My Yamaha CLP-115 has a very heavy action. I want to work on technique, using Hanon, scales, and arpeggios. Considering how heavy the action is (between 65 and 70 grams), is there a limit to how hard I should practice to avoid injury? By hard, I mean length of practice time and trying to increase velocity.

I would love to get a good acoustic piano, but I can't afford it.

Thanks

Just be sensitive to any aches or pains and don't go beyond that. Make sure you use your ears and make music, never just 'exercise'.

I haven't experienced any pain yet; I assume that's a good sign. I'm concentrating on evenness, so I listen to myself very closely, even with Hanon.

I'm curious, is the touch adjustable on your CLP-115? Some DP's have an adjustable touch setting.

It's good that you're not experiencing pain - always a warning sign to stop! Also, insure you're arms and hands are relaxed and tension free. It's really easy when focusing on evenness and velocity to get really tense.

If you're attentive to warning signs, you shouldn't have any problems.

Unfortunately, the touch is not adjustable. I try to keep arms, wrists, and hands relaxed. Because of the weight of the touch, it's hard to tell if they're relaxed at faster speeds.

I personally feel that learning with a heavier action actually helps to train my fingers strength, and when I play on piano with lighter actions, it makes it so much easier. I suppose is common to feel ache, just now when you go exercising, you get muscle-ache. But when you practice every day, and gain the fingers strength, it is no longer aching, my fingers actually wants to play every day as a work out. And of coz, music is produced as a result of the work out.

I have to disagree with aches being a good thing, or a sign of progress. There shouldn't be any pain when you practice; it's a sign that something's wrong.