Hi there, I'm a 38 year old piano novice and have recently begun daily piano practice again after a gap of ten years or so. I have some burning and uncomfortableness in my arms and hands when playing, which means I can't practice more than 20-25 minutes a day. I intend to try several things to get rid of this, such as exercise, stretching, a more ergonomic work area and more, but one of the things I've always been missing is proper piano technique.

I realize this is a debated subject, but which basic piano technique should I use in general to prevent injury and get rid of the 'pins & needles' in my forearms and hands? I'm thinking of the really basic stuff like how to sit and how to hold your arms and hands and such.

The problem is that there is such an astounding amount of conflicting material out there that I don't have a clue which to pick. So I'm up to my ears in differing articles and youtube videos, which probably isn't the best way. I think I'd be happy if I could find just one quality book or dvd that would really cover the basics and that I could stick with for the next 6 months or so.

Thanks,
Kerouac.

Hi Kerouac,

Welcome to PianoWorld ! You'll find lots of friendly, helpful people here, as I have since joining in january.

Since you are no stranger to the piano, I'm tempted to skip the basics but sometimes the obvious is overlooked. So, the very 1st thing to look after is your bench height and distance from the keyboard. Here are typical illustrations of basic distances and posture:





An eternal debate concerns hand and finger position... I could write ten paragraphs on this alone and you would walk away just as confused as when you first started reading! Basically, stand up and let your arms loose on your side. Raise your hands in a relaxed fashion up to your elbows and notice the curvature of your fingers. This is the natural position of your fingers and so it should be on the keyboard. Having said that, pianists use all kinds of hand and finger positions depending on what they play, at what tempo, etc... so there is room for sometimes playing with flatter fingers, other times more rounded fingers, etc. The basic rule of thumb: natural hand position, relaxed fingers, minimal movements, relaxed and supple wrists. The video link I suggest later will tell you all about this.

The next, not so obvious aspect of playing you need to look after is tension and attitude. If you're all worked up, stressed out, tired, overexcited, preoccupied, in a hurry, your body will be tense and your muscles will be somewhat locked; then you'll be fighting with yourself to play comfortably. Your movements should be relaxed and flowing, your body, supple but well supported by your feet and trunk.

Approach your practice time with a clear uncluttered mindset and aim for total undivided attention to what you are doing. If something is on your mind, try to leave it aside for the time you are at the piano. If your mind wanders, acknowledge this and gently bring yourself back to the task at hand. Always play musically - this basically means 3 things: "what does it sound like, what does it feel like, what does it look like".

I found some great information on a youtube channel, a user by the name of "Piano-ologist". His entire video series is about playing technique - the relationship of your body and the piano. There are about 40 videos to watch, sometimes some of them are kinda dragging on but still very much worth watching. It will take you about 2 evenings to go through all the videos. The series starts here: http://www.youtube.com/user/pianoologist

A short resume of the 1st 20 videos is presented in video # 20: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0Gk5ah9pa0 The real "meat and potatoes" starts afterwards. If anything, at least watch videos # 20 all the way to the last (# 38 I think). You will find them very helpful.


Books you may be interested in: "The art of Practicing" by Madeline Bruser. Check out your public library, they may have a copy on hand.

If you can afford it, find a teacher or therapist that can teach you the Alexander Technique. Alexander Technique is NOT a piano technique, it is a holistic approach to "how you use yourself", or the best use of the "self" in day to day living. You can get a good idea of the principles by reading "Indirect Procedures - A Guide to the Alexander Technique for musicians" by Pedro De Alcantara, may also be available at your local library. Even if you cannot reproduce some of the things mentioned in the book, it is still full of useful information and technique tips so its worth a read and a study. Apparently, the Taubman Technique is the very best approach to playing piano; many professional pianists with hand injuries have been "cured" by retraining using this approach. If you choose to go that route, make sure you find a "certified Taubman" teacher, the technique is taught "live" in a specialized school, not in a book.

I hope this helps you on your wonderful journey to making music


PS: there is a user by the name of "Gyro" here, don't be surprised if everyone tells you to take his advices with not one but two, grains of salt! On rare occasion he comes up with a gem but most of the time he talks quite a bit of nonsense, so "be careful out there" when you encounter him/her.


John

Thanks for this info, John. I can also use this.

Ah, writing the Great American Novel, are you ?

You are welcome, Griffin. I edited the post concerning the Alexander Technique: "Alexander Technique is NOT a piano technique, it is a holistic approach to "how you use yourself", or the best use of the "self" in day to day living." I felt I needed to be more specific about this.

John

Here is a picture of the Great David Helfgott.

Apparently breaking every one of the above rules.

Poor old Gyro - his character is already under assault and he hasn't even had a chance yet to prove beforehand in his own unique and inevitable style that the above statement contains a certain degree of veracity...

Trap

Hi and welcome.

John's already given you some excellent advice on posture and technique and I won't presume to add to that - but taking the above quote from you...

The only problem I see with that is sight reading. If you stick with just one book for 6 months or so, your reading will suffer. Best to find perhaps two or three books you like with similarly graded pieces in so's you can go from one to the other, learning different pieces of the same difficulty.

Only by reading different pieces, do you become more fluent in sight reading - a particular truth I've had to learn for myself - but it does work.

I'll also point you towards the "Dozen a Day" series of technical exercises. I've found them particularly beneficial and would recommend them to anyone - and it also helps a bit with sight reading into the bargain, simply by giving you something new to read.

The only other thing I can add is to pay special attention to fingering numbers in any book you're following. "Wrong" fingering can lead to all sorts of physical pain and difficulty. You may think your own fingering works better initially but in the long run, a piece is played far easier with the fingering shown.

The only caveat to that is, we all have different sized and shaped hands and fingers and just occassionally, making the odd change in fingering can work out best for us. But persevere with the fingering as shown - at least for a while - as it's usually the best.

Btw, thanks John for the YouTube link - that's something I think I'll also find useful.

If 25 minutes gives you discomfort, Kerouac, stop at 15 or 20 for a little rest. Stand, stretch, shake out any tension you notice in your back/neck/shoulders/arms/hands, take a good breath or two. When you resume your seat, refresh your posture.

It is like going to the gym after a lapse--- we don't pick up the 500 pound bar the first day. We have to ramp up, or risk injuries. In time, you will have the poise and stamina to go for a lot longer. But any time you feel pain or discomfort that is worse than an ordinary, mild fatigue, that is the time to stop.

Thanks for the truly extensive and informative reply John! I will print out your advice and keep it posted above my piano. Also, thanks for the great links. I will go through the recommendations and figure out what works best for me.

And thank you to everyone else for your helpful advice. This is truly a great forum.

Lots of good info here. The best book I have managed to find on piano practice is Fundamentals of Piano Practice, by Chuan C Chang. His most important points is the importance of relaxation and musical practice. The book is based on the best methods of previous teachers and traditions, and solid scientific research.
The whole book can be downloaded for free from Changs homepage "Fundamentals of Piano Practice".

They even have the same facial expression

Hi Cubop,

I've read Chang's book and listened to all the podcasts. There is indeed valuable information in his book. There seems to be much controversy around here as to the value of his writings. I even searched this whole forum some months ago and found a few very long threads debating his methods, here is one of them: Re: Chuan C. Chang - Fundementals of Piano Practice: Your input on this?. I even cut and pasted the thread in a Word document and highlighted stuff to try to get a clearer picture and more accurate assessment of his ideas.

Both the book and the debate is worth a read (long read !!). As a beginner without a teacher, I'm always on the lookout for anything that will help me on my journey to learning music.

John

Indeed! Makes you wonder who is right and who is wrong... Maybe if he's been playing for 40 or 50 years and the piano has no more secrets for him, this would be a comfortable position

John

Now I see why your nickname is Groucho Marks

John

"broken neck"?
I think if I show this to a few of my students they'll fall off the piano bench laughing! The diagrams of good/bad posture are otherwise very useful, though.

Hi John In Montreal. Good to see someone who is so interested in Changs book. I have already read the threads you are referring to, and there are indeed controversial opinions. There is a thread in Pianostreet forum with only positive reactions. It can be found under Performance, half way down page 2. Last post May 31.
I have looked at several of the Piano-ologist videos, and that is also very good stuff. I am already correcting a couple of my worst practices.

The problem with every book and every DVD is that they can't see you play.

Whichever books and DVDs you pick up, I would say keep the following in mind:

- Listen to (and watch) excellent examples of all kinds of music as much as possible.
- Be gentle on your body. The real work of piano is in the CONNECTIONS between your brain and your body, and the coordination of your motions. Very little real strength is required. A tough practice session might be frustrating, it might be tiring, but it must ALWAYS be free of pain. (Remember that the force to press a piano key is only a few grams! If you find yourself straining to move a piano key, then the strain can't be the piano's fault. )

Ah, I wish, I wish...

I recommend Barbara Lister Sink's web site and her DVD "Freeing the Caged Bird"; it has helped me immensely.

http://www.freeingthecagedbird.com/

She also has a YouTube channel that includes excerpts from the DVD.

Also, there are the books "The Pianist's Problems," by William S. Newman; "With Your Own Two Hands," by Seymour Bernstein; and "Playing the Piano for Pleasure," by Charles Cooke. All very good.

What Every Pianist Needs to Know About the Body, by Thomas Mark

amazon book link

A teacher who is familiar with correct body mechanics and injury prevention.

+1

While I like Thomas Mark's book (and am on the third reading, plus the first time going through his DVD) I would mention that it is not a technique book (that's fine, but some people are surprised). Also, it does fall a little short (my opinion) in offering specific exercises to work through some of the common problems.

I do get the feeling (and they may be correct) that proponents of the Alexander technique really expect you to take some lessons from a qualified teacher. I am certainly finding it very difficult to identify if I am really doing it "right".

Not to be mean or anything: but you sound like a bit of a hypochondriac. I used to be the same way when played the drums. I was obsessed with possibility that I might be doing something wrong and damaging myself, and I figured the only solution was to study "technique." The thing about technique is, it is so varied among different people you are unlikely to find what you seek, and likely to hurt yourself in your quest to find it.

The most important thing you can do to avoid hurting yourself is simply to observe your musical progress. If for instance, you practice and practice and practice some particular thing, and just cannot improve, then you are probably doing something wrong technically and you should experiment until you find something that works. You can't become an excellent pianist if you are in constant pain. If when performing a particular pattern you feel pain and this pain persists each and every time you practice it, then take that as a signal that you need to try something (probably only slightly) different.

There is a great part in Heinrich Neuhaus' book The Art of Piano Playing, where he says something to the effect of: If you practice a lot and work intelligently then you simply will develop good technique. Period.

In terms of actual technique though, the most basic principles that (almost) everyone learns when playing piano are really the only ones you need to avoid hurting yourself.
-Keep your fingers slightly curved.
-Sit up in a straight relaxed manner.
-Use the weight of your arm to sink into the keys.
-Pull slightly with your fingertips.

Sorry but I have to disagree with the idea that this is hypochondria. If the OP has burning sensations after 20 minutes of playing, I think it's very wise to be looking for ways to avoid injury. I think maybe folks who haven't experienced injury may tend to be a little too blasé about it. IMHO any burning sensation (i.e. nerve irritation) is something to pay attention to (learned this the hard way).

I never said he should ignore the burning sensation, in fact I said quite the opposite (in the second paragraph).

@ Kerouac, when the burning occurs what and how exactly are you practicing? If you are not sure then you should keep a log so you can isolate the precise problem.

When I first began with my teacher he had me practice very slow movements rotating and relaxing each finger between notes. Use your arm weight and consider your fingers just as an extension of your arm. I've been playing for 10 years and practice 2-3 hours most week days...usually 1 hour at a time and I've NEVER had to stop because of pain caused by tension. Occasionally my finger 5 will get a little sore on the side of the tip from voicing but never do I feel strain in my arms or hands.

Thanks Cubop, I'll check that thread out

Glad the Piano-ologist videos can be of some help to you. Let me know what you think of the video series.

John

Hum, sounds interesting Jim. I,m always on the lookout for good information.

John

+2 (Also get Kenny Werner's Effortless Mastery)

Also, it could be a relaxation problem. If you stop playing for a few minutes AS SOON AS you feel ANY tension (even if it happens after only 3 minutes), lie down eyes closed, get up and play again, rinse repeat. This is one thing I should have done myself when I started out because I had the same problems you mention the first year or so and this is all gone now. After some weeks of really listening to your body when it in effect is telling you to stop I'd be surprised if you weren't rewarded with less tension in your body.

I think that if after 3 minutes there is tension, then how you play each key should be examined. I don't think there should be any tension. Slow deliberate relaxation after each movement will teach you (your hands) to play without strain.

Maybe off topic: but I also get a sore pinkie at the side of the joint at the tip. In my case I have small hands and have put this down to do doing octaves, when the edge of adjacent inner key rubs against the finger. Tips on overcoming that would be great.