Pianoscience

Have just finished reading the vast majority of Andrew's posts about mechanically informed piano technique. His approach resembles Alan's and I must say that I got benefits from both of them. The only post I found confusing was the one with the scales which in my perspective is a way of scratching your backhead the other way around. By chance I was just studying F# minor melodic when I read the post about the scales and I don't see any reasons to use A major fingering instead of the standard one. Andrew's way of seeing speed bariers as a failure to cope with (and remove) compensating muscle activity has led to tremendous improvements. In just a few days I managed to jump from 60 to 80 bpm for things such as scales and the drills from the "Virtuoso Pianist". The "chain" approach is also very ingenious and has led to the most quick progress I have ever experienced (virtually...a matter of minutes). Still the problematic distinction between my 2 hands is still present. Here are a couple of my conclusions after getting through Andrew's exercises: 1. my right hand feels the chain more easily. Still it's not even near as stable as the left one 2. my left hand feels the chain with more difficulty but plays with more ease. However there is still lots of tension, especially at slow tempi. 3. the introduction of the lateral axis approach gives more control with arm weight but doesn't allow me to change fingers with more ease or play long arpeggios. (when passing the thumb under the 3rd finger from the RH the other fingers tremble; the same thing happens when having to change the 4th with the thumb in Chopin's Waltz; I have to find a way of releasing tension especially when enganging in passages that include arpeggios over 2 or more octaves). 3. thinking about the reaction when activating the key and not bothering about stopping the key to reach the keybed enables more ease and higher speeds. 4. there are 2 major compensating activities when you don't play with awareness: one in the elbow for the up/down axis and one in the shoulder for the forward/backward axis. Excessive pulling or excessive pushing without connecting with the key can lead to these 2 types of tension. 5. I sometimes feel that the "held up" sensation has now moved to the shoulder. The chain is there but something has to support it and I'm not doing it in a correct way. I think that the fingers aren't keeping it taut enough The problem is that I discovered these things when playing in my parents' town. The concert hall had a practice room with a Petrof. Getting annoyed by M-Audio's semi-weighted crap I went there and I was amazed of how much support and security the escapement from a real piano could offer. Now I'm back in Timisoara at my place and I played the same stuff on my Yamaha P-85 and it was back to "normal": pushing or bracing or even worse...both of them...as Andrew said. This lasted for a couple of minutes until I remembered the movements and the sensations I felt when playing an acoustic grand. Things are better but far from being resolved. It seems that I got over one playing rut but how can I teach my right hand to play so intuitively as my left one?

The main reasons for me are both physical comfort and ease of mental organisation. When passing 3 and 2 over the l.h thumb on B I find the position very cramped. If I go into that position from the thumb on the A, the fingers go on the same keys. However, the preceding 4 on B gives me much more comfortable access to that position. It goes a lot smoother than when you are straight on 3 on C sharp and opens out everything more. Couple that with the fact that it's mentally easier to conceive the coordination of fingerings between the hands in the same way as C sharp minor (and pair the two scales together) and it seems vastly easier to me. If you already learned the regular fingering and are happy, then it's only an option. However, I believe it's vastly easier for anyone learning the scale from scratch. I don't believe that the idea that "it's easier to turn onto black keys" applies here- due to the trouble of getting the 2nd finger ready to play the D straight after the C sharp. Regarding the rest, just a few thoughts: I don't want to sound like I'm out to turn a positive into a negative, but is the left hand actually working better or just less intensely? This is what I've started to wonder in my own playing. My left hand is vastly less capable in most ways. Is it just that the more active hand exposes the problem of reactions more? One thing I've realised is that I spent a lot of time on pure pulling exercises away from the keys and that it's usually my right hand that I practise with the most. While this action is valuable, I realise now that it's specifically what screws up wrist alignment, if it's creating a reaction due to an indirect path. I suspect that my right hand got to caught up in the strength of the pulling action and that it missed that this path is not direct enough for the keys. The left hand is much less developed in general- and hence didn't come to overuse the indirect path as my right hand did. As my right hand gets better at correcting the path of movement, I'm realising that it's largely much better developed. I just wasn't using it's capabilities in the best line. Now I need to come back to my left and get a lot more intensity out of the finger activations- but hopefully in the direct path from the start. The greater capability of the right was simply making the problems of indirect paths show up more, I believe, compared to the lazier left hand actions. Personally, I'd recommend a lot of Alan's Tai Chi walking exercises- so you stop pulling indirectly to the line of the key so much. I think this is where conscious understanding and "feel" need to complement each other. My feel had become so geared towards the circular path, that I was always pulling my wrist out of alignment. For that reason, I've had to consciously understand how to perform a straighter action and use that to develop a new "feel". Due to issues that I had not previously understood consciously, I developed a feel for something severely problematic- rather than a feel for something that is truly efficient. I'd recommend avoiding pure knuckle pulls altogether in exercises and concentrate on getting the lengthening action so instinctive that nothing is ever pulling you out of alignment. Also, Alan got me to do one where you slide back and forth on a finger against the keybed. It's good for feeling "skeletality" (but I found that the feel sticks all the better since I realised that this essentially about using the lengthening action to find an efficient balance without tightening or clenching). This is really good for lenghthening out any bunching in the arm too, to get that chain state of balance. introduction of the lateral axis approach gives more control with arm weight but doesn't allow me to change fingers with more ease or play long arpeggios. (when passing the thumb under the 3rd finger from the RH the other fin3. the gers tremble; the same thing happens when having to change the 4th with the thumb in Chopin's Waltz; I have to find a way of releasing tension especially when enganging in passages that include arpeggios over 2 or more octaves). I'd try the idea of preliminary weight, as described here. For me, this idea of weight as preparation has been the cure to the collapses and sags that Alan associates with armweight schools. It doesn't train you to collapse down, but rather trains you to feel what activity is needed NOT to collapse down. I read a chapter of all thumbs last night, also, that resonates on the same issue. Alan speaks of starting with the thumb DOWN, rather than up. If it's too far up, it will have to go down or be stiffly held up. If it starts trying to rest weight against the key (not enough to depress it at all!) then it's possible to make the action all about freeing yourself up and away. This issue has been one of the biggest breakthroughs of all for me. Creating this interaction between slight weight and finger action before the key starts to move also helps perceive the direct line of activity, that sends maximal available energy straight into sound.

The question-answer you provided here reminds me of your post "There's a hole in my bucket" which I read yesterday. There can be a major difference between what you're perceiving and what you're actually doing - I mean here both what you're doing yourself on the keyboard and what you're teaching the others to do. This was my problem before meeting Alan. He noticed it from the very first lesson: the structure was there, the wrist was aligned but the function was not present...I stiffened my wrist because I wasn't using that "no down only up" approach which Alan taught me. This had happened because my first teacher (a very accomplished pianist) kept telling me to relax as much as possible. He did that because he felt that what he was doing was total relaxation while what he was actually doing was something else. I remember the lessons with him - during the Hanon drills he often forced my fingers to remain connected with the key by holding them with his index and middle finger. I also remember that he kept checking my wrists and supporting the arch by holding his index raised under my palm. He also kept shaking forwards and backwards my upper arm moving thus the whole "chain". I managed to play comfortable a few times (comfortable not relaxed as you pointed the difference on your blog) but what I actually perceived was relaxation. That happened because I was playing with ease but I wasn't relaxing. I was using positive movement. However I haven't managed to control this positive movement good enough yet.

That's exactly what I have been doing since I started reading your posts. I don't know why but I think this happens because my senses tell me that this is the hand that needs more improvement. And I think that your explanation clears things up: the RH just works more intensely. This brings the problem more close to consciousness. And regarding your preliminary weight approach I must tell that this helps but only if I start correctly. If not then the whole Hanon drill or scale gets screwed up. I must also stress that sometimes the RH 3rd finger has big problems when returning in a Hanon drill. When I get close to the end point (C3 - the C right bellow central C) the 3rd finger looses contact with the key - it cannot remain connected with the key in order to keep it down until the next note is to be played. I don't know whether this is a coincidence or not but it often happens when I start thinking about the finger extension. I also don't know whether the cause of this is finger bracing or excessive pressure or both but this is the most problematic finger and I don't know how to solve the problem. This happens at faster tempos. At 60 bpm I started to be able to play the 16ths quite with ease. The keys are more "light" now.

I should stress that the preliminary weight idea requires a VERY slow tempo and extremely conscious observation. You can't force it to happen right off at speed, or it will doubtless be something very different. First off, I wouldn't consciously attempt this idea at a rate of any more than one note per second with clear transfers between fingers. Over time, you'll learn a feel that enables the fingers to prepare in the same way at speed, with little direct thought about it. However, please don't try to force that to happen, or it will almost certainly do more harm than good and produce something very different. It can only be done at speed when the instinct has been developed via slow explorations. You can't simply will it right away. Once out of your stride the best thing is to stop and regroup with real attention to every individual finger preparation- not to fight on through for the sake of completing an exercise. The key to this state is perceiving how the force is already running back to the knuckle- so further lengthening would instantly be pushing it up, were you on a stable surface. Only when this firming against the key has been felt with clarity does key depression even come onto the radar. Please don't hurry past that essential stage, or you may be more likely to encourage either weight collapses or forceful arm pressures- rather than the extremely sensitive balance of activities that this is about. This is all about preparation, which means you need to leave time to feel and assess the sensations between depressions. Otherwise it may cease being a preparation for good finger movement and instead infect the depression with a collapse due to arm pressure. PS in a sense the preparation is about compressing the finger together. That attitude could be harmful on a stable surface and cause overwork. However on a key that you are not allowed to move, you cannot overdo it without moving the key. It gives you a way to perceive mild compression of the finger merely as a primer that creates firmness in a healthy way- as opposed the more extreme and harmful compression (caused by too much arm pressure) that we look to avoid once the key is depressed. Be sure that you are making a total differentiation between what comes before and what occurs during and after key depression. This is specific to preparation and needs to be kept distinct, or it will do something very different.

I should stress that the preliminary weight idea requires a VERY slow tempo and extremely conscious observation. You can't force it to happen right off at speed, or it will doubtless be something very different. First off, I wouldn't consciously attempt this idea at a rate of any more than one note per second with clear transfers between fingers. Over time, you'll learn a feel that enables the fingers to prepare in the same way at speed, with little direct thought about it. However, please don't try to force that to happen, or it will almost certainly do more harm than good and produce something very different. It can only be done at speed when the instinct has been developed via slow explorations. You can't simply will it right away. Once out of your stride the best thing is to stop and regroup with real attention to every individual finger preparation- not to fight on through for the sake of completing an exercise. The key to this state is perceiving how the force is already running back to the knuckle- so further lengthening would instantly be pushing it up, were you on a stable surface. Only when this firming against the key has been felt with clarity does key depression even come onto the radar. Please don't hurry past that essential stage, or you may be more likely to encourage either weight collapses or forceful arm pressures- rather than the extremely sensitive balance of activities that this is about. This is all about preparation, which means you need to leave time to feel and assess the sensations between depressions. Otherwise it may cease being a preparation for good finger movement and instead infect the depression with a collapse due to arm pressure. PS in a sense the preparation is about compressing the finger together. That attitude could be harmful on a stable surface and cause overwork. However on a key that you are not allowed to move, you cannot overdo it without moving the key. It gives you a way to perceive mild compression of the finger merely as a primer that creates firmness in a healthy way- as opposed the more extreme and harmful compression (caused by too much arm pressure) that we look to avoid once the key is depressed. Be sure that you are making a total differentiation between what comes before and what occurs during and after key depression. This is specific to preparation and needs to be kept distinct, or it will do something very different. Yes. You were right. Just 2 repetitions with 1 note per second and it's already looking good. However I need to do this for a couple of months before ingraining it in my unconscious. I was curious how can you extend when you have to play arpeggios for instance and the finger being almost fully extended has no possibility to extend further? How can you prevent that "foam" finger to happen when playing arpeggios? I was very attentive to extend the 3rd RH when playing F# minor over 4 octaves and the trembling of the other fingers almost completely stopped; however there is very little room for further extensions when the finger lies almost flat on the keys. I noticed that raising the wrist just a bit gives you more efficiency at energy transmision. And just one more thing here...how can I prevent the "collapse" of the last joint (the tip joint) of the finger when extending? I saw this unhealty habit in one of Valentina Lisitsa's videos too. Is it something you cannot avoid? Is she doing it on purpose? Or has she embeded a mistake that doesn't affect her technique? I think I experienced that extension before even activating the finger and hence the key by accident but I think I overdid it. When I was play on that Petrof I prepared my hand to play and I think that by seeking that chain feeling my fingers started to extend because the point that should have made it taut wasn't there yet as the fingers hadn't any work to do in terms of playing something. So it was rather unconscious. However, due to excessive extending (or elbow compression, or faulty escapement mechanism) the keys (better said the strings) started sounding...a ppp I guess even more still...barely noticeable. I must say that trying extensions at slow speeds is just killing. It wears you out completely. It also improves things very much and very quickly but the sensation is very different - I mean here both between slow - fast and right - left. When I'm playing and using extensions the RH feels like it uses pushing not pulling. However once I try playing the same thing faster it feels very good and normal. Exactly the same feeling when trying to activate the key by lowering the end of the pencil and raising the end you are holding. It's only when I play hands together I get the chance (by comparing the outputs of both) to see that both of my hands are actually doing the same thing. And now a little off-topic. I wonder how much will my future repertoire choice be affected when I can only reach a comfortable octave and an uncomfortable 9th (a 10th only on white keys if I play at the very edge and under the key level).

Just in case, without wanting to interfere or anything, but I'd like to suggest you discuss especially the specifics of the second part of that question through PM. Paul

Just in case, without wanting to interfere or anything, but I'd like to suggest you discuss especially the specifics of the second part of that question through PM. Paul Terribly sorry. I was in a haste. So time reasons not politeness ones. And I remember your advice from last summer which was good and I want to PM you too...but you're not PM-able.

I was not attacking you for impoliteness. I'm just trying to protect the business interests of two people I consider my friends: both Alan and Andrew. It's nothing personal against you. I have a Default Deny policy for PM everywhere on the Internet for very good reasons that go far beyond the scope of this forum. Besides, even if PM were enabled, I have very high pedagogical and business ethics and I would not teach you anything "behind their backs" that goes against my friends' ideas. Anything I have to say here will be said openly and on the forum only for everyone to see. Without the intention of sounding harsh, but I think that at the stage you are on right now, you do yourself a disservice by trying too many different approaches within too short a time frame. I suggest you compare Alan's approach to Andrew's approach, make your choice, and stick to it for a while. Paul

Very good points there. I've been thinking a lot about these issues. Firstly, the easiest way to learn balance is to go fully vertical, but depending on the length of the finger, you may have to go more sensitively to the middle. The short 5th can ALWAYS go vertical if desired, without preventing the next finger from having room to lengthen. You see this very frequently in Curzon, Rubinstein and others. The others need to get used to staying in the middle of motion. As an example, do a miniature squat while standing by letting the knees bend. Then practise going up and down without going to the extremes of motion. Obviously, being close to vertical is the most effortless position (as long as you don't carry on doing needless work with the muscles once already in a balance). However, as you develop the quality of balance, you can also balance more easily with increasing bend in the knees. The fingers too can learn to be well balanced without lengthening out altogether, but the easiest way to get the feel of proper connection is to start by fully lengthening out- as in the Tai Chi walking. From there, it's easier to know if you are doing an efficient balance when staying more in the middle of finger's ranges. Regarding the collapsing tip try putting your nail flat against a table-top and (after crumpling the whole finger in) push lightly away from it by lengthening (keep the arm light!). Do you find it becomes impossible to collapse? From here, I find it also becomes easier not collapse when starting in more normal pianistic alignments. Yeah, it's difficult. It's a really sensitive balance to feel that you're resting very slight weight and clearly extending the finger in a way that can be felt up to the knuckle (and hopefully right back up the arm). Don't worry if the key moves a bit some of the time, but keep experimenting until you feel the finger is genuinely "firmed" between the key and minor weight. If you overdo either, the key will move, but with time you can learn to feel a really clear sense of firming or priming the finger between two small forces. Careful not to overdo it! In particular, be careful the arm isn't pressing! I'd initially written off finger extensions, until I matched them up to Alan's floating arm ideas and realised that they do not have to be strenuous. It's very easy to press and overwork them. I'd experiment with playing five connected fingers both during a slow wrist ascent (from very low to start with) and during a slow wrist descent from high to low. Going down tends to increase contact but risks burdening, whereas going up eliminates the possibility of arm pressures. I think that my bunched wrist was the product of doing too much of the up without referencing the down enough- but use the fingers properly in both! And now a little off-topic. I wonder how much will my future repertoire choice be affected when I can only reach a comfortable octave and an uncomfortable 9th (a 10th only on white keys if I play at the very edge and under the key level). Ought to be enough. Consider that open actions actively increase your span over time, whereas closing actions tend to tighten things together.