Piano Lessons

En Excerpt From

Mastering Piano Technique: A Guide for Students, Teachers, and Performers

By Seymour Fink

Piano technique is more than the physical ability to render the printed page of music accurately; it is the vehicle for interpretation, the key to musical expression. Movement and meaning are so closely related to each other that the specific character of the gesture is itself part of the message conveyed. For example, musical continuity demands physical continuity, it being virtually impossible to express a quiet, flowing line with either constricted or overly energetic movement. Likewise, rhythmic vitality can be articulated only through vigorous action. Technical decisions are thus never made in an artistic vacuum. But having said this, I must also add that there is no single correct way to play. Good technical training encourages exploration of a variety of approaches for, by encouraging flexibility, efficiency, and surety — whatever the artistic purpose, performers become freer to follow their imaginations. In short, when pianists are confident in their ability to create! something extraordinarily beautiful at the keyboard, they dare to try. And only by trying can they succeed.

Technique is like grammar; once it is a part of you, you speak without conscious attention to it. In the same way, technical matters function below the conscious level in mature pianists. Experimenting first one way then another, pianists mine their deepest, most intuitive feelings about the music, seeking out a particular mood, tone color, or expressive nuance. Ultimately their inner musical thinking triggers the requisite movement so they experience no separation between muscular exertions and musical goals.

The circumstances of the novice differ radically from those of the seasoned player; consistent technical training must be made an integral part of the learning experience. When first coming to grips with the relatively awkward conditions surrounding purposeful movement at the keyboard, students should be instructed in a healthy and efficient use of their bodies. Poor technical training slows their rate of progress and inevitably limits pianistic growth. Clearly, pianists and piano teachers can profit from a graphic, practical, and comprehensive treatment of the biomechanics and pedagogy of piano technique, its means and ends, presented in a cogent, organized manner.

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