What am I doing wrong? (piano-related)?!
Question:
What am I doing wrong? (piano-related)?
I've been playing for a few months, and I'm having some slight discomfort in my right hand when I play. I've taken pictures of myself sitting at the piano, and my posture looks okay; everything is aligned properly. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong.
Answers: While you're playing, have someone put their hand under your wrist and lift it up gently. If you're playing properly, your hand should be limp as it is lifted. If you're tense, you'll see it right away.
A good teacher will show you how to play with less tension and effort. The muscles that move your hand are up in your arms, not in the fingers. So there should be no hand effort in playing. The arm is what holds up the hand, leaving the fingers free to move. Sounds weird but it's true!
Here's an exercise... As you're practicing, stop from time to time and flap your hand back and forth a bit. If you feel it suddenly relax, then you were tense! Shake your fingers out, go back to the keyboard and play for a minute or so, then try again. Eventually your hand will understand what it means to be relaxed.
The relaxation should spread up your arm all the way to your shoulder, then to your neck, then your stomach muscles, then to your whole body. Don't lose muscle tone, but don't use any muscles you don't need to. If you think this way, I bet you start feeling better quickly. keep your elbows in and your wrists up high I don't play piano, but I play other instruments, and I know it's very important to be relaxed when you play and not have unnecessary tension anywhere. If you can consult a teacher, he/she may be able to help figure out your problem. Good luck. Are you tense when trying to hold that posture? You may be stressing. You should be as relaxed as you can while being as close to a safe posture as possible. It could also be your body getting used to it if you have only been at it for a few months.