Application of Basic Principles- Double Octaves and Chords

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Application of Basic Principles- Double Octaves and Chords

 

Double Octaves and Chords

 

 

If the student has a thorough working knowledge of the principles outlined in Chapter 1 of the Magic Touch, he should have no difficulty in applying them to the following extracts from the standard repertoire.

The first chapter is available as a complimentary download on the right hand side of this page. Please enter your email and name, and it will be on its way to you.

Reminders

 

 

♦ Double octave or chord passages should be learned first of all through the posture of the thumbs. Prepare and release firmness for each octave or chord. Release upward upon sound of black notes. Lower the wrists as far as they will go through sound of white notes. The follow through is essential. Slide hands and arms forwards to play the black notes, and back to play the white. Test wrists up and down often.

 

♦ Upon sound of every octave and chord, allow hands to rotate towards fifth fingers, and release notes other than those played by the fifth fingers which then support the hands and arms on the key bed. Test the lateral extension and contraction of the hands repeatedly. Employ a legato pedal.

 

♦ Double octave passages can be practiced as broken octaves, i.e. Thumbs alternate with fifth fingers.

 

 

Disjunct Movement

 

 

The fear of negotiating risky leaps in double octave passages may be overcome if, at first, one uses the practice of silent finger substitution. This, in effect, reduces the width of the interval and locks the hand into the movement. Later, when these practices have become automatic, one is able to ignore them and play with confidence at increasing speed. The group (a) exercises are devised as a kind of formula for simple interval practice. The derivation of the (b) group compound interval exercises is obvious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The formulae may be practiced at gradually increasing pace, beginning on any notes, and the range of the (b) group can be extended. Although substitution is not possible beyond a moderate tempo, it will be found that, at speed, the technical advantages remain.

Introduction to The Magic Touch

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Introduction to The Magic Touch

 

Between 1978 and 1985 Lionel Bowman paid a number of extended visits to Australia, to give concerts, master classes and individual lessons to a large and enthusiastic following of piano teachers and students at colleges, universities and conservatoria. Participants in these courses were impressed by the extraordinary beauty and technical superiority of his performance, by his inspirational power, and by his unique skill in imparting the secret of these qualities to others. In response to frequent requests for published information and instruction and the obvious need for a more permanent record of it, Professor Bowman and I discussed a plan for me to compile the essential material of his teaching as it now appears in this book.

The contents have been gleaned from vast quantities of notes and audio and video tapes taken from his lecture demonstrations, master classes, workshops, and numerous consultations with him.

Although the manual is not addressed to beginners, teachers will find the relevant procedures invaluable in the instruction of pupils at all levels. Many points of technical and musical interest may be extracted from the book. Nevertheless, the content should be considered as a whole, and studied and practiced accordingly. Although it may have some special applications for pianists who have particular problems now, it will help others to avoid developing such problems later in their playing lives. In addition to this therapeutic effect for all pianists, the miracle is that the Bowman approach also produces a more beautiful sound than that which can be produced by more physically demanding techniques.

Although the book is not focused on the development of virtuosity, it will be found, that through the use of correct muscular procedures, the playing of al passages becomes workable and comparatively effortless. Thus, the student is able to play more comfortably and musically.

No sound, or series of sounds, is ever played without conscious effort while learning. Every sound is controlled with musical intention in slow motion. The way of teaching is essentially one of conscious musical activity through muscular control. Thus, relaxation in this method equals control – not as the word implies, flop.

Over a period of some ten years, I have taught these techniques to teachers, individually and in groups. Gratifying successes resulting from the application of these musical and technical practices have been reported:

 

(a) by teachers who found the approach creative, rewarding and satisfying, even when working with pupils previously discouraged by seemingly insurmountable technical hurdles;

 

(b) by pupils at all levels who found to their delight that they could produce sounds of the quality of professional pianists and play with ease and ever-increasing technical capability, musical awareness, and depth of meaning, and who found themselves looking forward eagerly to lessons as a continual source of encouragement, discovery and fascination;

 

(c ) by parents appreciative of sudden and dramatic development in the quality of their children’s playing and in their attitude to lessons and practice.

 

I shall be forever grateful to Lionel Bowman for his kindness, patience and generosity in showing me these technical and musical procedures which have given me access to a new world of pianistic joy and inspiration. I am thankful that through other dedicated teachers I have been instrumental in sharing this experience in turn with their pupils. If my endeavours through this book are successful in assisting some of that vast army of perpetually striving pianists, I shall be well rewarded by the realisation that a great debt has been paid.

 


Many pianists suffer pain and injury resulting from unsound practice habits; this is indeed regrettable. Any sign of strain should be heeded as a timely warning and remedial action taken

without delay. The following is pertinent.

As a young student, Lionel Bowman practiced with considerable discomfort, as he persevered to overcome the problems imposed by a narrow hand span. Nevertheless, he continued to practice and build a formidable concert career. Eventually the pain became unendurable. The years of physical abuse had taken their toll, causing irreparable damage to ligaments, tendons and muscles.

After this crisis he evolved a series of exercises in muscular coordination founded on the elementary principles of anatomy. He based his teaching on these ideals, and this enabled him to slowly adopt the new ways himself. As a result of these natural and correct procedures, Lionel Bowman felt completely comfortable physically and playing became easier, the tone quality improved immeasurably, and he and his students became fearless, instead of fearful of performance.

Furthermore, he became aware that what we call relaxation in playing should be described as control. This fact will become clear to students as they understand what follows in this book. In very general terms, we are trying to help the average to talented pianist through a set of simplified muscular exercises, to find the way to artistic fulfilment.

Dedication to Overcoming Trouble and Difficulty in a Pianist’s Career

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The Magic Touch…





It gives me great pleasure that Wallace Tate has produced this record of my teaching, a task that has never been attempted before. I heartily endorse The Magic Touch, and hope that pianists will find it both an inspiration and a practical help on their musical journey.



Emeritus Professor Lionel Bowman

Stellenbosch University.

May, 2000



The above are the words of Lionel Bowman, a man whom I hold a great respect for, not least due to his dedication to resolving a deeply troubling issue that he experienced in his late thirties and early forties.


Many pianists have experienced similar problems, over their playing careers, to varying degrees, and I should note, this can apply equally to laymen pianists as well. It is not only an issue for the professional player.

In Lionel's case, he found the pain so debilitating, and the discomfort so great, that he temporarily gave up the piano. However, unlike many who may have given up for good, he took the time and opportunity to study the anatomy of the hand and arm, as well as the fingers, and experimented with various techniques, till he established the 'Bowman Method' that he had been using and teaching ever since.

 

Whilst it was initially intended only as a way for him to play gain, he found that the sound of the result of his playing was better, and he was able to play pain free as well. Once he then taught the method to his students, their playing had improved as well, and many were able to avoid the problems he had experienced himself.

 

This was a great inspiration to himself, as well as his students. The work, written by Mr Wallace Tate, a retired Director General of the West Australian Music Board, as a result of countless visits by Professor Bowman to Western Australia, was created as a means to convey the Bowman method to as many pianists and teachers as possible.


The presentation is presented as a manual, substantially illustrated, as well as accompanied by a DVD or online video series. The material is very well presented and aimed at all levels for all piano players. Naturally, the absolute beginner may find it difficult, but there is where the assistance of a good teacher will pay handsome dividends. 


To learn more, see the Manual below.

 

How Can I still Play the Piano After Experiencing Tendonitis and Other Hand Injuries?

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It is not uncommon for professional, or serious, regular pianists to experience various hand injuries over the course of their piano playing days. This is particularly problematic for people who may have small hands, and who play complex works, such as the Rachmaninov Concerto Number 3, and so on. However, this problem is certainly not confined to only classical pianists, or even professionals. These various injuries can affect just about any pianist, casual or professional, from time to time.


The most typical injuries include tendonitis, and wrist strain, mostly as a result of either not having sufficient strength built up in their fingers and hands, as well as other playing issues such as correct position at the piano. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but a common list of problems, as I have mentioned earlier.


For some piano players, the thought may even have crossed their mind to give up playing, due to the repetitive injuries. Whilst this is an extreme option, there are other ways to reduce the injuries, and actually end up by playing better. One method that has been proven by many students after being adopted is the Bowman method.


Professor Lionel Bowman was a distinguished piano player, at the peak of his career around his late thirties, who had developed very great problems with tendonitis. After having to actually stop playing for a number of months, while his hand healed, he took the time to actually study the anatomy of the hand and arm, and created his own method of playing the piano. His style has enabled him to become a better teacher, and his crowning achievement through this process was that he not only was able to resume his playing, but succeeded in helping others play better, with less incidence of injury as well.


The Bowman method encompasses the strengthening of the fingers, as well as an overall approach to muscle coordination. Far too many people start to play the piano a certain way, and find that, over the years, their discomfort increases, due to the method of playing that creates tension and stress in the joints as well as fingers.


One aspect of the method is about sitting in the right place, with reference to the notes being played. As an example, the hips need to be loose, in that for certain parts of the score, the pianist will need to sit right, or site left, and even sit back, to allow the wrists to become lower then the keys. By moving the hips, so the pianist's body is in front of, and at right angles to the keyboard, will minimise the stress on the wrists as well as muscles of the wrist, and tendons.


It can often aid the pianist to make specific notes on the music score, like sitting right, or sitting left, as this will aid the pianist to achieve an optimum posture and comfort. This comfort will translate into relaxation, and thus, a better overall sound as well as reduced injuries.


 

This technique needs to be practiced, and actually, it can be beneficial to start learning a new piece, rather than trying to relearn an already known piece of music. The best proof is in the action, and seeing for yourself.

 

 


Are you able to store your piano performances for future listening? Have you been having trouble recording your piano performances, for the long term? Not only can you record your performances, but also gain an enhanced comfort and improvement in your playing, with less stress and injury. To learn more, see The Magic Touch.  

An Introduction to Audio Recording Your Piano Recitals Yourself

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I wanted to start briefly with a very short history on audio recording to express the incredible journey we have already taken, and explain how we can move forward dramatically.


As many of you know, around the 80's, if you wanted to record audio to your computer, or even tape, you needed a microphone, or two, (still do), and they in turn, had to be connected to a mixing console, which in turn required tape machines typically of the open reel type, if you were serious. The reason for the open reel machines was that for any editing to take place after the fact, you had to actually move, or jog the tape across the heads of the reel to reel recorder, and know how to precisely mark the point on the tape that needed to be cut, as well as then putting the machine into play mode, while the unwanted tape segment spooled off the reel, and onto the floor, till you then found the out point, to cut the tape again.


Some of you may be thinking back to those glorious days of audio editing with some fondness, but believe me, it was time consuming, and certainly not for the every day person. The machines cost a substantial amount, and you needed to really be into the whole idea of editing, and what can be done in a matter of minutes today, by a seasoned operator, could take a good few hours back then.


I felt it important to raise this issue of history, to appreciate the tremendous strides that have taken place in audio recording today. I understand that for a new person to the recording scene, it may all still seem a little complicated, but it is relative. Unlike back then, which required the best part of a good few thousand dollars, and then some, you can be set up today for under one thousand dollars, and sometimes, much less, depending on what you already have.


So, that begs the question- what do you actually need to set off on this journey?


I would like to say at this point, that there are any number of combinations of equipment that you could use. Apart from the essentials, (again, open to variation) of a computer, microphone, mic stand and USB cable, there rest are truly options, for the more serious minded. Audio is, and always will be a possible area for sinking large amounts of cash, if you want to always be getting the next best thing. However, please remember I am talking about setting up a basic studio here, and will discuss the optional extras in future articles, as I know that some of you are interested in processing equipment, like sound finalisers, reverberation equipment, compressors, and let's face it, the list can be endless, or at least as long as your budget!


Having addressed that caveat, I would like to advise that as I understand that for many people, the budget is a big factor, many home recording enthusiasts, or artists wanting to record their work, for that matter, can start off small, and add more equipment as their success grows. However, please do not fall for the sales line that you absolutely must have product x or y, or your recording will be terrible. It simply is not true.


In fact, the audio purist line goes in favour of the least possible amount of electronics in the line, for maximum fidelity. Just a thought there for everyone.


Having said this, laptops can be purchased relatively cheaply these days, and whilst disk size is nice to have, an average laptop will really do quite well. If you need to splurge on your laptop, the best area is on greater amounts of RAM, or memory, as this will enhance the performance of your machine. In addition, there are two software packages that I recommend, one is free, being Audacity, as well as the Sony Audio Studio, that I still very reasonably priced, but if funds are tight, Audacity is fine for a start.


I mentioned the use of a mic stand, as this will make it easier to suspend over the centre of the piano, or to place with resect to any other instrument you may be playing. Please ensure that your mic is a large diaphragm type, so that you can capture the rich bass of the natural sound. The primary difference between a consumer mic and a professional or 'pro-sumer' (the mic that is above a consumer, but on the budget end of professional), is the size of the diaphragm, or part that captures the sound waves, and converts them to the digital signal. This si where the USB mic comes in, in as much as it is a plug and play arrangement, where your laptop, if running windows, or Mac software, will typically recognise and self install the drivers for the microphone to work in a matter of a minute or two.


If you were not interested in anything else, this point will get you going, albeit with less than you can actually do. I mean that the software is quite powerful, but if this is the limit of your technical interest, this much will get you started. All you need to do now is experiment with your microphone placement, for the best sound quality. Regardless of the software you are using, you need to ensure you set the recording levels to a little below the peak area on the metering.


In digital audio, unlike with analogue, you can record at quite high levels, but if you go just a little bit higher, where you over load the input, you will get a terrible distortion, as the sound wave is actually cut off in this case, whereas with analogue, the distortion is gradual, and not so immediate. Hence, look after your levels, where you are about ten decibels below total overload peak. However, please play around to test this for yourself. The technical term for the above is leaving some head room, or 'safe level' area before you clip the sound, and distort it. Digital systems allow a high recording level, but do not clip it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are you able to store your piano performances for future listening? Have you been having trouble recording your piano performances, for the long term? Not only can you record your performances, but also gain an enhanced comfort from your playing. To learn more, see the Piano Magic Touch.  

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