How to teach relaxation to students

[sandypiano]

I have a Bachelor in Music Education in piano and was never taught how to relax while playing  although I'm striving to change that, but I'm not currently studying with anyone.   I am very concerned about my students' hand & arm health, and I would hate for them to suffer from tension and carpal tunnel later because I've not taught them this fundamental technique properly.  I've been searching for ways to convey it to my students by reading books and watching piano technique videos.  Having not been personally instructed in it (and also having suffered from tense wrists myself) I find it difficult to find the correct words, etc. that would help my students.  I've been able to get them to let their arm hang like dead weight in my hand in order to feel the relaxed state of their upper and lower arm but that doesn't explain how (at the same time their arm is totally relaxed) their fingers are supposed to float or be buoyant on the keys without them tensing up their arm to hold their hands lightly on the keys.  (The curved hand shape is no problem.)  Some students transfer into my studio with tense arms and wrists and I have a hard time convincing them that they need to relax and have a loose and flexible wrist while they play.  I would love to hear if other piano teachers have ever had this difficulty and how they overcame it, plus listing any pertinent reference material would be greatly appreciated.  

[pianodeanne]

I too, would love to hear from this!  I have a beginner who want to "press" the keys, and just does not understand what I mean by keeping the fingers curved and gently touching the keys WITHOUT lifting the fingers.  I told her to think of how a spider walks, one leg after the other, but not lifting the other fingers up too high.  aaaugh!  Also, the bubble thing, where you don't want to break the bubble.

On the relaxing thing, I sometimes hold my hands under their wrists while they are playing.  That way they can "rest" on my hands and feel how it should be.  

Good luck in your endeavor.  I love teaching very much, but some things are very frustrating, aren't they??  

[martin_s]

Hmm...this seems to be a very common problem. I have got a hint of that tension thing myself.
The piano must be played in a controlled state and balance between relaxation and tension, allright. Try Heinrich Neuhaus' famous book on piano playing, he has probably got something good to say on this. . . I hope.

[kateb]

What a great question and what a difficult question to answer online!

The teacher I started studying with at 21, after 16 of playing tensely, had me put my fingers and thumb gently around his wrist, as if I were taking pulse, and then he played with the buoancy you mentioned in your post. That is the only thing that got through to me. Words and reading didn't. And even after doing that and getting the picture it took me months and months to incorporate that buoancy into my playing naturally. But I think FEELING the way his wrist had give to it while still having control is what worked. I use that system with my students now, and it seems to be working well.

[princess]

i may not be a very experienced teacher or piano player but i ask my friend a lot of things and he's actually really musically inclined and respects music...therefore, he's never thinking he's good enough.  but i always ask him for advice.  when my students start piano with another teacher then transfer to me, i tell them to forget everything they've learned about playing.  when my students have problems relaxing, i gently rest my fingertips on his/her shoulder and say "relax...relax...relax" until they do so.  when my students are pushing down really hard with their fingers, i tell them to play as quietly as they can but to keep their hand in the shape of the "claw". i also give them various exercises for their fingers to help their hands maintain the gentle curve and to keep their fingers relaxed.  

i'm not sure if this may be of much use for anybody but i tried!