Calling all piano teachers...

I am conscious that many of my piano pupils (both children and adults, although the adults are worse) seem to play with quite rigid hands and arms, despite my constant reminders to "stay relaxed". I have inherited a couple of pupils from other teachers, and they have lovely relaxed hand positions. Can anyone give me any suggestions as to how to achieve this? Simple everyday tips, please, not suggesting a course on Alexander Technique as I don't have the time.

Many thanks... (in anticipation )

Given that the easiest way to feel relaxed is to be relaxed....you're almost on a hiding to nothing telling someone to relax. My kids' first piano teacher used to suggest that they shrug up their shoulders, then let them flop down - deliberately tensing a muscle group helps you to feel the sensation when you relax it again, so that you have something to aim for. She'd then get them to imagine a string pulling up on the tops of their heads, and then that the tension on the string was released slightly only - enough again for a relaxed but still very upright posture. She favoured the slightly curled hand position, which a subsequent teacher wanted to straighten out a bit for more strength - her way produced more subtlety in their playing, his more dynamic range; she would get them to let their hands rest lightly on the keyboard before starting to play.

The easiest exercise I can think of is to lift on and lift off again - flopping hands and wrists into lap and lifting back on to keys again etc.

There is a pedagogy website which had lots of wrist relaxing ideas which MaggieMay mentioned on another thread. Its 'Teaching Piano Adventures: Primer Level FaberPiano.com

http://pianoteaching.com/guide/contents.html

It can be very difficult to relay to somebody what relaxed actually is.

One visual aid that I use is to show what you mean by using a tree to focus on.

If you imagine a large tree that has a firm, well-rooted base i.e the trunk and that this represents the body when one is at the piano. If you then can visualise how the branches, leaf stems and leaves move when the wind blows this can be representitive of the shoulders, arms, hands and fingers.

Even better and if possible, show this to your pupils using a real tree and real wind!!

I have found it a useful part of the understanding process when a child recognises that the trunk of the tree remains still and well-founded but the relaxed movement of branches, and leaves etc can happen as much or as little as required and the movement that a tree makes is in my opinion, effortless.

Also, a tree when there is no breeze just 'hangs' or rather the branches and other parts do so I would talk about the hanging arm and how this needs to be for playing the piano.

Movements often need to be lazy as opposed to ridgid and maybe these ideas might help a little.

Aren't tree trunks stiff???

That's lovely! I might steal that one...

I think it would give the impression of steadiness rather than stiffness Muddy Paws (as in not swinging your legs or crossing your feet etc as people are very prone to doing!)

Thanks very much everyone. I like the tree image particularly. All my pupils are going to get it this week! I'm always open to more ideas too, though...

Yes of course you are absolutely right but if you take the idea that the trunk of a tree is a solid, anchored, stable structure as the body should be at the piano but that the arms, hands and fingers should be part of the same but with effortless, gentle movement and moving in a way that is just enough for the task in hand it can help the children understand.

In a sense, we should see our whole bodies as continually breathing and with breathing comes movement.

I tell the children that music must teach our hands and arms etc How to move. See the hand as a breathing instrument of it's own and let the shape of the music teach us how the shape of our hands/arms/fingers should move.