Tate | A Workable Practical Guide to Piano Playing

Piano Basics- Scales and Arpeggios

admin Keyboard Technique May 9, 2010May 7, 2010Bowman, Eve, Fingers, Grief, Joints, Magic Touch, Note Patterns, Paint, Pianist, Pianists, Piano Basics, Piano Scales, Piano Teachers, Scales And Arpeggios, Simple Steps, Simplicity, Solid Foundation, Suitable Manner, Tate, Tendons, Ups, Warm Up Exercises, Warm Ups

I am well aware that for many people, the idea of playing scales, and other warm up exercises is about as exciting as watching paint dry. However, there can be no substitute for technique and good playing basics, like ensuring that scales and arpeggios are played correctly, and in a suitable manner as to ensure correct warm up of the hands, fingers, and joints. Many pianists have come to grief, by simply sitting down at the piano, and getting straight into a full routine to play a complex work, without the former warm ups suggested.

Now, the pianist may well get away with this for quite some time, even possibly years. although more likely than not, they will experience quite debilitating injuries in due course.

The tendons of the hands are placed under considerable strain when complex works are played, and the problem is exacerbated by people with small hand spans, as they need to stretch more to play the more complex works.

Particularly with beginners, by laying a solid foundation, and understanding the scale and note patterns, the student will be able to appreciate the more complex playing techniques in later years, and tackle them with greater ease as well. Many great piano teachers have spoken about the piano being about simplicity, in that even complex processes are made up of simple steps, often joined together by rapid playing. Whilst this is simple in its own right, it will become even simpler when attempted and done after a suitable warm up, every time.

Scales and Arpeggios are also mentioned in Wallace Tate's Magic Touch Piano Manual, describing the Bowman Method.

Can I Overcome Difficult Injuries, and Still Play the Piano at Concert level?

admin Injury Management, Lionel Bowman, Overcoming Adversity, Piano Method, The Magic Touch, Wallace Tate May 6, 2010April 27, 2010Anatomy Of The Arm, Blessing In Disguise, Bouts, Bowman, Comprehension, Concert Pianist, Initial Point, Lionel, Magic Touch, Massive Improvement, Methodical Approach, Mr Wallace, Muscular Injuries, Muscular Problems, Pianists, Piano Concert, Play Piano, Play The Piano, Short Answer, Tate, Tendonitis, Thirties, Trial And Error, University Of Pretoria

The short answer, in many cases is, Yes. I say this, as many pianists have suffered numerous injuries in the past, typically in the areas of tendonitis or muscular injuries.

However, with the right information, and methodical approach, you can overcome your limitations.4

I know this is a big statement to make, but let me explain it this way…

I was fortunate to have met Professor Lionel Bowman, before he passed away, and also have come in contact with Mr Wallace Tate, a man who studied the methods of Professor Bowman in great detail.

Mr Tate, over a period of several years. monitored the methods that Professor Bowman had created, and utilised his talent for translating complex moves into easy to follow steps, in a manual with fantastic illustration, and example material, to help both the student and teacher, maximise their comprehension, understanding and application of the Bowman playing method.

Mr Bowman experienced great difficulty in his late thirties as a concert pianist, in terms of repetitive bouts of tendonitis and other muscular problems. However, after being unable to play for some months, he took the time to learn the anatomy of the arm, hand, wrist and fingers, and really study, by process, trial and error, the methods that would not only allow him to play again, but to do so pain free. The results were nothing less than astonishing, to say the least.

Whilst the initial point was to be able to play the piano again, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise for all Professor Bowman's students as well, as they have reported massive improvement in their playing as well. Now, more people started to take note.

It was well into the process, that Professor Bowman then gave a master class at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, and had a DVD recording made of the class, which has become an essential element of The Magic Touch Course, presented here. It is through these methods, and subsequent teaching that Professor Bowman further refined his technique, and most people who have actively utilised his method have had substantial success, not to mention an improved tonal quality to their playing as well as less discomfort.

The method is based on the increase of strength and tone in the fingers. This is explained in this classical piano article.

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.

Can I Overcome Hardship in my Life and Career?

admin Keyboard Technique, Lionel Bowman, Overcoming Adversity, Piano Method April 23, 2010April 22, 2010Benefit, Bowman, Career, Compounds, Creativity, Electronic Format, Honour, Human Spirit, Lionel, Losers, Magic Touch, Mindset, Mr Wallace, Nbsp, No Doubt, Opportunity, Overcoming Adversity, Peopkle, Pianists, Piano Player, Piano Players, Rare Gem, Sheer Determination, Small Hands, Tate, Therapeutic Techniques

I think this is an important questioon to ask ourselves, time and time again, when difficulty strikes, as inevitably, we can all suffer from set backs from time to time.

As you are no doubt only too well aware, the difference between the winners and the losers, to use a term, is the mindset we apply, as well as our creativity…

What do I mean here?

Well, whilst I am going to refer to Lionel Bowman as my subject in this example, there are countless people who have mixed sheer determination, creativity, and opportunity to turn an otherwise seemingly bleak situation into a benefit, not only for themselves, but for others as well.

I was greatly privellaged to be given the honour and opportunity to transcribe the manual on The Magic Touch, or Therapeutic Techniques for Pianists to an electronic format

In so doing, I was able to learn about the human spirit in overcoming adversity, and that lesson alone, if for nothing else, was worth its weight in gold.

However, being a piano player, either for pleasure or professional gain, the impact of this manual compounds itself greatly, and provides a light to all pianists experiencing pain and difficulty in playing various complex works. This can greatly enhance the difficulty that many people with small hands may also be experiencing.

Mr Wallace Tate has successfully taken a complex subject matter, and explained it in a readable, and relatively easy way to understand. This skill, in itself is a rare gem, and I can thoroughly recommend the manual to all serious piano players.

Having learned the piano myself, I could certainly have benefited from this information many years ago. The bonus fact, however, is that it is not too late to implement the techniques created by Professor Bowman. The book, apart from a learning tool of great value, is testimony to man's ability to overcome all difficulties, no matter how seemingly hard, at the time. It also has benefited countless students to massively enhance their playing technique, and resulting sound at the keyboard.

The Benefits of Learning from Someone Who Has Been There

admin Lionel Bowman, Overcoming Adversity, Piano Method April 22, 2010Arm Injury, Board Director, Bowman, Classic Case, Countless Numbers, Fingers, Further Reading, Keyboard, Lionel, Magic Touch, Medical Assistance, Mr Wallace, Music Examinations, Nbsp, Ordinary Person, Playing The Piano, Professional Pianist, Resistance, Sprains, Tate, Thirties, Western Australia

I understand the title to this entry may seem a little vague, but in effect, it becomes clearer with further reading.

What do I mean?

Well, in the case if Lionel Bowman, he is a classic case of someone who was a dedicated, and convincing pianist, at concert level.

In fact, it would be accurate to say that he was at the peak of his career, in his late thirties.

Unfortunately, he experienced a set back, in the form of a hand and arm injury, through sprains, and difficulty of playing, as his hands were relatively small.

Whilst he still played the piano well, he often ended up needing medical assistance to help heal the injuries in his hands.

For many people, this may well have signaled the end to their career, but Lionel was no ordinary person, prepared to give up at the first sign of resistance. In fact, he turned what could have been a professional disaster into a gain, not only for himself, in that he was able to continue playing, but also for countless numbers of others.

He managed to develop a technique for playing the piano, that not only allowed him to play pain free, but actually enhanced the sound of his playing. The method involved the strengthening of the fingers, and a modification to the technique that he approached the keyboard with. The result was The Magic Touch, expressed in written form by Mr Wallace Tate, himself a past Music Examinations Board Director in Western Australia.

Professor Bowman has been able to bring the very best of a terrible and painstaking journey to light, in the form of a manual and instructional video to help others improve their playing skills. Whilst the professional pianist can certainly gain from the lessons, the techniques are also very valuable for the teacher as well as more junior student, in that the application of the correct technique early on will mean not having to relearn a method that works, and unlearn another.

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