A new approach to piano technique

II Theory7 of Tone Production 6 IV How the Hand Should Be Used 10 V Exercise to Free the Wrist 13... A method of tone production and the use ofthe hand is as necessary in learningto play

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A NEW APPROACH

TO

PIANO TECHNIQUE

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COPYBIGHT 1962 BY RUTH A DlCXERSON

101 FIFTH AVENUE* NEW YORE: 3, N. Y

FIRST EDITION

Manufactured in the United States ofAmerica

As longas I canrememberI lovedthepianoandwanted to playit. Myearliestmusical recollection is

of

listeningentrancedtomymotherandauntplaying

a four hand arrangement of the Beethoven phonies, and begging them to go on longafter they

sym-had sym-hadenough.

When, as a small child, I had myfirst piano

les-sons, I was very lucky in my teacher, even

thoughthemethodwasnot

inspiring Still, Ihadnoproblems,

it all seemednaturalandeasy. Infact, I can well

re-memberwinningaprize ofababyrabbit inapupil's recital. The fact that my teacher thought of such a

prizeshowsthat shehadarareunderstandingof

chil-dren.

Unfortunately, this unusual person soon wentabroad to study and my musical education became

haphazard, most of it

unbelievably bad and all of it

contrarytoanylogicaluseof thehand andkeyboard.

Bythe time Iwas old

enoughto realizewhatthemeanttome,Ihadreached theconclusion that

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were bom with a fluent technique In thosedays of musical giants there was an aura ofmystery

famous artists, no doubt a deliberate build up,

whichseparated fromtherest ofhumanity.That

nine tenths of this glamour was the result of hard

work and luckwith anearlyenvironment, hardly

to have occurred to anybody The only person

to see this

fallacy seems to have been Paderewskfs famous colored chefwho said, so the story goes, "Mr.Paderewskihad to learn toplay thepiano butAh was

a cook."

When I could take a hand in my own education

1 went to good teachers, and though I could

play, I always felt constrained, and that the work

involved between me and the music However,

I love toteach andIhopedtogive others thesensibleand logical training that I had missed WhenI began

to have older pupils who took their work seriously, I

was disturbed to End that the best I could do was to

say,"Thisis thewayit is

generally taught/'But allthe

1 felt itwas a wrongway

It is a

longand tiresome story of a little

light and

alotofdiscouragement FinallyI sawthatthe trouble

I didn't havethe courage ofmy convictions, and

if I to

get anywhere I would have toabandon what I had been taught and follow my in- stinct. At once I began to make progress, but it was

slow I often found myselfin a blind alley. When

1 discovered the

springing finger I thought nothing

but1soonrealized thatafreetechniquedepends upon

VI

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things: a loose wrist, weight control, etc., ashave tried to

explain in this book, co-ordinated by a

strongsupplerhythm andled bythe music itself. The

firsttimeI

experiencedinmy ownplayingthe glorious

freedom that all this

gives, it was a distinct shock torealize how different my life would have been if Icould have understood these simple principles in my

youth I knew then that, no matter what the ties, I would have to make my notes into a book, sothat anyone who wanted to might profit by my ex-

difficul-perience

vu

II Theory7 of Tone Production 6

IV How the Hand Should Be Used 10

V Exercise to Free the Wrist 13

A NEW APPROACH

TO

PIANO TECHNIQUE

THE NECESSITY FOR A NEW METHOD IN

Thequestion that comes to mind when discussing

athingbenecessary? One mightsupposethatby now

everything ought to be known about teaching the strument, but if this were true, why isn't piano play-

in-ing, both amateur and professional, muchbetterthan

it is? One has only to

go to concerts or read the

re-views to see that every pianist has his limitations

unnecessarylimitations. Some havebrillianceandlack

a good lyric tone, or perhaps fascinate the ear withscintillating runs and leave it disappointed when it

comes to heavy tones. And where is the pianist with

a really singing fortissimo? something that is allyvery easytoproducewhentheprinciplesinvolvedare understood These technical limitations naturallycarry over into the interpretive field. A pianist who may be eminently satisfactory in eighteenth century

actu-music may be disappointingin Chopin, or dazzle theaudience with the fireworks of Liszt and leave it

baffled wear)7 when it conies to a Brahms

con-certo, not from any want of musical understanding,but from a simple lack of equipment and ease ofpresentation,

And what about the pianist who can bring outthe resources of the instrument only when he is in

the right mood? The artist cannot always be equallyinspired, but he can at least have a command of tone

for the requirements ofthe music If he lacks it, there

is

obviously somethingwrong withhis technical

edu-cation This he acquired unquestioningly as a child

if, in his

maturity, he has any doubts about its

worth, he has never had the timeto do the necessaryresearch to find out where his early training has letdown. This is where the trouble lies. Young

are not taught how to produce an adequate

varietyoftonetogetherwitheaseinproducingit. Few

peoplerealize whata wasteoftimenine-tenths oftheaverage student's practice is. His progress depends

upon sheer repetition with an enormous amount of

trial error, andthenatbestheends upwith a

one-sidedequipment Thisisapoorreturnforallthework

involved

That an ideal command of tone and use of the

is possible is proved by the effortless

playing ofJosef Hofmann. His ringing fortissimos,

ravishingmelodiesand exquisitely delicate runs were all tossedoff with the greatest ease. True, this may have been

instinctive and

perhaps he could not have

how he hadso perfectlyadaptedhishandtothekeys.Nevertheless, heaccomplished itsomehow, andifonepianist can develop that kind of

technique, otherscan too, if not by instinct, then by analytical study,

whetheror nottheyhave Hofmann'smusicalgeniusinusing their technique after they get it. What is

beingconsidered here is not so much musicianship as the

equipment which will alow the pianist to

give freeexpression to such musicalgifts ashe maypossess

Many people argue that amethod is unnecessary,

or too mechanical an approach to

playing, but the

samepeople would never advise an athlete to neglectform A method of tone production and the use ofthe hand is as necessary in learningto play thepiano

as form is in athletic skill. Some people may play

tennis wellwithout instruction, but no one is likelytodevelop into a champion without working hard atform and analyzing strokes

carefully So, too, a

mu-sically sensitive childwith a strong and flexible hand

may producea good tone and an easy technique

nat-urally, but the chances of his developing his fullpotential are very poor unless he knows what he is

doing

Then there is the common tragedy that older

pianists oftenbeginto lose theirtechnique whenthey

are still at the height of their interpretive powers

Some stiffness, lack of

flexibility, or even insecurity

may have crept into their playing from the strain ofcontinual concerning But this could easily be cor-

rected if the pianist understood the principles tone and technique.

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Obviously, It is wiser to have no method at allthan to have a wrong one. It is far better to let thepupil flounder around with only his ear for a guidethan to teach him a way of working that may injurehis hand and ruin his tone, for if a method does not

produce a widevarietyoftoneand aneasytechnique,

there is always a chance that a gifted student may

play in spite of his method, really working against

himself.Thisis boundto layup troubleforthefuture,

as hisearmakes demandsthat his trainingmaynotbe

able to fulfill, and consequentlya mental friction velops which is

de-likely to have serious consequences

Butittakes only alittlecarefulstudyto showthattheproper use of hand and key can be taught with greatadvantage

Practice makes perfect only if it is correct

prac-tice. Also, a method that is good for anything should

be good for everything That is, chords, runs, trills,

octaves, etc., should all be produced with the same

fundamental finger action At the same time, it can

to the full resources of the instrument

If the artist needs a method, the amateur needs

it ten times more, for he rarely has much time for

practice and must makeevery minute count While astudent may be satisfied to play poorly, with stiff

arms and a bad tone, or perhaps in arelaxed but secure manner, hewill be able to play more interest-

in-ing pieces much sooner if he will devote a littletime

to the study of technical form; that is, how to work

directly for the best results, both from a tonal and a

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muscularstandpoint. Thedifferencebetweenthe

ama-teurand dieprofessionalshould beof

quantityratherthan quality, a difference of degree only

Often an amateur, within the limits of his artisticprogress, could be heard with as much pleasure as aprofessionalifhe hadthe meansto give expression to

his talents. While he cannot be expected to have therepertoire for concert hall performance, he shouldhave, given a reasonable amount of practice, a com-

mand of tone and ease of technique that will make

his playinga delighttohear.

Analyzing hand position and finger motion will

nevermake formechanicalplaying ifthemusical aim

is kept in view. However, that the musical aim must

always be kept in view cannot be overemphasized.

The wholepoint offingertrainingis tohavethe nique so easy that it is second nature to produce thedictates of the earwithoutconscious thought. In fact,

tech-it is the great demands of the music that finally velop a comprehensive technique, and one that be-

de-comes subconscious But there must be a

well-pre-pared foundation before this much-desired end can

be reached

5

THEORY OF TONE PRODUCTION

Thefirstthingtobeconsidered isthe piano action

itself. When this is understood, the player will find it

to adapt his touch to the key Even someone

who has never played the piano can easily see thatthe key is the lever by which the finger makes the

The second consideration is the hand and how it

ought to work with, the key and not against it, usingfinder, and arm so thatno stiffness develops

The student is

usually taught to raise his fingers

hitthekeys. But onehasonlytolookatthe raised

fingers to see thatthis is strained andunnatural Also,

it makes a tone, as itwill compress the felts and

give a tone similar to that made by a hammer that

is worn hard After all, when using any lever,

its power is increased by adding weight and not by

6

hittingit. And ifthekeyis hit, itwill

destroy thehelpthatthe fingeroughtto have from therebound of the

key itself, as the playerwill realizewhen hebegins to

experiment

One of the worst results of raised

fingers is thatthe}'willbecontrolledintheforearminsteadof inthehand This means that the wrist is not free and thor-

oughlyrelaxed. Ifthe arm tires, itshows thatarm andfinger muscles are not

striking fingers will no doubt develop muscle, they

may easily produce muscular and mental tension

Some studentswillneverhavetechnicalfreedomwith

that method, and at best it is tedious and unlikely toproduce a good tone.

There are other methods which teach the studentnot to raise his

fingers, but they provide nothing to

give a good articulation and weight control Unlessthe student has natural facility, the playing is certain

to be

flabby ormuddy, or both There is littlevariety

of tone andalmost no brilliance. The wholeproblem,

then, is to discover how to use the hand and key sothat they work together to secure the finest articula-tion with ease and the

POSITION AT THE PIANO

Beforeanalyzingfinger action, die student should

make sure thathe is

sittingcorrectly at thepiano. He

should sit high enough so that when the hand is on

the keys and the shoulders relaxed, the elbow is

slightlyhigher thanthe fingertips. This helps the

cir-culation, and also allows theuse ofupper arm weight

inheavy chords and octaves. A low elbowretardsthe

circulation of the blood to the hands and will fere with the freeuse of arm weight.

inter-It goes without saying that the player should sit straight, with his head up, and never get into thehabitofslumpingover thekeyboard Itismostimpor-tant to avoid anytightness of neck, shouldersor wrist

and so relaxed thatit feels limp.

If the position at the piano is correct, and the

armsrelaxed,thewrist will

hanglower thanthefingers

except whenfollowingthehandas inthumb

crossing,

8

the endof runs, etc. This allows the handtocarrythe

weight and gives the

greatest leverage to the key

In this connection, it will help the student if he can

arrange a mirror where he can watch and criticize

hisownmotions

9

HOW THE HAND SHOULD BE USED

The most casual study of the piano action makes

It

apparent that raising the fingers and hitting the

beautiful tone and an easy technique. Nor will

vague

ideas of relaxationwithout adefinite method of usingthe O be much use But the kevs- 1 have to be set

inmotion somehow, and thiscannot be left to chance

ifsomethingmorethana haphazardkindoftechnique

is desired Since the key is both a lever and a kind

of springboard, there is only one logical way for the

towork, and thatis as ifthey themselves were

springs,muchasadiver uses a

springboard

If the student will place his hand lightly on the

keyboard in five finger position with the fingerscurved, then straighten each finger in turn, hewill feel that this

spring is easy and natural He must

make sure that the

springis intothe archofthehand

and that the wristis perfectly limp Thefinger does a

sort of"pushup" from the bottom of the key, upward

10

and slightlyoutward, then immediately returns to thecurvedposition,neverlosingcontactwiththekey and

thefingeris to work on thekey (andthereisnot timefor anything else in fast playing), all it can do is tostraighten, or spring against the key.

The handshouldbewell arched, the wristhanging

low andfree,withthearm carried so

lightlythatithas

no influence at all on the

fingers. Each finger should

smoothly, and has acquired a feeling for the action

of the key The aim of this practice is to develop a

command of a pure and independent finger action,entirely divorced from wrist and arm In order to

achieve this freedom, there must be a definite give ofthe wrist with each finger spring. Later this can be reduced toaminimum or increased ifthe passagede-

with every fingermotion, one cannotbesure thatthewrist is relaxed and perfectly free. The player ought

to experiment forhimself with key and finger action,

aiming to satisfy his desire for technical control and

requiresveryfinetiming,whichwillcomeonly withpractice,forthefingersmustrelax

quicklyafter playing if they,are to come up with the

keys

The question of relaxation utmost portance, but one must know what muscles to relax.Naturally, the hand cannot relax when it is playing,but the shoulders, arm and wrist should hang looseand light in soft playing, and loose and heavy in

im-loudplaying. Thewristmust beperfectlyfreeinbothcases, any weight used being carried by the arch

(metacarpal joints). It is surprising how often one

maythinkthathisarm andwristareperfectly relaxed,

when actually he is using the forearm muscles to do what ought to be done by the hand alone. This

has the effect of a brake on the fingers as one muscle works another, and is the reason so many

students goto pieces in fastpassages The more effort

made, the worse the playing becomes, because the

arm muscles are interfering with the finger action

This is easy to understand if oneintentionally tenses,the arm muscles while moving the arm. Anyone who

playsthepianoor agameofgolfstifflyissimply using

one muscle against another, instead of leaving themuscles which should be doing the work absolutely

free.

Althoughthewholeideaoffingerspringmay seem

revolutionary

7

it is easy and comfortable, involves no tension, and

givesa wonderful feelingofmastery

The following exercise is a test of a correctly

re-laxed ami and wrist Itmay be done withprofit evenafterthe playerhas acquireda goodtechnique Afew-minutesspentonthis exerciseatthebeginningofeach,practice period will save hours of work.

12

EXERCISE TO FREE THE WRIST

In a good five finger position, with die hand wellarched, holddownthefive

keyslightly,barelykeeping

them depressed. Like the previous exercise, the wristshould be hanging free and low Now, very slowlv,raise the wrist (not the arm) from low to

high and

back again in one continuous slow motion, the arm

passiveand light.

Even if the student has used tins exercise before,

sinceits

present application is new, heshouldwork at

it again, keeping in mind the idea of the free fingerspring, a continuous motion, and no weight. Later

weightshouldbeused, but notuntilthearchis

strong

wrist If the fingers tremble when thehand is

lightly

holding the keys, or as the weight is being added,

it is becausethe student has beenplaying with a stiff

wrist orarm, and hewill haveto proceed veryslowly

andpatiently. When apure finger stroke is acquired,the fingers will become steady and then the weight

13

may be gradually increased as the fingers and hand grow strong.

After this exercise has been done with all fivefingers holding the keys down, each finger should be

one key downwith onefingerata timeand movingthewrist up and down in the same slow way Thefingerdoesits

**pushup"as the wristmoves upward.

14

APPLYING THE THEORY

As soon asthe student feels thathehas command

ofthefinger

spring andwrist motion, heshould begin

work on five finger exercises, scales,

be-these ideas in mind:

1) The finger springs upward, slightly

2) The player should feel every note underhis hand before he plays it If this is done

consciously in slow work, it will become

automaticin speedand give great accuracyand assurance

3) The wrist gives with every note

15

4) All practice must be pianissimo until the

strong,andtheplaying comfortable,secure andveryfastwithouteffort.

Ifthefingerspringsfromthebottomof thekeythe

playing is bound to be secure and firm If the wristgives with every finger motion, the arm and wrist

Forte

playing will be considered kter

16