When I think of general aims for a pianist a few things come to mind; ease of motion, the ability to play fast with clarity, control over tone-production and ten equally capable fingers. It’s also very important to keep our bodies healthy and feeling good so we can play for long periods of time.
In piano playing, certain movements and mis-alignments bring limitations and can result in discomfort, fatigue and pain. Here are some common reasons for difficulties in a pianist’s technique:
Relaxing or collapsing joints. Most commonly, pianists drop the wrist too low or collapse the knuckles. Likewise, we don’t want to hold the wrist or knuckles too high.
Actively curling the fingers or playing with straight fingers. The fingers move best when they maintain their natural curve.
Playing into a key with an isolated finger motion, with no support from the hand and forearm.
Stretching for distances.
Forcing, pushing into the keys.
“Twisting” at the wrist, or having the wrist at an extreme angle to the forearm.
The above points all have something in common. When any of these happen, the finger, hand and forearm cannot work properly together as a unit.
While many traditional approaches to piano technique focus on finger exercises and endurance training, Dorothy Taubman focused on alignment and coordinate motion. She observed that when a pianist, even a very young child, unifies the finger, hand and forearm together as a unit, it’s very easy to put a key down. All the strength one needs comes from coordinating these parts together and, as a wonderful bonus, it’s also easier to control tone production. The finger always plays a key with support from the hand and forearm. The finger also never stretches ahead of the arm. Put simply, the finger, hand and forearm move in the same direction at the same time. Sounds easy, right? But many years of playing the piano without integrating these parts creates difficult habits to break.
A first, basic step for feeling the finger, hand and forearm as one unit is to drop into a key and balance on each finger, one at a time. As discussed in earlier posts, we start with the correct bench height so the forearm is level to the surface of the white keys. Bend at the elbow slightly to raise the finger, hand and forearm together as a unit and then drop with gravity and balance on a finger. When we drop into a key, we want to feel the weight of the forearm helping the finger put the key down. I often tell my students to imagine their finger is as long as the length of the forearm, all the way to the elbow. The forearm weight should not feel heavy, nor should it feel held up. The wrist should not drop when the finger plays. The natural shape of the fingers should remain the same. Look out for a feeling of force or relaxation. You want to aim for a feeling of freedom and ease; the forearm will feel light when it’s correct.
As my teacher Robert Durso always reminds me, alignment and movement can look correct but a student might not have the right sensation inside their body. Consider how you feel standing on your feet in comparison. When standing, do you push your feet into the floor? Do you hold your body rigidly? I would assume not! There’s a feeling of standing upright without tension. You also wouldn’t let the body relax in such a way that you become like a rag doll. The body would feel heavy and movement would not be easy from such a relaxed state.
The accompanying video will demonstrate dropping and balancing on a key with the finger, hand and forearm integrated as one unit. Below is a very basic checklist. If you are working with a Taubman-trained teacher, they can help you create a list that really pinpoints your own personal habits.
Remember to really take your time. Don’t just lift and drop and lift and drop. You want to stand on one finger for a few breaths, so you have time to observe your alignment as well as the inner sensations.
Basic checklist:
The fingers naturally have a slight curve. Compare how the fingers look when your hand is hanging at your side. When standing on a finger with its natural curve, you should be able to see the fingernail when you look over the top of the hand. If fingers are actively curled, the fingernail will not be in view.
Fingers maintain their natural spacing. Don’t spread them apart and don’t squeeze them together.
The fingers that are not playing should feel light. They are not attached or resting down on the surface of the keys. They also do not actively hold up.
Did the thumb stay close to the hand and in its natural shape? Is the thumb hanging down or holding tension?
Is the wrist level?
The knuckles do not collapse or hold up tightly.
The shoulder and upper arm do not hold any tension.
When the thumb plays, are the longer fingers ‘allowed’ to graze the black keys to maintain the natural alignment of the hand?
The forearm weight should not feel heavy, nor should it feel held up. You want to aim for a feeling of freedom and ease; the forearm will feel light when it’s correct.
The information I’m sharing comes from my studies with Robert Durso of the Golandsky Institute. There are many resources for further study from Golandsky Institute teachers including Edna Golandsky’s book “The Taubman Approach to Piano Technique”, and Mary Moran’s videos about teaching young students. https://www.marymoranpiano.com/resources/younger-students/