Piano Performance

Do you hear the famous pianist Vladimir Horowitz's play here? Do you like the sonorous singing tone? Do you like the nuance, the dynamic shading? Why the play is different? Why the same piano sounds different in different pianist's hands? Why some people feel playing piano easy and some feel difficult? Because the way they play is different! If the talented pianists can play in the nature's way, the less talented can do too. The difference is that perhaps the talent can do it instinctively and the less talented has to do it consciously. I am not a highly talented pianist but I found the piano playing a lot easier, the technical difficulties disappeared and the music sounds much more beautiful after I applied the physics and anatomy to piano playing consciously. I would like to share this with you.

This article grew from my exploration of the application of physics and anatomy to piano playing. It is not a "How to" or step1, step 2.... piano instructions. It is not for the kids, it is intended for the serious adult piano players who like to think and for the parents of young piano students - even the parents do not know how to play, but they can judge if their children's play agrees with the nature's way or not after learning the facts presented in this article.

Tradition Piano Teaching only teach you "How To" play:

When someone starts playing piano, the teacher usually tell you "How to" play: this way or that way. In every lesson, you mimic the teacher, after the lesson you practice at home like the teacher did. And next lesson, you repeat the same process again. This way of teaching, maybe is good for the small kids. But not for the adult or even the young adult. Because, nothing is creative there.

Hannon's finger exercises are anti-human anatomy, it could cause injury of our hands if not used properly. A few authorities had mention it, including famous pianist Vladimir Horowitz, famous Russian piano pedagogue Heinrich Heuhaus and American piano pedagogue Abby Whiteside etc. Technical drills should be in the context of music, not the dry mechanical exercises.

Relaxation technique is only one aspect of piano playing. Our goal is to use minimum motion and energy to achieve maximum result. Our mind, our body and our whole arm ( including upper arm, forearm, wrist, hand and finger) must stay alert all the time, not just relaxation. The distinguished pianist Gyorgy Sander and piano pedagogue Abby Whiteside had mention it.

With a scientific background, I tend to learn things by reasoning and by the facts. not just by experiences alone. In other words. I want to know why and what, then I will know how to. If you learn playing piano by just experiences alone. You will end up with endless practicing hours, aimless routine repetition, fatigue caused by the wrong use of your muscles, not being able to produce the beautiful music, no fun, or maybe you would eventually give up. In order to play piano musically and naturally, You must know what to play and why you should play in the nature's way.

What to play?  Techniques serve the music. You must have a clear artistic, aural image in your mind. You must know The Music, it's structures, forms, rhythms, phrases, dynamics, basic harmonics , etc. In other words, you must know what  you want to hear from the piano.

"Whatever was played, it must be played musically. Further still, it had to be played orchestrally. Moreover, I had to find out for myself how to make the effects. In other words, we first played not the  piano but  music. Then we played music as it is rendered by special instruments."

-- Quote from Vladimir Horowitz

Why should you play in the nature's way not the other way? This will be explained in the topics: The Piano, The Tone, and The Pianist With the knowledge of the sound of the piano, the anatomic fact of our body (especially our upper limb), you know why you should play in the nature's way.

How to Play? After you study the above topics, you understand how to play. Some famous pianist's techniques are mentioned in the topic The Technique. In order to master the technique you have to practice a lot, and practice consciously. The most important thing to remember: you must use your brain to play all the time! Technique is basically mental, the conscious mind must train the sub-conscious mind. The brain must guide the fingers, not the fingers the brain.

In this article, every conclusion is directed from the analysis of the facts. That means, every how to is validated by the why not just my personal experiences or some other pianists' experiences.

The topics are as following:

With my computer background, I can put this website to the internet to let the world to see without spending a lot of expenditures. But this is my first adventure, I only have time to write when I am retired now. I would like to share my knowledge with those who love to play piano. And I like to have your feedbacks on the topics I have presented here.

Piano Education

The benefits conveyed by music education can be grouped in four categories:

Success in society

 Music is a part of the fabric of our society. The intrinsic value of music for each individual is widely recognized in the many cultures that make up American life - indeed, every human culture uses music to carry forward its ideas and ideals.

• Better Citizens : Music is a magical gift we must nourish and cultivate in our children, especially now as scientific evidence proves that an education in the arts makes better math and science students, enhances spatial intelligence in newborns and music is a compelling solution to teen violence. The very best engineers and technical designers in the Silicon Valley industry are practicing musicians.

• Friendships: Music study provides opportunities for interaction with peers to establish new friendships

Success in school

• Diligence: Studying music encourages self-discipline and diligence, traits that carry over into intellectual pursuits and that lead to effective study and work habits. An association of music and math has, in fact, long been noted. Creating and performing music promotes self-expression and provides self-gratification while giving pleasure to others.

• Discipline of music study - particularly through participation in ensembles - helps students learn to work effectively in the school environment without resorting to violent or inappropriate behavior. and music is a compelling solution to teen violence.

• Perseverance and Commitment: The demands of piano study teach children to develop a commitment to projects and follow them through to completion

• Concentration: The study of piano fosters concentration that can carry over into learning other subjects.

• Pride in Achievement: Students develop a sense of pride in their abilities through musical achievements

researchers found that students who report consistent high levels of involvement in instrumental music over the middle and high school years show significantly higher levels of mathematics proficiency by grade 12.Students with coursework/experience in music performance and music appreciation scored higher on the SAT.

Data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 showed that music participants received more academic honors and awards than non-music students, and that the percentage of music participants receiving As, As/Bs, and Bs was higher than the percentage of non- participants receiving those grades

Success in Developing Intelligence

• Coordination: The coordination of both small and large muscles is strengthened through piano playing.

• Creativity: Music study provides a forum for communicating feelings and using imagination for creative endeavors.

• Smarter: Music education makes kids smarter.  Neurological researches show music study can actively contribute to brain development.
compared to non-musicians, the brains of pianists are more efficient at making skilled movements. These findings show that musical training can enhance brain function.

Researchers found that children given piano lessons significantly improved in their spatial- temporal IQ scores (important for some types of mathematical reasoning) compared to children who received computer lessons, casual singing, or no lessons.

Study found that pattern recognition and mental representation scores improved significantly for students given piano instruction over a three-year period. They also found that self-esteem and musical skills measures improved for the students given piano instruction. 

The musician is constantly adjusting decisions on tempo, tone, style, rhythm, phrasing, and feeling--training the brain to become incredibly good at organizing and conducting numerous activities at once.

Success in life

• Patience: The process of learning effective practice skills aids the child in developing patience

• Self-Esteem: As musical skills are developed, students feel a strong sense of satisfaction in their progress and develop a feeling of self-esteem that transfers to other situations in life.

• Confidence: Frequent performance helps the child develop confidence and poise that will be useful in dealing with many situations in life.

• Fun and Relaxation: Playing piano and listening to music is fun. This skill can provide hours of entertainment and relaxation throughout one's entire life.

Music is one way for young people to connect with themselves, but it is also a bridge for connecting with others. Through music, we can introduce children to the richness and diversity of the human family and to the myriad rhythms of life.

Music making makes the elderly healthier.... There were significant decreases in anxiety, depression, and loneliness following keyboard lessons. These are factors that are critical in coping with stress, stimulating the immune system, and in improved health. Results also show significant increases in human growth hormones following the same group keyboard lessons.