Pianist | A Workable Practical Guide to Piano Playing

The Importance of Scales and Arpeggios

admin Injury Management, Keyboard Technique, Piano Method, The Magic Touch May 4, 2010April 27, 2010Arm Muscles, Bowman, Encouragement, Finger Muscles, Fingers, Flexibility, Hand Arm, Lionel, Moving, Musical Composition, Nbsp, Pianist, Play Piano, Play The Piano, Playing Piano, Playing The Piano, Posture, Scales And Arpeggios, Sitting Posture, Stress, Tension

It is no secret that for any pianist, amateur or professional, it is imperative that they commence with a solid warm up prior to launching into a playing session. In fact, I prefer to think of the scales and arpeggios as part of the playing session. Why and how so?

The benefits of playing scales are all about an adequate warm up, and flexibility of the fingers, and hand. Whist I realise that for a beginner, the idea of incurring an injury at the piano may seem a far fetched idea, it is a definite reality for many people, who may not be adopting the right techniques to play the piano. However, far from wanting to put you off, I'd rather that it be an encouragement to simply follow the right techniques, and processes, to adequately tone your hand, arm, and finger muscles.

Playing the piano is not about just pushing the right keys in the right order. It is very much more than that, and certainly, a possibility to master as a skill, when approached the right way.

To illustrate this example, you can start by playing scales, and then, moving up to arpeggios.

However, you can also start improvising, and turning the scales in to musical composition, as you progress.

It is not an automatic thing, no, but certainly a way to move forward, when you need to.

As the Late Professor Lionel Bowman said, it is always a good idea to start to learn something new, with a new technique, rather than trying to play something you already know,as your mind has already programmed a certain method into your playing for a particular piece. However, what about if you decide to learn something completely new, following a new technique, like the Bowman method?

You will find that you develop greater strength in your fingers, as well as the ability to relax more in the hand and arm, thus allowing a greater degree of stress to remain out of the equation.

Tension and stress, mixed with the incorrect sitting posture can dramatically affect your likelyhood of having problems with tendonitis and also muscular aches in general.

However, getting back to my title earlier, the fact that you are playing scales and arpeggios is an important aspect of the warm up process.

I realise that it may take a combination of discipline, and sheer creativity in time, but you will certainly see the result with less injury over the curse of your piano playing career. For that alone, the issue is a fait accompli.

The Classical Piano method- known as the Magic Touch, is available here.

Note on the Exercises

admin Keyboard Technique, Lionel Bowman, Overcoming Adversity, Piano Method, The Magic Touch, Wallace Tate May 3, 2010April 12, 2020Book Download, Bowman, Few Minutes, Intensity, Mind Exercises, Muscular Conditions, Music Learning, Nbsp, Notes Octaves, Passages, Permutations, Pianist, Postures, Practice Sessions, Quality Of Sound

The exercises are based on what the hand is capable of doing with various passages, i.e. single notes, octaves and chords in their thousands of permutations, which make up what we call music. Once the learning processes are understood, the pianist will find that they are comparatively few, and that they can be adapted and applied to the learning of any passage regardless of style or character.

These basic techniques are learnt through the exercises which are to be practiced daily in the manner prescribed. They provide a therapeutic learning process and are elementary guidelines only to play more comfortably and with greater ease at speed. They also give one the means of cultivating various basic touches.

During the learning process some of the technical movements, muscular conditions, postures, and sounds, are extremely exaggerated, as a good deal of concentrated attention and effort is required. Eventually it will be sufficient to devote a few minutes only to the more essential and representative exercises before regular practice sessions.

The exercises were taught by Professor Bowman by rote: they were not written out for the student. Thus, attention focused on the physical means by which notes were played in order to produce a preconceived type, intensity and quality of sound. As a result, the approach was experimental, somewhat improvisational and rhythmically flexible. The student should keep this in mind when working the exercises as transcribed in this book.

Video

A DVD to illustrate the exercises and examples in this book is available as well, from

//www.ThePianoMagicTouch.com

It is normally included as part of the book download.

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

admin Injury Management, Lionel Bowman, Overcoming Adversity April 30, 2010April 24, 2010Anatomy Of The Hand, Australian Music, Bowman, Career, Careers, Dedication, Early Forties, Emeritus Professor, Inspiration, Laymen, Lionel, Magic Touch, Mr Wallace, Music Board, Musical Journey, Nbsp, Pianist, Pianists, Pleasure, Professional Player, Respect, Stellenbosch University, Tate, Thirties, Western Australia

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?

admin Injury Management, Overcoming Adversity April 29, 2010April 24, 2010Anatomy Of The Hand, Bowman, Classical Pianists, Correct Position, Extreme Option, Hand Injuries, Helping Others, Lionel, Muscle Coordination, Number 3, Pian, Pianist, Piano Player, Piano Players, Playing The Piano, Rachmaninov, Repetitive Injuries, Small Hands, Thirties, Typical Injuries, Wrist Strain

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.

Note on the Exercises in the Magic Touch

admin Keyboard Technique, Lionel Bowman, Overcoming Adversity, Piano Method, Wallace Tate April 25, 2010April 22, 2010Bowman, Few Minutes, Intensity, Magic Touch, Mind Exercises, Muscular Conditions, Music Learning, Nbsp, Notes Octaves, Passages, Permutations, Pianist, Postures, Practice Sessions, Quality Of Sound

DVD

A DVD to illustrate the exercises and examples in this book is available as well, from

//www.ThePianoMagicTouch.com