I use various motions extracted from daily life to teach fluidity in piano playing. In this particular example lifted from a lesson-in-progress, Ilyana, 9, applies a door knob-turning gesture to smooth out a passage from William Gillock’s “Splashing in the Brook.”
It’s also helpful to enlist mental imagery to capture the mood of a composition. In this case, the composer has the piece’s character embedded in the title.
In the videos attached, I emphasize a “playful” scene and a “rippling” brook. The water image, in particular, softens the impact of the opening measures. A contrasting pair of FORTE measures, follows with a wave-like motion.
Extra-musical suggestions go a long way to improve technique and musicianship. They frame the music with something bigger than the narrow goal of playing the “right notes.”
In so many words, the joy a student derives from playing the piano comes from his imagination springing to life.
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Published by arioso7: Shirley Kirsten
International Online Piano Teacher, blogger, recording artist, composer, piano finder, freelance writer, film maker, story teller: Grad of the NYC H.S. of Performing Arts, Oberlin Conservatory, NYU (Master of Arts) Studies with Lillian Freundlich and Ena Bronstein; Master classes with Murray Perahia and Oxana Yablonskaya. Studios in BERKELEY, California; Member, Music Teachers Assoc. of California, MTAC; Distance learning by Skype and Face Time with supplementary videos: SKYPE ID: shirley kirsten
Contact me at: shirley_kirsten@yahoo.com OR http://www.youtube.com/arioso7 or at FACEBOOK: Shirley Smith Kirsten, http://facebook.com /shirley.kirsten; https://www.facebook.com/skirs.7/ TWITTER: http://twitter.com/arioso7
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Private fundraising for non-profits as pianist--Public Speaking re: piano teaching and creative approaches
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