Stretching Exercises for Pianists: The Topic That Won't Die

     

One contributor to a music forum for pianists offered a YouTube video of a pianist "stretching" his fingers using the keyboard as his stationary block. He worked his fingers in and out of the black keys and against the rail, claiming that these stretches made him limber. Needless to say, discussion ensued. Some wise pianists—these are the ones who agree with me—observed that such gesticulations had nothing at all to do with piano playing. If that's true, if these stretches are not about piano playing, what might they be about. I say "might" because I can only speculate. I put these "limbering" exercises in a category with other feel-good, possibly therapeutic, activities that are akin to warmup stretches that dancers, athletes and yoga practitioners use.

     I know how good stretches can feel because I do them myself— on a mat on the floor—in order to increase circulation in my limbs and "wake up." I can imagine that this pianist of the video experiences similar feelings of release as he manipulates his fingers. But, no, this has nothing to do with piano playing.

     The size of the hand is determined genetically. Tendons cannot be stretched. This is not to say that we can't learn to use what we have without abusing it. Speaking of abuse, one contributor shared that he derived benefit from Dohnanyi exercises. Do you know the ones? The pianist is asked to hold down certain notes and lift other fingers away from the hand. This pianist feels he derives a "certain kind of overall limberness that's hard to describe." I suspect he can't describe it because he can't relate it to piano playing.

     Another writer felt moved to compare what pianists do with athletic training, claiming that "piano playing is above all else a motor skill." Well, I don't argue against that. But he goes on to explain that the refined motor skills we need at the piano are the same as what athletes use, suggesting that stretching and building strength are also part of the pianist's catechism. He could not be persuaded that athletes train large muscle groups for strength and endurance, whereas pianists train for refined physical coordination.

Alicia de la Rocha

     Alicia de la Rocha, the distinguished, diminutive pianist of the Spanish persuasion entered the discussion by way of support for the idea of stretching. Someone claiming to know whereof he spoke stated that de la Rocha stretched her tiny hand so that it could reach a tenth, enabling her to play Rachmaninoff and other giants. Well, I don't know what she did. But she herself stated that she was blessed with a wide space between thumb and index finger and an extra long fifth finger, enabling her to reach a tenth despite having a small hand. 

   So, don't waste time and energy and risk injury by stretching and pulling your fingers. Use them according to their design in the way that produces maximum results with the least amount of effort. 

The Pianist's Guide to Practical Technique

     

     I am happy—no ecstatic—to be able to  report that the "Look Inside" feature finally is available at Amazon for the complete volume. For those of you who have expressed interest, please have a look and let me know what you think. Volumes one and two contain the same material, so I didn't press the Amazon team to include those in the Look Inside program.

      Just to recap, this is the collection designed to help pianists develop technique, musicianship and repertoire without using valuable practice time for "studies" by Czerny and his colleagues. So, you can put away studies by Czerny. Put him and the others into a closet and turn the key. Instead, use these passages from music you intend to play—music by master composers—as building blocks for technique and musicianship.    
     Suppose for a moment that we don’t accept the notion that a good piano technique requires strength training, or that it is even really possible to “strengthen” the fingers to any noticeable degree, in the way that authors of yore would have us believe. Those concepts indeed have long ago been discredited. Suppose, too, we discard the notion that independence of fingers is a physical action and not instead a musical objective. Well, you might ask, for what then do we train? Let's use our knowledge of how the hand was designed to work in order to train for refined coordination. 

     In this volume you will find ample material for just such a study. Here are threads of Bach Inventions, early Haydn episodes and mainstream Mozart. Here are passages from the grandeur of late Beethoven and the Romantic exuberance of Schumann and Chopin. Here are morsels from standard repertoire that, if used as part of your daily regimen, will at the very least provide a colossal head start on the building of skills, musicianship and a catalog of music you want to perform.

Lang Lang at the Phil: I Rest My Case

     If you've been following this blog for awhile, you know how I feel about unnecessary tension in the hands. You also know that, although there are many technical approaches to making music at the piano, it is possible to play virtuosically without exaggerated extensions in the playing apparatus. This latter approach I call a natural one, using the body according to its design. By that I mean stretching or pulling to extremes has no place in a fluent and efficient technique. It's what I prefer.

Sergei Prokofiev.

     The technical sensation Lang Lang appeared in Los Angeles recently, offering up the Prokofiev 3rd concerto. He played it, apparently, with considerable flair, as expected, though Mark Swed, the Times critic, thought he seemed somehow bored with it. I didn't hear the concert, but I've heard Lang Lang on other occasions and I can report that he is a technical phenomenon. (I can't imagine how a pianist could be bored with this piece. I have to admit, though, that once as I was sitting on a competition jury, having heard several Prokofiev 3rds in a row, I decided then and there never to hear it again.)

   

Lang Lang at the L.A. Phil. Photo by Lawrence K. Ho
 in the L.A. Times.

 In his review, Swed made the following observation: "His technique looked like a spectacular acrobatic embellishment of Chico's exaggerated finger work in Marx Brothers movies. That, too, may wind up a big deal. A physician in the audience quipped at intermission that he hopes the Chinese superstar has a good pension plan. Hands cannot sustain that kind of playing for long."  I have to agree. 

     Side note: Look at Prokofiev's hand on the keyboard above.

The Pianist's guide to Practical Technique: Sample Pages

     Amazon has had problems setting up the "Look Inside" feature for these titles, problems we're expecting to solve soon. In the meantime, as some readers have requested, here are some sample pages. Excerpts from the introduction can be found elsewhere in this blog. The levels of difficulty range from early intermediate to advanced and include left-hand studies along with scales, arpeggios, leaps and virtually all manner of technical necessities. The examples are from Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Chopin, etc. I've included one example of a practice guide, of which, along with practice hints, there are several throughout the volume. The Index is at the bottom of the page.

     Click on the example to enlarge.

Alberti............... 19, 31, 40, 42, 44, 55, 65, 124, 155, 172, 222

Arpeggios 23, 26, 40, 41, 99, 103, 109, 131, 143, 152, 156, 173, 193, 200, 213, 215

Art of Finger Dexterity, The................................................................ 7

Articulation............................................................................... 27, 106

Bach, J.S.

Invention in A minor.............................................................. 13

Invention in C Major............................................................... 12

Invention in F Major............................................................... 31

Well Tempered Clavier Bk. I

Prelude in D Major............................................................. 62

Beethoven, L.

Op. 10, No. 1

Allegro..................................................................................... 101

Finale........................................................................................ 107

Op. 10, No. 3.............................................................................. 119

Rondo...................................................................................... 125

Op. 110

Morsel...................................................................................... 241

Op. 13............................................................................................ 111

Op. 13, Pt. 2................................................................................ 113

Practice Guide..................................................................... 118

Op. 14, No. 1.............................................................................. 131

Op. 2, No. 1

Prestissimo............................................................................ 103

Op. 2, No. 3................................................................................ 158

Trio.............................................................................................. 99

Op. 22..................................................................................... 25, 156

Allegro........................................................................................ 89

Op. 26............................................................................................ 150

Rondo...................................................................................... 162

Op. 27, No. 1.............................................................................. 165

Rondo...................................................................................... 140

Op. 27, No. 2.............................................................................. 173

Op. 31, No 1............................................................................... 146

Op. 53

Allegro..................................................................................... 181

Op. 53............................................................................................ 152

Op. 54............................................................................................ 135

Op. 57............................................................................................ 176

Andante................................................................................... 170

Morsel............................................................................ 234, 239

Op. 76 "Ruins of Athens"

Variation 1.............................................................................. 124

Variation 5.............................................................................. 123

Op. 81a

Wiedersehen........................................................................ 143

Op. 81a Allegro

Morsel...................................................................................... 242

Op. 90............................................................................................ 222

Variations "Venni amore" 1790

Variation 1................................................................................ 22

WoO 80 C Minor Variations

Variation 22........................................................................... 134

Variation 26........................................................................... 129

Variation 27........................................................................... 129

Variation 28........................................................................... 149

Variation 4................................................................................ 78

Variation 5.............................................................................. 102

Variation 6................................................................................ 85

Variation 7................................................................................ 43

Variation 8.............................................................................. 122

Variation 9.............................................................................. 161

Variations 1-3........................................................................ 109

Variations 14, 16.................................................................. 130

Brahms

Letter................................................................................................... 8

broken arpeggios.......................................................................... 155

Broken Octaves.................................................. 98, 119, 143, 158

Broken Sixths.................................................................................. 119

cantabile style.................................................................................... 18

Chopin, F.

Ballade in F Minor

Practice Guide..................................................................... 206

Ballade in F Minor, Op. 52................................................ 200

Ballade in G Minor

Practice Guide..................................................................... 228

Ballade in G Minor Coda................................................... 229

Practice guide...................................................................... 233

Ballade in G Minor Op. 23...................................... 213, 224

Berceuse Op. 57............................................................ 194, 221

Leaps......................................................................................... 167

Etude Op. 10, No. 12

Morsel............................................................................ 234, 236

Etude Op. 10, No. 4

Morsel...................................................................................... 235

Etude Op. 10, No. 8

Morsel...................................................................................... 238

Nocturne

Op. 27, No. 1........................................................................ 193

Nocturne Op. 27, No. 2

Morsel............................................................................ 237, 238

Prelude Op. 28, No. 3

Left Hand............................................................................... 139

Scherzo in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 39............................... 215

Sonata in B-Flat Minor

Alternate.................................................................................. 198

Sonata in B-Flat Minor, Op. 35........................................ 196

Chords...................................................................................... 200, 221

Clementi, Muzio................................................................................ 7

Complex Rhythm......................................................................... 108

Coordination 55, 58, 78, 85, 123, 124, 125, 150, 188, 189, 215

Coordination).................................................................................... 71

Counterpoint.................................................................................. 134

Invention in A Minor.............................................................. 13

Invention in C Major............................................................... 12

Invention in F.............................................................................. 31

Czerny, Carl.......................................................................................... 7

Davidsbündlertänze.................................................................... 169

Dotted Rhythm.............................................................................. 101

Double Notes. 111, 122, 129, 135, 168, 194, 200, 211, 242

Fingering................................................................ 71, 110, 193, 237

Forearm rotation.............................................................. 9, 39, 111

fortepiano............................................................................................ 18

four-against-three.......................................................................... 108

Gradus ad Parnassum........................................................................... 7

Group.................................................................................................... 10

Grouping....................................................................... 139, 236, 238

Hand Division................................................................................ 198

hands separately............................................................................... 11

Haydn, Joseph

Hob. XVI/23................................................................................ 81

Hob. XVI/27................................................................. 17, 18, 19

Variation 1................................................................................ 20

Hob. XVI/28................................................................................ 23

Variation 4................................................................................ 34

Hob. XVI/30................................................................................ 48

Variation 3................................................................................ 35

Variation 5................................................................................ 36

Hob. XVI/31................................................................................ 95

Hob. XVI/39......................................................................... 16, 42

Hob. XVI/8................................................................................... 15

Sonata 1785

Variation I................................................................................. 30

hinge.................................................................................................... 108

in 110

In/Out................................................................................................ 139

independence of fingers.............................................................. 8

inventions............................................................................................ 39

Leaps................................................................................... 79, 129, 167

Left Hand 21, 25, 41, 43, 54, 71, 76, 79, 98, 103, 122, 139, 140, 142, 149, 156, 170, 181, 189, 193, 196, 222

Lhevinne, Rosina............................................................................... 7

Liszt, F.

Concerto in E-Flat

Morsel...................................................................................... 243

Loesser, Arthur................................................................................... 8

Morsel..................................... 234, 235, 236, 237, 238, 239, 243

Moszkowski.......................................................................................... 8

Mozart, W.A.

K. 208

Variation 1................................................................................ 53

K. 265

Variation 7................................................................................ 75

K. 265 "Ah, vous dirai-je"

Variation 1................................................................................ 33

Variation 2................................................................................ 54

Variation 3................................................................................ 27

Variation 4................................................................................ 41

Variation 6................................................................................ 21

K. 279................................................................................................ 37

K. 280................................................................................................ 44

K. 309................................................................................................ 58

K. 310........................................................................................ 73, 76

Allegro maestoso.................................................................. 71

Presto.......................................................................................... 79

K. 331........................................................................................ 55, 56

K. 332................................................................................................ 65

K. 333................................................................................................ 86

K. 455 "Unser dummer Poebel"

Variation 1................................................................................ 28

Variation 2................................................................................ 98

K. 500

Variation 1.............................................................................. 106

Variation 2.............................................................................. 142

Variation 3................................................................................ 24

K. 545................................................................................. 26, 29, 40

Octaves... 43, 55, 56, 102, 119, 130, 134, 135, 140, 143, 158

out……………………………………………...110

Paganini................................................................................................... 7

Parallel............................................................................. 125, 146, 165

Practice Guide....... 18, 39, 64, 118, 188, 206, 210, 228, 233

Practicing............................................................................................. 10

Repeated Notes............................................................ 86, 109, 110

rotate.................................................................................................... 118

Rotation................................................................................................... 9

Scales 19, 29, 31, 35, 42, 44, 58, 65, 73, 75, 81, 86, 95, 107, 143, 146

School of Velocity, The........................................................................... 7

Schumann, R.

Critic.................................................................................................... 8

Fantasy Op. 17........................................................................... 211

Kreisleriana Practice Guide.............................................. 210

Kreisleriana, Op. 16, Agitatissimo.................................. 208

Op. 6, No. 6................................................................................ 168

Shape............................................................................................ 10, 188

Staccato.................................................................................................. 85

strength training................................................................................. 8

Thirds.................................................................... 129, 130, 200, 242

Thumb on Black Keys................................................................. 56

tremolo............................................................................................... 108

Trills..................................................... 27, 106, 142, 150, 161, 181

Triplets................................................................................... 16, 17, 58

Two Against Three...................................................................... 142

Two-Note Slurs.............................................................. 30, 53, 106

Voicing........................................................................... 167, 170, 221

walking arm........................................................................................ 10

weight.................................................................................................. 172

working-in................................................................................................. 8

Tchaikovsky Concerto: Fingering or Grouping

P.I. Tchaikovsky

     A student came with the Tchaikovsky concerto, asking for help with fingering for the following passage, measures 17 and 18. I've written before about concepts that govern our fingering choices, pointing out that a lot can be discovered about a pianist's technical point of view from the fingering he chooses. In this passage, the first question to ask is what is the most convenient grouping? Is there a way to make the passage seem fluid, without awkward jumps? I'm happy to report that the answer is yes. Instead of following the metric grouping by locking into the beamed 16ths as groups, move the group over to the next eighth, so that the groups would be sung "and 3, and 4, and 1," etc. Oh well, I never could sing. Maybe you'd better look at the example:

Tchaikovsky Concerto, mm 17 and 18. Grouping vs fingering.
Click example to enlarge.

     So, this is really first about  how to group the chords conveniently, and only then about which fingers to use. There's a related passage in the opening cadenza of the Liszt E-Flat concerto, but that's another story.

Chopin Fantasy Impromptu: Four vs Three

A student asks about learning to play four against three in the Fantasy Impromptu. Here is a rhythm chart of four vs three:

Click to enlarge.

     Some pianists find it helpful to learn to tap out this pattern first, before adding pitches. Notice that the second triplet comes after the second sixteenth and the third triplet comes just before the fourth sixteenth. The chart shows where each note in one hand falls in relationship to the other. Most modern editions print the relationships correctly (though not always): 

Click to enlarge.

     What I find most helpful is teaching each hand where its own pulses are until they are very sure. Then, I put the hands together feeling the main pulses. The object, of course, is for each hand to learn to be independent in its own rhythm. At first, try practicing one beat only, stopping on the next strong beat. When that feels secure, try playing two beats.