Left Hand follows Right Hand

[shirokurro]

Hi, my teacher keeps telling me to play while letting my right hand follow the left hand.
I don't really get it. So does she means to play the left hand first?
Need some advice here.

Thanks in advance.

[timothy42b]

I think she wants more mental focus on the left hand.  That seems to help many people to coordinate the two.  I have no idea why.

[awesom_o]

Timothy42b is most likely correct.

One of the most productive practicing periods I ever had was when I injured my RH and could only practice with my LH for two months!

Many people focus too much on the RH in their play, and neglect the harmonic riches which frequently occur in the lower parts.

My advice would be to pretend you are left handed for quite a long time.... brush your teeth, open doors, put on your clothes, use the mouse on the computer, hold a pencil, etc, etc, etc, with your left hand! Learn to write and draw with your left.

Your teacher doesn't want you to play the left hand first and the right hand after-that would sound pretty goofy. She wants your left hands to suck less in general!

Try it out! Become left-handed for a week or two! Your playing will become more powerful, I promise!

[gvans]

I agree with awesom_o. I'm a leftie, personally, which in piano-playing is a rare blessing, since for whatever reason our corpi callosi (bridge between the hemispheres) become hyperactive. It's hard to generalize about piano repertoire, but the left hand seems to get better over time with skips and jumps, the right with rapid filigree type passages. Of course there are plenty of exceptions.

The main thing is to develop independence of your non-dominant hand and fingers. Use the non-dominant hand in more and more activities, as suggested, and use of it will improve.

Become amphibious!

Ambiguous, I mean. Ambitious.

[steve_uk]

I've found a good teacher(members might be a tad surprised to know)who happens to be left-handed.He says it makes no difference as to practising or thought processes.