pianist problems...

[andrevharen]

Hello!

Although I studied piano for many years and have my music high school (conservatory) degree, I was never been able to reach a good concert performance level, something that was always my biggest dream. Because of this I can't even play my own compositions although I know how to write for piano. There must be something wrong with the way I use my muscles, after all, I do have the same hands as any other pianist, so why then can't I play like them? Anyway...

my 2 biggest problems are the playing of trills; I was never able to do that, and second; whenever I start to play fast, my fingers have the habit to contract so that I end up playing on my fingernails, making an annoying ticking sound and losing the control over my playing. I tried all kind of thing and my teacher was not able to help me to correct it. Does someone has some suggestion on these 2 problems or has the same?

best wishes,
Andreas

[m1469]

Well, I am still exploring causes for tension and how to "fix" it, but as I have observed in myself and in my students so far, it seems that almost any kind of tension I am experiencing in my hands and fingers and in the greater upper-body apparatus, is actually only a result of tension in my back (and for me it is mainly the lower back).  Once I release the origin of tension, and if I am functioning with kinesthetic awareness in the rest of my body, the immediate playing apparatus becomes more natural, anatomically speaking (What seems "natural" for some people may be actually learned behavior (like tense and high shoulders) when it is not necessarily anatomically natural at all).

Wherever the source, the issues to consider are interesting.  First of all, it is a culturally known concept that every individual carries "stress" from our daily lives somewhere in our body, and it seems that it may be a different focused point for each individual.  So, in a very real sense, our psyche is going to directly effect our posture and how we use our bodies to live and do things like playing the piano, for example.

If one really wishes to correct a tension problem, I would be a strong advocate toward delving beyond the surface, but there is a lot you can correct by just being surfacely aware (okay, I think I am making words up, but I don't care right now).  If we are holding tension anywhere within our body, the rest of the body has to compensate for that in how it moves and holds itself and generally functions (and the more tension, the more static your motions and awareness will have).   You will want to consider what may be some of your personally primary stress-holding points in general (for example, I often catch myself "clenching" my jaw), and then focus on releasing these in your daily life (which may involve some psychological reprogramming).

Pinpointing these places and becoming aware of how to release them should directly carryover into your playing and posture at the piano.  Most likely, whatever your psychological experience is when attempting a particular passage or type of passage, it is sending a (normal for you) signal to your bodily stress-holding places and causes problems in the rest of your apparatus.  This is why it takes a constant reprogramming in our daily lives to address the issue.  New routes to deal with stress must be developed, and new signals will be present.  And, of course, new perspectives on stressful matters will help in this area, too.

It is probable to me that "your" 2 "problems" are indeed related, though there would be a bit more to delve into regarding this.  For example, releasing tension is a positive and essential step to freer playing, but that concept alone does not actually give us anything specific in terms of how to better move and use our body at the instrument.  I have found that the best way to remove a bad habit is not just in getting rid of the habit, but in actually formally changing the behavior and then exchanging that behavior with a better one (and this exchange will likely continue for the rest of our lives if we are constantly aware).

Well, I will stop for now because I am betting that this is already a bit "more" than what you bargained for ... hee hee.


Cheers,
m1469

[jinfiesto]

I used to have tension problems too, and I still do, in my right hand. I have a slightly messed up right thumb joint, I used to fence saber at the national level, and all the training really screwed up my thumb. I'm still in physical therapy to fix the problem. Anyways, don't over curl your fingers, that's all i can say. You should be looking to form an arch with your hand, where the knuckles that join the fingers to the hand are the highest point of the arch. Also, whatm1469says is correct. Lots of tension can originate from the lower back, and your back has a lot to do with how you generate sound, and the kind of sound you get from a piano. You should also pay attention to your breathing at the piano, as that is an important component of relaxation, and one that's easy to forget while playing. That also builds tension, and can cause you to lose focus in long performances.

[andrevharen]

Anyways, don't over curl your fingers, that's all i can say.

The problem is that this curling is happening by itself, it's not something I do conscious. I'm sure it's stress related, but I sit straight and do it as correct possible, the way I learned it. It happens only when I start to play faster, not in slow music.

[rc]

Something I like experimenting with is how I THINK about the music as I'm playing.

Am I focused on my fingering?
...on how my hands feel?
...on visualizing the keys that I'm pressing?
...on the keys I'm about to press?
...On dynamics, or rhythm, the sound being made, the sound about to be made?

Often my focus is drifting between factors, or some combination.  So far I find the best is to be focused on the feel and the sound, but that assumes all other details are already taken care of and can be left to the subconscious.

My hunch is you may be too focused on consciously controlling all the tiny details at once and getting a bit overloaded when it gets speedy, thus tense.  If playing fast is a tense, difficult ordeal, possibly you're not trusting your subconscious enough as you practice.  Am I close?

[invictious]

For my motto, even though I am very young, is 'if it feels right and comfy, then you are doing it right'.
That is, if you can do it easily and comfortably, and you can repeat it over and over again, then you are doing it right.

[lostinidlewonder]

...my 2 biggest problems are the playing of trills; I was never able to do that, and second; whenever I start to play fast, my fingers have the habit to contract so that I end up playing on my fingernails, making an annoying ticking sound and losing the control over my playing....

Because there can be a many different things which can cause you difficulties it becomes basically impossible for anyone to directly help you, but general comments might help.

If you start to put the action of the trill under the microscope you might determine for yoruself what your problem is. When I come across students who cannot trill I generally ask them to play a single note, see how their hand looks playing the single note, ask them to appreciate how easy it is to do it, then ask them to play two notes in the trill, again question what it feels like, then try three and so on. As you add more notes to the trill you will realise what exactly causes your fingers to tense up. You probably will find it will happen when you start doing 3 or more notes; the returning to the first note. If you feel you are about to tense pause, relax then continue. You can practice trills with different rhythms which promote comfort in your hands, then remove rhythms and by magic you can do a trill comfortably. The exact routine you need to go through with this depends on yourself, I couldn't tell you unless I was next to you.

As with your curling fingers at rapid speeds I would suggest you do more chord attacks with your fast phrases. That is play the position you need to as a chord not individual notes, when you do this your fingers will flatten, then try to play it again. Its hard to give exact advice without sitting next to you on this one because again many different things could cause your hand to deform. Look at the Chopin Hand form as an indicator to hand form.

[andrevharen]

I  notices with playing trills that my arm muscles getting tensed and even lift up in a bow of the keys, so I should find a way to lower this tension. Possible the curly hand responds comes from the same problem, I will try to give it more attention.

[counterpoint]

I sit straight and do it as correct possible, the way I learned it.

I think, that's the cause of the tension.

Don't try to play "as correct as possible", but as natural as possible and with as little muscle power as possible.

[prongated]

my 2 biggest problems are the playing of trills; I was never able to do that

There was an excellent post by Marik on trills - it never fails me! I'll put up the link here when I found it.

LINK: https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,24109.msg271844.html#msg271844