Dear Paolo, today I was able to watch the third video on piano technique; I must say I was looking forward to it with interest and curiosity (as with all the other videos, for that matter). I would like to ask you for some advice before starting with individual lessons. I often have difficulty performing pieces at speeds faster than andante; do you think this is due to the fact that I started studying piano late (about six years ago, I am 51 today) or is it just a matter of acquiring the right technique? And how much can one's profession affect it? For example, I am a building decorator and often have tired hands, yet I still play at least one or two hours a day, time permitting.
Certainly, carrying excessive weights for a prolonged period at the expense of the arm, forearm, and shoulder musculature does not favor fluidity; on the contrary, it tends to cause stiffness since not all muscles are being used—by this I mean the antagonist muscles, which instead remain at rest. To demonstrate this, a simple test is enough: take a weight and hold your forearm at 90°, making only the biceps work. After a few minutes, you will notice that upon releasing the weight, the arm tends to rise on its own precisely because the biceps musculature has stiffened. Therefore, without a doubt, your profession also contributes to the problem you are experiencing. There are famous examples of great pianists who wouldn't even lift a coffee tray to avoid stiffening their muscles (in this case, perhaps overly exaggerated). However, I feel compelled to advise you not to overstrain the musculature at the piano by forcing it to perform fast pieces, since it is already heavily taxed during the day. On the contrary, you should do as many extension and loosening exercises as possible without overdoing it; that is, you should try to rebalance the stiff musculature with the antagonist musculature, which must stretch the former. Only then will you be able to dedicate yourself to performing faster pieces, always maintaining maximum fluidity without stiffening any muscle, but rather by utilizing the forces present in nature. Only in certain cases (elements that Paolo named well in the tutorial) is it necessary to use muscular strength to achieve a particular sound. We will discuss this in upcoming video tutorials on piano technique. And since you asked this question, we will also see which exercises you can do to loosen and make elastic and rested again the muscles that, due to various issues, have remained tense and contracted, perhaps even with the help of Giulia, who in the second video clearly illustrated the anatomical functioning of the muscles and bones of the hand, arm, forearm, and shoulder.
G
giovannip
Member
Reply 3 by giovannip
Posts
553
Thank you Simone for responding to me so promptly. I am glad to have raised the issue; probably other piano enthusiasts have situations similar to mine, I will wait for Giulia's advice to improve my musculature.
You're welcome, don't mention it, I hope you can resolve this problem as soon as possible so that you can also enjoy the entire repertoire "beyond the wanderer".
There would be hours of discussion. I have already addressed speed in other posts. I compared slow study and fast study and spoke about how, in the fast one, movements change. Coordination and mental imagery also change. I repeat the suggestion. Try to speed up a piece by studying it in fragments, in phrases.... but stopping on the accents. If the piece is in 4/4, stop every quarter note, playing quickly and repeating the arrival note, making it the starting note. Listen to the cells and identify where something is not right. Then, once the cause is found (fingering, incorrect gesture, etc.), repeat the fragment. Gradually, always with stops, you can play an entire phrase and then a large period. Carlo Zecchi, from whose school I have the honor of descending, used to study this way. One acquires mastery of correct gestures and identifies deficiencies. At the same time, fast executions are not "distorted," as they cannot remain "slow" forever!!!!!
The explanation is very brief and I apologize for that. The watchful eye of the Maestro is indispensable, at least at the beginning of this form of study.
Regarding musculature: What Simone, who preceded me in the response, says is correct. A good intervention is also to immerse the hands and forearms in warm water when coming from the effort of manual labor. Rest is the best thing. One cannot expect to struggle in the alternation between the two types of muscular work, the first based on effort and tension, the second based on energetic development without tension.
Don't worry!! There are questions whose answers are awaited for an entire lifetime (a period of 24 hours is approximated to an instantaneous response 😃 )
I wanted to ask if there are any physical activities that do not conflict with piano study. In short, does a pianist have to be sedentary?? because I discovered a few years ago (even though I already knew), that physical activity relaxes me and makes me more focused in that cerebral area.
Absolutely not. Physical activity promotes study. Doing sports oxygenates the body. As long as you don't overstrain the muscles that we need for playing. Of course, weightlifting or playing tennis is not good, but other activities are okay. In fact, it is even recommended to pianists who have to study for an exam or a concert to take at least a nice walk before studying. The brain is much better predisposed in the morning and after a good "oxygenation".
