Hand position Question

[starstruck5]

When should you use your hand in a flat shape -level with the keys?  I find fast arpeggios work much better with a lowered, albeit loose wrist -is there a reason for this?  I find rasing my wrist actually causes a little tension- is this a defect in me or this normal?

[megadodd]

Depends what school of music you go to, basically.
But for me, that is trained the "russian piano school", I would argue that arpeggios work up the keyboard best with a "low / flat" wrist, and arpegiating down the keyboard works better with a wrist slightly tilted the way you hand is moving and somewhat positioned more upwards.

However, in a general case. Legato with the wrist down, staccato with the wrist up.
And if you are tense with a raised wrist (I am not), perhaps you need to work a little more on some relaxation techniques.
It's a daily struggle though, some tenseness won't hurt you. But it's not a bad thing acknowledging when you tense up, perhaps it's something other causing the issue when you raise the wrist. How high/low are you positioned on the stool, do you have a straight or bent back, where is your elbow positioned etc. It's a million things. But if it dosn't hurt you or cause you to faulter due to lack of stamina because you tense up, don't worry so much.

[starstruck5]

Hi Mega -thank you so much for your response -you are a good teacher!

I like to sit reasonably high -as I am small -maybe it is a psychological thing -I want to feel in command of the keyboard. At the moment though I don't have a proper piano stool( been let down by a local store)  -I am making do with a kitchen chair and some cushions -which is not ideal! 

You are spot on -A descending arpeggio does feel more sweet, with a higher wrist -

[ajspiano]

And if you are tense with a raised wrist (I am not), perhaps you need to work a little more on some relaxation techniques.

Would you explain that as a case of whether the bulk of the work in a raised wrist is because you are conciously pushing down from the wrist (tense) or lifting up the forearm (relaxed) ??

[megadodd]

Ajspiano, I'm not really sure what you mean. It might be because of my english, which is far from perfect.

If you could make yourself a little more clear for me, I will give my opinion.

Sorry.

[ajspiano]

I am curious as to how you would explain achieving the supple wrist exactly..

I have a beginner student at the moment, who initially had enormous difficulty playing with a unified arm/hand. He would always revert to an extremely low 'broken' wrist as soon as he wasnt focusing on keeping it higher. And, when it was in a good playing position it resulted in a very tight and tense mechanism.

So if I was to look at how I was taught as a kid (nearly no technical advice what so ever) the teaching approach would have been to keep saying "lift your wrists up" over and over until he learnt to play with higher uncomfortable tense wrists. The reality of his situation was that his body was naturally reverting to the low broken wrist because it was far more comfortable there than with it in a position that I perceive as "looks right" (as opposed to 'feels right').

To explain what he was doing, if you place your arm and hand on a flat surface, such as a desk, (in a similar position to how it would be if you are playing) and relax the mechanism completely. You can then push the fingers and hand down using the 'wrist snap' motion. It results in forearm lifting and the wrist position being high off the desk. Once its up of the desk, then lock the wrist up and stop pressing down, just hold the wrist in that position. SUPER tense. Thats what he was doing when I said to play with the wrist more level instead of dropped down below the keys..

I think that is likely the case for anyone that has a tense wrist.. the other alternative is to lift the forearm from the elbow joint, this way the wrist is completely relaxed and the higher or lower wrist position is managed by the forearm, not the wrist. By explaining it this way to the student he immediately resolved the issue in 5 seconds flat.

I mean to ask whether you think that this is an accurate way to explain the mechanical difference between the tense wrist and the supple wrist and how to execute it... So that it is understood immediately, as opposed to just saying 'relax your wrist and move like this (providing a visual demo)' - The object here is to reduce the amount of practicing of relaxation exercises, the attempt is to provide the best possible understanding quickly so that "discovery through practice" is not so required..  ideally the student should leave the lesson able to do the task, not with a practice tool to get there in a few months. Though obviously thats going to depend on how ingrained the bad habit is..

[keyboardclass]

To explain what he was doing, if you place your arm and hand on a flat surface, such as a desk, (in a similar position to how it would be if you are playing) and relax the mechanism completely. You can then push the fingers and hand down using the 'wrist snap' motion. It results in forearm lifting and the wrist position being high off the desk.

That could be what I call 'flick'.  It's the third coordination in this silent video: