contradicting recommendations
It seems that Berman believes the fingers are most important yet Bernstein focuses on the shoulders. Others believe the wrist rotation is important. Playing octaves with 1/5 on the white notes and 1/4 on the black notes. Others say that will result in tendonitis. What should one believe is the best way to deliver sound on the piano?
5 replies
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Hi Allen,
The answer is yes! =)
They are all important parts of playing effectively. Performers and teachers will often speak about something being particularly important because they feel it is an area that could be thought about more in their opinion and experience. It may even be just something that they have recently found has helped a number of students overcome a barrier etc. This is all human nature. For instance, I doubt that any pianists really believe the fingers aren't important (a bold position!) but they may feel that the shoulders get overlooked as part of the delivery system of energy and control to the fingers. And the importance of the wrist is something that is frequently overlooked by intermediate students and is often the culprit behind tempo ceilings and rigidity, so at some point many players are going to feel like the wrist is the most important etc. So these can all be true but which is most important depends on the person and their particular playing / point of learning.
This is also true of the octave fingering. One gets tendonitis from playing octaves with extended periods of tension in the arm and hand not due to a particular fingering. It is true that if you have a smaller hand, 14 fingering can be a stretch that leads to some unintentional tension but that doesn't mean that it is causing the problem. It may just be something that is revealing the tension in the arm and hand more noticeably. A much bigger culprit of tendonitis from octaves is playing octaves passages that are too long and too fast which leads one to overcompensate with tension in order to brute force the playing. Practicing slowly and learning to release tension briefly between each octave is frequently ignored by ambitious students. Also, context is really important because 14 on black keys and 15 on white is often something suggested for either legato passages or to specifically allow you to relieve tension by alternating out your 5th finger. The passage and the performer’s body are the ultimate decision makers. I often use 14 on black key octaves but there are dramatic passages that this small change in the hand from 15 is more of an obstacle than an aid so it is very case by case!
The best way to deliver sound at the piano is ultimately what feels comfortable for you to execute and produces the sound you seek. Consider all the different perspectives you can, reflect on them thoughtfully and then choose what seems best for you. There is no one answer that serves all purposes. The good news is you can always change your mind!
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The sound you produce is your teacher
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I sometimes think of it like spoken language.
People all over the world speak different languages. They use different tongues, different lip movements, different accents, and different ways of forming words. Yet they are all expressing thoughts, emotions, and ideas.
Piano technique can be similar.
One pianist speaks about fingers. Another emphasizes the wrist. Someone else focuses on the forearm, the elbow, the shoulders, or the whole body. They are often describing different parts of the same expressive process, simply using different vocabulary and observing it from different perspectives.
The more fundamental question is not which body part is most important, but what musical intention is the body trying to express?
When the musical idea is clear, every part of the body naturally contributes. The fingers, wrist, elbow, arm, and shoulders are not competing with one another. They become different participants in expressing the same musical thought.