The Forearm and the Piano: A Crucial Relationship

     

   I once remarked in a piano forum that it was impossible to play the piano without using forearm rotation. It seemed to me to be a statement of the obvious, and I expected responses along the lines of "duh." Well, to my surprise and dismay, a rather accomplished pianist (and teacher!) chimed in "you've been brainwashed," and stated that it is in fact quite possible to play the piano without using the forearm. 

    Setting aside for a moment the absurd notion that the forearm is not attached to the hand and not part of the playing apparatus, I suggested an experiment. Drop your arm to your side, I said. (Presumably the forearm and fingers would join in the gesture.) Now do only one thing: raise the apparatus up from the elbow. No, just raise the arm and do nothing else. I call this the karate-chop position. I challenge you to play the piano in that position.

    Well, there was agreement that it would in fact be necessary to turn—rotate— the hand toward the thumb in order to actually land on the keys in, say, a five-finger position. As we play, I continued, the forearm remains active in various ways, both obvious and so subtle as to be virtually invisible. Understanding how it aids in effortless virtuosity is at the core of our study. All of this, of course, would be too detailed for discussion in the forum. However, you, gentle reader, have the option of clicking on the tab iDemos at the top of the page. You could also have a look at "Piano Technique Demystified: Insights into Problem Solving." (I know, a shameless plug.)

    Finally, our discussion showed that it is possible to play the piano with little or no understanding of what is actually taking place underneath or within a technique. Without understanding forearm rotation, though, there will likely be some limitation—reduced facility, fatigue, discomfort, inaccuracy. Given the option of knowing or not knowing, I choose to know, and in so doing use the playing apparatus in the way it was designed to be used. 

                Piano Technique Demystified: Insights Into Problem Solving

Leaps: Easy-Peasy

  

Frederick Chopin

     A student brought in this soulful nocturne, Op. 27, No. 1, the companion to the famous D-flat, No. 2 of the same opus. He observed that it's not as simple as it at first appears. Naturally, I took up my post as devil's advocate and asked what if we knew at a glance what the piece required technically, would it appear simple? This is another way of saying nothing is difficult if you know how, and learning how is, fortunately, the purpose of this blog.

     My student pointed to the leaping left hand in the  three-four section marked appassionato: 

Chopin Nocturne, Op. 27, No. 1
(Click on example to enlarge.)

When leaping, always be sure to notice
 if there's water in the pool. That is, practice the landing.

The first issue to consider is how to group the left-hand triplets. Instead of thinking 10ths, start each group with the thumb and continue thinking octaves. Always when leaping back and forth take care to group notes in such a way as to avoid feeling as if the arm is going in two directions. In speed this can cause a jamming of the forearm, a condition I call lockjaw of the arm (lockarm?) In this case we start with the thumb to 5 and allow the hand to fall back from 5, passively, to the new thumb. In measure 5 of the example, it's possible to take that last left-hand E-flat in the right hand, although not really necessary. Remember, there is a continual broadening (sostenuto). On the downbeat of measure 6, I take the left-hand A-flat with the right hand.

     But wait! There's more! My student had another question. What about the forte section before that? Where the stretto begins? This is another left-hand leaping issue:

Chopin Nocturne Op. 27, No. 1
(Click on example to enlarge.)

Leaping is easy when you have a running
 start,  when you consider how to do it.

   This one is a little harder to describe in words without demonstrating, but I'll try. Notice that most of each measure lies more or less under the hand, if we also shape to the wider intervals as they occur. These notes may be considered a group. The octave represents a separate voice and lies outside of the group of triplets. The technique is a combination of a leap from the octave by means of a pluck, or springing action, and a slight rotation toward the thumb. That is, the 5th finger is like a hinge from which the 3rd finger rotates toward its landing place on the F-double sharp. The feeling is of 5 moving to 3. Once the hand is balanced with 3 on its note, it plays the neighboring notes in succession before opening to accommodate the ever widening intervals played by the thumb. Take care that the hand doesn't remain in an open position.

     The last left-hand note in measure one sends the hand to the following octave by means of a pluck and a rotation. This time 3 is the hinge, which allows the hand to open to the left and land on the octave. The feeling is 3 moving to thumb. Give the octave a little time. By that I mean go to it as if you plan to stay on it, which of course you won't.