I know I should of asked this a bit earlier, but there's still plenty of time to get the technique correct. It probably sounds like a stupid question, but, what is the exact correct technique for playing on the piano? Are you meant to play it:
a) Fingers totally curved, playing with the tips of your fingers
b)Fingers slightly curved, playing with the base of your fingers
c) Fingers not curved, playing as close to the keys as possible
d) Something else

Or does it vary with different dynamics?

Similarly, repeated notes, 4 fingers, do you play hands sideways, or hands pointing towards the piano; playing slighty more legato or more staccato?

And lastly, octaves in chromatics! Do you play with your thumb and little finger curved towards the keys, or do you play them flat on the keys? Do you keep your hands as close as you can to the keys as possible, or curved away from them. And what do you do with your middle three fingers? I keep on hitting my middle finger on the back part of the piano when I play on the black notes.

My technique is probably generally right, I just want to make sure that I've got everything right before I go any further, better to correct a mistake earlier than later!

Wobby

I think it's option B because my teacher always says to keep your wrist up, especially in one of the exam pieces (Arabesque by Bürgmuller). It is very hard to not make your fingers curve otherwise you will be playing with your fingernails! If you have them too curved, it may hurt your fingers, so I would go for slightly curved and base of your fingers.

In some ways it is not a one 'one size fits all' kind of thing.
Partly depends on the individual shape of your hand.... thogh generally curved rather than flat (you can't really move so easily with flat fingers).
Also varies according to what you are playing... if you are at full stretch then you can't really curve the fingers.
Something that is best dealt with by your teacher who can see what you are doing and whether it is the best way for you.

Was anyone else ever taught the satsuma thing? Where to get the right curve in your fingers imagine there's a satsuma under them.

I think I'm doing it wrong...I'm imagining attacking the piano with a claw shaped hand :|

Curved but relaxed Matt.

I'm not sure about the chromatic thing. My other three fingers are always flat and above the first finger. I don't think this is right, because my teacher always laughs when I play chromatic.

when i first started, my teacher said to imagine wrapping my hand around tennis balls.

however, now i think there is a lot of variation. sometimes, on lets say a yamaha piano, playing a slow movement of a romantic sonata, for example, where it is easy to make a big sound on such a piano, floppy wrists and curved fingers are ok.

sometimes, on a tough piano, playing a quick bach prelude for example, a stronger wrist and straighter fingers might be more advisable.

as a lot of people say, one size does not fit all. its about what feels comfortable for the hand.

I've only recently started lessons. I was told to not look but hold my hand at waist level as if holding a ball. Then look at the shape and without changing it turn the hand over, and place the fingers on the keys.

Remember the examiners will be sitting through the equivalent of a mid-day recital; they need to be kept interested.

Choose a varied programme that presents music from a wide historical time span. Vary the tempi of your programme - aim for a good mix of quick and slow pieces. Only pick repertoire you are happy playing so you can put your whole heart and soul into the performance.

Avoid hugely popular, overplayed works. Bear in mind, too, that rarely played pieces thrill examiners. Having said that, do not go for 'novelty' for its own sake. You should only choose pieces if you cannot get under the skin of them and play them with genuine understanding and enthusiasm.

Recital programmes that follow a chronological pattern can lead to a super climax; say, a Prelude and Fugue, then a Haydn\Mozart\Beethoven finishing with a Chopin Ballade (or something by Brahms, Liszt or Rachmaninov) leads to a thrilling finish. For a diploma, I would want to include a 20th century piece; I would consider inserting this before the Romantic 'finisher' even though this interrupts the chronological progression.

Hope this helps. Have fun

Maybe it's not my place to say it but I think this post doesn't belong here... It seems to fit a thread I saw in the Diploma section about repertoire/programme planning or some such...

Programme Building (Diploma)

Dead right, grand choer. This is an exact copy of a reply I posted in the diplomas forum. Goodness knows how I came to post it here as well.

Actually, I do know, but it is all to do with a combination of an automatic form-filling extension to my Firefox browser and alcohol. You don't want the details.

Anyway. Sorry 'bout that.

I will try to make a more intelligent contribution this time.

Wobby, there is much nonsense talked about hand positions for pianists. The ‘correct’ one is the one that is right for the individual.

Watch professional pianists and you will see: curved fingers; flat fingers; high wrist; low wrist; level wrist; any conceivable combination of the previous; long fingers looking like spiders' legs; short stubby fingers; long fingers moving a lot; long fingers appearing to hardly move at all; short stubby fingers moving a lot....; loads of finger movement but little body movement; loads of body movement but apparently little finger movement; any conceivable conbination of this whole paragraph + anything else anybody else has to offer.

The one thing they have in common is an attempt to avoid unnecessary muscle tension.

To get the idea, try this: sit at the piano and place your right hand on the keyboard. Your upper arm will do most of the work supporting the weight of your arm. Your elbow and wrist will be working sufficiently hard only to prevent your hand from collapsing under the weight of your forearm. Assuming they are relaxed, your fingers will be resting lightly on the keys in your ideal hand position. Your elbow should be slightly in front of your torso; you are sitting too close if it is at the side of your torso.

Now gently put an extra curve on your index finger and hold that position. You will feel extra, unwanted tension gradually creep into your hand through the muscle of your index finger. The same will happen if you flatten a finger out of its relaxed position.

Give your hand a shake to relax it again, then replace it on the keyboard as I described earlier.

Play a note with your middle finger and hold it down, using only sufficient weight to keep it depressed. Experiment with lightening the weight until your finger almost reaches the point where the key will rise. That is a perfect example of using just enough muscle power to depress a key with as little unwanted muscle tension as possible.

To feel the opposite, go to extremes. Press down on the note with all the finger power you have, and really work to keep the note down using as much pressure as possible. Your other fingers may well have shot upwards and are as tense as can be. The tension will shoot up through your hand, up your arm and into your shoulders.

Try to keep your muscles as relaxed as possible when you play. Maintain the hand position you achieved earlier and your tone will benefit hugely. You also set up the conditions whereby you acquire facility and dexterity more easily.

I heard once that Handel used to make his pupils play with coins or glasses or water on their wrists...a bit over the top dont you think? what if you spill water on the piano

Slightly off topic - but some horse riding instructors will make you ride with a mug of water in each hand to teach you correct balance. Most people are so afraid of spilling the water that it works - they do it right!

Handel wouldnt have played the piano.

As per this post - I wrote one on Body Mapping - Musician's Injuries...
If i remmber where it is I'll post the Link...

Cheerio

Please do - I am interested.

Steve

Do you mean this one?

Thanks samanthfung. Bodymap.org looks like a site worth spending some time visiting.

Steve

With regards to what Steven (or do you prefer Steve?) said on the issue of tension - if I could people once piece of advice it would be to relax your shoulders. Quite often people play with their shoulders tensed up towards their ears - let them drop and the arms are able to move a lot more freely.


My teacher does use the coins-on-hand techniques when people are starting out in scales if I recall. She never went as far as glasses of water though; I dare say health and safety would have something to say about 'electric shock therapy' if it was used over a Clavinova though....

When I first started with my new teacher, I had too much "circular wrist movement" whan I was plaing scales, so my teacher encouraged me to balance a pencil on my wrist to keep them straight! It was so hard but I can kind of do it now!
Kate

I get told off for this every lesson but still find it hard to relax... The other good one is remembering to breathe - holding your breath increases tension.

Steven, thanks for clearly spelling out that there ain't one "right" way. My hands are quite small - there's no way I could physically play with curved fingers most of the time, but my goal is always to keep my hand as relaxed and comfortable as it can be.

Regarding the original question, my piano teacher seems to favour option a)- he is always telling me that I need to curve my fingers more and that I should only be touching the keys with my fingertips. He tells me to "try to play on your fingernails"! He also says my wrists are much too high.... so much to learn.

I have always thought it depends on the type of piece you are playing.. My teacher always taught me to play a) whenever there are quick, fast sections, and play c) when it is a romantic piece that reuires a lot of emotion

When I am playing, my shoulders hurtle towards my ears the moment I stop paying them any attention. A part of my mind is always devoted to making sure my fingers, wrists, arms and shoulders are as relaxed as possible.

Movement helps to release tension. I will finish, say, a quick run ending on a longer note by moving my wrist in a circular motion whilst holding down the key. This automatically moves my elbow and upper arm and releases any built-up tension. A quick mental check that my shoulders aren't competing with my ears for loft space and I am off again.



Good for you Fen. The you-must-always....... (where ....... stands for whatever piece of dogma they are propounding) brigade miss the point by miles. Relaxation is the key.