Penelope Roskell - Ask me anything about “The Pillars of Piano Technique”

Emogene Bedrosian I use the same sitting position for all kinds of repertoire.  One useful guide that some teachers use to determine distance is to touch the fallboard with the back of your hand and keep your arm straight.  That will show you where to position the seat. However, I prefer to sit a couple of centimeters further back, as it allows me to have more space to move freely around the whole keyboard.  

Will Very few pianists indeed feel comfortable playing all of the Etudes.  I know several great virtuosi who have still struggled with some of them.  The problem with many of these etudes is that, if you find the technique challenging in the first section, then by the end you will really be struggling!  The important thing is to get really comfortable with the technique in a short section - then the rest will flow naturally. Op 25 No 6 is challenging, and if the thirds are note synchronizing well, it might not be the time to pursue it.  Maybe better to move on to something else for the time being?  You are lucky to have large hands.  I am not sure why you are not interested in looking at alternative fingerings, though, for Op 10 No 1?  For that bar, I like to take the first semiquaver in the LH then, in the RH, 1242 1242 etc.  That completely takes away the stretch.  By the way, you do not have to play this piece fully legato.  At an allegro tempo, nobody notices if you slide off some notes (in this case the second finger) and just move quickly to the new hand position.  

langpark It's not necessary to play completely on the fingertips. The hand is in its most natural position when playing rather more on the fingerpad - and this position also generally produces a more cantabile sound.  Of course the fingers shouldn't be completely flat either!

Oksana Reedy I will just summarise some ideas here, as I am currently writing some books which do precisely that -  sequencing technique for young beginners.  The books will be published by Peters Edition in March 2023. 

I start with non-legato on black notes, then move towards the white-note keys.  I avoid playing too many pieces around the middle C area, as this causes muscles to tense up. Instead I use exercises and pieces that cover the whole keyboard.  I also prefer to teach a light detached touch before introducing legato.

I think that most methods introduce chords and hands together too early.  It's better to develop good hand position and freedom of movement in each hand before adding the extra complexity of playing hands together.  Some strengthening exercises for the intrinsic hand muscles can be very helpful.  But most importantly, try to keep technique fun and musically-focused!. I can send you details of the books when they are published, if you would like to send me your email address?

Oksana Reedy I agree!  These books have been hugely challenging (but fun) to write, as I am trying to change a lot of historical entrenched traditions.  If you like, I'll add your email to my mailing list so that you are notified when they come out.   

Andrea Buckland OK!

Ron G. Franklin This is an important aspect of technique - but one that pianists only usually master when they reach quite an advanced level.  Good finger independence is required but also the ability to rest the weight on the fingers which are playing the main voice (usually the outer fingers) while keeping the other fingers light. It can help to swivel the wrist outwards slightly so that the fifth finger is in line with the forearm.  This gives more weight to those notes. (Conversely, if you want more weight on the thumb, swivel the wrist inwards to align the thumb with the arm).

Not knowing what level of pianist you are, I wouldn't want to suggest specific exercises.  Do you have a copy of my book The Complete Pianist?  There are several chapters on voicing, with exercises at different levels as well as  videos.   

Roy In what way is the second finger a problem?  I think I would have to see you in action to be able to answer this.  Tonebase have asked me to do a live Q&A sometime soon.  Perhaps you could submit your question then, and I could watch you demonstrate it on the screen.

Michael Filak Thank you.  When alternating hands, there are two main challenges.  Firstly, you need to have really good coordination - to establish a rhythm that goes by itself.  How good are you at drumming on a table?  Practise that until you can do it at speed comfortably, rhythmically and at speed.  In both these passages the hands are pitched very near to each other.  To keep them from feeling too tangled up, I suggest you keep one hand and wrist quite low and the other quite high and nearer to the fallboard.  In that way you will have plenty of space between the hands.

Joao Pio Pedreira It's difficult to say without seeing you play, but I suspect that you are working your fingers too hard and pressing too much into the keys.  Keep your arm very light so the fingers feel as though they are almost floating on the keys.  Think of this passage as a flowing sideways movement of the arm, rather than fast finger action. Start by playing 5 or 6 notes at speed, being very aware of the light, flowing arm movement.  Then add more notes, one at a time.  The longer the phrase, the more the arm has to lead, taking the fingers into position.   

Khoa Phan Howard I am pleased to hear that my videos have helped you. I am not sure whether you can see this whole thread, but I already discussed some aspects of voicing in my reply to Ron Franklin above.  The Pathetique and the Schubert are both excellent example of voicing - in fact I used both these examples to demonstrate voicing in The Complete Pianist!  For the Schubert, it's important to separate out the two actions.  Play the first note with the Parachute touch, to give it a cantabile sound.  Pause a moment while you twiddle your other fingers very lightly in the air.  Perhaps 'shadow' the notes on the keys.  Then play those notes with a very light finger touch. 

If you separate out the two elements in this way, you will train your fingers and arms to naturally respond to the sounds in your inner ear and soon find yourself voicing passages very naturally. 

When you want to also emphasize some alto notes, for instance, you may need to play the fingers more energetically for those notes (perhaps even lifting the finger a little before playing the note to give it added emphasis NB this is not a technique I advise to use regularly for other passages).