Here's my opinion(just my opinion,so.......maybe it's wrong),I think you can choose either you want to "grasping" or you can either use "any kind of shape of your hand" to play anything,but.....here's the most important thing, 1. is it good to hear(this is the most important that you have to think,if this isn't then the next or next next thing will be nothing) 2. is it comfortable for your hand(means that if it's uncomfortable then your hand will be 1. injured 2. it's hard to play (ex: you play scales with one finger) 3. is it hard to do something (ex:1.hard to do the volume that you want 2. hard to do the soft or rough (this maybe abstract,so use your sensitive ear to know that is it beautiful) So.....don't think too much about which "hand shape" that I have to use now,use your sensitive ear to hear that is it good to hear and use your hand to feel that is it comfortable!!

Yes. If we limit this to the PHYSICAL part of the matter, a slight pull at the knuckle (a light SENSATION of grasping, not forceful closing of a hand gripper!) combined with sensitive fingertips to feel the resistance of the key is indeed the basis for playing virtually anything. How many other movements you make with other parts of the body does not change this. Paul

The more difficult the music, the fewer options you will have to get it right. A bump from the arm may give good results in a slow piece, but it will obviously get you nowhere in virtuoso pieces. The physical component in piano playing is not about form (shape of the hand) but about FUNCTION and ACTIVITY. Although this may not be obvious immediately, this is what Alan Fraser's method is about. Nobody here propagates a fixed hand position. And just to make sure: neither will you see Alan or anybody else here on this forum state that you should not have a sound image in your head, that you should not listen to what you are doing. but.....here's the most important thing, 1. is it good to hear(this is the most important that you have to think,if this isn't then the next or next next thing will be nothing) Yes and no. In the end, listening is indeed paramount for good results but it is not always the key to a problem. Example: Let a student play a free beautiful trill on c-d in the middle of the piano with 2-3 of their dominant hand. No tempo indications, etc. It should just be like the voice of a nightingale. Oh, that was beautiful, wasn't it? Now let them play that same trill just as beautifully with 4-5 at the same location. Oh, they can't do it? What happened to their ears? How about their other hand? Can any finger combination there get the same results for that same task on that same location by just "listening" to the sound image in their heads? There is an underlying basis of body coordination that should be present before the ears will magically dictate high-quality results. Again, what is comfortable at a slow tempo may not work in faster tempos. To play the more difficult repertoire, you have minimum options to get it right. Unfortunately, too many people with very good ears but poor body coordination get themselves into trouble, and sometimes they are even forced to quit playing. Paul

Thanks for telling me those important things,paul. Ummmm can i ask you a question?Are you alan's student?(cuz im so curious about thatXD)

You are welcome. Sure, as long as you don't ask me my credit card number because I have a very bad memory for things like numbers, etc. No, I am not. I just share what I have to say with people who I feel are kindred souls/spirits. Paul

I am finding source to see the video Craft of Piano, can you tell me where you watched The Craft of Piano Playing ? I want to get some knowledge from that source.

you can find excerpts from it and/or find out what Alan tries to achieve in his lessons/seminars. Nothing beats one-on-one lessons, of course. If that is not an option, then buying his books is a good alternative. Most importantly: this is NOT about developing strength and it is NOT about fixed hand positions. It's about activity and awareness. Paul

Hello Paul and the rest of you, I like Paul's answers here a lot and would agree. Furthermore, the more you practice grasping, the more the grasping action will begin to be present in your hand as a background fact, generating and empowering, even if you don't consciously think about it. But for this to happen, the reflexes must be trained, and as Paul so aptly said, the ear alone will often fall short in making this training happen... AFF

The original grasping question indicates the background problem we pianists face. Would anyone ever ask, "Should I exert effort in my hip joints when I stand up, or when I walk?" Not likely, because that effort, the normal tonus in the hip joint that allows it to work well, is just there. We learned it, very early on. We take it for granted. We pianists often have not acquired the basic tonus in the hand that makes it work well on the keyboard, but we take it for granted that we have. Hence this kind of question.