Technique and methods

Hi all! I am not sure if this is already been discussed here... Anyway Thomas Mark (author of "What Every Pianist Needs to Know About the Body) says we must seek for 5th finger orientation instead of thumb orientation....

Hi again Question i had that i cant figure it out: Let's say I am playing notes c-g left hand,I am moving the arm in a half circul upwards towards the thumb,now the hand needs to come down at a certain point otherwise it...

Hi, All! Some time ago, I carried out an experiment that may have some significance for the way we think about hand function in piano playing. 35 right-handed male individuals - no professional musicians among them -...

Hi Alan- If i understood correctly,whenever I am using the hand a "sack of bones" I am dissolving and letting go the hand's structure,so does that mean that the motion of hip joint of the hand rising does not exist even...

Hi, 1-Are the intrinsic muscles of the hand more powerful than the muscles in the forearm,and why is it that those muscles which are located in the forearm are the ones responsible in playing the more precise playing tha...

Hi, when playing chords and wanting to make one note louder than the others,its a bit tricky to understand-if playing lound essentially means going faster to the key, then how can all of the chord's notes can be played...

Hello, your perceptions are actually right on. I have watched MANY Serbian accordionists over the years and am blown away by their virtuosity. And yes, what they do seems to go against much of what I teach. However, it...

That's a tough one to explain on the forum... Printed language does have limits! Sorry! AFF

If your wrist is going up and down on every note of a scale, your fingers aren't working and your arm is trying to take up the slack. It is a result of your training. As for curling the fingers, the degree to which the...

Very important question. My answer is, "it depends." At a certain point, if you can't master holding two notes down at a fast tempo, it means there is still some imperceptible collapse still going on somewhere in your sy...

Very clever question! No, for a you should also have more activity but of a different quality! AFF

Hello, I have a major problem when it come to play staccato presttisimo-I understand that you should do that with the fingers but should there be an slight stabilization in the wrist?I feel the hand muscles contract wh...

I've noticed that I'm never able to pull off a 5 4 3 2 1 note sequence such as g f# e d c# with consistency at moderate to hi speed. so, what are some exercises to help with this? I've tried over holding, ultra articu...

Thank you Alan for your reply... So it is like water, spilling over naturally into different parts of life? Or does it need someone with a bucket?

The cracking noise is entirely normal. Scientists have proven that cracking doesnt weaken your grip. Actually, it helps your fingers more relaxed and flexible. Good luck

I recently reread a chapter on leaping (Alan's honing book I think), which talked about swatting the keyboard effortlessly instead of tensing up. this works so well! I took it one step further and imagined little black d...

The triceps plays a key role in stabilizing (stiffening!) the hand and fingers on the keyboard. Your insight is very perceptive and yes, you could probably help your left hand out a good deal by doing a few dips every da...

HELLO, I have read in claudio Arrau book (if I understood correcly) that in order to play forte you should release more of the holding of the arm by the shoulder and in order to play piano there is more of a hold...is t...

Hello, I wanted to ask you some issues about piano technique. I played the piano for some years, but really the only thing I focused on was to read the notes. I just cannot give changes to the volume of the music I play...

hello Is there a difference as far as curving the fingers or the different touch when playing Bach compare to the Classical time?

I have been making constant new discoveries from reflecting upon my own technical limitations and reading Alan's third book and watching his lectures. The key problem i felt in my hands has always been the 2nd finger. An...

I have been exploring using sliding as a way to make my hands more movable. However, sometimes my fingers just can't slide. On another occasion, often right after shower, my fingers would be too slippery and i would feel...

Thank you sir Alan, for enlightening me! Since i started to play the piano 3 years ago, I've always had troubles using my fifth finger properly. With the lack of viable teachers locally, I've never been able to pinpoint...

My daughter 6.5 year old is learning with a piano teacher who uses "craft of piano" in teaching since last July. But we don't get it systematically, so it is very foggy what to be and what motion to apply. And my daugh...

HELLO, I saw the answer about the stomach and how loose it should be while playing. is it possible to write an explanation why it should be loose completely? I heard some people suggest otherwise-hold it a bit to "prot...