My Technical Bag of Tricks

(Originally written in 2010)

What are the elements of a good piano techniques?  I believe they are arm weight, balance and alignment  of the arm and hand, tension release, free wrist and a beautiful full sound.  I teach these principles following the principles of Dorothy Taubman and I start teaching them from the very first lessons.

A youngster coming for their first lessons wants to play the vast array of black and white keys.   After adjusting the seat properly so that the child’s elbow is at the level of the leys and there is support under the feet I ask the child to look at the note before the group of three black notes (F) and drop the third finger onto the key.  I help by bending from the elbow to drop from the elbow.  We drop into the lap, from lap onto key and from key onto lap.  Go away from piano and let arms hang from the shoulders until they feel very heavy – feel water dripping from the fingers.  Swing arms are still feel tingly;  swing and  bend gently from elbows – swing so that back of hand hits or almost hits the shoulder!  What we’re doing is feeling a very free movement from the elbow.   RETURN TO PIANO.  Drop on different notes with 2nd and 3rd fingers only.  SHOW ALIGHMENT AND ‘PAW’ POSITION RATHER THAN SPREAD OUT FINGERS/HAND.   Be sure that thumb is pointing straight ahead and not sideways.  2nd finger can play on same key as thumb to help the hand balance TOWARD the thumb, but thumb does not support the 2’s finger joint.

**  PRINCIPLE   -   BIG MOTIONS ARE EASIER THAN SMALL ONES FOR YOUNGSTERS.  DROPS  USE FREE ARM/ELBOW  MOTIONS AND STACCATTOS ARE PLAYED FROM THE KEYS FREELY MOVING SIDEWAYS.   THAT IS THE PURPOSE OF ‘SENDING’. 

**  FIRST ROUTINE IS ELBOW-ARM DROPS,  SENDING AND CROSS HANDS SAME NOTE UP AND DOWN.

            Practice  “sending” to different notes.  “Send” TO different notes up to the octave always resting on next key surface before looking and sending again..ILLUSTRATE.  Terms like ‘sending’, ‘hot potato”, “’ouch” “pluck” are helpful  - hands sep. only.  Finally teach some little piece on the BLACK notes by dropping.  NO LEGATO YET.  ((Mary Had a Little Lamb?)  Playing on black keys keeps wrist from dropping!  Old McDonald uses both hands on the black keys.

NEXT LESSONS -   Play/Pluck groups of twos black notes - each hand separately then hand over hand.  Try groups of three black notes; needs more energy.  Always look ahead and Rest on next group before playing i.e. BE THERE!  Teach note names and send from keynote to keynote up and down hands sep.  Teach “Old MacDonald” on black keys.

When ready play 2nd and 3rd fingers back and forth legato, shifting the weight  from one to the other i.e. ROTATING.  Try 5 to 4 playing 5 on tip and not over rotating – back like a fan!.  DROP ON 4TH FINGERS AND TEACH PIECES THAT USE 4TH FINGER ON THE THREE BLACK KEYS.  Tiny drops!! No pushing or forcing.  PLAY CROSSHAND OCTAVE TO OCTAVE  ON WHITE KEYS ALWAYS LOOKING AHEAD – 2’S AND 3’S ONLY AS YOU CALL OUT NOTE NAMES.  Encourage listening for a beautiful sound on each note and                                 reward that sound as well as even spaces.  TEACH FREE THUMB  PLAYING AT AN ANGLE ON THE         (2) SIDE  KEEPING A ‘SMILEY’ FACE BETWEEN 2 AND THUMB.             ILLUSTRATE THE INDEPENDENT MOTION in preparation for scales or   pieces.  Don’t rush the playing of the thumbs – just test a few thumb taps at each lesson.  Show and   enjoy “church steeple” – out and in – and do lots of COPYCAT rhythm claps.                                                                                                                                                                

                                                                       STAGE TWO

FIVE FINGER SCALES.      When whole and half steps are recognized – pre reading – teach them from ANY key, white or black. SAY PATTERN GOING UP ONLY.  Tall thumb and rotational, double swings  -  5TH finger plays slightly  IN OR FORWARD.   ALL NON-PLAYING FINGERS COME UP TOGETHER AND PLAYING FINGER PLAYS DOWN TO STOP THE SWING.  DEMONSTRATE.  Student listens for good sound.          Teach “feel” of skips and steps by student and teacher taking turns eyes open and closed of the intervals of the 5 finger scale.

TEACH SWINGING EXERCISE :   1-2,1-3,1-4, 1-5  first with one repercussion, then multiple repercussions.  BE SURE ARM AND HAND ARE IN ONE PIECE – NO DROPPED WRIST.   CHECK FOR TALL THUMB.  ARM SLIGHTLY HIGHER BEFORE BLACK NOTES.

FREE WRIST EXERCISE.    DEMONSTRATE!        Balance on 2nd or 3rd fingers only.  Gently drop  on edge of key.  Slowly and smoothly lower wrist all the way down and all the way up returning to neutral.  Be sure key stays down.  EMPHASIZE THAT THIS IS NOT THE WAY TO PLAY BUT TO FEEL WELL-OILED IN THE WRIST.  BE ABLE TO HAVE GENTLE WRIST BOUNCE.

ADD HARP SONG  -   HAND OVER HAND BROKEN CHORDS.  TEACH  I – V7 – I chords.

**         ROUTINE BECOMES 5 FINGER SCALES  (2 or 3 each day)  - HARP SONG, SWINGING EXERCISE, CHORDS AND “SENDING”  OCTAVE TO OCTAVE ALWAYS RESTING ON NEW KEY AND LOOKING AHEAD BEFORE PLAYING.  CLAP DIFFERENT RHYTHMS SAYING QUA-TER, ETC AND MOVING CLOSED HANDS WHILE HOLDING LONGER NOTES TO FEEL 8TH NOTES INSIDE QUARTERS, HALVES INSIDE WHOLE NOTES, ETC.          Note reading starts?  GRADUALLY START NORMAL COUNTING BUT SAY BOTH OUT LOUD AS YOU PLAY!

**STAGE THREE – FULL SCALES.   Principle is to teach shaping of IN and OUT, rotation, evenness and beautiful full sound .    SHAPE  =  THUMB STARTS IN, 2 SLIGHTLY OUT, 3 MORE OUT, 4 MOVING  IN AND 5 MORE IN.   ARM MOVES THE HAND IN AND OUT LIKE PUSHING AND PULLING A DRAWER.  DEMONSTRATE.                 WRIST IS FREE AND CAN MOVE UP SLIGHTLY ON 3  AS ARM MOVES OVER SLIGHTLY TO HELP THUMB ROTATE BACK AND WRIST RETURNS TO NEUTRAL.  WRIST NEVER DROPS  -  IF IT DOES, THUMB IS NOT AT A 45 DEGREE ANGLE.

**ROUTINE IS ONE SCALE A DAY,  - keep track  in notebook  -  ONE OCTAVE, HANDS SEPARATELY  AND HARP SONG  FOUR OCTAVES  -  REPEAT THREE ‘GOOD ONES’.,  SENDING OCTAVE TO OCTAVE,  SWINGING EX. AND CADENCE.      Generally I teach white keys first.  ADD MAJOR AND MINOR   I CHORDS.    TOTAL TIME IS LIMITED TO UNDER FIVE MINUTES.

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**THINGS TO CHECK    -      ARM MOVES THUMB STRAIGHT IN TO PLAY V7 CHORDS USING BLACK NOTES.   Pr. Scale by playing thumb and block 2 & 3 together, thumb and block 2,3,4 together.   Then note by note slowly.

            When  scale is fluent  and secure – not fast - , teach hands together by stopping on 3s and top keynote.  Don’t repeat top note but go down and again stop when 3s play together.  This allows time to think of putting thumb under.  Actually thumb should move BEHIND 2 immediately as 2 plays!  Then behind 3  -  let thumb “shadow” 2 & 3.  Try not stopping but playing VERY slowly to keep thinking about thumb in RH going UP and LH going DOWN.

**STAGE FOUR   -     THE ADDITION OF SCALES HANDS TOGETHER.

            ROUTINE IS ONE KEY A WEEK  -  HANDS TOGETHER   -   LIMIT TO 5 ‘GOOD ONES’;   Listen and decide what you want to do better.   HARP SONG FLUENTLY, FASTER  AND EVENLY THREE TIMES;  CADENCES, SWINGING EXERCISE, SENDING CHORDS (NEW).     START TEACHING VARIATIONS FOR SCALES AND THE IDEA OF ADDING ONE NEW THING EACH TIME CYCLE IS COMPLETED. No black keys yet.

  **       First 2 variations are long/short and short/long   and one hand legato and one staccato.  Always switch.

**  STAGE  FIVE   -   TWO OCTAVE SCALES AND ONE HANDED ARPEGGIOS ONLY IF WRIST AND THUMB ARE FREE.  There is no rush to start one-handed arpeggios..  From now to advanced levels, routine is limited to ten minutes each day!!  No automatic pilot; focus every minute and listen to evaluate each repetition.  Solid finger joints and perfect fingering.     Check this at lesson.

**VARIATIONS NOW INCLUDE   PLAYING EVENLY,  QUARTER-2 EIGHTS AND REVERSE, LEGATO/STACCATO, DOTTED AND  EVENLY AGAIN.        ARPEGGIOS ARE HANDS SEPARATELY ONE OCTAVE AND OPPOSITES ONE OCTAVE.  KEEP HARP-SONG FLOWING TO THE TOP AND BACK.

**PRINCIPLE   -          ARM WEIGHT, FREE WRIST, BALANCE ON EACH NOTE AND NICE CUSHIONY FEEL ON KEYBED – NOT HARD WOOD  FEEL WHICH MEANS OVERLY FORCEFULL FINGERS OR ARM.               EXPLAIN POINT OF SOUND.             BUILD ON OLD, DON’T JUST ISOLATE NEW.

**NEXT  CYCLE           -     ADD FULL CADENCE  -  NICE FAT CHORDS, NOT OVERLY STACCATO.  Demonstrate  “a-play”.             ADD 2 OCTAVE ARPEGGIOS SEPARATELY  - PULSE IN 4 NOT 3   -  AND ONE OCTAVE TOGETHER, PARALLEL AND OPPOSITE.  SCALE VARIATION ADDS QUARTER/TRIPLET and reverse  AND POSSIBLY THREE OCTAVE SCALES.  TEMPO OF SCALES INCREASES BUT NEVER FASTER THAN CAN BE PLAYED BEAUTIFULLY WITH EVEN SPACING AND SOUND.  Keep shaping!

            ADD INVERTED  ONE CHORDS UP AND DOWN ONE, THEN TWO OCTAVES HANDS SEPARATELY ONLY.  REMEMBER TO “LOOK-‘SEND’ – REST” BEFORE EACH CHORD.   Demonstrate.  TRY EYES CLOSED.

**INTERMEDIATE LEVEL.  Still limit to 10 minutes  each day.

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**PRINCIPLE   -   ADDING MODERATE SPEED, PERFECTION OF ROTATIONS AND ARM WEIGHT, FULL BEAUTIFUL SOUND, SOLID JOINTS, FINGERING OF ALL SCALES WHITE AND BLACK,CONTINUED UNDERSTANDING OF VARIOUS SHAPES i.e. UNDER OR OVER.          This is the underpinning for Sonatinas, early Chopin, Bach,  Kabalevsky Etudes, Burgmuller, Schumann  etc.

   **   ROUTINE NOW INCLUDES MAJOR AND PARALLEL  HARMONIC MINOR SCALES IN VARIATIONS  -  THREE TO FOUR VARIATIONS  EACH DAY.    FULL CADENCES WITH AND WITHOUT PEDAL, INVERTED CHORDS TWO TO THREE OCTAVES HANDS TOGETHER UP AND DOWN, MAJOR AND MINOR .   (Sending is light and forward when staccato or with a slight “push” if from a long chord or note).    ADD BLACK KEY SCALES.   ARPEGGIOS PARALLEL AND OPPOSITES – THREE OCTAVES  -  pulsing always in 4 never in 3.

 **NEW  -      ADD SCALES USING DYNAMICS AND  “1 – 10 LB.” NOTES ON 2ND AND 3RD FINGERS ONLY.  Volunteer?  Scales at 80=b?   BEGIN BROKEN CHORD PATTERN HDS. SEP. THEN TOGETHER.

**NEXT           -           ADD MELODIC AND NATURAL MINOR SCALES AS A NEW CYCLE COMES AROUND.   NEW VARIATION  -  START SCALE FROM THE TOP, GO DOWN, UP AND DOWN.   TRILL VARIATION;  QUARTER AND 4 16THS AND REVERSE;  TRIPLETS WITH STRONG ACCENTS ON EACH BEAT;  ONE HAND FORTE/OTHER SOFT AND REVERSE;       MAJOR SCALES IN OPPOSITES 3 THEN 4 OCTAVES.  100=b   HARMONIC MINOR 2 OCTAVES IN OPPOSITES.            **NEW  -  VOICE DIFFERENT NOTES OF THE CADENCE.

**ADVANCED AND FINAL ROUTINE VARIATIONS.   **PRINCIPLE IS SPEED, CLARITY, EVENNESS, DYNAMICS AND EASE.   LIMIT IS TEN MINUTES FOR EVERY HOUR PRACTICED.  TOTAL FOCUS.

**VARIATIONS  =         CYCLE PROGRESSES CHROMATICALLY.            SCALES HEAD FOR 140 = b           ADD DOMINANT AND  DIMINISHED  7TH ARPEGGIOS 4 OCTAVES.   Harmonic scales in opposites, major in Russian style, then all scales in Russian style.  120=d   Scales in thirds and sixths;   trill variation with four repercussions;  one hand quarters and one hand eighths and reverse;  keep choosing from previous rhythmic  AND DYNAMIC  variations ;; ADD ‘ADD-A-NOTE’ variation;  ADD KEYNOTE TO KEYNOTE;  ADD ALL SCALES IN SEQUENCE NON-STOP  FOUR OCTAVES;    BROKEN CHORD EXERCISE HDS. TOGETHER AND IN  VARIATIONS  RESULTING IN FEELING TOTALLY FREE BUT SMALL ROTATIONS.                        **         ADD OCTAVE SCALES FROM THE KEYS  ( STACCATO TECHNIC)  AND DROPPING (FOR FREE WRIST);    ADD OCTAVE REPERCUSSIONS SHAPING SLIGHTLY IN.        ADD :   PLAY ONE OCTAVE SLOWLY, SECOND OCTAVE PULSING IN TWOS, THIRD OCTAVE PULSING IN 3S, 4 OCTAVES PULSING IN 4 16THS, 5 OCTAVES  WITH 5 NOTES TO A PULSE AND FINALLY  6 OCTAVES WITH 6 NOTES TO A PULSE.            (Very hard!)     ARPEGGIOS are 4 octaves without pulses in one sweep up and down.  Adjust arm and move thumb behind 2 or 3 immediately for speed.  Slight IN and OUT.

WRAPUP;       IN VARIATIONS, THE SHORT NOTES SHOULD BE LIGHT AND VERY SHORT AND THE LONG NOTE WELL BALANCED WITH ARM WEIGHT RELEASED.  ALWAYS LISTEN AND EVALUATE.  ARM ROTATIONS GET YOU SIDEWAYS BUT FINGERS DO THE PLAYING.   NOTES ARE NOTES, BUT SHAPES ARE MUSIC.  ALWAYS THINK MUSIC.

 ADDENDUM

1)  Stage three - Full scales white keys only. Each week is devoted to one key only, but includes one octave scale , it's "harp Song" ie; hand over hand broken chords four octaves up  and down without repeating the top note., cadences in root position without pedal and then with pedal  with practice variations that must be repeated at least three perfect times.  When ALL white keys have been studied new variations are added to the routine and in general, whenever the cycle returns to C, something new is added.

2)    Usually during Stage three I show "sending",  play a note and land on the same note.  Play the first note and land lightly on the next key without playing.  Repeat, but sound the second note.  Play-send from the first note and land a second away.  always look at note you  go to, not the first "sending" note.  "Send" two octaves away - always looking at note you're going to.    This usually delights a student.    Be sure that the arm is light and eyes look ahead.  Finger action is a tiny push or pluck to activate key.

3)   Reverberations.    Before teaching octaves, usually after three years, I want to be sure that the wrist is free.  This can be tested by playing a note once very lightly and letting it rebound on its own as the hand moves slightly IN to the fallboard..  Very often the key will not rebound and that tells you that the initial stroke was too heavy. and that the hand didn't move IN.  Many students have difficulty with REVERBERATIONS , but it's a very useful tool. Be encouraging even if you get only one reverberation.  Gradually you'll achieve four or five.

4)  For the most advanced students I add  scales in double thirds, separately, together and opposites one octave.  Octave scales are done in rhythmic variations, staggered left/right and right/left, rotating four octaves starting from thumb or fifth finger and eyes closed.

4)  I use "Finger Power" by Schaum and Edna Burnum's "Dozen a Day" books one and two but no Hanon or other mindless studies.  I do use compositional Etudes,, especially Gillock's "Lyric Pieces in Romantic Style".