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Hello,

I am 44 and consider myself an advanced student. I've studied Jazz and Classical for over 15 years now. I am currently attempting to master major and minor triad arpeggios, hands together, in all keys, for 5 and 6 octaves.

It's coming along nicely, but as my hands near the tops and bottoms of the keyboard I'm noticing that I'm having difficulty in relaxing my wrists and forearms, and in learning what the optimal angles are for gaining the best control and speed.

Short of hiring a teacher, does anybody know of any visual resources, or well written texts, which detail the physical aspects of mastering arpeggio techniques such as these?

Thank you in advance.
Dino.

The optimal angles for your wrists and forearms at the top and bottom of the keyboard are the same as the optimal angles in the middle. Move your body accordingly! I find arpeggios a very good exercise for forcing me to think about body position rather than just letting my arms do all the work.

Best wishes,
Matthew

exactly, move your body along when you reach either end of keyboard.

When playing the body should be firmly 'anchored' on the bench and then lean toward either end of the keyboard as necessary to accomplish the right angles and positions. Sliding up and down the bench is not a good thing except in rather unusual circumstances when a piece is written primarily in the extreme treble or bass. Leaning forward a bit can handle either extreme if the RH is in the extreme treble and LH is in the extreme bass. I have my students line their belly button with the crack between the E and F just above middle C which is the exact middle of the keyboard and discourage their moving the body from that position but lean in either direction for accommodation or slightly forward. I'm sure you'll find other opinions on this issue tho.

Thanks to all of you who have replied so far. I will try to apply this advice and see how it works for me. I never heard about the crack between E and F being the exact middle of the keyboard. Good to know there's still a lot I can learn.

New question, I'll try and limit myself, I have a ton. I have one student, early 30's, no previous musical experience at all. Yet, he's got some ability with basic scales now, reading and chord theory (triadic). He's also reading his way through the slow movement of Beethoven's Moonlight. I feel that I can, with long sessions, patience and from having been through it myself...give him the approach to "seeing" the keys, 12 key interval recognition etc...within the next year or so to a high degree, one not usually grasped by students who just read and do scales.

However, I'm more reluctant to push that hard or fast for him to gain physical dexterity. When I do try, I use Shmit isolation exercises. Is there a purely time (month/year) waiting period for the hand to learn to flex and strengthen as exercises are attempted? Is pain the only limiting factor to be aware of?

Thank you all in advance.