Technique and learning problems

[samjiyon23]

Hi again! I'm having some big issues with my playing...

1. My sight-reading is awful, and it's preventing me from playing the pieces that I like in a reasonable amount of time. What can I do to improve? (I am aware of the Alfred books, but I can't buy anything right now.)

2. I am tense when I play. This is especially true when I play chords (especially those that go from black to white notes) and when there is any amount of reaching involved. My hands are big; the problem is that my fingers stiffen, wrists lock, etc. How can I stay relaxed/become more relaxed when I play?

3. I am having a lot of trouble controlling the amount of force that I play notes with. I play very inconsistently. I am vaguely aware that perhaps I'm not using my wrist when I play, or something like that, but I can't figure out what I need to be doing differently.

Thanks!

[awesom_o]

You'll need to post a video and describe your situation in greater detail if you want to receive any meaningful advice.

[samjiyon23]

Those seemed like pretty general and common problems to me.

[indianajo]

Correct posture to involve the arm muscles in playing is important. This also inhibits hand injury.  The arms should droop down from the elbow, maybe 10 cm, and the wrists should be straight with the arm.  The fingers should curve down naturally, as at rest position, with the tips normal (75 deg angle) to the keys. The elbows should extend forward a bit from the body, maybe 5 cm.   Frequently a bench that is too short prevents this position.  In that case, buy a different bench, or sit it on  stacks of phone books.  
Relaxing involves being sure you are going to hit the right note.  This involves practicing one hand alone very slowly for a time, until the notes (movements) are memorized.  Then put the hands together, but practice slowly enough that you always know what is going to happen next.  You may need time to look if the piece is not memorized yet. I only have to look at the music if there are a lot of similar passages and I'm not quite sure which one comes next. Once the cerebellum knows what note is going to happen next, you can speed up and remain relaxed.  
My sight reading is terrible, due to the above practice.  But I make very few mistakes. i don't freeze up in performance because my body knows what to do next at all times.  I rarely stop when practicing; only at obvious phrase breaks if I am having trouble with a particular part.  I never stop in the middle of a phrase. I plow on if I make a mistake.  This prevents freezing in performance.  
My teacher never pressured me to sight read in any particular speed.  This was not a requirement in the old days.  If one is of average skill, pressure to sight read quickly leads IMHO to sloppy panic ridden performance, like most of the other kids at the recitals I heard.  In those days, this was a sign of inadequate practice on the recital material.  In these days of standardized curriculum, the pressure to sight read sorts the wheat from the chaff, and sends a lot of potentially skilled piano hobbiests back to their mobile device for entertainment.

[samjiyon23]

Thanks for your help!