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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 เม.ย. 2020
- In this video I talk about the importance of keeping your wrist loose and relaxed while playing piano. I also show my favorite exercise to help keep the wrist, arm and hand loose. How To Keep A Relaxed Wrist While Playing The Piano. Piano technique for beginners.
Tension while playing is a huge cause of injury as well as a lack of fluency. I hope these tips and lessons can help you in your piano journey!
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#piano #technique #pianolesson #relaxedwrist - เพลง
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I somehow forgot my login password. I would appreciate any assistance you can give me.
@Kyler George instablaster =)
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I see it takes quite some time so I will get back to you later with my results.
@Liam Christian it worked and I actually got access to my account again. I'm so happy!
Thanks so much, you really help me out!
@Kyler George you are welcome :)
Oh my god. I played piano for 13 years and had to quit due to tension in my wrist.
Came across this randomly and am practicing it in a table in front of me, and I finally feel what a relaxed wrist and forearm feels like. It's euphoric
do you still play rn?
i've been playing piano for 10 years, and my teacher has recently started telling me i have this problem: im not using my fingertip strength, rather im using my wrist and therefore am tense and have unfocused tones. i'm going to try this and see if it works! thanks for the advice
Thank you so much, I've started playing piano recently and I could not for the love of me understand how to play with just the fingers and release this tension in the wrists. And you explained it, I finally understand! Great channel, gonna keep watching!
I'm so glad! Thanks for the support 🙏
Amazing!
I saw the comment on top and I was like yeah this is what everyone always say but it never works for me... I've been to " God knows how much " videos on TH-cam and finally I found something that helps
I have had issues with tension with everything in life (drawing, knitting, writing with a pen!) and I have watched countless videos on piano tension, tried several books, etc and finally I think you've explained it. While I understood everything I watched and read - with my history just saying relax means nothing to me because I don't know what that feels like! I tried to copy the techniques and I really wasn't getting it, I still had tight muscles and tension. Your explanation with feeling the muscles in the forearm with your other hand - I did that and finally got it testing with wrist held straight versus actually relaxed! All the other things I've found kept saying to relax your arm and wrist (but not how to check that the muscles are not engaged and stiff). This is an excellent video and actually explains the process/technique!
Thank you so much for the comment! I understand exactly what where you're coming from. I too struggled with tension in all areas of my life (even simple things like holding a book!) and I discovered that it stemmed from years of playing the piano in a extremely tense way. I basically had taught my muscles to tense up and hold tension instead of releasing it. And now, years later, I can play without tension and I've gained a lot of insights into injury-preventive technique and want to share my knowledge! Thank you again for the support!!
I second this! Thank you for your explanation!!!
I've always noticed how pianists would "goose neck" their wrists at rests or while changing positions on the keyboard. Today I learned why.
i have this problem too and i'm playing moonlight sonata 3rd mvt!! the song is fast and it's annoying when i have to play it fast with so much tension
It is a very common problem, I hope the video helped!
This is my biggest weakness. Thanks for the advice!
Very helpful! :)
This is a very good exercise! Thank you very much!
very helpful for begginers like me 💗
Very helpful and important video. Thank you
Thanks, that's a good education video I can recommend
i tried this and it helped so much! But using the finger muscles made me play everything in pianissimo because of my weak fingers, can you make a video about increasing finger strength?
Totally excellent video and explanation for an aspect of technique that's so important.
Thank you for the good explanation.
Thanks for your helpful suggestions I really suffer from tension and I didn't know any way to loose my wrist
Thanks Craig 🎉
Just discovered your channel and I love it. There's so much crap out there from youtube piano teachers that don't really teach you anything of substance. (Lots of click bait, basic stuff, rambling, etc). Your videos are exactly what I was looking for. Thank you!
Thank you! I'm so glad that it is helpful!! Thanks for the support!!
Totally agree, "so much crap."
I have a huge problem with that 😭
I really want to relax.
Thanks for this video! The best demonstration on wrist form that I have come across.
Your very welcome! I am glad that it was helpful.
Who else clicked because of the dog ? By the way excellent explanation!! great job! I'm dealing with teaching my students how to relax the wrist, this video is very clear!
I'm so glad it was helpful!
Not only because of the dog but it was an added incentive. We can't get enough creative humor.
Very informative video thank you so much!
You are welcome! So glad it was helpful.
hi there. i am a currently music student majoring in piano performance and my wrist tension is such a hindrance to my playing. i will try this technique and hopefully it will help! thanks so much. 🤩
I just discovered this channel and it looks like you have soo many more instructional videos, Thank you!
Yes! And I post new videos every week! You are very welcome and thanks!
Thank you
I watched this a few days ago. I can’t believe how much I have improved. I have been having problems with my right hand second finger. It will lift up or weak to play trills between 2nd and 3rd also sometimes. What I didn’t realize Al these years this is due to tension at my wrist. I only tried the technique here for 3 days. Once the wrist is relax enough the fingers can easily dropped to the bottom of the key also more easily connected without lifting. The fast passages also become much easier. It is a work in progress and need to get used to this but I can see how much I can get better. Thank you so much!
Glad to hear it was helpful!
Thanks for these advices, I got pain in my hands maybe because of tension because of a ballade of Chopin , I’ll try those exercices !
Thanks for wonderful tip. I need help also right posture for keyboard player in standing
Merci.
Unfortunately I have a FURS Syndrome and cannot live without tension in my shoulder.
But I've learned to help others with their tensions, and you really impress me with your attention to this detail.
Thank you, very helpful, I have arthritis so find this extremely challenging, any advice?
Saw the picture of the dog and it's paw = Mindblown! Now I'm playing Paginini! Just kidding! really thank you for the dog paw illustration!
Haha nice.
I too found this to be very helpfull!
You're very welcome! I'm so glad the video was helpful!
Hi, thanks for the relaxation of the wrist problem which is great and really appreciated. After following the procedure I find it fairly easy to do . The problem that I have is my right shoulder is tense no matter what I try. I have tried the shoulder shrug which works at the time until I start playing. Can you help please?
I've been doing this as part of my daily warmups for about 2 months now and this exercise has really helped me a lot. So thank you!
You're very welcome!
This is a game changer video, I've been looking for answers for my sore wrists and most of the shows talks a lot of ... but this one shows a practice solution to deal with the problem! Now I know what should I do everyday while I am sitting in front of my piano! Appreciate your teaching, will share this with my friends.
Great teaching. Maybe one of the best videos beginners should watch.
Easy to understand explanation of technique and feel how, why and when. Multiple camera angles are a big plus. Nice basic examples for beginners + how to use it later on. Also love that you cover one subject/drill in one video. Lots of video's are overkill of information. You keep it simple, understandable for everyone and explain what + how you can/should feel that you're applying the right technique. This is the first I see combining all the above. Clear to me that you really understand teaching and the brain of (your) students. Hoping to see a lot more of your teaching. Ps. I came across your video while searching for a basic video for my girlfriend on how to relax while starting to learn to play the piano. Keep it up, blessings to you and your loved ones. ;)
Hope you get a lot more subscribers. ;)🍀🙏
Wow, thank you very much for the kind words! I do put a lot of time and effort into the videos, so it is wonderful to hear that they are useful and enjoyed by people. Thank you again and I am so very glad that you found the video helpful!
And thanks for the support!
Thanks for the tips! I’m a 17 year old with carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands and I’m really struggling to stay relaxed when playing Schubert’s fourth impromptu especially during the trio and the cascading arpeggios (so most of the piece 😅). It’s so excessive that I practice for 20 minutes and I have to stop because of the pain and it lingers for the rest of the day so hopefully these tips can help
Update on how your wrists are?
You okay?
Is this the reason why pianists raise their hands during performance besides of visual effect?
Really good tip for releasing tension while playing staccato but what if you have to play legato ?
I find my wrist very tense when playing chords rather than single notes. Any suggestions?
Thanks for video, I will practice what you demonstrated. Can I please ask how you get the different video angles at the same time.? Thank you
You're welcome!
I shoot each video with two cameras (one from the side and one overhead) and use software to edit them together in post.
Can you give an example with a piece?
I'm learning the chopin nocturne op9 no1 in Bb minor. It's hard to relax when playing the left hand
Going thru C's catalog again from beginning. This is about releasing tension in wrist, hand using the swan neck exercise, which he demonstrates in slow motion. Lifting the wrist, letting tension go is critical, gravity then pulls down the forearm and hand into the keys again, engagement with some momentary slight tensioning, aided by supporting anatomical structures. Piano playing is repetitive stress activity. Too much prolonged stress can lead to injury; once those nerves and tendons on the inside of the wrist/forearm sustain damage, a lot of therapy is necessary to undo that damage. It takes a while with careful work guided by someone who is professionally qualified to watch over the rehab. I don't doubt that many have quit playing because the pain outweighs the pleasure.
Lifting the wrist properly is at the heart of piano technique, not just for relaxation, part of forearm lateral movement ("shifting") but for expressive purposes like phrasing; young students should attend to this from the beginning, but few teachers are in the know about it. Phrasing is an important articulation. Composers and arrangers are hep to it; intend it to be considered.
This one was popular-got a lot of comments.
When i do that movement bro my fingers are shaking uncontrollably lol
6:48 Almost thought this would be a rickroll
Haha Would have been pretty awesome
How long would recommend practice this exercise in one Session?
I don’t know what is wrong with my fingers or the way I practise. I have been having a problem of uncontrollable fingers that I couldn’t play notes clearly and smoothly.When I try to raise the speed , my fingers start skipping notes. Help!!!
I am a beginner student and have been watching your videos for a couple months now Craig and you explain simply but clearly, demonstrate well and easy to listen to. Since pianos probably have different touches, do some pianos lead to a more relaxed hand and fingers because of the key touch? I ask because my Yamaha Hybrid N1UX seems to have more resistance than my teacher's Kawai upright.
Glad to help!
Great question! In general, keyboards or pianos that have a lighter action (touch) will make it harder to build tension as it requires far less effort to put the keys down. I'm referring more to electric keyboards that can have extremely light actions, most regulated piano should be basically the same. For instance, my piano and my teachers piano are pretty much the same even though they are different a make, model and size (Mine is a small 5' grand and hers is a 7'.
Hope that helps!
@@PIANO_LAB There is, of course, a great deal of difference between the action on a spinet piano (often quite light) and a grand piano. This caused great problems for me when I was a young student. I would practice on our spinet at home, and then go to my lesson and attempt to play what I had practiced on my teacher’s grand piano. My arms/wrists/hands would tighten up as I struggled with the much heavier action. Students now have much the same problem if their home instrument is a keyboard with unweighted or “semi-weighted” action. (I tell the parents of my own students that it’s OK for them to practice on a digital piano, but it needs to have fully weighted action.)
I meant all "new" or "well regulated" pianos are basically the same in regards to touch weight. The standard for uprights is 50 grams, where as for grands it is 56 - 59 grams. (and to my knowledge has been for decades)
In any case, it is my opinion that "good" effortless technique is independent of the instrument that one is playing on. Just because an instrument has a very light touch weight doesn't mean that the student playing on it will not build any tension. This is because tension is not only acquired from putting the key down but also from moving from key to key. How you move laterally across the keyboard, how you use your fingers etc. all of these things can cause tension. So then, the instrument itself is far less important than how one uses it (in my opinion).
I’ve been playing since I was 6 and I still struggle with tense wrists. Slow pieces I don’t have any issue with, but fast and my wrists burn
My left hand is always tense whenever I try to play something fast, I cant play the third movement of moonlight sonata at all.
Keeping the hands tension free is super important to be sure! Especially when playing fast rep.
@@PIANO_LABThank you for such a quick reply, and thank you for the tip also. I'm sure if I keep trying to loosen up my left wrist and forearms whilst playing, I'll be able to play as well as I always hoped I would be able to. I'll keep in touch to let you know how it's going! :)
@@Hobnob-xh8nx Any updates? Has this helped you?
Good video. I’m an adult beginner and I have kind of the opposite problem in the LH only. It has never learnt to be strong and kind of collapses a fraction when playing 3,4 and 5 leading to weak and shaky fingers. Do you see this in any of your students? Maybe you could do a video on that.
Thank you!
I have certainly seen this before. It's actually the problem with just tying to "relax" because it can cause you to relax even the muscles that are necessary to a strong hand position. The key I think is to use arm weight to put the key down and learn to use only the muscles that are necessary to keeping a strong arch hand shape. I hope that this is helpful!
@@PIANO_LAB Thanks very much, I will certainly try that.
Thank you for such an informative video. I have a question. How do I let my wrist loose when Im playing a long passage with fast notes that you I cant easily find a place to loosen the wrist.
Great question!
This would be much easier to demonstrate in a video than explaining here, but I will do my best. (I will definitely make a video about this in the coming weeks as I think this is a great question.) The constant lifting and relaxing of the wrist, is to teach your arm and hand to constantly release tension. However overtime one does not need to do it as much as your hands and arms learn to constantly release tension without the exaggerated motions. For instance, I don't need to use such big exaggerated movements when I play. Just a small movement in my wrist and arm is sufficient. Because I have practiced like this extensively in the past, I don't build up tension that I need to constantly release. So, when I play a long Passage I don't need to constantly lift and release my wrist because my hand and arms are constantly releasing tension as I go. Or I can even say that my hands and arms aren't really building any tension.
I would suggest taking small sections, like phrases or even measures, and playing them individually with large exaggerated lifting motions with the wrist in between each section. You can find the most logical places to do this, as measure lines may not be the best place.
Another thing that helps keep tension from building in passages more like this is using other kinds of gestures. For instance, oftentimes a circular gesture or a rotational gesture involves more arm movement and helps the fingers play more fluently. Also, constant Motion in the arms when using these gestures will help keep the muscles from tightening. Muscles that are constantly in motion will not very easily tighten and build tension.
I hope that all makes sense! Hopefully this was helpful, and you can apply some of these Concepts to your own playing. Like I said, I will definitely have this to the list of videos that I'll be making in the next couple of weeks as this is a great question! Thank you for the question!
@@PIANO_LAB thank you for the reply. It makes perfect sense to me. I will try applying these suggestions in my practice sessions from now on and I hope to get more insights from you in the future when you give a video demonstration. Thank you once again.
I just have a question ... I understand you are mainly from Golandsky institute but also open to other approaches. When do you introduce students to the wrist action, when forearm and hand are aligned as one unit? Also is the wrist movement exaggerated at first to initially understand the sensation, and then it becomes less obvious overtime once implementing rotation and other tools into various progressive repertoire? Are you only dropping low enough so the hand alignment is maintained rather than all the way below the keyboard? I’d be interested to find out your philosophies as I agree that one approach isn’t the answer to everything, so I’ve been reading up on Lister-Sink as well. Thank you so much for bringing up injury preventative technique to your channel and I’m interested to hear more ❤️ 😊 so clear and detailed 😍
Hi Rachel! Thank you so much for your question and kind words!
I have studied with the Golandsky Institute but have also been trained in the Russian method.
I like to start with wrist movements with my students because I find that it is the best way to gain an awareness of tension and learn how to release it. Once a student learns to be aware of and release tension then I like to teach students how to have proper structure (hand position and alignment). And yes, you are completely right. The wrist movement is exaggerated at first to initially teach the sensation but later it becomes less obvious overtime once rotation and other shifting motion are implemented. I still do think that so called "wrist movements" can be very helpful at any level but they become small and less obvious.
In answer to your other question, at first I think it is helpful to drop below the keys so as to feel a very relaxed wrist and forearm. After this is learned, however, it is better to not drop too low. Although when playing, say a fast succession of large chords, it can be very helpful to drop the wrist a little lower to ensure that the arm is releasing between each chord.
I think that a kind of "eclectic" approach to piano technique is what I find to be the most helpful. Rather than a blind adherence to any one approach. Anyways, I hope that answered your questions! Thanks again!
That is the best explanation I've ever read on this topic. I understand that there is a lot of sometimes heated discussion in Taubman circles but as you do suggest, wrist motion is helpful to experiencing the actions to a pain free technique. I think maybe Taubman approaches this the other way around though to secure and establish a hand structure as its neutral balance so that it always has a place to move between in different technical contexts. I think Irina Gorin in Tales of a Musical Journey and Jackie Sharp in her Technique Trainer both address the wrist technique and its role in very creative ways, including using pencils and little hair bands to experience the movement.
I have heard people in the Taubman school caution against this type of exaggerated action oor hyperextension because the tendons will begin to fray and eventually inflame causing injury. I think it's because it's being instilled as an expressive tool all the way through their repertoire to experience how different directions and phrasing feel kinesthetically which I do think is important. I am always interested in other perspectives so thank you so much for clarifying your ideas, I really appreciate it.
I'm glad my explanation was helpful! I think that the only danger with exaggerating this kind of wrist movement is 1) if it is not eventually minimized. 2) if proper hand structure and Alignment is not eventually learned and applied.
It also seems to me that the reason why people tend to injure themselves by using "wrist" movements is because they don't have proper hand structure and alignment which means that the only way they can feel "loose" when they play is by using extremely exaggerated wrist movements. Extremely exaggerated wrist movements without the aid of proper alignment and structure can be problematic.
I am happy to clarify and thanks for your support!
@@PIANO_LAB thank you so much for explaining this. Yes there is sometimes a lot of attention on wrist movement and not on the arms, so as a result the wrist motion becomes isolated and as you say that causes a lot of problems because they haven't learned how to relax and release tension through the whole of the arm. This means that the student can't smoothly progress into repertoire they want to do because of immediate setbacks caused by tradition, leaving them psychologically hampered because they have to start all over with a fresh foundation.
I think there was the Leschitizky type of method which focused on wrist movement and finger independence, taking the parts of the arm in isolation rather than having it all connected together.
@@rachelstarritt481 Always impressed with your knowledge and exposure to pedagogy It can only help.
My index finger is the problem 😭 i just started playing piano since 2 days ago, it's really hard oh my gosh.
So what he is saying is that when you are playing (pressing the keys), zou cannot alwazs be relaxed, so you have to try to realx in between passages as much as possible to avoid the tension building up?
i have no idea it doesn’t make sense to me
I can’t keep my wrist completely tension free and have my 2 finger hit the key first.. if I stay truly completely relaxed my 3 finger always hits first? Am I supposed to use finger tension to press the key or just weight of the wrist falling? I seem to have to activate the finger to use the correct one?
Can this technique be used in scales?
Thanks for the question! It can be used in scales to a degree. Obviously, when we play scales we can't lift and release our wrist on every single note but this can be a helpful way to practice scales as it can help teach our bodies what it feels like to play up and down the keyboard without excess tension. I actually have a three-part video series on scale playing and in part 3 I discuss this method of practice. I just filmed part for over the weekend and it should be released Tuesday morning👍
ok but how does this help for when you’re actually playing ?
The downward movement feels a little bit forced - is that normal?
Thanks for the question! The movement should feel easy and loose. If it doesn't, it probably means that your forearm and wrist are locked and tense. You need to make sure that the movement is initiated from the arm NOT the finger, hand or wrist. Hope that helps!
I am self taught... At 48. I'm now 63 and i didn't know what it is going to take for me to learn how to play correctly? I'm so discouraged.
The problem with the term "relaxed" is that it's a bit misleading. For some, this works well, as one is trying to correct a student's tension, so telling them to "relax" will fix that. To me, "relaxed" is me sprawled out on the couch. That's not how we play the piano. We *are* engaging certain muscles in our body, specifically, the hand.
The issue is that people tense up additional larger muscles that aren't relevant to piano playing, and this causes fatigue. Rather than telling people to "relax" or to play with a "relaxed" wrist, I prefer to say "supple" wrist. Otherwise you'll run into people overcorrecting the problem and moving to the opposite extreme of playing with a floppy wrist. We don't want floppiness, we want a firm, precise touch.
I appreciate the effort, but it didn't help me one bit. I can't play it with my second finger without adding tension because I have to move my third finger out of the way or it'll play the note I don't want.😭
Why is this so hardd 😭 I feel like I can’t control my own hand
It can be very hard, but with time it gets easier!
This is a Drop and Roll exercise
Never heard it called that but ok. I've also never seen anyone teach or demonstrate this exercise except my teacher who I learned it from. Thanks for watching!
You should have separate movements from note to note using dead arm weight. Nothing is ever legato. You give the listener the impression that it is through phrasing and pedaling. You have a lot of unnecessary movement in the wrists in the demonstration
Your technique is incorrect
Care to evaluate?
I think you're unnecessarily making things complicated for the sake of creating content for the channel.