Piano Technique: The Black Keys

What makes the black keys special… and how this affects your fingering and the way you play them…

Lesson Goal

To understand how the size, shape, and location of the black keys affects your relationship… profoundly impact your piano technique.

---

Prerequisites

Curiosity about how the piano works and the discipline to study and practice accordingly.

---

“the Black Keys” YouTube

---

The Black Keys YouTube Highlights

How are the black keys and white keys different?

The black keys differ in at least two important ways:

1. The black keys stick up, being about 5/8ths of an inch higher than the white keys.
2. The leading edge of the black keys is almost 2 inches farther back than the leading edge of the white keys.

How does the Difference affect your Technique?

These important differences have a significant impact on the physical relationship between you and the keyboard, requiring you to make two adjustments:

1. When playing the black notes your arm, hand, and fingers are generally going to be a little higher to compensate for the fact that the black notes are a little higher than the white notes.
2. When you play the black notes your arm, hand, and fingers are generally going to move forward, away from your body.

The Nature of These Adjustments

1. The tendency to play a bit higher and more forward is just that–a tendency, not a rigid rule.
2. These adjustments are not two separate uncoordinated events, but are seamlessly integrated with each other and with the rest of your choreography.
3. Like everything in music, context matters. These tendencies must be adjusted to suit what comes before and after, all of which impacts your fingering, hand and arm positions, and timing.

---

The Two Big Takeaways

1. The black notes stick up and are farther away from your body.
2. If you allow your body positions and motions to naturally adjust to these two facts you will eliminate an enormous source of tension and enjoy a whole new feeling of freedom and ease.

---

learn more… Piano Technique