How to Play the Piano Fast: The Real Reason You Struggle with Speed Walls
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 มิ.ย. 2024
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Speed is a 'counterintuitive beast', and it does not respond well to 'finger drills' 😅. So what is the real secret behind effortless velocity? Watch this video to find out! 🎓
This tutorial (along with a 'companion' article) is also available for free on my blog, PianoCareer.com:
www.pianocareer.com/piano-tec...
Video highlights:
00:00. Introduction. Coming up in this video...
00:48. Why are your fingers slow and disobedient? It's time for a change of perspective!
01:29. Secret No. 1: whole-arm action. The engine and the 'wheels'.
04:05. Playing a simple C Major scale without arm involvement.
05:13. What happens when we play a passage by using whole-arm action? 'Leading' with the arm.
06:20. Whole-arm action is the foundation - not a replacement for finger work. How to learn this technique.
07:07. Secret No. 2: Correct body-arm-wrist-hand alignment. The most common mistakes in this area.
07:55. Posture and alignment principles that facilitate velocity. The ergonomic oblique 'three-dimensional' hand-forearm alignment.
10:38. Secret No. 3: arm & wrist navigation. The easy way to conquer wide passages.
12:40. The 'launchpad' trick.
13:31. Secret No. 4: relaxation. Tension and speed cannot coexist!
14:53. Relaxation does not mean 'lack of control'. The healthy cycle of effort/relaxation.
15:44. Secret No. 5: visualization and mental training. The fingers cannot move faster than your brain!
17:34. What happens when you learn a piece on your own, without watching a professional demonstration. Why your fingers should never be in charge.
18:40. Speed comes from the brain, from our inner hearing.
19:41. Bonus tips. The importance of technical training.
20:50. For optimal results, the foundation AND the roof, the engine and the wheels, need to be in good shape.
21:09. Your level matters as well!
21:51. Ultimately, music is not about speed! Why speed is like happiness.
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![How to Avoid Piano Injuries | Get Rid of Tension and Pain [Hand, Wrist, Elbow, Shoulder & Back]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/tf2rbCjOpfA/mqdefault.jpg)
Hi guys! Don't miss the free resources from the Description Box above: my ebook "A New Perspective on Piano Phrasing" - and the 7 video episodes from the "Piano Myths" series. Enjoy! 🥰
heya, i heavily struggle from finger and wrist pain, even tho ive done most things ive found to get recommended a lot (warmup, playing the same stuff a buncha times to get my hands used to it etc...) and my fingers always stiffen up whenever i dont use em to play... it demotivates me heavily since whenever i play for more than 15 minutes, itlll hurt and ill need to stop or ill feel the pain days after..... do you have any advice ? i dont have any medical complications, im just a beginner and it seems i have either the wrong posture, warmup exercizes or sth else ...
@@arn0000 Hi! Warm-ups and playing your pieces many times will never help if your posture and technique are incorrect. I recommend to begin by watching my tutorial focused on injury prevention: [ th-cam.com/video/tf2rbCjOpfA/w-d-xo.html ]. You can also watch my videos about correct posture and key attack [ th-cam.com/video/InqmH-o1cX0/w-d-xo.html ], [ th-cam.com/video/Y8xF8F6mykM/w-d-xo.html ]. And, of course, the posture/technique tips I share in the video above will also help you to prevent pain and injuries (I'm talking about whole-arm action, correct alignment, comfortable bench distance/height, relaxation, correct wrist technique etc.).
@@pianocareer tyvm, i'll give it another shot !
Imagining the fingers as just the wheels and powering from the whole suspension of the arms like a car was a great analogy thank you!
You are very welcome! I'm happy you enjoyed this tutorial! 😊
As always, an exceptional video, and very motivating. Thank you so much
Glad you enjoyed it, Daniel! 🥰
This is just excellent advice
Thank you, Richard! :)
First thing do not be afraid of making a mistake. I was very slow because I didnt want to make a mistake. Finally I decided just do it. There were a ton a mistakes but eventually my speed became faster with no mistakes. I no longer play many classic pieces so I do not have to be that precise. I was classically trained and had to learn every note. Now I just let it go and fly over the keys. Speed will come keep pushing yourself. Make yourself happy because nobody else cares, just you.
Thank you!
Thank you so much! This is exactly what I need to hear!!!
You are very welcome! :)
This must be one of the most informative video I've ever seen on youtbe, thank you very much !!
My pleasure! I'm happy this video was helpful! 😉
Thanks 🎉
This is a well presented explanation. All this time, I've been concentrating on my fingers. Can't wait to try this. Thank you, Ilinca!
You are very welcome! Enjoy your practice! 🥰
Thank you for sharing your Wisdom.
You are so welcome! 🥰
You are amazing 😍 ! Thanks for share
Thank you for your appreciation, Emanuele! :)
Great video, very technical, very valuable !
Thank you, Richar! :)
Wonderful video. I just bought my first weighted-keys piano and realized it requires a completely different kind of effort to play it compared to an electronic keyboard.
I would consider myself a "beginning intermediate"----approximately. In my personal opinion, which is all anyone can offer, this video is the best and most helpful video on increasing speed that I have found on the internet. As are so many of your videos that I've watched. And, I am glad you now appear to be in Estonia and away from Moldova. You are the absolute best teacher for anyone who is serious about learning to play piano. Providing they are mature and have realistic patience. You have to enjoy the journey. No matter how much aptitude someone has for learning piano, no one can go from zero to Yuja Wang in a year or two (if ever).
Thank you so much, Kanti! 🥰
Thank you for these advices ! I am a 3y adult begginer and wonder what was the more efficient way to speed up.
Some comments let me think it’s about the brain and all but I think that for my piano level and for anyone watching, it can only bring improvement no matter what theorical barrers would slow our progression later.
I will try this for a moment and maybe give a feedback below to encourage newcomers.
Thank you, Dorian! Yes, our brain plays a big role in our ability to play fast. We can only play as fast as our mind can imagine sounds - but (as I also mention in the video), the brain can be TRAINED 😇. This is called 'neuroplasticity', and that's why correct practice and an ergonomic technique are so powerful. However, after only 3 years of practice, please don't worry about speed too much. At this stage, you need to focus on your pieces (including Studies), and bring them to a tempo that is appropriate for your level. If your repertoire is selected correctly, this final tempo will not be too fast. Nobody can reach 'virtuoso' speeds as a late beginner (and child prodigies are the rare exception, not the rule). I also recommend to not skip your scale practice - but it's important to do it correctly, with a focus on healthy technique and beautiful sound production (not just speed). Speed is the 'cherry on the cake', and it usually comes naturally if all the other pillars are in place. The entire process is covered in our step-by-step Courses at PianoCareerAcademy.com 😊 - including our Scale & Arpeggio Course.
P.S. Almost forgot: you mentioned that you'll try my advice 'for a moment' and see if it works. However, please note that 'a moment' will not solve anything. This video is a pointer to the path, not the path itself. The information I share here can only work if you apply it correctly and consistently for a longer period of time 😉.
@@pianocareer thank you for your detailed answer. As I'm a beginner I just want to speed up and free my right hand but of course I know it’s far from virtuosity 😅 I will try your courses and create a daily routine with it. A lifetime of work I guess is waiting me 😁
I’ve tried all this and more for 30 years. I still can’t play faster than 70% speed. Every teacher I’ve had tells me to loosen up, use arm weight, play from the whole body, release tension, etc, etc. The result is a speed barrier of 70%. I can digitally accelerate my playing to 100% and it sounds fantastic, so the dynamics, tone, and contouring at 70% must be correct. I think the real problem is this: I just don’t have the right neural wiring in my brain and arms, or my forearms have some kind of musculature defect. I was in the performance program at UofT after only 4 years of playing (having started at 16). I figure they admitted me in that basis since my speed was still on the slower side, but I was playing some of the Etudes after 4 years at 70%. I was never able to improve on this speed. Advice on relaxing the hand, using the arm have become a kind of philosophical platitude to me. Perhaps with future technology, it will be possible to explain what movements are required at the most granular level. I would need a computer program that captures the precise muscle movements of Zimmerman or Hamelin and sends the electrical signals through my body so that I can observe what all these pianists actually MEAN when they describe these techniques. I would experience the hundreds of muscles contracting and eventually learn the pattern and have an epiphany. Short of that, if you can’t play at 100% speed by the age of 12, you’re doomed.
Thank you for sharing your experience! This is actually a very interesting topic - and I know a few people who struggle with the same problem you described. They, too, think that speed barriers are caused by their 'wiring', and are constantly looking for muscular solutions at 'granular' level 😅. Of course, this MIGHT be the case, as we are infinitely complex (and different) beings. However, I noticed that speed issues can also be caused by our inner hearing and imagination (I think I explain this in the video as well). So it's not just the brain 'wiring' - it's how we use it, and how we train it. Neuroplasticity is a real thing - and our brain constantly changes according to the training we subject it to. Correct technique is crucial - but without the clear guidance of the mind and inner hearing, the muscles cannot do much. In my experience, playing fast is a spiral loop and a cycle where multiple elements 'feed' into each other, acting as important stepping stones: we have pre-hearing, mental practice, technical training (and using the right movements), correct practice (the right ratios of hands-separately, slow-to-fast, 'magnifying glass'), listening to recordings (and allowing them to shape the way we hear and imagine the music) etc. Of course, there's only so much I can share in a comment - but ultimately there are no 'fixed mathematical formulas' that would work for all of us. As teachers, we can simply explain the main 'building blocks' (and demonstrate how to use them, and why) - but the exact 'micro-ratios' need to be discovered by each student through experience 😇.
Mammm. While the explanation you're saying about the fingers. Weak keys, and will this occur for a independent fingers.🤔
And apart, your theory is just fascinating and i loved it plus ive got and idea of what it is now. And your beautiful as well😊 thx a lot. 💜
Hello, I have some question: Do you think that we must use this holistic technic from the beginning, when we learn to play piano ? As I play since lot of years but I have never done this before, I mean using all the body and the arms, I just played with fingers and wrist. Now I have started to practice this technic and watching you playing is very helpful, I found it is a better way to play but I have trouble to do it, it seems I have not enough physical power from the back and also to move the arms up and down. It is tiring and after few minutes I have to stop and play as before. Do you think it takes time to learn it , maybe months ? Thank you very much and many compliments for your amazing videos.
Hi! In our part of the world, most professional students learn whole-arm action from the very first piano lesson. This is the ideal scenario - but it's also 100% possible to learn this ergonomic technique later in life, and re-train your playing habit even as an experienced pianist. Most of our members at PianoCareerAcademy switch to whole-arm action after many years of 'finger playing', and they make wonderful progress! Of course, this technique is quite complex, and it does take time to learn it (at least several months, sometimes a bit more). Plus, it's much easier to learn it in a step-by-step progressive manner, non-legato first, by using very easy pieces. Otherwise, if you try to apply whole-arm action to your current intermediate or advanced repertoire, without understanding all its nuances and without training your muscles correctly - it's only natural to feel tired and switch back to finger action. You can find more information in some of my other TH-cam videos - and also on PianoCareerAcademy.com. In the Members Area you will find step-by-step Courses and in-depth tutorials that will help you to learn whole-arm action from scratch, according to the professional method. More information about our program in our FAQs [ www.pianocareeracademy.com/faqs ] 😉.
Thank you very much.
Very good ... as always (may be à little too long .... with some répétitions) 👍👍
thé Best i prefer : "piano player is not a typewriter !" 😄😄 C U soon on TH-cam
Thank you! 😉 This video is in fact very short, only 23 minutes, with barely any repetitions 😊. This is possible because of rigorous scripting. In real life, serious lessons/masterclasses last at least 45 minutes - and many concepts are repeated multiple times, for better retention.
One question. Will it depend of pieace we play.
The principles I share in this tutorial are foundational, and apply to everything we play. However, we can also use additional practice methods depending on the exact piece (or fragment) we play. I cover lots of them in my videos focused on specific pieces.
The real reason is your nervous system. Either you can play fast or you never will
That may be true - but only partially. I started my piano journey at the age of 6 (by attending a professional Russian-style musical lyceum). If the nervous system was the only criterion for developing speed, then at least a few of my colleagues would not have been able to pass their technical exams (where we had strict tempo requirements for our scales and arpeggios). However, because the curriculum was so thorough, and the method so effective, all of us were able to develop good speed. Sure, for some this was more difficult (requiring more work), but perseverance worked wonders 😇. So I think that our individuality does plays a big role, but there are things we can do to compensate for our weaknesses.
私はこのyoutubeのchannel登録していますが。My English isn’t very good
To not understand the meaning
なので、まずは英語がわかるよう、頑張ります❗️💪thank you