Aikido and piano

[hans]

Hello,

I've found some threads that refer to the martial art aikido and I'm very pleased because I've been practising it for myself for 10 years now.

Who of yours is also really practising aikido and which aspects of the art are helpful or at least interesting for your learning and playing piano?

Greetings
Hans

[nyquist]

Hello,

I've found some threads that refer to the martial art aikido and I'm very pleased because I've been practising it for myself for 10 years now.

Who of yours is also really practising aikido and which aspects of the art are helpful or at least interesting for your learning and playing piano?

Greetings
Hans

I have been practicing Aikido very regularly since '82.  I started piano earlier than that but until recently I have not been serious about it.  For the last 9 months or so I have been taken piano lessons from a Taubman-technique instructor.  The initial training is very detailed-oriented.  If anything, it is similar to Iwama-ryu training: you better do things exactly as prescribed, or else. 

My original Aikido instructor taught in the traditional Japanese way: by demonstration, no talking.  One gets used at trying what was shown without questions or discussion.  One gets very good at "stealing" technique by watching.  I have found this very useful in my piano lessons (though my teacher complains that I over-analyze things).

Nyquist

[zheer]

I reccomend YOGA for pianists. Last summer i would cycle to hyd park find a quite spot and practice YOGA for 40 minutes , once i got home i would have a shawer then play the piano, for some reason the memory improves the fingers move faster every thing seems better. I think Yoga has majical powers.   O yeah and then i would have the police follow me everywhere.

[hans]

Hi,

@nyquist
Unfortunately I am not so familiar with the Iwama style, but I think I' ve understood you.

I find the aikido-concept of acting from your bodies center very interesting for my piano playing. I try to start the impulses for all body movements from there. Also the "embodied" dichotomies of tense and relaxation, fullness and emptiness, hardness and softness and so on are pretty helpful. Another idea I try to carry out is "dispensed awarness" (as I would call it in my simple English): Not to be too focused only on a single element in your surroundings and actions.

@zheer
By the way: I do also some Yoga - but thats for a better compensation of the aikido training ;-)

Greetings
Hans