Does anybody teach this?

[steve_m]

d

[amanfang]

Yes, I am familiar with this, and I use it for some phrases, but not as a hard and fast rule.  Especially for short groups of notes (especially 2 note slurs, or groups of 3-6) slurred together I teach some down-up motion, particularly if the student is having trouble articulating it.  It seems to round off the phrase rather nicely.  But again, it really depends on the passage.

[counterpoint]

the majority of pianists and teachers are bad and unmusical

That would be really funny, if the wrong (?really?) movement of the wrist would be the cause, that there are so many "bad and unmusical" pianists around 

[pianistimo]

agreed with counterpoint (as usual) - she's probably trying to teach you suppleness in the wrists.  after your first six months or less - just minimize it to where she's happy.  that way you won't be OVER working the wrist.  just keeping it relaxed.

frankly, for older students - i would eliminate this altogether and just practice leaving arms at sides - and then - telling them that i (teacher) will bring their arm up by putting a ruler or something under their wrist - and to leave it completely relaxed (excepting that you want the hand to hopefully fall onto the keyboard and not marionette it into someone's face accidentally. 

younger students probably can't be terribly harmed by this advice - but i think the older ones should learn relaxation faster and easier because they've experienced it already in some of their endeavors with sports or whatever.  it's a mental set - where you say - ok - i'm going to relax my arms and wrists - but not so much that my hands slide down the side board  like spaghetti.

[keyofc]

steve,
that sounds good
I am not at the piano right now - but I just started "playing a phrase" on my laptop.
I automatically do that - but I don't usually teach it.  So that's interesting - I do teach the slur that way though - and the phrase is just an elongated slur.

[pizno]

This sounds like the 'Make a smile with your wrist' thing that I teach, to teach making the wrist supple.  I also talk about a 'bouncy' wrist, anything, to get that wrist to loosen up.

Pizno