Should there be absolutely no stress when playing? Often when I play my scales stress accumulates in my right wrist.
I find that when I maintain a level wrist (as opposed to a dropped wrist) stress accumulates. Yet I've had tell me to keep a level wrist while playing.
My current teacher tells me that strength should be concentrated on the tips of my fingers. At the same time she emphasizes that I drop my wrist. Then where does the strength come from? Certainly not the wrist.
I have seen Vladimir Horowitz on several occasions playing with his fingers literally parallel to the keys.
What is the correct way? I want to be able to undo all the habits of stressing my wrist that have developed in the last few years of playing.

if your wrist drops too much while playing, you would break the weight distribution flow from your arms or shoulders to your finger tips, unless you want to use finger or hand only approach. but if your leveled wrist causes stress or tension, then it's not exactly the wrist problem, i would guess, but some unnecessary tension in your arms perhaps which got transferred through your wrist.

i remember that at lesson, my teacher would pick up my arm sometimes and telling me that i have too much tension there which was the reason that i cannot play certain passage well. so, check on that.

btw, Horowistz's hands are not exactly flat but curled with a little less angle, which is natural for him. the point is that if you feel some sort of tension while playing, then there's something unnatural with your techniques, which needs to be found out.

Do you experience the problem only with your right wrist and only when playing scales?

Steven

In scales and especially 5 finger exercises the wrist acts as the fulcrum. You will feel stress there because, as the fingers depress the key the wrist end of the hand wants to go up (rather than the key going down). To compensate you use the hand extensors (in the forearm) to pull the knuckle end of the hand up instead. No movement is seen - it's what Matthay called the 'invisible' part of technique.

I sense tension when I play scales and exercises, too, but very little when playing pieces, except with scale passages. It doesn't seem to hinder the scales themselves, but it can be worrying when you're trying to play without tension.

I have read that tension when playing fast is natural and unavoidable. Perhaps the real goal is to play without excess stress, rather than with no stress?

It is so hard to explain technique on a forum. But if I could just say simply, think fingers and forget everything else. Fingers do all the work everything else goes along for the ride.

But again, there is much more, then again maybe not, that may come into play, such as how to use your fingers, posture, balance, etc... bottom line, if everything else is assumed to be natural (ergonomic), imo, relax... and let your fingers do all the work and then there will be no tension.

PWF Advanced Search: "pencil"
poster: "Betty Patnude"

Note! The advanced search is found on the "Frequently Asked Questions" box, top right, under log out area, not on the "search" feature as you would expect. This must be something for Frank to fix, but it does works this way at the moment although it's not where you would expect to find it.

Read at least 3 of my entries about "pencil" - the 2nd of mine - is clear about it, the 1st alludes to the technique. Consider reading earlier posts back to June 2007 because it is a favorite item that I post about, and it may be stated just a bit differently, and that difference might make a difference to how you are understanding the details of this "technique".

I have posted several times since becoming a member on the question of shaping the hand position and I think it will help you to read how I use a pencil on a table top to help you "shape up". This puts your wrist at a supportive foundations and maximizes the knuckles curving and the fingertips touching the keys. Tips being at the top end of the finger, not the fat pad behind the nail.

You can go top speed with this position while playing close to the keys, allowing little finger lift off. It feels like "tapping" because the fingers can move so quickly with this support system, but it isn't. Slightly "taut" fingers at the sides of the finger nail knuckle are put into action as you play the finger on the note, not held "taut" throughout all fingers all of the time.

Once you have found technique, you'll probably never let it go!


Good luck in shaping up!

Betty Patnude

Actually, the advanced search is indeed accessible from the "search" feature. Click on "search." This will drop down a little box where you can enter your search term, but right below that little box is the word "advanced." Click on that and it will bring you to the advanced search options.

I know Nothing But I agree with Piano Buff. I try to forget the stress and find that when I have got the piece right and can enjoy it.....Eureka all the stress disappears!

Monica,

My computer shows something different than yours.

Search for me is 3 choices: Active Topics/Active Posts/Unanswered Posts

FAQ for me is: Advanced Search.

So what happened to FAQ?

We've got apples, and we've got oranges!

That's what I get when I click on "Active Topics". My Search button is one more to the right, and indeed has "Advanced" under the white search box. Hm.

Cathy

Interesting! You know what I bet is going on? Am I correct in remembering that you were changing your font size, Betty? I wonder if the clickable boxes don't get shifted or expanded when you change font size so they're no longer aligned with the proper keyword.

Very confusing!

Aha!

I do use the - key to make the font smaller.

Something is "shifted" but I'm not sure what and perhaps there is something else missing besides the FAQ.

It seems there is a little leeway in how those boxes are organized for viewing at the top. I don't remember how it changed, but it had changed without my doing it.

I'm happy that I can search advanced now - that is a new positive. I had been able to do it when we started the new system, search worked the way I wanted it to at that time but it disappeared on my screen....only to be found where I wouldn't expect it.

Oh, I did change to the yellow screen, could that have been the difference?

Monica,

When I tuned back into Piano World I tried the search and FAQ and they work as they should.

Then I did the reduction - and guess what? You were right!
They do the strange things I mentioned before when the font has been made smaller.

Yo!

Well, I'm glad we got it figured out, though it's too bad the font change thing messes up the layout. I'm sure it's not convenient to have to go back and forth between font sizes to use the clickable buttons.

(Though now I'm wondering why it doesn't similarly mess up your "submit" and "reply" buttons. )

More OT re: search: I just played with changing the font size, and it didn't affect the buttons. I'm using coffee, and can access the search either from clicking on the search button or the little arrow just to the right of it (which is to the left of the FAQ button).

Basically, it is all about comfort when playing.
If there is even a slightest miscomfort you are doing something wrong.
You should be completely relaxed and feeling the comfort.
Still, I would have to say that it more depends on the way you hear and the frame of mind, rather than just a physical way.

I never had the problem discussed either, and wondered if it was browser-dependent. (I normally use Firefox.)

I tried opening the forums in Internet Explorer today, and found that the line beginning "Forum List" and ending with "FAQ" did indeed to go totally wonky when I zoomed out to reduce the type size—exactly as Betty had described.

Steven

[quote=sotto voceI tried opening the forums in Internet Explorer today, and found that the line beginning "Forum List" and ending with "FAQ" did indeed to go totally wonky when I zoomed out to reduce the type size—exactly as Betty had described.

Steven [/quote]

Yup. The little arrows didn't move the same distance as the headings got spaced differently.

Cathy

I noticed something else, that when my font is smaller (elective) the PM does not flash a new message.

At least that happened twice today. I opened my messages to find a message there because I receive the PM message from PW in my email at home.

Reading the message completely at home is quite a good thing!

I still haven't placed my avatar although I have tried many times, there must be something I don't quite understand. Maybe I can live without her.