This channel is dedicated to the work of Dorothy Taubman. As the creator, producer and editor of "Choreography of the Hands" featuring Dorothy Taubman's work with piano artists, I knew Dorothy for many years. "Choreography of the Hands" was my first film and was originally released in 1985. Dorothy recently passed away at the age of 95.
I have the exact same problem as Robert shannon the guy talking at 9:00 i wish he would reveal what she told me to correct his movement and not experience pain anymore, could someone enlighten me ?
Ooohhh, I like her!! What a treat it is to watch her teach! I just started teaching children group piano and they’re on these roll up pianos that are not great, but it’s what I’ve been given as materials. I really want to help them improve their technique and get used to playing healthily. I’ll be studying dear Ms. Taubman’s technique for my students sake and my own!
Found this while trying to start my piano learning journey. Thank god i found this before i basically started. Also, this is such an amazing example of a teacher, everyone should watch this documentary. Rip Dorothy.
Drop the same object several times and gravity will always land it at the same speed. If you want it to land faster, external force will be needed. Her principle is Intuitive but false, at least incomplete.
I studied this approach for a while. About four years to be exact. The only thing, in my case, I found it limiting and the grouping of the notes, rotation, etc, while it might be a healthier approach for most, in my case it affected the overall sound and interpretation. I no longer sounded like myself playing.
I found nothing wrong with the sound when I tried it, and I spot checked throughout the 15 minutes of Part 1. Is it possible that your own sound settings are not set properly, or your volume is set to zero?
jaspernatchez if you ever went to school for music, even piano performance, you would understand. Often, it gives the student a visual as to how the teacher wants the student to play a phrase. Conducting and singing is also mandatory for ALL music majors... Old habits never die in music.
It's very helpful in making the student understand the spirit of the music and it also loosens them up because it's hard to be nervous or embarrassed when you're next to someone who's waving their arms around and singing.
what a marvelous and interesting woman she was may she rest in peace, i wish i could find a teacher like her I literally have learned so much in these videos than hours of courses or lessons.
I wish there were a Dorothy Taubman for the harp. :-( I've just about resigned myself to having to work out the application of forearm rotation on that instrument for myself.
Hi Janis: you might try getting in touch with the Golandsky Institute (www.golandskyinstitute.org/teachers/) They work with instrumentalists of all kinds utilizing Taubman's ideas and have been quite successful applying her approach to other instruments.
I'd very much like to, but I'm not a conservatory kid or a professional. I'm a lifelong adult amateur pianist with some childhood training who has begun to play harp and has discovered that everything you AREN'T supposed to do on the piano you are instructed to do on the harp. And ... well, it hurts. And it worries me that so many harpists seem to be injured or have had surgeries on their hands and shoulders, and that I was an autodidact for two years without pain, but now that I'm taking more rigorous classical lessons, suddenly my hands hurt. The whole technique on the instrument appears to be designed specifically to damage the hands. :-( Being trained as a physicist, I'm willing to just start from first principles (forearm rotation) on my own, and while it would be nice to have some guidance, I am nowhere NEAR the level of virtuosity that would qualify me to talk to the Golandsky Institute.
I'm not sure your virtuosity matters here--you're hurting and you need help. I don't know anything about the technique of playing the harp. the question seems to me to be: is there a way to play the harp that doesn't injure the body. Golandsky's people are very good at analyzing movement. Maybe they won't be able to help you--but I'd say its worth a try. I don't know how much of Choreography you've watched, but there is a segment, I think in Part 3, with a flutist. Dorothy tells the camera how she'd never worked with a flutist before, but was able to help figure out the movements. That's what I'd hope for in your case.
This type of knowledge should be mandatory in piano education, so everybody learn it. And all teachers became aware it. I had a teacher that did not even know that rotation was a basic movement in piano playing. He was not aware of it. I experienced pain, and just two days after beginning with rotational movements in my arm my playing became much more fluid, and less painful.
I would love to see Dorothy Taubman demonstrate by actually playing the passages or pieces she teaches with such vigor. Was Taubman actually able to play the works she teaches? I hear her students claim that she had such a grasp on movement and piano playing, then I expect her to be able to play. Thank God my teachers could. If I was playing the Chopin Scherzi, my teacher could play them all, as she did playing and recording all the 32 Beethoven piano sonatas.
This is about the students, not the teacher. Is like if you ask a sport coach if he could play as well as the players. Is NOT necesary, even if they can. Actually there're plenty of them that never develope themself in the highest level but are models as coaches.
I would love to see Dorothy Taubman demonstrate by actually playing the passages or pieces she teaches with such vigor. Was Taubman actually able to play the works she teaches? I hear her students claim that she had such a grasp on movement and piano playing, then I expect her to be able to play. Thank God my teachers could. If I was playing the Chopin Scherzi, my teacher could play them all, as she did playing and recording all the 32 Beethoven piano sonatas.
the audio sucks so hard it's almost unbearable listening with headphones. But yeah, the good ol days, huh? It is a pedagogical gem nevertheless! Thank you almighty google-algorithms y3
