Learning Music | Everything Piano

Discussing Piano Technique

July 25th, 2009

I’ll admit that I’ve hated piano technique ever since I started taking piano lessons at the age of 8. But I’ll also admit that I know technique is important to develop effective practice methods and improvements overall.

Most people think that technique is directly related to an ability to develop finger dexterity. This is not true. In fact, the natural dexterity between famous and talented pianists and ordinary people are not very different. Translation: Anyone can learn to play the piano well.

So, rid your mind of the notion that technique equals dexterity. The truth is that technique is mainly a developmental process of the brain and nerve system, as opposed to the very well-known myth that technique is a developmental process of finger and muscle movement.

With effective technical training, a pianist will be able to execute hundreds upon thousands of piano passages. In short, technique gives us the ability to learn a number of skills. Most people think that practicing piano technique takes years to learn; another myth. If the correct and effective learning procedures are used, piano skills can actually be learned in quite a short period of time.

Basically, these piano skills can be learned in two stages. The first is concerned with discovering exactly how the body parts should be moved, such as the hands, wrists, arms, and so on. The second stage is concerned with discovering how to condition the muscles and nerves in order to execute the correct body movements easily and controlled.

Ever heard the expression “learning music makes you smarter”? Well, it’s true. And you can give all the credit to technique. When you learn the technical know-how of music, you are going through the process of developing faster connections between nerves and creating more brain cells for effective movements and memory factors. These science-related functions prove that the correct approach to learning piano technique will benefit you in everyday life situations. Noticing memory improvement is quite common in people who begin learning to play the piano. This is because memorization is a function of technical acquisition.

Elise’s Musical Tip For The Day:

Unfortunately, several private and talented piano teachers aren’t aware of optimal methods for technique, and therefore they do not pass it on to their students. In opposition, some of the greatest pianists of all time have written books on the topic of technique that are discussed at such a highly advanced level mostly concerned with composing music, and without discussing how to acquire the basics of technique. While having an experienced piano teacher is beneficial, you can also teach yourself to acquire technique. For this, I recommend the book You Can Teach Yourself Piano Chords by Per Danielsson. If you’re new to chord structure, this book will teach you the technique needed to excel at piano. This book has gotten great reviews, and I would really advise you to check it out as well.