surgical gloves for speed

[costicina]

Did you ever try to practice a fast passage wearing surgical gloves with the tips cut off? When you play the same passage without them you are supposed to "fly" on the keyboard....
I'll experiment this trick, an let you know if it works...
Marg

[49410enrique]

i think it's a bad idea.  i'll support m.o with the reasoning i've used when i have coached and trained athletes since the analogy fits well with pianists (we are after all finger athletes, and we 'train'/practice for speed, endurance, skill-technique, perforamnce under pressure, etc.).

when you are trying increase proficiency in skill and speed (or power, or strength, or edurance) , your goal is (or is usually) to be able to execute when it counts, that is a performance.

if you used an artifially high barrier to speed in an effort to increase speed without said barrier you are not 'training' for the same goal.  you will essentally be training for proficiency at performing with the 'increased resistance'.  the motor patterns you create are geared for and specific for the acticity, there is little practical carry over to performance at the keybaord under 'normal' circumstances, you essentially confuse the nervous system.

i had clients/athletes that had coaches that would try to help them for example with swinging a heavy/weighted softball bat so that they could swing it faster and harder and hit the ball farther. it doesn't work, they get strong and good at swining with the heavy bat, but when they try to execute with a normal bat, the muscles and motor patterns are 'geared up' for the heavy bad they they have trouble controling and the lighter bat.  i had the same thing happen with soccer (foot ball) players they tried to work with a weighted ball instead of a soccer ball, they didn't improve onthe field with the normal ball.

the best approach for them was to train speed and power separate with drills, and most importantly at actual team/game practice.  then we addressed strength and power and speed and endurace with exercises that had good general carry over, but the real improvement came from effective practice with what they were actaully trying to get good at.

in piano this would be similar to say working on technical patterns and etudes (i.e. specific exercises with good carry over, that is they have similar elements to what you will encounter in a work) and most importantly effective practice with the piece itself (this is like a 'team game' practice).

so if you work with the surgical gloves, or like some people have tried a very very stiff andheavy piano action, i think you'll find you don't have the control and ability to execuse with a ligheter keyboard or without the aritificial resistance.

sorry if it's a bit wordy, it's early over here i know i have explained this better in the past but it was live not typing and i have the ability to use live demonstration to illustrate.

[costicina]

Perfectly clear, well-argumented, convincing!!!
Somehow I felt there was something wrong in that idea. Thank you for having spared me the time and the effort to try this useless, perhaps self-defeating experiment....
Marg