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How to produce a beautiful sound on the piano ● Imagination ● Suspension of the Motor Apparatus

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“Caress the key, never bash it!”
Fryderyk Chopin

1. Introduction

🚨NOTE!
      Above all, let’s remember that all the movements I write about here are, in reality, mini-  or micro-movements. In my videos I show them in an exaggerated form, because otherwise they couldn’t be seen. You can test them in this way at first, but you should always be aware that they are most often microscopic in normal playing. That doesn’t mean they must always be that way - every movement must have its optimal proportions, adjusted to the musical text. However, any unnecessarily large movement will disturb the playing!

The previous chapter, How to “arm” the thumb (and other fingers)?, presents the optimal setting of the lower units - from the wrist downward. Here I complete it by adding the setting of the higher units, i.e. from the wrist upward, as well as of the entire body, the position of which also affects the pianist’s technique.

The complexity of piano playing is illustrated by Josef Hofmann’s calculation: Josef Hofmann: “in the course of a piano recital - actual playing time approximated eighty minutes - a pianist makes well over a hundred thousand different motions.” That comes to more than 20 movements per second, which is by no means overestimated, considering all the micro-movements not only of the MA, but of the entire body. Consciously controlling them while playing is impossible of course, but every pianist should be well aware of their types and their role in the final result.

That is exactly what this chapter is about.

2. Sound production - the role of imagination and posture in playing and teaching

2.1. Imagination co-creates our actions. It is either a conscious anticipation of the intended effect, or it acts as a hidden, subconscious prediction of the result. In music, its role concerns both performance as well as learning and teaching. This is why we shall often refer to it in this chapter.

2.2. Let us begin with the role of imagination in the process of sound production. A full description of this process should begin not with muscular work, but with auditory imagination, because it determines the preparation not only of the pianist’s MA, but of the whole body. The posture taken before playing a heavy fortissimo chord with both hands will be different from that adopted before playing a single piano note. - video x:xx.

2.2.1.Fortissimo

      We obtain a fortissimo dynamic - if just increasing the speed of the MA’s fall is not enough - by using the weight of the torso, and sometimes even of the whole body (see 4.2.4.4). This process consists of three stages that follow one another very quickly:

  1. leaning back in order to gain momentum;
  2. the attack - producing the sound through a short, impulsive inclination forward. Videos show that this impulse lasts approx. 1/10-1/15 of a second;
  3. leaning back again, i.e. an immediate return to the starting position (stage I).

      If, in the second stage, the muscles are too contracted, the sound becomes hard and unpleasant to hear. But if the weight remains then on the bottom of the keyboard too long, the strain on the muscles is too great, leading to muscle fatigue and manifests itself in technical problems. To avoid this, I personally prefer to imagine details […] 🔒

      🚨NOTE!
       In video recordings, the sound is often shifted in relation to the image. To get an accurate picture of the pianist’s body movements, you should observe their posture at the moment when the keys are depressed. This can be done either at a playback speed of 0.25 with the sound turned off, or - even better - by analyzing the video frame by frame (this option exists on YouTube).

2.2.1.1. From the visual point of view, we can distinguish two methods (everything is shown in my video): video):

      Method 1 - Fig. 1a.
The most visible stage is stage II, i.e. the forward inclination, while stage III is at the same time stage I for the next chord. This can be observed in Josef Hofmann’s recording.

Fig. 1a - move the cursor over the image

      Method 2 - Fig. 1b.
Here the most visible stage is stage III, i.e. the backward inclination. In my demonstration example, one can see that I produce the sound exactly at the moment when I push myself away from the keyboard (cf. 4.2.4.4).

Fig. 1b - move the cursor over the image

      Variant of method 2 - Fig. 1c.
However, when performing an actual musical text, I no longer follow the method described for Fig. 1b. so strictly. The video shows that I play the strongest C-sharp minor chord with a , movement, which nevertheless lasts no more than 1/15 of a second. This shows that in pianism there are no absolutely rigid rules.

Fig. 1c - move the cursor over the image

2.2.2.Pianissimo

      Fig. 2a.
A completely different position will be adopted before playing a single note in the piano dynamic. For example, this is how Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli moves away from the keyboard before beginning Debussy’s „The Snow is Dancing” in pianissimo (link to the original).

Fig. 2a - move the cursor over the image

      Fig. 2b.
I also happen to use this method myself, sometimes even completely unconsciously. For example, in this 2017 recording I did it completely automatically, instinctively. You may believe it or not, but I noticed this movement only when watching my video 😊

Fig. 2b - move the cursor over the image

2.2.2.1. But when playing fast passages piano or pianissimo, many pianists do the opposite - they lean over the keyboard, some even very low - - example 1, example 2.

● Another very practical way is to lean forward quickly and return back just as quickly, in order to achieve a brief shading of crescendo ➔ decrescendo - example 3. In this case, even the slightest forward lean increases the locking in the wrist. As it receives this change in posture, the wrist transmits greater pressure to the hand, enabling faster finger strikes and thus producing a crescendo - 4.2.4.1.

● Of course, my intention here is not to recommend these methods. This is just information that such positions are used, and their application is always very personal.

2.3. So here we move from imagination, from the idea of sound, to a mechanical action.
       And that is how we will proceed during playing, because imagination and memory must always precede the actual, physical execution.
       In this chapter, however, we will focus on technical execution only - on the mechanical side of the playing process. And below you will find many more pieces of information about the role of imagination in playing and teaching.

3. Suspension of the Motor Apparatus (MA)

3.1. How to understand the term “suspension” of the MA

      Suspension of the MA results in the feeling that the hands (or rather the arms) are completely without weight. This setting gives full freedom in manipulating the hand and the entire arm. It is one of the most important elements of piano technique. Although this term is so evocative and so helpful in explaining the correct setting of the MA, it was not formulated in this simplest way at the beginning.

3.2. What it looked like in the past

3.2.1. Chopin, of course, taught suspension of the hand above the keyboard, but not directly: “... he tried to illustrated it by means of a glissando running across the keyboard,” wrote Karol Mikuli, one of his best students. You cannot play a glissando without suspending the arm at the shoulder first. Here is an excerpt from my video published in 2016.

3.2.2. So the term “suspension” appears neither in Chopin’s “Sketch for a Method” nor in any testimony by his students. It is not used even by Heinrich Neuhaus in “The Art of Piano Playing”, written already in the 20th century, even though his concept of the “crane” and the sentence “...the best position of the hand on the keyboard is one which can be altered with the maximum of ease and speed” mean exactly the same thing.

3.2.3. But let us return to the end of the 19th century and to Jan Kleczyński’s publication. He did not know Chopin personally - he was a student of Chopin’s students. But his pianistic and pedagogical genius allowed him to interpret exceptionally deeply and accurately the information he received on Chopin’s method. But not immediately, though: in the first Polish version (1879) of his famous lectures “On Performing Chopin’s Works”, Kleczyński still used a descriptive form: “one only needs to hold the hand lightly in the air, letting the fingers go loose and free.” Only a year later, when editing the French version of these lectures, he wrote: “[Chopin] recommended letting the fingers fall freely and lightly, and holding the hand as though suspended in the air (as if weightless).”

3.3. A basic exercise to achieve proper suspension of the MA

      First of all, you have to relax your body, especially the neck and shoulders, because they are the most common source of technical problems. How can you do this?

3.3.1. Initial exercise      
Exercise - sitting at the keyboard (Fig. 3 - video x:xx):

a. Stretch your arms out in front of you, straighten them at the elbows, and clench your fists tightly for 2-3 seconds, then release them. Repeat this a few times (video [wyprost.mp4]). Notice that when you clench your fists, the back of the neck becomes tense - often right at the base of the head. This also works the other way around: a tense neck stiffens the arms. That is why the first step toward relaxing the arms (MA) should be relaxing the neck.

Fig. 3 - move the cursor over the image

b. Next, always maintaing the same position, shake your hands to relax them even more and let them fall freely, loosely, under their own weight. Notice that in this position, i.e. with the arms extended, you do not feel a slightest weight in the elbows1, because the whole MA is supported here by the muscles of the shoulders and the back (my 2020 video - activating the shoulders and back muscles).

1*The elbow and the wrist are points that make it easy to sense and control the movements of the arm and the hand.

c. The fingers and the hands, although keeping their natural curve, are now more or less perpendicular to the keyboard. […] 🔒

d. And now - taking great care not to contract any muscle of the arms nor hands - gently lower the whole MA, using only the muscles of the shoulders and back. You will find that in this way it is possible to obtain a sound thanks to the properties of our ligaments. […] 🔒

e. Then repeat these test notes many times, gradually lowering the wrists to their usual position and slightly bending the arms at the elbows, while at the same time maintaining the initial lightness of the arms and the ligament-based locking of the fingers, i.e. the pushing of the lower units by the higher ones. […] 🔒

3.3.2. Basics of hand relaxation and throwing movements - preparatory exercises

     Reminder:
“[…] letting [the hand] fall [onto the keyboard] by inertia does not correspond to the physical phenomena of free fall, because from the onset this movement is controlled, and above all slowed down.” Czesław Sielużycki - “The pianist’s hand” p. 121, PWM, Cracow 1982

     The most important rule to respect when doing the exercises below (video x:xx):

      All the muscles have to be relaxed, except only those that keep the hand above the keyboard. At the starting position, your hand should hang from the wrist freely, under its own weight.

     Exercises in the air:

a. Let the hand rebound several times, using only the force of the shoulder, so that the knuckles at the base of the fingers are, for a moment, higher than the wrist (the muscles of the hand and wrist remain totally passive!). Make a short pause after each snap.

      👉VERY IMPORTANT!
      Remember that in this Exercise you must not move the hand alone while keeping the forearm and arm still. […] 🔒

b. Do the same without pauses, continuously. It should look like soft waving of the hand and wrist, which still are not working, but are being moved by the force of the shoulder.

     Exercises above the keyboard - without producing sound:

c. Place the third finger (the third, because it is the longest) on the surface of a key and do not take it off for even a moment while doing all the following exercises. From now on, always start from the MW wrist position (explanation of the abbreviations MW-HW-LW), i.e. keep the back of the hand in line with the forearm.

     Perform exercises a and b in this position so as not to press the key.

     Exercises on the keyboard - playing:

d. Repeat the same exercises a and b, but briefly lock all the three joints of the finger when the wrist is in its lowest position - LW. This requires very precise synchronization of this locking with the wrist movement.

In this way you will easily play correct staccato.

      🚨NOTE!
       Although in the above exercises this pendular movement of the hand, set in motion by shoulder impulses, assumes a completely relaxed wrist and passive behavior of the hand, during playing this passivity is to a large extent relative. […] 🔒

3.3.3. Cushioning exercises

      Now we will practice different ways of cushioning the fall of the hand’s weight. Before we can fully control and cushion the fall of the hand, we have to learn to do it with only partial control. Here are five basic exercises that progressively introduce all the necessary parameters for playing portato or staccato - this is the easiest way to obtain the correct movements:

     Exercise 1 - first, let’s test a simple attack without cushioning i.e. without slowing down the fall of the hand’s weight - video x:xx

a. When you decide to produce the sound, start raising the wrist rather slowly to the HW position (not too high).

b. When it reaches the height needed to begin playing (1–2 cm above MW), release the wrist and the shoulder, locking the finger slightly in order to move to LW and produce the sound. […] 🔒 🚨NOTE!
      This is not how you should play! It is only a preliminary exercise the purpose of which is to learn how to let the weight of the MA fall freely while maintaining the flexible wrist. However, you must remember that it is not the hand with the fingers lifted away from the keys that falls from a height, but the whole arm from the wrist up to the shoulder, while the fingers remain as close to the keyboard as possible. Do not be misled when you watch great pianists who can sometimes let the hand drop onto the keyboard from a considerable height and still retain full control. That is already a master level, requiring enormous sensitivity and experience. If you do not have these skills yet, it is safer to keep the fingers close to the keys. Examples - Josef Hofmann, Artur Rubinstein, Emil Gilels.

c. After producing the sound, the wrist slowly returns to the starting position (MW). […] 🔒

     Exercise 2 - attack with vertical cushioning by the wrist (in the plane parallel to the key).

● Proceed in the same way as in Ex. 1, but slightly reduce the speed of the wrist’s fall. In this way you slow down the attack speed, which already enables you to obtain a better quality of sound.

● More information: How to “arm” the thumb (and other fingers)? p. 2.

     Exercise 3 - attack with vertical cushioning by the finger (in the plane parallel to the key).

● Proceed in the same way as in Ex. 1, but at the moment when the wrist is falling down, do not fix the finger immediately. Instead, do it gradually as it sinks into the key. […] 🔒

     Exercise 4 - attack with cushioning by the arm (in the plane perpendicular to the key) - Fig. 4.

Fig. 4

a. If you are playing with the right hand, make a mini- or micro- circular movement of the wrist counterclockwise, that is, for the right hand East (E) ➔ North (N) ➔ West (W), and produce the sound at the moment you pass over South (S).

b. […] 🔒

c. […] 🔒

🚨NOTE!
In exercises 1-4 we produce the sound at the lowest wrist position, LW, that is, at South, if we take the HW position as North.

     Exercise 5 - intermediate lever-type attack - i.e. from below - Fig. 5.


Fig. 5

Legend Fig. 5
       - wrist raising (slightly slowing micro-movement)
       - wrist lowering (slightly accelerating micro-movement)
       - fairly strong acceleration ending with a sound production
       - incorrect, short movement blocking the participation of MA weight

● This type of attack is the most effective. […] 🔒

👉IMPORTANT!
The “from-below” attack has an important impact on sound quality and technique (more information in section 4.2.4.1). But in experienced pianists, who use it frequently, it is rarely noticeable, as it is often “masked” by some downward movement - e.g. a normal fall of the MA’s weight or a throwing movement. You can observe the initial movements of great pianists using YouTube’s frame-by-frame function (video x:xx). And even if you can’t see it in slow motion, that does not mean that the rule isn't being followed. Simply the intention alone is enough to ensure that the MA weight never “sinks” at the bottom of the key.

Summary
      All of these ways of producing sound (i.e. exercises 2 through 5) can be used in any configuration, depending on the musical text and on the hand position on the keyboard required in a given place.

3.4. “Pushing the piano” - a few remarks on this technique

3.4.1. “Pushing the piano” consists in simultaneously opening the arm at the elbow and pressing with the back (torso), so as to achieve contact between the shoulder and the bottom of the key - i.e. the “bridge”. But, although this may seem contradictory, the arm should maintain a constant tendency to open even in the “crane” position, when no key is depressed.

3.4.2. So opening the arm at the elbow is a multifunctional movement that should always be used in playing. Let’s analyze the distribution of the forces shown in Fig. 6:

Fig. 6

  • The horizontal component  primarily maintains the hand above the keyboard. Without it, the elbow pulls the arm backward, causing the hand to constantly slip off the keyboard, negatively affecting technique (video x:xx).
  • The second - and much more important - function of this component is the projection movement of the entire arm from the shoulder. […] 🔒 See 4.2.4.1 and 5.4.3.
  •  The vertical component (the fall of the MA’s weight, which may be supported by muscular force) not only results in the key strike, but also keeps the fingers close to the keyboard, preventing them from moving away from it. […] 🔒 More details in 3.3.2, 3.4.3. and 4.2.



      🚨NOTE!
      “Pushing the piano” must be variable and impulsive, because in order to achieve a sound of equal strength and quality, almost every key requires a different amount of force.

3.4.3. A pushing movement in the direction of the resultant  makes it easier - and, contrary to appearances, faster - to change the hand’s horizontal position (i.e. to transfer it), while also making it possible to mask sound disturbances that this movement may cause. […] 🔒

      You must not forget that the plane of these rotations is not exactly perpendicular to the keyboard - see Fig. 7 below.

Fig. 7

      Here, for example, is a simple diagram (Fig. 8) showing how to play a diminished arpeggio using wrist micro-rotations, provided that you “push the piano” at the same time:

Fig. 8 - video x:xx

🚨NOTE!

  • For simplicity, in my shortened notation for wrist and elbow movements (i.e. the whole arm) I use the vertical arrows and . However, here they do not mean vertical movements, but rotational micro-movements: = or and = or .
  • So the arrows and indicate only the beginning of a movement in a given direction, and
    the wavy line - indicates micro-oscillations of the wrist/arm.
  • […] 🔒

3.4.4. When analyzing the arm movements, we notice that during the movement the elbow not only rises together with the wrist, but at the same time moves forward. So this movement extends the length of the arm, which creates a lever effect that automatically supports “pushing” and makes it easier to obtain fingertip-to-shoulder contact. But during the return movement , the elbow drops and moves back at the same time, which makes this contact more difficult. […] 🔒

      More information: Chopin - Etude in C Major, op. 10 n° 1 (at the bottom of the page) and The weight of the hand(p. 5.3).

      👉IMPORTANT!
      Between two “bridges”, i.e. impulses , the pushing force must never drop to zero. As I have already mentioned, you must never allow it to fall below a certain indispensable minimum.

3.4.5. Another simple exercise
      In point 2 above, I gave an example of moving away from the keyboard. This movement is always associated with opening the arm at the elbow. It is easy to test its advantages on the bass chord below from the ending of Debussy’s “Feuilles mortes” - Fig. 9:

Fig. 9 - video x:xx

      The large distance between the first and second chords forces the pianist to straighten the arms at the elbows, which automatically leads to a correct and easier position.

3.4.6. Excellent examples of how this approach can be used could be observed during the final round of the last Chopin Competition (2025). Three of the eleven candidates (Tianyou Li, Vincent Ong, Miyu Shindo) played the last note of the sequence (marked in red in Fig. 10) with the left hand (LH) in order to increase the security of the attack in piano dynamics. The very young Tianyao Lyu even transferred to the LH all the color-marked notes, i.e. the last note in each technical group. This works precisely due to the arm more extended (more open) at the elbow.

Taking over high treble notes with the left hand shows that, despite the excellent technique these pianists already have, in risky situations they prefer more secure solutions.

Fig. 10

3.5. MA suspension and the use of its weight

      Correct MA suspension is undoubtedly a very important, indispensable component of piano technique, but we must not forget that by itself it is not enough to play the piano well. Suspension means Neuhaus’ “crane” position, which enables the hand to hover over the keyboard. But to play, we need the “bridge” position, i.e. the key strike.

      In chapter The weight of the hand I wrote that “the hand should be both light and heavy at the same time.” This may seem another contradiction, but the point is that the shoulder must be able to release the MA’s weight onto the keyboard not continuously, but only for the brief moment of producing a sound or a series of sounds, and then immediately withdraw that weight in order to ensure the lightness of the hand indispensable for horizontal transfer.

  • So the hand should be:
  • relatively heavy while producing sound
  • and very light - i.e. suspended at the shoulder and hovering above the keyboard - while shifting horizontally..

      So the most important - and the most difficult - skill is oscillating between the heaviness and lightness of the hand so that they are perfectly synchronized with the musical text. Then, releasing the full mass of the MA results in beautiful, full sound, while withdrawing that mass back to the suspension level prevents the hand from becoming heavy when changing position. Without this synchronization, our work on fingers and hand efficiency will never be fully effective, and overloading the fingers caused by insufficient suspension may lead to many technical difficulties and even medical problems.

      The oscillation between releasing and withdrawing weight is sometimes so fast that pianists describe it as “Shaking the arm” or “muscle vibration” (example in the video).

      Below, in point 5 of this chapter, you will find a few practical ways to practice.

3.6. How to practically reconcile the MA’s lightness in the horizontal with its weight in the vertical

3.6.1. Both the “crane” and “bridge” positions operate vertically, but in opposite directions: the “crane” upward , and the “bridge” downward . The “crane” position is intended to ensure the lightness of the MA both when shifting the hand horizontally and when braking and cushioning the fall of the MA’s weight onto the keyboard. The “bridge” position , on the contrary, ensures the release of the appropriate MA mass, in order to connect it to the bottom of the key and thus achieve good sound quality and a stable technique.

      The optimal action on the keyboard is to ensure that each downward movement is made with the intention of returning upward with two possible micro-movements of the wrist and arm: or . This saves time (tempo) and improves the fluidity of playing.

3.6.2. 👉IMPORTANT!
      Specific way of using the hand
Special attention should be given to a particular setup - intermediate to those described above and very useful in practice.

  •       After producing the sound in the bridge position, you immediately raise the MA’s weight, but not completely. […] 🔒

4. How the sound of the piano is produced

4.1. Mechanical process of sound production

  • The MA must release exactly as much energy as is needed at a given moment - no more, because it will be too loud, and no less, because the hammer will either only brush the string, producing an incomplete, buzzing sound, or will not reach it at all and so produce no sound.
  • We therefore first need to answer the question of what the difference is between playing “from the elbow” (Chopin’s term) and playing “from the shoulder”. In other words, why the involvement of the upper arm, the shoulder, and the back is so important in piano playing.

4.1.1. Of course, even a child can press a piano key and produce a sound. But usually this is done using the muscular force of the finger alone, the hand, or at most the forearm (i.e. playing “from the elbow”). The same concerns some inexperienced pianists, because introducing the higher (and heavier!) units into playing is by no means obvious.

4.1.2. Using the weight-fall of the MA, i.e. gravitational force, reduces the effort of the relatively weak finger muscles, which fatigue quickly and, when overloaded, cause forearm pain (i.e. pain in the long finger muscles). And although increasing the weight does not affect the speed of its fall 2, it matters greatly for the stability of MA action. Using the full mass of the MA not only increases momentum - and thus the energy of the key attack - but also strengthens control over how that energy is transmitted to the piano’s mechanism. This, in turn, makes it possible to strike or depress the key more smoothly, thereby increasing the pianist’s technical efficiency, thus permitting a fuller, more saturated sound.

2* Newton’s second law - animation and video video from the Apollo 15 mission.

4.2. Optimal positioning - how to achieve a dynamic and active MA

  • Here we will determine the best configuration of the MA to obtain sound of the required quality.
  • Considering the complexity of the issue, I am breaking the explanation into several stages.

4.2.1. Stage 1 - static setup 
      Let us begin with the opposite of dynamics and activity, i.e. the static MA. Neuhaus’s concepts of the “crane” and the “bridge” are very good and useful, but they are opposite and static images. They can be compared to two single film frames showing two opposite states (Fig. 11a and 11b).

Fig. 11a and 11b - move the cursor over the image - video x:xx

      Of course, even the most correct suspension of the hand above the keyboard (the “crane”) does not guarantee that we will obtain the desired kind of sound, because it is not a rigid position that determines this, but movement , i.e. the transition from the “crane” to the “bridge”. It is movement  that determines all the nuances of mechanical production of sound, and correct MA suspension provides an optimal starting situation - freedom of movement.

4.2.2. Stage 2 - partially active dynamic setup
      Assuming that in the “crane” position the fingertip pad lightly touches the surface of the key, in order to produce a sound - i.e. to reach the “bridge” position - it is sufficient to press the key by only about 8 mm. However, this may be tiring for the finger muscles if we leave this movement to be executed by the flexors alone. But if instead we divide this effort between all the MA joints, i.e. if each of them does only its part of the work, we will reach the bottom of the key in a much more advantageous way:

  • not only will the relatively weak finger muscles be less charged,
  • but we will automatically bring the higher units into action (cf. subpoint 4.1 above).

4.2.2.1. How are the forces distributed?
      The objective is to activate the entire “machine,” i.e., to distribute the effort across all the MA units (see Fig. 11c). In theory, with equal proportions, each of them would move in the joints by just over 1.5 mm.

Fig. 11a and 11c - move the cursor over the image - video x:xx

      Of course, in practice, equal proportions are rare, and they are not the objective here. Instead of millimeters, you should concentrate on evening out the sound.

  • Legend Fig. 11c (move the cursor over the image)
  • R1  - resistance of the piano’s mass, felt by the finger at the bottom of the key
  • R2  - pressure of the pianist’s body mass onto the MA
  • - micro-impulse from the shoulder (forward)
  • - opening of the arm at the elbow
  • - minimal raising of the wrist
  • - a hand-at-the-wrist motion resembling rolling a sheet of paper - 4.2.4.1

🚨NOTE!
In addition, there is extension (straightening) of the fingers at all joints, causing the hand to close at the metacarpal level - see p. 1.4 of the article How to “arm” the thumb (and other fingers)?.

4.2.3. Stage 3 - how does an architectural arch work?

      Despite a different shape, the mechanism shown in Fig. 11c, 13d and 13e works on the same principle as an architectural arch (Fig. 12, Wikipedia), i.e. the bone of one unit pushes the bone of the next.

      In order for the “bridge” between the shoulder and the bottom of the key to actually form, it is not enough to press the key even in the most correct way. It also requires bracing the MA between R1  and R2 , - i.e. using slightly more force than is needed to simply depress the key. Why?

Fig. 12

  • Legend Fig. 12
  • Red elements - the supports, i.e. resistances R1  and R2  in Figs. 11c, 13d and 13e
  • White elements - the arch segments, i.e. the units of the MA
  • Blue element - the keystone; it closes the arch and distributes the pressure toward the supports

      In architecture, such an arch supports itself due to the distribution of compressive forces through all the arch segments - from the keystone toward the supports. The “bridge” on the keyboard works on the same principle:

  • the units of the MA correspond to the arch segments,
  • resistances R1  and R2  are the supports,
  • and the elbow functions as the keystone, but in this case a flexible one - it must not block anything.

 

      This is why maintaining continuous body pressure (R2 ) - i.e. “pushing the piano” (cf. 3.4) - as well as opening the arm at the elbow are so important. […] 🔒

4.2.4. Stage 4 - fully active - dynamic setup, i.e. “arming” the shoulder

Fig. 13d and 13e (continuation of Figs. 11a-c) - move the cursor over the image - animation - video x:xx

  • Legend Fig. 13d and 13e (move the cursor over the image)
  • Reminder:
  • R1  - resistance of the piano’s mass, felt by the finger at the bottom of the key
  • R2  - pressure of the pianist’s body mass onto the MA
  • Operating principle
  • X1 - before the attack, the MA is slightly shorter (Fig. 13d)
  • X2 - at the moment of attack, the MA extends slightly (Fig. 13e)
  • The entire MA should work like a spring that pushes resistances R1 and R2
  • I remind that the “entire MA” means not only the shoulder, arm, and hand, but also the fingers. So each finger should work like a spring too, combining its force with that of the higher units.
  • Operating mode
  • - backward head tilt 3
  • - pressure from the torso acting as resistance 4
  • - micro-impulse from the shoulder (forward) - imagine that the arm at its base is as if “separated” from the shoulder (see 3.4.2 and 5.4.5)
  • - opening the arm at the elbow (simultaneously causes a slight rising of the elbow and its slight movement away from the torso - forward and outward)
  • - minimal raising of the wrist
  • - hand movement at the wrist - key guidancein section 4.2.4.1 below
  • 🚨NOTE!
  • The arrows in Fig. 13d, in a paler color and pointing in the opposite direction from those in Fig. 13e, indicate a slight preparatory movement for the movement producing the sound. This may even be just an intention, with no visible motion at all.

3*The backward tilt of the head may be smaller or larger, but it should always be energetic and coupled with a proportional straightening of the back - together, they strengthen impulses from the shoulder as well as the arms’ projection movements. Relaxing the neck (3.3) is crucial here. For many pianists, the head-tilt movement is clearly visible (4.2.4.3), but for others it may be very discreet.

4*The forward lean of the torso comes from bending at the hips and requires stable support for the feet (or at least one foot). But the pushing apart effect between R1  and R2  can also be obtained with an upright posture, without moving closer to the keyboard (as, for example, A. Rubinstein) - the torso’s pressure onto the keyboard is then transmitted discreetly by the arms. A slight lean is nonetheless often helpful, especially for beginners.

4.2.4.1. 👉VERY IMPORTANT! (this point completes the information contained in the description of Exercise 5)

      I would like to draw your special attention to this multifunctional hand-at-the-wrist movement. It is a from-below lever attack - Fig. 13e above, i.e. with a raised wrist, reminiscent of rolling a sheet of paper - one of the most effective pianistic movements. Its purpose is to give the fingers additional energy by pressing the hand (the palm) fairly firmly onto the keyboard.

4.2.4.2. Activity during “arming” the shoulder

a. Body readiness
You must remain in constant readiness to attack the keyboard. It may resemble preparing for a jump: the muscles needed for the task are slightly tensed, while all others are relaxed so as not to disturb, not to slow down the movement.

This is what is indicated by the slightly paler colors of the arrows in diagram 13d.

b. Hand readiness
The fingers and hand must be “prehensile” - each finger must be able to “catch” the key with its tip as the hand closes or opens. Of course, this ability is powered and stabilized by the support of the higher, heavier units.

c. Activity of the entire MA
It also involves giving it minimal momentum even before sinking into a key - you should never strike a key starting from complete immobility. This does not mean that before striking a key you have to raise your finger above the keyboard. As a rule, the fingers should strike the keys from as close a distance as possible, and the momentum is provided by an initial whole-body motion, the arm “armed” at the shoulder and the metacarpal.

Some pianists do this by making a smaller or larger wrist circle before the first attack (of a piece, a phrase). Others do this in a way completely invisible to us, which does not mean they are not doing it - this mini-circle is as if incorporated into the attack.

So full “arming” of the shoulder means a smooth transition from the “active crane” to the “active bridge”, i.e. a springy attack on the key(s) and an immediate, automatic return to the starting position by bouncing off the keyboard, ensuring an identical starting position for the next attack.

      🚨NOTE!
      One of the most important skills of every pianist is playing with an even sound. In order to achieve this uniform sound quality, nearly every finger has to do slightly different work and use slightly different force, meaning that the parameters of playing are constantly changing depending on the musical text. In even playing, the MA movements are therefore not identical. What must be identical is the sound quality, i.e. the speed at which each key sinks.

4.2.4.3. Examples from Josef Hofmann's recording (original video)

      Returning to our film comparison: the static situation (4.2.1) is already like a fragment of a moving film, but still only a short clip taken out of context. To obtain a complete film, the movements must be linked so that the end of one movement simultaneously becomes the beginning of the next. Only then do we obtain the exact continuous “film” of our comparison. This applies not only to the hand or the MA, but to the entire body. Here is a very interesting example of preparatory movements from Josef Hofmann’s performance of Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C-sharp minor - video x:xx. Hofmann not only leans left or right depending on the musical text (so as to change the angle between the forearms and the keyboard as little as possible), but also does so with proper anticipation (Fig. 14 below - move the cursor over the image and read the description carefully:

  • when striking the octaves in the bass, and thus leaned to the left, he does not remain in this position (which is a common mistake), but already begins to lean to the right;
  • and the opposite: he is already leaning to the left when playing in the higher part of the keyboard the last chord before the low octaves.

Fig. 14 - move the cursor over the image - video x:xx

Top arrows - this is how the pianist is seen en face.
Bottom arrows (mirrored left-to-right) - this is how the pianist sees the keyboard.

4.2.4.4.

      One more detail of this film is worth noticing: each chord is supported by a quick movement of the head. This activates the optimal mechanism - most of the weight needed for playing comes not from the MA, but from the torso, activated by the head movements based on mechanical resonance. In this way, the playing process requires the least energy. But the art is to avoid fragmenting, “chopping up” the melodic line while supporting so each chord separately.

      Some pianists even stand up for a moment to press the weight of the entire body on the keyboard. Look, for example, at Maurizio Pollini (Fig. 15). From this angle, you can also clearly see in the video how close his hands and fingers are to the keyboard (I recommend watching the video in full screen).

Fig. 15 - move the cursor over the image original video

5. More on imagination

Exercises that facilitate the proper positioning of the MA

I have mentioned imagination many times above. Not only does it guide us through the entire performance process, but it is also an excellent tool for understanding and applying various technical means. Here are a few of them, which use imagination when positioning the MA.

5.1. The bottle

Fig. 16 - move the cursor over the image video x:xx

      Imagine that instead of a forearm you have a bottle half-filled with water. Of course, water always flows downward, so in position 16a, flowing backward from the wrist to the elbow, it weights the elbow down. This makes the hand too light.

      In position 16b it is the opposite: the water flows forward, weighting down the hand and the elbow becomes light and easy to move.

      👉VERY IMPORTANT!
      It is not necessary for the elbow to be physically higher than the wrist. Many pianists play excellently while keeping their elbow lower than their wrist. The drawing serves only the imagination: the suspension of the arm should be as if you could “feel the fluid” flowing down from your elbow to your hand.
      Of course, forearm positioning alone is not enough. Impulses from the shoulder are always needed, and they must be transmitted to the keyboard.

5.2. “A very long” finger , i.e. an arm “without an elbow”

      As in point 5.1, this is about creating contact between the shoulder and the key. Autosuggestion and imagination can sometimes help. Just imagine that your finger begins at the shoulder, that you have no elbow, and so mini-impulses from your shoulder reach directly the bottom of the key. (Fig. 17).

Fig. 17

5.3. The “itching” of the fingertip

      Some teachers use the following metaphor: just before striking the key, the fingertip that is about to play should be felt as if it's “itching”. It means that the finger is prepared for the attack to such an extent that it produces this kind of impression. I can confirm that something like this can indeed occur, although in my case the whole process is divided rather into three stages: first the “arming” of the shoulder and arm, then the “arming” of the metacarpus, and it is at the very end that the fingertip is fully ready for contact with the key. Of course, these three stages follow one another at an extremely fast tempo, but you must be aware of them.

5.4. Shoulders contracted by stage fright - influence on technique and memory

5.4.1. Action of the shoulder and back muscles

      As already mentioned, the shoulder and back muscles work to support the arm suspended above the keyboard. They work, so they have to contract, but the same muscles should be ready to relax at any moment so that the release of the MA’s weight onto the keyboard can be regulated.

5.4.2. What stage fright can do

      Some stressed pianists suffer from “paralyzing stage fright,” which causes their shoulders to stiffen. This is caused by a natural human defensive reflex consisting of simultaneously raising the shoulders and both hands forward, as if trying to push someone away (Fig. 18a).

Fig. 18 - move the cursor over the image video x:xx

      Of course, the hands rise as high as shown in Fig. 18a only in extreme situations of immediate danger. However, even slight - and most often unconscious - tension in the shoulders is enough to seriously limit the player’s technical abilities - Fig. 18b (Fig. 18c shows the shoulders relaxed). Such tension causes the MA to block in a permanent “crane” position, so that the fingers, deprived of shoulder support, cannot function efficiently.

5.4.3. Help from imagination

      Once again, imagination can help us here. It is enough to think that the horizontally directed shoulder impulse results in a slight separation of the arm from the shoulder (3.4.2). As if the shoulder impulse were pushing the base of the upper arm through a thin, air-filled cushion. The point is to relax most of the muscles in the shoulder area - above all in the upper arm (biceps! 💪) - and not to strike the keyboard with a tense MA, because this causes technical problems and a harsh, unpleasant sound. At the same time, it is also advisable to relax the neck. (3.3). For a period of time, until this becomes a reflex, one must think about it consciously.

5.4.4. Technique and memory

5.4.4.1. As already noted, the muscles of the back, shoulders, neck, arms, and hands work together continuously, and the benefits of relaxing them are not limited to technique alone. Excessive muscle tension caused by stress not only interferes with the mechanics of playing, but also blocks the flow of information from the brain to the fingers, making memory slips more likely and sometimes even leading to an interruption of playing.

  • Here are a few examples of memory mistakes caused by stress:
  • If a difficult spot often does not go well and the player anticipates it with apprehension (consciously or subconsciously), it is very likely that he/she will make a mistake just there. This happens because they unintentionally tense their muscles at that moment.
  • And even if that sensitive passage is played correctly, the feeling of relief may lead to a relaxation of attention and to a mistake a moment later. And this in an easy passage that had never previously caused any difficulty.
  • A memory slip may happen at any moment, not only in a difficult place. A slight, uncontrolled increase in muscle tension or some unnecessary thought disrupting communication between the brain and the fingers may be enough to provoke one.

5.4.4.2. A very useful exercise - for both memory and technique

      A very good exercise is to play every note at a slow or moderate tempo and staccatissimo, i.e. very short, dry staccato, including absolutely every note: long notes, legato passages, and even trills and ornaments (of course slowed down accordingly). Literally everything staccatissimo. This exercise is excellent for technique, because it forces you to play every note clearly, without exception, and for memory, because you must be fully aware of which notes must be played together. To make it even more effective, you can practice it at different dynamic levels - from pp to ff (video x:xx).

5.4.5. 🚨IMPORTANT NOTE!

      Although suspension of the MA above the keyboard is an upward movement of the arms, it must never be performed nor even associated with raising the shoulders. To avoid this mistake, I repeat, you should relax the shoulder area (shoulder joint) by imagining that your arm is slightly extended forward, as if separated from the torso. This image helps in performing the movement of “pushing the piano” and at the same time prevents unnecessary tension in the muscles of the MA. You must pay attention to this. The more so because raising the shoulders is often unconscious.

5.5. Imagining the solar plexus

      Another way of using your imagination to relax while playing is presented in a short video “Global relaxation through the solar plexus”.

5.6. To recapitulate

      James Ching James Ching wrote “[...] technical problems are seldom solved through artistic or interpretative means” (Czesław Sielużycki - “The pianist’s hand” p. 16, PWM, Cracow 1982), but, of course, “seldom” does not mean “never”.

      Analyses of pianistic movements can be very useful. But at a certain point they have to be stopped. You should then focus almost exclusively on tone quality and on the music itself. Moreover, the very search for a beautiful sound slows the attack naturally. And this can even help resolve some technical problems.

      The most practical strategy therefore seems to be “digging the tunnel simultaneously from both ends,” i.e. applying movement analysis while at the same time consciously seeking a beautiful and even sound.

      Of course, it cannot be guaranteed that all of the above methods using imagination will be effective for everyone. However, there is no reason not to try them out.

6. How Josef Hofmann forgot the program of his concert 😊

Source: this is a crop from the image Snooker Freeball, Original author: Barfisch, License: CC BY-SA 3.0

As a reward for those of you who persisted and have made it to the end of this chapter 😊, I will share a short story told by my professor, who witnessed this amusing incident.

Josef Hofmann was famous for his phenomenal memory and for his tours, during which he played in a different city every day, and each time a different program. My professor, Bolesław Woytowicz (1899 - 1980), as a boy in his teens, followed Hofmann from city to city in order to hear all the programs.
      One evening, a full concert hall was waiting for the concert, but the maestro was not appearing. So long that everyone became worried. At last, someone remembered that Hofmann was an avid billiards player. He must be playing billiards! So a carriage was sent for him as quickly as possible. And indeed, Hofmann was already dressed for the concert, but he had lost all sense of time at the billiard table. So he was immediately driven to the concert hall. He went out onto the stage, bowed, sat down at the piano, and… froze motionless. It lasted for quite a while. Finally, he stood up, walked over to the first row of the audience, and asked if he might have a program. He had a quick glance at it, then calmly returned to the piano and played the entire recital 😊