Mar

11

One-Minute Piano Lessons
Inflation-fighting practical tips for a lifetime of playing

A friend of mine used to joke that teaching piano is easy because it required only four words: Faster. Slower. Louder. Softer.

He exaggerated. Teachers devote years to impart artistry, theory, and history to their students. Yet much lesson time is spent on the humble practicalities like fingering, tone production, and overcoming technical difficulties.

In this book I present a collection of practical tricks, tips, and secrets from a lifetime of lessons, practice, and performance. Most take just a minute to read but will bear fruit as they are put into practice.

Laurence Glazier comments:

Nice. Very Leschetizky.

Laurel Kenner responds:

Thanks, Lawrence. Like so many other pianists, I studied with teachers whose teachers studied with Leschetizky.

Adam Grimes writes:

I read your book. I think it's very good. A few random points (some reinforcing, some maybe slightly contradicting):

- I struggled with poor technique for a long time, and I got by, but the thing that made a difference for me was realizing that there is exactly, precisely ONE ideal alignment of hand, wrist, and forearm for each finger. You can find it by pretending you are going to exert maximum pressure through a single, extended finger. (Like you are going to push a refrigerator or something, but don't actually do it!) It's not always possible to have that alignment for every note played, but knowing what it is and seeking it is the key to technique.

-I don't think there's much value to exercises in general. I did Hanon, Czerny, Dohnanyi (dangerous, imo) for years. Complete waste of time, at least for me. All the technique we need is in the literature. Everything needed to play Classic and before period music is in the Beethoven c minor variations… extract exercises from Chopin (not saying just play the Etudes… make exercises from the Waltzes, the Berceuse, from difficult passages in any piece.)

-Absolutely agree on pain being a big STOP signal. And, as for relaxation, this is often confused, but the key is you don't want to have antagonistic muscles activated at the same time. our brains can't tel a muscle to do anything specific, so we have to work through body motion.

-100% agree about piano being a percussion instrument, though with great capabilities to sing. Play Schubert to make the piano sing… then Chopin. I used to tell my students that legato on the piano was a lie… but it can be told as an utterly convincing lie. Listen to great violinists and singers to understand real legato.

-I would prioritize ear training. It's very hard to create something from the instrument that cannot be vividly experienced internally first.

-I have a very long list of practice techniques. Some of my favorites are rhythms, articulations, practicing fast stuff slow and super-expressively, and practicing small sections up to tempo asap.

-With the metronome, suggest using it on "large" beats. For instance, it's obvious a Chopin waltz you'd set the metronome on the dotted half. But consider the first fugue from the WTC… a good way to practice is with a metronome click ONLY on the downbeat… or maybe on 2 and 4. Doing this requires the player to internalize the pulse more than the typical use of metronome on every beat.

-The technique of slowly speeding up with a metronome only works if the player knows how to play fast… it fails with students because there is a speed wall. (Essentially, there's pretty much only one (or a very limited) way you can play a fast passage at tempo, but slowly? If you're playing slowly you can do ANYTHING!) So, I find that doing big jumps close to target tempo is effective. For instance: let's say the target is q=144 and you find the passage easy at 75. Play it 3X perfectly at 65. Then turn metronome up to 130 and try it. (Absolute disaster, of course.) Try it a few times at tempo, then go back to 70… then back to 130… then 72, etc. This is a way to bring the coordination from fast speeds back to slow practice. Your body gradually will find the right way to make it work.

-Another key to doing the slow speeding up thing (which i do sometimes… it's valuable in some situations) is to also practice back to a slower tempo. For instance, play a passage 3X at 62 (I won't use actual mm here just close), 3X 68, 3X 72,… etc 3x 132… which is your target tempo… but don't stop there! Now do 2X 120, 2x 100, 2X 80. Why? Because tension will inevitably arise as you are ratcheting the tempo… tension can become a learned part of a passage… taking the tempo back down allows you to learn relaxation also.

-Divide practice into small sessions. It's ideal if you can nap after a session.

-Most things won't be fixed today. Your brain will consolidate the work while you sleep. If you aren't dreaming about the work, you're probably not working hard enough. (Personal observation, maybe not true for all.)

-Check the volume in your practice room. I discovered mine was spiking 110+ dB! Permanent hearing damage is certainly possible with the piano.

Bo Keely suggests:

the weights should go on top the fingers, to eventually lighten the touch.

Laurence Glazier adds:

My first Leschetizky teacher, along with all the shaking of hands and relaxation, advised playing each note as if with the whole arm. It may seem strange. But I liked it. At the time I was studying ki aikido and it struck me that several exercises were in both.

I didn't take piano playing very far. Loved learning to play from jazz chord symbols.

The magic of music always finds a way to flourish. The development of jazz. The great songs of the Beatles, who did not know the notation. We need knowledge, but must not let it get in the way.


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