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  • Piano technique made super-simple

    Piano technique made super-simple

    “Which finger do I use? Does my wrist go up or down? What do I do with my elbow?”

    Pianists often struggle to play fast enough, softly enough, expressively enough. Often, our bodies just don’t seem to respond to our musical intentions, leading to intense frustration. As a result, many of us head down the road of trying to understand exactly how our bodies should move, in the hopes that by understanding the proper movements, our problems at the keyboard will disappear.

    Perhaps your teacher has told you that you are over-thinking this problem. I am certainly not going to say this to you, as I have been there myself many times. Intelligent people look deeply into these things, and there may even be many benefits to having a good intellectual understanding of how to play.

    But, I will say that trying to understand this intellectually is not the way to go as far as learning to play it physically. I wish it were, but I have not found it to be the case. It must be learned experientially.

    I am also not saying to just “let go” and play naturally and hope for the best. That won’t work either. You need targeted exercises that encourage you to experience what needs to be experienced in order for your brain to learn.

    Let me offer a radical idea. You can take it or leave it. It’s just my perspective.

    So…

    Piano playing is actually not that complex, is it?

    To paraphrase J.S. Bach, you need to make the right key go down at the right time.

    That’s all there is to it.

    Is that an oversimplification? Of course it is, but please bear with me. I am saying that this is the end result of “technique.” How you get there is another story. But it is the end result, right?

    Would you agree that everything you know about piano technique is basically a bunch of strategies for “pressing the right key at the right time”?

    What about dynamics? What about phrasing? What about pedalling? What about [insert your favorite aspect of piano playing here]? I don’t mean to ignore any of them, and in future posts I will address each of them. But at the end of the day, what we do as pianists is press the keys down (you can think of the pedals as keys if you’d like). Moment by moment, we perform actions, and the piano turns those actions into music.

    • You move your wrist so that your hand is in the right place, so that your fingers are in the right place.
    • You rotate your forearm so that your fingers are in the right place at the right time.
    • You curve your fingers so that the fingertips move slightly into a different position, so that they can press the key at the right time.
    • and so on

    All those things that you do…

    Do they work? Are they getting the right keys to go down at the right time?

    100%?

    If so, keep doing them!

    If not, would you be willing to (at least a little bit) reevaluate anything (something?) you know about piano technique, if you knew it was going to help you press the right key at the right time?

    Would you be willing to, hypothetically, start from scratch with just that one goal in mind?

    Learn how to press the right key at the right time.

    Exercise:

    1. Make a list of what you have struggled with while playing the piano. Try to be as complete as possible. You could include problems you have solved, problems you haven’t solved, problems you should never have had in the first place, small annoyances, and major headaches. (examples: fingers don’t move fast enough, I keep hitting wrong notes, can’t stretch hand far enough)
    2. Next, make a list of what you have tried to solve these problems. Some of these solutions may have worked and some may not have worked. Some may have worked in certain situations and not in others. And perhaps some should have worked, but maybe you didn’t do them correctly. In any case, add them to the list. (examples: don’t move so much, rotate the forearm, listen more carefully, relax, practice slowly, use the interossei muscles)
    3. For each of the solutions that didn’t work, how did you know it didn’t work?

    (This is where I am coming from in my technical approach. No, of course this isn’t a complete answer to how to play the piano. But before finding a new solution, we need to be clear on our desired result, and clear on how our existing solutions are working for us. Does this article raise any questions? Comment!)

  • Is it possible to play perfectly?

    Do you want to play perfectly? Would there be an advantage to being perfect? (practice makes perfect)

    An 8-year-old student of mine was experiencing some anxiety about playing. Quite a lot, actually. He would not even put his hands on the piano to start playing.

    “Are you afraid of making a mistake?” I asked.

    He indicated that he was.

    “What if there are no mistakes? What if anything you do is perfect?”

    “I can’t be perfect,” he replied. “No one can. But it’s important that you try your best.”

    “What does perfect mean?”

    “It means you play all the right notes.”

    “That seems like a high expectation, doesn’t it? What if you change the meaning of ‘perfect’ to be something that is within your reach?”

    This seemed to make him uncomfortable.

    “No, you can’t do that,” he concluded.

    “What if we try, just as an experiment? What if I said the definition of ‘perfect’ was that you simply manage to play the piece from beginning to end? Would you like to try that?”

    He played the piece.

    “Well, how was that?” I asked.

    “I had trouble with… “

    “Was it perfect?”

    “No… “ He caught himself, and smiled nervously. “Well, according to your ‘perfect’, it is, but not really.”

    “Why can’t we make up our own definition of perfect?”

    “You just can’t do that.”

    Can’t you?

    Who makes the rules here, anyway?

  • Why you can’t play the right notes

    Here’s an idea worth considering: while you are practicing, there are certain things you can do…and certain things maybe you can’t do.

    Maybe you can just play the right notes. Try and see if it works. Maybe it will.

    Or…maybe it won’t. In that case, is it really something you can do?

    OK, how about these:

    • Can you play beautifully and expressively?
    • Can you play the right notes in tempo?
    • Can you play the wrong notes in tempo?
    • Can you lift and drop your arms in tempo?
    • Can you lift and drop out of tempo?
    • Can you sit and listen to the metronome?
    • Can you sit and watch your breathing?
    • Can you just sit and do nothing?
    • Can you just sit?
    • Can you sit at the piano once a week?
    • Can you be OK not playing the piano at all?
    • Can you coexist with whatever your mind is telling you about any of this?

    How can you possibly play the right notes when you are so afraid of playing them wrong? You aren’t even focusing on the notes. You are focusing on whether or not you are making mistakes.

    How can you practice for 10 minutes when you aren’t OK sitting there for 10 minutes without practicing? Something’s obviously on your mind, pulling you away from where you are. Is your practicing just a distraction from whatever you are really preoccupied by? That doesn’t sound like very effective practicing to me.

    If you aren’t 100% certain you can do any of these reliably, how can you work on anything that is more difficult? Maybe it would be worth developing one of these skills. Where would that lead you?

    And now an exercise: Pick one of them, which you believe you have a chance of being able to do. Set a timer for 5 minutes and try it. Focus only on that one thing. Notice what distracts you from it. Don’t try to block out the distractions. Can you keep your focus consistent even while the distractions are playing in the background?

  • The one thing every beginning student should expect

    When you first start learning a musical instrument, you are full of excitement and optimism. Your life will be so wonderful when you can finally play, you just know it.

    At some point, however, this optimism will disappear. I can guarantee it.

    You will tell yourself “I know I should be practicing, but there are so many other things that need to get done.” You may feel guilty, and embarrassed to tell your teacher about this. Perhaps it reminds you of being in school and not being quite prepared enough for a test, or not spending enough time on your homework.

    I have never had a student who didn’t reach this point, and I have been there myself many times. You should be expect it from the beginning. It is part of the learning process.

    You might feel like taking a break. You will just wait until things calm down a bit and then get back into it, when you will really be able to give it your all.

    This is a trap. Do not do this.

    Instead, view this as an opportunity to try something new. You are discouraged and bored. Is it possible that the “old way” is what has gotten you there?

    If practicing is not exciting, please consider the possibility that something in your practice routine could be adjusted. Maybe trying harder to do what you know you are “supposed” to be doing isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. Could you maybe find a new way?

    If I am your teacher, my job is to help you figure this out. Tell me that you are not excited about this, that you feel like you are in a rut.

    Believe me, I expect this to happen.

  • Is my child progressing fast enough on piano?

    Is my child progressing fast enough on piano?

    This is a question I hear quite often from parents.

    I can assure you that your child is progressing exactly as expected given the amount of practice done between lessons, the level of willingness during lessons, and the degree to which practice reflects the exercises that are done during lessons.

    “So, you’re saying my child isn’t practicing enough?”

    I’m saying that if you want more progress, then yes, the amount and quality of practice are probably not enough.

    I’m hesitant to state it like this, because I don’t want to give the impression that my expectations are not being met.

    Let me ask you the following:

    • What kind of progress are you looking for?
    • Why do you want that progress?
    • What kind of progress is your child looking for?
    • If there is a mismatch between what you are hoping for and what your child is hoping for, how are you handling that?

    As a teacher, my responsibility is to my student. This is difficult when parents are involved, because parents are the paying clients, so I feel some responsibility to them as well. However, as much as I might wish I could, I cannot magically cause your child to improve at piano.

    I have no minimum expectations as far as “progress” goes. My job is to make the student aware of cause and effect, and I trust that they will make the best use of this awareness that they know how to.

    So yes, more progress will be made if more practice is done. It takes a long time to learn a musical instrument, time which is measured in years, not weeks. If the amount of progress made is the only determinant of the success of lessons, there will always be a feeling of failure.

    The process itself must be enjoyed and appreciated for what it is. Even with no visible progress in the way of piano playing, a student who participates in lessons may still be learning:

    • Self-awareness
    • Appreciation of music
    • How to handle distractions
    • How to express music using the skills they do have
    • How to stay out of their own way
    • How to understand why they practice or don’t practice
    • What frustrates them about playing

    These lessons may be quite valuable, and may indeed be required before any kind of self-driven dedicated practice is going to occur.

  • How Long Does It Take to Learn Piano?

    How Long Does It Take to Learn Piano?

    When you start learning a skill like piano, it’s normal to wonder, “how long is this going to take me?” You’re impatient because it seems like it will take forever to learn piano. I want you to feel optimistic.


    In this article, I am going to put forth a few ideas that will help you answer this question for yourself. So, here are  6 questions you should ask yourself when you’re wondering how long this will take:

    Question 1:

    What does progress mean to me?


    How high are your standards for your piano playing? 


    Of course, the higher they are, the harder it’s going to be to reach them. So, ask yourself: why did I set them so high, anyway? Where did I learn to do that?


    How high are your standards for yourself?


    The more talented you are, the more you will realize how short you are falling of your standards, and the harder it’s going to be…

    Why it’s important:

    Only when you have a clear definition of “progress” will you be able to evaluate your progress realistically.

    Question 2:

    How much patience do I have?


    I wish there were a quick way to get good at piano, but I haven’t found a shortcut. Instead, what I have found are:


    1. Slow ways that work.

    2. Ways that will waste your time and make you so frustrated you will eventually quit.

    So, at best, it’s slow-going. This stuff is just really hard. Why do you think most people can’t do it? But you can do it, you know. It will just be slow. Like a lazy river.

    Why it’s important:

    Learning piano will take time. Learning to enjoy the slow pace will make things easier.

    Question 3:

    Do I feel guilty about wanting progress now?


    A beginning adult student said to me:


    “I think the biggest lesson for me is that this is going to take a long time. I like instant gratification, and the ego likes that too, right? But with continued effort, eventually, there will be music.”


    Yes, it might take a long time to learn piano, a long time before you sound good, and a long time before you are happy with your playing.


    Now, our culture teaches us that there’s something wrong with wanting instant gratification. 


    Is it possible there is one part of you who seeks instant gratification, and another who labels it as bad? Which part is the ego, and which part is the one who lives only in the moment, experiencing without evaluating? 

    Actually, I wonder if there is no gratification other than instant (it’s not like oatmeal). What is delayed gratification, apart from a story you are telling yourself about the future, about yourself and the meaning of your actions?

    When you were a child, did you have any problems seeking instant gratification? When did you learn it was a problem? Who told you this? Do you believe it 100%, or is there any part of you to whom it’s news, who maybe even feels hurt by it?


    If you’re not being gratified, why not? Really, pay attention to this. Is there anything there, in that space between when you try to play (and fail) and when you get frustrated with the whole thing? You’re allowed to be frustrated, you know. You’re allowed to want this to be fun.

    Why it’s important:

    Learning piano requires you to accept your feelings in the moment. Even if you’re feeling impatient.

    Question 4:

    Do I know how to make piano practice fun?


    It may take a long time to learn to play the piano well. In the meantime, can you make it fun? For example, can you find some pleasure in the physical movement, regardless of the sound? Or, can you find any satisfaction even in the ugly sounds, knowing that they are the result of your body’s own freedom? Even if you don’t play a note, can you find something right there, in that place where you know that you have the power to move as you see fit, or not, depending on your whim?


    If none of that works, can you just stand up and scream? Would that be fun?


    What would it look like if you didn’t label it? If you played an exercise, messed it up, got frustrated, and just kept going? Is it even the playing that frustrates you? Maybe it’s just when you’re in the shower thinking about playing? It’s so easy to label the whole thing. But frustration happens at a specific moment in time. What is triggering it?


    Can you just make it fun? Just take it. It’s yours, believe it or not.


    Does your hand hurt? Then stop doing whatever you’re doing that makes it hurt.


    There are two common objections I hear to this kind of thinking:


    1. “But then I won’t play it right.”

      Yeah, you won’t. But your hand won’t hurt anymore either. You decide.

    2. “But if I don’t work hard and make sure it’s right, I’ll never get better.”
      ​
    3. Why do you want to get better, anyway? You’ve already said you want instant gratification, and if working hard is preventing you from getting your gratification, how much do you really want to work hard and get it right, anyway? If you don’t really care about that, why are you telling yourself you do?

    Why it’s important:

    If you practicing is fun, you will want to practice. If it’s not, you won’t. So, you should focus on making practicing fun.

    Question 5:

    Am I practicing well?


    Let’s suppose you are my piano student. If you ask me, “am I progressing fast enough?”, I would answer:


    “I can assure you that you are progressing exactly as you should be given the amount of practice done between lessons, the level of willingness during lessons, and the degree to which practice reflects the exercises that are done during lessons.”


    As a teacher, my responsibility is to my student. Unfortunately, this is difficult when money is involved, because I want paying clients. However, as much as I might wish I could, I cannot magically cause you anyone to improve at piano. I have no minimum expectations as far as “progress” goes. My job is to make the student aware of cause and effect, and I trust that they will make the best use of this awareness that they know how to.


    If you are teaching yourself, the same holds true. That is, the rule of cause and effect still applies. Except now, you have to be your own teacher. 


    The amount of time is takes to get good at piano will be reduced if:


    Why it’s important:

    How you practice just as important as how much you practice (if not more important).

    Question 6:

    Am I appreciating the journey?


    It takes a long time to learn a musical instrument such as piano, time which is measured in years, not weeks. So, if you judge the success of your practicing based only on the amount of progress you make, there will always be a feeling of failure.


    The process of piano practice itself must be enjoyed and appreciated for what it is. Even with no visible progress in the way of piano playing (the worst-case scenario), studying the piano will still teach you:

    • Appreciation of music
    • How to handle distractions
    • How to express music using the skills you do have
    • How to stay out of your own way
    • How to understand why you practice or why don’t practice
    • What frustrates you about playing
    • What you enjoy about playing

    What I have found personally is that sometimes these lessons need to be learned before noticeable “progress” occurs. 


    But, don’t discount them. These are valuable lessons! So, try to enjoy learning them.

    Why it’s important:

    Piano can teach you a lot. The more you pay attention to how many different things you are learning, the more progress you will feel you are making.


    So, how long does it take to learn piano?

    If you’re still asking this question, I can’t blame you, because I didn’t answer it. 

    The fact is, there’s no answer to the question of how long it will take to get good at piano. It’s entirely subjective, and every pianist comes from a different place. It’s a bit like asking “how long does it take to clean a house?” That would depend on how clean you want it, how much dirt there is, how fast you are at cleaning, what kind of cleaning supplies you have, etc.

    Your turn

    Spend some time with these questions. Choose one everyday, and ask it before you practice. As you are practicing, just notice what shows up.

    Then, comment below and let me know!

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