Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Have you given up improving your technique?

I used to try to improve my playing exclusively through playing different pieces which were technically demanding. I eventually decided this was not working so well for me. I would be somewhat distracted by the piece itself and not really sort out the minutia of the technique required. It's possible to enjoy playing a masterpiece and be technically deficient in many ways. So I did exactly what Ronald is proposing, I developed a technical drill which addressed my various technical weakness. I still do it every single day.

It is not a totally set routine - it changes according to what needs work the most in my playing, and it continues to evolve according to the improvements in my technique. Examples of some things I do: I run through every major/minor key in octaves, 3rds, 6ths. I do arpeggios with alternate fingerings across 4 octaves - sometimes in inversion in one hand so each hand has to think about different notes. I do chromatic scales with different fingerings. Maybe a bit of Hanon, but not much. I also add variety to this program by using accelerandos, cresc/dim, loud/soft, staccato/tenuto/legato, different rhythmic groupings. - you name it, I try to put in as many musical variations on this material as I can. I try to be aware from my playing of pieces, what is most needed in terms of development. It is a needs-based system, even though the drill has a lot of elements that are similar every time. It takes around 45 minutes to run through - and I intentionally keep it no longer than this because I don't want to become jaded with the very approach that is reaping such benefits. Many days I don't even feel like doing it, but I treat it like a price of admission. I have to pay that price every day and by the time I'm finished, I'm always glad I've done it.

To say it has helped my playing would be a massive understatement. I've had people who hadn't seen me play in a about a year tell me that I sound like a totally different musician. It has raised my basic level of technical readiness by a great degree. It as been more efficient than trying to make the same changes by playing through pieces. It's reduced the fatigue from pieces that can come from overpractising them. It has also given me confidence in myself to diagnose my own needs and to readily make exercises that address them in my very next technical drill session. I usually do the drill before I do any other playing, based on what I felt needed work from my session(s) yesterday. The skills being developed can be roughly split into the categories of short, medium and long-term goals. Hence some skills being constantly maintained/evolved, others might be only used for a short time and revisited on necessity. It helps that I'm a teacher and am used to pedagogical principles, but it has been a real eye-opener to me to apply those principles rigourously to myself. I'm sure it has made me a better teacher and have a better understanding of what my students are experiencing. It's put a certain discipline into my playing and my life that was lacking.

You give the impression that you are not happy with your current level of playing and have areas you would like to improve on. The real question is is there something going on in your life right now that gives you the impression you will be able to improve, and that's why you're posting this?

Are your starting with a new teacher? Having more time off from work to be able to practice? Suddenly have a revelation that you going to start practicing 4 hours a day instead of 1? If any NEW doors are opening in your pianistic life, then no - don't give up, since I do believe technique can be improved at any age. If, however, you are not making any new changes in your practice amount/habits and just expect that you will naturally get better, then I think you will need to accept that you're playing will stay where it is and will need to make peace with that.

I'm well past the half-century mark in age, and am committed to improving my technique. I have worked hard at it and am showing some results, in spite of everything. I did have some college-level training, but basically had no technical background to speak of, which I have set about trying to remedy. It works, even if it does feel a little odd to still be learning how to play the piano after playing for over fifty years.

We are all different, and for me, thinking about how well others play is usually counter-productive, except maybe in very small doses. Mostly, I simply am enjoying the process for its own sake, without big goals. The improvement happens without them, so why torture myself with that kind of stuff? I work on very small, incremental things, and that's usually where I find the rewards. What is really fun is revisiting something I used to read through, and discover that the "impossible" bits are now actually possible.

If you are in a position to find a teacher and get some positive advice/lessons with technique as a priority, then if you're not 95 yet you should be able to make some serious progress providing the teacher is competent and can direct you ably in your quest.

You need a daily regimen of technique and changes periodically to cover new areas.

But, you must be willing to apply yourself and persevere or it is a lost cause.

Ralph