GENERAL HAND POSITIONS OF THE GREAT PIANISTS
YouTube has made it possible to see virtuoso pianists’ hands up close and personal. When I observe Yuja Wang’s hands she has a decided arch you can almost see under, as well as her incredible articulation. Khatia Buniatishvilli, in contrast,, has very flat fingers, and I can barely see them move. No matter what she is playing, it seems effortless, but an effortlessness that defies analysis. So very different are these artists, and yet each is a phenom at the piano. What elements of technique do they share, as well as what they do not? How is this not confusing to those of us who stand in awe at their performances at the piano?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic….it seems to be a fascinating one, at least to me!
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And then there is Horowitz who just strokes the keyboard
with completely straight fingers (almost).
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Hi Janice, I have not heard of Khatia so I read about her on Wikipedia. She studied Michel Sogny's 'piano method'. The method described on Wiki is very interesting. I am picking up the piano again after decades of non-playing, and I came across the Taubman method during the pandemic. I find that Khatia's playing with flatter fingers and the inconceivable movements of how her arms and hands move across the keyboard has some similarity with the Taubman method. After having taken 2 years of lessons using the Taubman method, I find that I have much more confidence that I can tackle some of the more difficult pieces I have learnt in the past with much ease and deliberation, and that they are not as daunting as they used to be. There are videos of the Taubman method by Edna Golandsky and Bob Durso that you can take a look at. Edna also recently published a book on the method.
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Agnes Hello Agnes, I suggest you look on Youtube at Khatia playing the Liszt transcription of Schubert's Standchen. It's breathtakingly beautiful.
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Roy James-Pike Hi Roy, yes, I did, and that's when I noticed that her hand and arm movements are very similar to what I've seen from students of the Taubman Approach. I am also finding that I am playing with much more ease and smoothness.
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Roy James-Pike Bonjour James, ,do you know where I can find the score of this piano performance? I can't find this transcription.
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Agnes I am intrigued by the Taubman approach and intend to study it in depth in the very near future. We’re moving house and it’s taking all of our time and energy.
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Aline Valade Bonjour Aline. I hope you are well. It’s late now in the UK and we’re getting up at 6:30am to travel to the Isle of Wight tomorrow. We’ll be there all day so I shall upload on Friday a pdf of the Liszt Standchen for you, when we are back home.
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Roy James-Pike Hi Roy, the Taubman approach is very intriguing, but once you get to know it more, it does more a lot of sense. It takes the approach of playing with 'freedom', as Edna would say, but not 'relaxed'. This means no tension anywhere, and to play with your fingers, hand and arm in their 'natural' position, which, if you look at them, the hand is slightly curved (which looks somewhat flat), but there is no 'arch', which could be caused by holding your hand in a specific position which will require some curling of the fingers (not their natural position), some tension in your hand, which will cause fatigue, and may lead to injury in the long run. The other main component, is to make sure that your arm, hand and fingers are at the right place at the right time to play every single key. It also takes advantage of some elements of physics (in my opinion), such as momentum, to get you across the keyboard fast. There's a lot to it, and I really enjoyed the approach very much. Another element is that this approach will not assume any of the fingers are naturally weak, because they are not. You may feel it's weak because the arm and hand are aligned with the fingers to give the playing finger the support it needs to play that key. Dorothy Taubman used to say that with this approach, we will have 10 equally strong fingers. Edna Golandsky just wrote a book on the Taubman approach and it's available on Amazon in the U.S. You may want to see if it's available in the U.K. Good luck with your move.
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Roy James-Pike Thak yoiu James, it will be nice from you! Until then, have a nice day at the Isle of Wight!
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Roy James-Pike Thank you to share with us this magnifique performance. I did not know her before I read your comment. Since then I watch it about 10 times, lol! What I remarke must in her playing is the fact that she does not moove at all, her body is straight on the banch, no mouvement at all except her hands, fingers, elbow, arms. What a great maitrise she have. That is what impress me the most, and to be so calm, so strong and playing with so much intensity. OMG! I love her. Wow!
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Roy James-Pike Roy, Edna has been doing a series of YouTube videos called Inside Edna's Studio: The Road to Ease. The first video talks about how the body position needs to adjust to where the position of the hands are: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygbr2hsg4Yo so the forearm, hand and fingers are properly supported to play the notes. Enjoy it when you have time after your move!
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I suspect the reason every great pianist's hands (and arms, and posture) look so different is because, in part, their bodies differ. Their training differs as well, but when you think about achieving mastery in a physical skill, it matters what physical tools you're bringing with you. Even playing on different instruments affects one's approach and what one can attempt. Length and shape of fingers, individually and in relation to each other, body mass, muscle strength, whether you've got better fast-twitch or slow-twitch responses, flexibility in particular joints. Plus, the great pianists often choose different fingerings for the same piece depending on the piano they use (Krystian Zimerman says he always has several alternative fingers to choose from for a given piece, depending on circumstances). Given so much intrinsic variability, it's not only hard to discern the "best" elements of technique, but even hard to discern whom you would want to model yourself after -- after all, the pianist whose performance you love might have a very different body from yours, and the piano you're watching them play might have a different action than yours.
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Vicky Brandt amen
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Vicky Brandt has given a very good response. It's pretty much horses for courses, which any top-flight skilled jockey will ride differently depending on the horse and the course.
Martha Argerich is so interesting to watch in this regard. There's a talk on Youtube which describes how she arches more and has what I would describe as a 'wood-pecker' action when she wants to be very detached - say in Scarlatti sonatas but then she will have a much more gently curved finger position when playing chords on the black notes and scales too.
I suggest trying everything and keep ringing the changes.
Dominic has advertised a new course from Sara Davis Buechner called 'Introduction to the School of Virtuosity', which will no doubt contain all the technical answers that your question poses. Sara's course on scales is terrific.
I have never been that virtuous (pun) but I love Sara's teaching. She makes so much sense.
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Roy James-Pike Absolutely - I forgot to mention different pieces of music and interpretations as additional sources of variability! Thank you for making this crucial point and reminding us to 'try everything.'
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I have just discovered wonderful teaching by AlexandraTsirkel://www.chopinacademy.com/faculty/alexandra-tsirkel-piano/ She has an unusual hand position at times but plays in a very relaxed way which she explains quite well.
