Why Piano Technique is More Than Hand Movement
Several years ago I found myself persistently frustrated with the way my piano students were learning technique. Their hand shape, their finger tips, their wrist movement, none of it ever seemed right. These feelings were certainly not based on my lack of trying. I had a huge repertoire of games and exercises meant to help with physical movement. I had boxes full of props and toys designed to help students learn piano technique; how to move the wrist, how to have a strong finger tip, how to sit properly at the piano etc… etc… I worked very hard trying to teach my students how playing the piano should feel.
However, despite all of my well placed efforts I couldn’t shake the feeling that the whole thing seemed a bit gimmicky and my students continued to develop technique slowly and clumsily. I finally realised that I couldn’t go forward with such a kinaesthetic approach to piano pedagogy. Instead of spending so much time teaching my students how playing the piano should feel, I decided to teach them how playing the piano should sound.
This simple shift in my perspective and my approach to piano teaching changed everything. I have never seen anything more powerful than watching a child learn to create musical sound instead of learning how to move their hand in a certain way.
“Instead of spending so much time teaching my students how playing the piano should feel, I decided to teach them how playing the piano should sound. ”
Good piano technique is not a visual demonstration of beautiful or “correct” hand movements. Good technique is the skilled production of musical sound. It is an understanding and an imagining of sound variations. It is a desire to engage the overtones and create musical contrast and colour. Good technique is the ability to use the body to recreate music that lives in the imagination. However, the only way this is possible is if musical ideas live in the imagination in the first place.
Sound comes first, technique follows naturally. Which means we started singing.
When we approach piano pedagogy through singing the most amazing things happen. Without even thinking about it, they begin to play in a way that matches their voice. Their music becomes creative and intuitive. They quickly understand musical ideas such as phrasing, dynamics, rhythm and tempo.
When piano students sing, their technique echoes. Does this mean that they automatically use their body efficiently and effectively? No, not always . But instead of abstractly correcting alignment or hand shape we can say things like.
“It’s easier to make the sound you want if you make this adjustment with your… (wrist, hand, posture etc.)”. When they are trying to create a specific sound then they easily adjust their technique to support that.
Sound comes first and it comes from within.
