Expressive piano technic: basics of healthy movement, technic and interpretation

Abstract

In the 19th century, leading piano pedagogues stressed the importance of accuracy and speed in piano playing. "Nothing is worse than wrong notes," wrote Czerny, only to be chastised by Beethoven asking for more musical teaching. 20th and 21st-century research has shown that this technic-interpretation divide is a false dichotomy: even early-level students are able to discern emotional expression and musical form while simultaneously building their piano technic. It is time to fully integrate technic and interpretation into one holistic teaching approach. A knowledge-based approach to piano teaching will incorporate insights derived from current research into aural perception and motor learning. These include audiation: the ability to sing inwardly, think in sound and understand every detail of music making without the physical presence of sound. Building a student’s sense of interoception, the awareness of sensations inside the body; and proprioception, the consciousness of limb position and movement outside the body, will facilitate technical development. Helping a student integrate all of this into their executive control, the ability to switch rapidly from task to task and quickly focus attention in different parameters, has been proven to improve brain function. “Technic comes from the mind (Geist), not the fingers,” said Liszt. In light of the growing interest in neurologically informed teaching, current research is summarized and cited, and practical, step-by-step applications are provided for immediate use in the teaching studio, demonstrating a new integrated schema for building a strong technical foundation in all piano students.

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