Learning Goals

To understand how to move your body in a way that enables you to play the piano with natural ease and artistry.

Links to Lessons

• Piano Technique: Myth & Reality
• The Development Process
• Mental or Physical?
• How Your Body Works: Introduction
• General Principles of Expert Technique
• Symptoms of a Technical Problem
• Causes of a Technical Problem
• The Speed Myth
• “Fast” Versus “Slow” Playing
• Expectations
• How to Make Your Fingers Stronger
• Mental Ease
• Physical Ease
• A Computer Analogy
• A Language Analogy
• Intentions
• The Magic Compass
• No Pain, No Gain!
• Brawn, No! Finesse, Yes!
• Commentary on Hanon, Cortot, Czerny, etc.
• Why Everyone Should Buy Hanon: The Virtuoso Pianist
• Micro-Lessons
• Body Mechanics for Pianists: Your Head / Your Torso / Your Shoulders / Your Upper Arms / Your Forearms / Your Hands / Your Fingers / Independent Motions / Integrated Motions
• How the Piano Works: Keyboard Layout Quirks / The Strings / The Action / The Dampers / The Pedals / The Bench
• Keyboard Layout: Middle What?
• Fingering Principles
• Finger Numbers
• Muscle Memory
• Choreography
• Proprioception & Visualization
• Connect the Dots
• Fingering Revisited
• Do You Change Fingers on Repeated Notes?
• Prepared or Unprepared Attack?
• Left-Right Integration
• Five Note Left-Right Independence Studies
• The Black Keys
• Momentum
• Throwing
• Finger Crossovers
• Circular Playing
• Think Thumbs
• Sticky Fingers
• Up & Down, a Lesson in Legato
• Lazy Thumbs
• How to Play Scales in High & Low Registers
• Octaves Made Easy
• Visio-Spatial Keyboard Awareness: Major Triads

How Your Body & the Piano Work Together

• Musical Patterns You Gotta Know
• Remember Fred?
• Let’s Have a Seat
• Proper Arm Support
• Proper Hand & Finger Support
• Single Notes
• Repeated Notes
• Five in a Row (Staccato & Legato)
• Scales (Staccato & Legato)
• Arpeggios (Staccato & Legato)
• Reversals
• Chords
• Skips
• Coda

Study Aids

• Fingering Charts: 12 Major Scales, Two Octaves
• Fingering Charts: 12 Natural Minor Scales, Two Octaves
• Fingering Charts: Major Triad Arpeggios, Two Octaves
• Fingering Charts: Minor Triad Arpeggios, Two Octaves
• Right Hand Fingering Patterns: Major Scales (YouTube)