Progressive exercises for building up speed and strength?
Hi,
I'm asking this for my 9yo son who's studied piano for almost 4 years. He's at about level 6 in Tonebase level system and has learned repertoire pieces such as Bach 2-part inventions, Chopin Mazurkas, Debussy Fugitive Visions, among others. His teacher said Chopin Etude Op. 25 No. 2 will be his next piece to learn.
He's very musical, but would benefit from technical growth. Right now his technical regimen includes Schmitt exercises in different keys or rhythms, Hanon 1~20 (5 pieces from them), and scales/arpeggios/triad inversions.
He wants to be able to play faster notes and have more strength, especially when he improvises and he wants to use faster notes but he could not play.
I've watched the Taubman approach video "On Playing Fast" by Robert Durso but it seems to require a Taubman teacher to be able to carry out the advice in the video. Is there any other videos we should be watching? Does anyone have any advice on a progressive regimen / exercise collection for building speed and strength for a child learner?
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Hi Dawn,
Wow I'm so inspired to see a parent so involved in their kids musical education!
Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but in my studies of the Taubman approach, they always emphasized not using exercises. In fact, they can be detrimental if performed with incorrect technique, as they ingrain bad habits.
This matches my experience. I stopped doing all technical exercises and scales (save a ton of time actually!) and my hand strain has disappeared.
There is no one size fits all thing, and it's not about being "stronger" but using your hands more efficiently. While there are some foundational principles, figuring out how to play faster is something that depends on the situation; you use a different strategy depending on the passage you are trying to play more quickly.
Of course working directly with a teacher would be most beneficial. But to get him unblocked, maybe you can share a specific part of a piece and/or a video of playing and the community could chime in?
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Tim I agree to the importance of playing a wide repertoire. I'm a bit confused, tho, about how to achieve "facility" for speed. There are several pieces that he's studied that included fast passages, after a period of time of polishing and practicing, he was able to play them well. But when faced with a new piece, or when he improvises, he still struggles with fast notes, a lot.
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I thought Taubman was more about the concept that the music itself was the exercise. Perhaps I am wrong about that.
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Gail Thiele Dorothy Taubman has a website with lots of information including some technique videos she shares that will provide some clarity about her method. You can Google "The Taubman Approach to Technique and Musicality" to access them. In addition, you may know that Tonebase has produced a number of programs featuring Ben Laude who I believe has a very strong Taubman background. I feel I have benefitted from incorporating some of his suggestions.
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Linda Clover Awesome! Do you have a video or a video series by Ben Laude to recommend?
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@Dawn Hello, Dawn, My main experiences on Tonebase center, around presentations he and Seymour Bernstein made in which they were teaching on a specific work such as the Moonlight Sonata. I went to the Tonebase website and searched Ben Laude's name. I saw that he and Robert Durso (also a Taubman expert) made a series of 4 lessons on Taubman Masterclasses. In addition, I located 4 more Taubman courses you may access. Hope that helps.
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Hi Dawn,
As a physical therapist, I would echo Tim's great advice, in that technical exercises are not the answer to your son's frustration. Piano keys are thankfully not very difficult to depress, and strength in the hands is really not something that is needed to play fast (coordination) or for long periods (endurance). Technique in my opinion is best acquired by practicing consistently (nearly daily) for years, and by playing a wide variety of repertoire. One of my teachers who was lauded as a great technician played only Bach for the first several years of his life...a practice that he didn't recommend, but what a technique! I feel that your son would get a lot of technique out of moving beyond 2 part inventions, looking at some Scarlatti sonatas (a great wide range of difficulty), play some Bartok. Mostly, I'd be reminding him that he's only 9...
As a pianist, I would say that it is a huge leap from where he is currently to anything in Opus 25. He's jumping from Little League to Division I College Ball, and you should monitor his frustration level.
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Jeff Woodruff , I’ve heard this repeated often, that “piano keys are not that difficult to depress” and while it is certainly true that with a free hand and a a single finger the keys are easy to depress I found for many years that with say 1-3 tied up in some awkward position that depressing keys in a musical manner with 4 and 5 *was* difficult, and that the difficulty *felt* like a lack of strength or coordination. Perhaps those of you more gifted physically have not experienced this. For me, exercises (the Phillips exercises are my favorite in this respect) that isolated the seemingly weaker fingers really helped improve their facility and this improvement translated directly to repertoire. Now of course it’s possible that this same improvement could be had with just practicing repertoire, but the exercises, which eliminated all other concerns besides developing finger fluidity, seemed to lead to more rapid improvement.
I think we can be misled by the word “strength” which leads to the mistaken impression that we want to lift barbells with our fingers which would of course be disastrous, but there is something, call it “independence”, “coordination”, or “fluidity” which is natively missing in some hands and responds to technical exercises for some people. -
Jeff Woodruff agree about consistent practice and variety of repertoire, which he has been doing and building. He's doing his best I think. He's practising an hour each day for 6 days a week. What I'm hoping is to help him find ways to make his limited practice time more effective in terms of accomplishing his goals.
I see that Op 25 No. 2 is in level 8 in tonebase. It is a bit of a jump, but not that much of a leap it seems. He really likes the piece and is very excited to study it. So I think it's worth a try. He always cherishes challenges and some of his leaps he made in the past were when he was given a challenge. I'll def. monitor his frustration level, tho. That's a good reminder.
Will keep Scarlatti sonatas and Bartok in mind too. Thanks!
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Andrew Mendelsohn Thanks for your comment and sharing your experience! I actually went to the Amazon link of the book and found there are quite a few good comments about how they benefited from using this book. Do you remember what level you were at when you started the Phillips exercises?
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It’s all about relaxation. You can’t have opposing muscles activated at the same time and not have tension, which is the nemesis of easy fast technique. I feel it is more important to focus on the concepts (weight, rotation, etc) and how it feels. Choreography is also important as minor shifts in hand position and subtle circular movements can make an awkward passage very free (eg, Chopin Scherzo #3 Coda). Awareness of these mechanics is the exercise it can be done with any piece or even Hanon if it allows you to focus on the concepts. Repetitive patterns like Hanon make it difficult to stay focused on what’s important and it’s easy to get into a trap of mindless practicing. As for practicing repertoire, always be aware of tension. The more you practice with tension the more difficult it will be to unlearn it.
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Frank Thank you for your comment! I think your point is very important. Do you have any suggestion as to how one could be aware of any tension existing in the playing? I was looking at the option of placing a mirror on the side of the piano so that he could see his own hand form and posture etc.
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Hi Dawn,
As a piano teacher, I'm going to chime in. Has your son taken any piano exams such as Royal Conservatory of Music or Certificate of Merit if you live in CA? Is there any reason that the teacher is pushing your 9 yo son to learn those advanced pieces when his technique is not quite ready yet? Are the teacher and your son preparing for a competition? Those piano exam programs are good places for any student to start.
I believe in the technique exercises. They help the student reach the higher level of technique faster and easier. I do use Schmitt exercises for the elementary level, but not too extensively. I have my students play them as they are written in C Major, going by the 8th note (playing two notes per beat). I use Hanon for the intermediate and advanced levels. I use them as tools. That being said, this is not something one should rush beyond the student's musical and physical ability.
A student started the lesson with me when she was 12 yo. She nailed everything I taught her. After just 3 months, she was already in the intermediate level and playing Hanon exercises. After 4 years, she has won her first competition and is working on advanced repertoire such as Chopin Ballade and Beethoven Sonata.
Another student studied the same concept but could not make the same speedy progress because his hands were smaller, and his fine motor skills were not developed as much as those of older students. But that is fine. In his time, he is going to grow his technique and musicianship eventually.The technique training must cater to each student's needs and capabilities, IMHO. It sounds like your son has been studying the technique a lot. How long has he been working on both Schmitt and Hanon? Please watch your son's physical well-being as well. As he gains the speed/technique, he must learn how to release the tension.
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Ji An I agree with you that everyone has their own development pace. My son being a boy may develop his fine motor skills more slowly. But I was also told by several that he is really talented. I'm not interested in pushing him beyond his own capacity, but I do believe in scaffolding and supporting him appropriately along the way.
For your reference, he's actually not practicing that much technique. His teacher puts a great emphasis on repertoire instead, and improvisation. Out of the 60min of practice, he probably spends ~10-15min on technique, and on some days, he would skip the technique routine completely to focus on improvisation and repertoire.
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Dawn, If your son doesn't mind working on his technique more, I recommend talking to his piano teacher and asking him to work on it more. Building technique is more than just playing the notes in Schmitt or Hanon. Nowadays, every student is expected to have good technique, especially at your son's level. When his technique is improved, he'll find piano playing easier and more enjoyable. Good luck!
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As someone who has really small hands, I sometimes feel like I’m actually 9 years old!
I was his age when I switched from violin to piano, and octaves caused pain.
Just try to make sure he’s nice and relaxed when he practices so that his wrists and fingers don’t feel tight.
With a small hand and tight muscles you can end up with tendonitis like I did.
You are SUCH a great mom to guide his studies with love and care!
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There isn't really any reason for him not learning Op 25 No 2 if it excites him musically. It doesn't have any stretches (only leaps) no chords, no octaves. Someone with small hands should be fine, Even the overall range is restricted, so it doesn't require long arms. The only downside I can think of is that all child pianists that I have heard play this piece turn the 4 triplets per bar into 6 duplets, and this may be impossible to eradicate when they grow up. So, learning this piece now could lead to him never being able to play it properly, but not because of physical demands, as there are none, to speak of.
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Jeremy Stone Thank you for the accurate evaluation of the demands of this piece! I'm sure his teacher will make sure he plays 4 triplets instead of 6 duplets.
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Hi, Dawn,
I usually use passages from the repertoire I'm learning to create the exercises that I want to practice. I think of the motives as patterns that can be repeated in multiple keys. For example if you take a small section of one of the Bach two part inventions And Transpose it by circle the fifths, you'll create a pattern your son can use for improvisation. Those repetitions strengthen the musical facility while also strengthening the hands.
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Dana Polojarvi Thank you for this great tip!
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