Strange wrists!

[dorjephagmo]

Hello!
I have a student who is a beautifully expressive pianist, but she has this awkward wrist problem that I  have not been able to figure out.  Her wrists are higher than her forearms and the backs of her hands, and she can't seem to play any other way.  I think it is not necessarily just tension - I think there is some double-jointed issue here.  Anyone seen this or have any solutions?  It looks really uncomfortable, but she says it is not.

[martin_s]

Hi!

I used to play a bit like this not so long ago. And many people told me 'You can't get on playing like that, it looks ridiculous and you gonna hurt yourself'. Still it seemed impossible to cure (as it were) no matter how hard I tried, and besides, my playing was fine and I made progress...
During this period I used to sit extremely low and very far away from the piano. Suddenly some clever person (my current teacher actually) realised that, what I if started to sit much higher, would that help getting my wrists down? It did. I grabbed the adjusting knobs on the stool and got up some 12 cm (5 inches?) from where I was and tried to play. Well, it felt a little strange but it worked. I decided to give it a try and a few weeks later my wrists seemed a little lower and I started to feel more relaxed. Finally it seems to have helped me - I hope it can help your student.

[hyrst]

If posture is correct (height and distance from the piano), look at building hand strength and increasing finger movement.  Staccato passages might be worth trying. 

[lostinidlewonder]

If she is playing chords it might not cause much problems, I would get her to practice large arpeggio passages to try to flatten her hand out.

[sonjamcgiboney]

Hi, I am new to the forum.  I am not sure how to deal with a physical problem like double jointendness, a doctor would have a better idea how to correct that.  However, a bad habit can be fixed.  I have seen beginners lift their wrists to find the keys.  If this habit is not broken from the beginning it is tough to get rid of later. Explain to the student how the line from the elbow through the tips of the fingers needs to be straight rather than arched at the wrist.  Using a washable marker, draw a line from her thumbnail straight to the elbow (It will end at the inner elbow).  Your student will then be able to actually see her wrist bend and help it relax. 

Make sure your student is playing on the pads of her fingers rather than her fingertips.

If your student's fingers are extremely curved when playing, try to flatten the fingers a bit.  The writs will naturally fall.

Are the elbows also moving out?  Keep them from becoming chicken wings, If the elbows are kept at the side of the body, it is easier to lower the wrist.

Don't try to relearn music that has already been worked on.  Using a piece that is  below the students level so that notes and rhythms are not an issue, have the student learn the piece specifically with a low wrist. You can even exaggerate the wrist for a short period of time.  As this will be the only goal of the piece, it may be easier for the student to achieve the intended goal.  There are some nice collections of classical music from "real" composers for levels 2 and 3 that should work. 

Of course, the dreaded Hannon and other standard technical studies, scales, etc.  all can be utilized with a metronome at a slow speed for specifically targeting a lower wrist. 

One more thing, (I am full of them) Take a picture or video tape the hands so the student can actually see what they are doing from the side.  You may say, "Lower your wrist" and the student may think they are lowering their wrist, but from above, it's hard to see that motion.  The student will benefit from a side view.

[a-sharp]

I agree that proper posture is key to an effective wrist/hand postion.

I don't agree that one should teach students to play on the pads of their fingers, and not on the tips of their fingers, however. One would have to see the position of their entire body in order to properly comment on this persons wrists... I know that sounds weird, but... I think Marin is correct. Lower part of forearm/elbow should be level with the tops of the white keys - and while sitting on the edge of the bench, one should be able to sit upright, not leaning forward, or back & comfortably place the relaxed hand on the keys. the "karate pose" is an OK example of proper distance (a Faber thing, but it works).

[keypeg]

What's this karate pose?

[j.s. bach the 534th]

If she is playing chords it might not cause much problems, I would get her to practice large arpeggio passages to try to flatten her hand out.

if you want large arpeggio passages, Clair de lune might be a good choice....

[a-sharp]

"Karate pose"
https://www.pianoteaching.com/guide/04_sitting_at_the_piano.html