How do you practice scales/arps? What motion do you use with upper arms, shoulders, wrists for thumb? Do you do thumb under or rotate so that the thumb stays the same?
If you watched (or watch) my video in membah recs, you’ll notice I don’t use anything but fingers and some arm weight. I have gotten great dexterity because of this but I am working on relaxing and integrating the rest of my body.
ANY advice wud be appresheeyated
look at horowitz’s slowmo vid of 10/8 on the art of piano, or on tube somewhere. imo that’s the most perfect example of thumb under and thumb over mixed, the way it should be. there’s too much discussion about thumb under or thumb over, it’s both.
practice slowly as legato as possible, sticking 3rd or 4th finger on they key while your thumb passes under and plays the next key, then prepare 23(4) on the following notes. preparing is very important. helps you relax as well. check cortot’s technique book for some nice examples. lechetizsky has a whole chapter about this too in marie pretner’s book.
think in groups, but practice on each finger seperately in your head as well.
it’s all in the brain, that’s probably the most important. relaxation is about making yourself relaxed by thinking it and making your fingers do it through your brain. too many pianists that prax technique try to do it all from the fingers and from playing. it’s all about the brain and ears dude.
also prax scales and arps with 121212, 13131, 14141, 151515 etc. and while youre at it play scales with busoni fingerings too, look up his klavierubung somewhere. (stuff like 12345 23 12345 23 and 12345 12345 12345) these fingerings completely exclude ‘weak fingers’ and force you to treat every finger as equal. it will have a great effect on “orthodox” fingerings.
dohnanyi has arpeggios with 1 on every underpass, even on black keys. it’s a really good exercise to do, but of course you hardly ever use this fingering in actual playing, but it’s good to relax the wrist and learn to pass under onto black keys with your thumb, and 4 over 1 from black to white.
from the mendelssohn vid your hand looks good actually, just a bit stiff. try to do isolated finger prax ( like putting 1234 on their keys and then doing all sort of rhythms on 1 key with 5 while keeping the hand as relaxed as possible). these exercices used to be for real finger indepence, which has been scientifically proven to be wrong, but they still have a lot of use in playing.
i’ve also seen that your elbows are really close to your body. this is the kind of tehcnique harpsichordists and early pianofortists used. in the 19th century arm tehcnique was a lot more important. try to relax your shoulder more and let your elbow lead your hand. like if your ascending with your right hand, try to move your elbow to the right and sort of lead your hand. this helps in relaxation as your hand doesn’t need to do it all anymore. this is most helpful in arpeggios.
if you need to play quick apreggios, it’s all in the elbow. this is when you really use thumb over only, and this is only possible to do smooth if you let your arm (elbow) help in this.
don’t try to think too much about your arm movement. just don’t let your fingers do all the work, this gives a loud but sort of thin tone. more arm weight helps in tone.
play some more pieces that require a lot of wrist rotation. or just prax big broken chords like C E G C E with 12345. do this symmetrically inversed with your left hand (that would be on E C A E C) and try to use as much wrist rotation as possible with the most possible relaxation. this way you just teach yourself to relax, even in scale passages. or like the D A D A arpeggios in ravel’s jeux d’eau.
sorry about my english but if i type a lot i don’t try that hard. might be a lot of bullshit, i can’t be bothered to concentrate too hard, but feel free to ask some more, i’m really into this stuff.
There’s a book called What Every Pianist Needs to Know About the Body by Thomas Mark. It doesn’t tell you “do this motion for scales / arps, and do this motion for octs,” but instead teaches you how to move in the most optimal way in accordance to your body. I really recommend this, as it’s done wonders for my playing, but if you want me to talk more about it feel free to ask.
tru, and read stuff about neuropsychology, very helpful. and even interesting.
Arm weight won’t help de arps and scalez.
Finga need to be like soldier.
Shoulda ain’t gonna help either.
FINGA!!!
thats what she said
wow Anima, thanks a lot
that’s some great advice.
I’ve actually read that (own it)… excellent book, best book about the body as far as I could imagine, but I think I need to learn more about how to use it while playing scales/octs etc.
Oh, and randomly, Anima - you’re English is better than mine (and it’s my first language 
)
When I read that book, I applied the principles on posture and position every time I sat down to play, and ended up feeling massive improvement right away. However, I feel this book deals more with a “macro” view of technique, and for the “micro” view, I used to use Sandor’s book.
hahaha wrist rotation? datz de funniezt sheeyat i’ve heard all day. no piece NEEDS wrist rotation.
rotating wrist is just a waste of energy and unnecessary movement.
hahaha wtf
BS
tell that to cortot’s grave
btw, just becuz u play 88 well, it doezn’t deem u the rite to be an azzhole
ahahaha az da ZEPP wud alwayz zay, or juz at diz inztant pozz 
u cant rape da rape, when u dun wank da wank 
tiz klassik zepp rezponze
inztant 10/1 encore review
UC…
He haff been encouraged by da 88World to zay zuch thingz. He vill be educated 
.
yeah, it’s ironic cause in dude’s vid, he has such a relaxed wrist it’s completely opposite of what he says.
hahah I’m not been an azzhole, model D.
Quite da oppozite. I share da knowledge of HOW I play da 88. Dat’s not azzhole thing to do.
My wrist iz relaxed coz datz wot happenz when u train da fingahz and relax de body.
Dnephi u know da 88world iz full of sheeyat in de 88 tech. Some people on da 88world know tingz otherz do not.
It izn’t de hangout zpot for da wild virtuozo mofoz of da 88. 88world iz inhabited by old mofoz who can’t play fo sheeyat (wiv many excetionz-whippen boy, Jeff Biegel, etc).
Dey all wonder why dey cannot play da left hand of da pathetique. Datz some ez sheeyat right der. Fuckin tremolo.
I try to uze economic motionz at da 88 az much as pozz. No waisted energy=maximum efficiency.
Der iz MANY wayz to play da 88 well. Diz way is just 1 way. Michelangeli, Radu Lupu, dey uze diz ztyle of tech but many other great pianists do not.
Do not interpret ma wordz az arrogance.
Plenty of people play da 88 at de very highezt level uzing da wrizt rotation. Itz juzt another way of doin thingz.
De way I do thingz workz well for me. ITZ NOT DA ONLY WAY.
Da great ting wiv da 88 iz-if u practice enuff u can maztah de instrument regardlezz of what type of tech u study.
not to be pickin a fight
but ur lazt pozt clearly ztate da ‘wrizt-rotation’ iz unnecessary in executin any piece of 88work
now u are zayin dere are variouz wayz to play da 88 and wrizt-rotation being 1 of dem
i rezpec ur playin and all, but if u want to avoid tiz kind ov hoztile zituation, u zhud ceaze rezpondin in da prior mannah
anyway, we pozz got off on da wrong foot here, zo let’z tiz be bygone and pozz pozt ur 10/2 vid zoon