Most movements in piano technique involve repetition. Moreover, most of them are reciprocal motions or movements in opposite directions. One direction produces tone, the other serves merely as the spatial preparation of the next tone-production. Fingerlift, for example, is in itself useless for tone-production. Its use lies in the preparation which it gives to the next finger-descent which is the actual tone-producing stroke. This holds true when using double rotation.

Arm-lift is useful only because it enables us to follow it with an appropriate arm-descent.

1. Fingerlift and arm-lift, therefore, may be considered the negative movements,
2. Finger-descent and arm-descent , the positive movements.

During finger lift or arm lift you are extering your muscles against the pull of gravity.