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Topic: How to relax arm when playing piano ?  (Read 9720 times)

Offline ll_gift

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How to relax arm when playing piano ?
on: April 28, 2010, 11:02:11 AM
My teacher said that I didn't relax my arm... but I don't know how to relax my arm  :-\...


Please help me  :)



Thanks.

Offline stevebob

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Re: How to relax arm when playing piano ?
Reply #1 on: April 28, 2010, 11:27:33 AM
Ask your teacher to elaborate on what he or she meant and to show you how.

Some things are better demonstrated than explained in writing.  That's what teachers are for!  :)
What passes you ain't for you.

Offline rmbarbosa

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Re: How to relax arm when playing piano ?
Reply #2 on: April 28, 2010, 02:46:02 PM
This may help: let your arms fall on the keyboard, like if the keyboard doesnt exist and your arms were dead. So, you may feel what is "without tension". You may learn more about this in
C.Chang (The fundamentals of piano practice). Download free.
Best wishes
Rui

Offline keyboardclass

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Re: How to relax arm when playing piano ?
Reply #3 on: April 28, 2010, 03:22:36 PM
Can you drink a cup of tea or brush your teeth with your elbow hanging loosely by your side?

Offline ll_gift

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Re: How to relax arm when playing piano ?
Reply #4 on: April 29, 2010, 09:47:27 AM
Thanks,all of you  :)

Offline biscuitroxy12

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Re: How to relax arm when playing piano ?
Reply #5 on: April 30, 2010, 03:21:27 AM
My teacher has been focusing on this with me for a long, long time. Can you do much with a tight arm? You need to do simple scales, one note per beat and shake your shoulders out like move your arms back and forth and go limp. So limp that if you were to completely relax, you'd fall off of the keyboard. Then shake your elbows out, then circle your wrists. I can elaborate if you don't know what I mean. Don't shrug your shoulders. You will tend to  really tighten up in fast sections. This is most dangerous. Always have it in the back of your mind that your arms need to be free. Don't press them against your sides.

Offline mazeppa

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Re: How to relax arm when playing piano ?
Reply #6 on: May 03, 2010, 02:55:26 AM
I posted this in another person's topic. I think I'll keep it in my signature for further questions relating to yours :)

This is actually a bigger problem in the world of pianists, especially ones who haven't been taught about the concept of Relaxation.

[All of this has been taught by my teacher and has strongly influenced my thoughts and approach to technique and playing the piano]

What you're experiencing is tension, which you are quite aware of. This is due to loss of blood flow in your arms, which is from straining your arms to stay still. Many pianists think that if they hold their arms very still that they will be able to play faster, but in all reality, it will the do exact opposite. You're going to feel pain, and will eventually cause damage to your arms and hands (tennis elbow, carpal tunnel and other similar problems).

Another problem with this tension is that your tone and control is severely decreased and is very "sharp" and "loud." It's difficult to play quiet, and your focus is decreased due to you using up your physical stamina.

So, what do you do? How do you fix these demons?

You gotta relax!

Follow these points and stick to them anytime you're playing the piano:

* Drop your weight
--Make sure you "drop" your elbows/forearms and especially your shoulders..let 'em hang!

* Breathe
--This allows blood to flow through your body, making it able to move and adjust the best it can

* Keep your wrists relaxed
--Sure, this could be apart of dropping your weight, but often times people forget that one of the main problems with tension come from your wrists...drop them, and keep them limber

* Think of the fingers as "needles"
--And that's all they should be! Simply think about positioning your fingers on (not over!) the keys and press down with your "weight." As you can tell by now, your weight is the gravity pushing down on your shoulders, arms, elbows and wrists

With these 4 tips, you'll be able to gain control and play 10 times better than you do now. Your tone will increase, as well as your speed. Don't get me wrong, this is an extremely hard technique to master, as it requires you to just lay back and play; I had the same problem as you did, as well as every professional artist in history...however I do not compare myself with somebody like Rubinstein.

I hope you've learned something from this! Feel free to ask any questions!

Offline keyboardclass

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Re: How to relax arm when playing piano ?
Reply #7 on: May 03, 2010, 05:44:03 AM
Excellent advice there mazeppa though you won't be using the shoulders unless you're playing really loud.  For all intents and purposes they'll therefore stay relaxed.  That's important because the shoulders are the conduit for muscles of the belly.

Offline mazeppa

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Re: How to relax arm when playing piano ?
Reply #8 on: May 03, 2010, 11:53:24 AM
Agreed, you won't be using your shoulder weight to play a c major scale, however it's great practice so you'll be able to play Debussy and especially Rachmaninoff chords...anyone's big chords really :)
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