Purpose of Technique  «Prev  Next»

Technique and Music are inseparable

To acquire piano technique therefore implies that you must induce and enforce a particular mental-muscular association[1] and cooperation for every possible musical effect. The brain must remember sensation corresponding to the successful execution of a passage.
  1. The incorrect belief in the past has been to suppose that one could acquire a musical technique dissociated from the practice of actual, real music.
  2. On the contrary, be sure to realize from the very beginning, that what you have to do, is to make a strong bond between musical intention and the means of its practical fulfilment. From the very beginning of your musical and pianistic studies, you must try to make strict association between the spiritual and physical in playing.
  3. Never sound a single note without a distinct musical purpose. This implies a definite rhythmical intention for each note, and also applies to your very first experiments at the keyboard.

Mental Muscular Association

Mental-muscular association is the ability to coordinate your thoughts and movements in order to perform a task. In piano playing, this means being able to think about the music you want to play and then translate those thoughts into the physical movements of your fingers and hands. There are a few different types of mental-muscular association that are important for piano playing. One is visualization. This is the ability to see the music in your head before you play it. When you can visualize the music, it helps you to understand the structure of the piece and how the different parts fit together. This can make it easier to learn and remember the music.
Another important type of mental-muscular association is kinesthetic awareness. This is the ability to feel the movement of your fingers and hands as you play the piano. When you have good kinesthetic awareness, you can make small adjustments to your technique without having to think about it consciously. This allows you to play with more accuracy and fluency. Finally, aural awareness is the ability to hear the music in your head as you play it. This is important for being able to play in time and to make sure that the music sounds the way you want it to. All of these types of mental-muscular association are important for piano playing. The more you practice, the better you will become at coordinating your thoughts and movements. This will allow you to play with more accuracy, fluency, and expression. Here are some tips for developing mental-muscular association in piano playing:
  1. Practice regularly. The more you practice, the better you will become at coordinating your thoughts and movements.
  2. Use visualization. When you are practicing, take some time to visualize the music in your head. This will help you to understand the structure of the piece and how the different parts fit together.
  3. Pay attention to your kinesthetic awareness. As you practice, pay attention to the movement of your fingers and hands. This will help you to develop a better sense of how to control your technique.
  4. Develop your aural awareness. As you practice, listen carefully to the music you are playing. This will help you to make sure that the music sounds the way you want it to.

Quality of Tone and Wrist Height

The height of the wrist and the quality of the tone are not inter-related. In order to vary the tone color, the speed of key descent has to be decreased or changed, which has nothing to do with the wrist height. This is combined with the skillful use of the pedal and technique such as physical shaping from the wrist. When one learns to match the tone produced, listening and the physical association of what it feels like to create the desired tonal color, the process of producing singing tone can be learned and implemented.

Avoid playing with a low wrist

The fundamental principle of Modern Keyboard Technique is that the fingers, hand and forearm operate together in synchronicity. One fact that emerges from this underlying foundation is that if the wrist is low, the critical alignment of the fingers, hand and forearm is not maintained. To expand on this concept, the wrist is the fulcrum for the hand and must remain firm. The wrist does change in height according to the situation, (higher for intervals and chords) but if alignment is to be preserved, the wrist can never be lower than level.

[1]mental-muscular association: The sensations the player experiences in the fingers, hand and forearm need to be remembered by the brain in order to successfully execute the passage during the next iteration.