As a near 10 year player my technique was "classically" bad, though I play no classical repertoire, arranged jazz, musicals and pop guy now. My wrists were extremely twisting and fingers stretching for the next notes. After buying into what you were laying down, and checking some other teachers, I spent about 6 months with all your videos from the beginning, many several times until that skill was habitually worked into muscle memory. I have superseded some of your guidance, by aligning my forearm, always as much as possible, with the middle knuckle of the bridge. This requires a complete makeover of hand position changes and finger combos. We try not to twist the wrist too much or for too long. It is possible to play cross hands from a sideways motion, like a crab. It requires a lot of practice but it can be done. I am learning it quite readily as I have a solid basic technique, thanks to you. I am making it work. Forearm lateral movement, rotation-ing, new finger combos, forearm alignment with middle knuckle, again, this is as much as possible, then slight ulnar deviation and right back to alignnment, pedal use-these are all tools to do the same goal=avoid tense ulnar deviation. I know I am right intuitively and because my progress is so rapid and pleasant, virtually nothing I can't master with enough analysis and careful attention, in detail, to what is going on with body parts and intended interpretive mentality. Not bragging, it's just that I have incorporated moves I have picked up from good teachers and watching many great players to see what they do and trying it on for myself. Not copying them, rather, seeing how what they are doing works for my uniqueness. I sense this forearm alignment with middle knuckle is the only place I would differ from your teaching. But I have developed enough piano savvy experience to solve my own problems but always looking for improvement tips. Still following you and continuing to learn and review from your great tutorials. I think we can conclude there is reason to deviate slightly from rule based teaching, considering them more guidlines that inviolable rules. "Always don't this or that." And we can safely and sanely believe: "You and I are not Horowitz" or Glenn Gould or Bill Evans or Sviatislav Richter. Often those guys make poor teachers because they don't know exactly how they do it, they just do. Righteous prodigies, plus each of us is unique in our own right, therefore in a sense, prodigies in our own right. Have a good weekend, all.
I relate so much! I can instinctually tell which technique is more suitable now for certain passages from the main principles on this channel / Golandsky institute. There is sometimes slight ulnar deviation but it never feels tense and when it does, I change the technique.
@@a23oj28 It is not possible, nor desireable, to avoid ulnar deviation completely. I try to avoid it as much as possible by new approaches to fingerings and hand position, rotation, etc. Keep it short and them revert right back to "alignment" what Emma Lieuman calls "healthy tension." Thanks for the good talk. I did Goldansky for a while but soon superseded a lot of it as I gained mastery over her techniques, especially rotation. Although I find her personal playing a little stiff and muscular. Still respect her and Dorothy T. a lot. In her very first lesson with Taubman, Edna complained of stiffness and frustration. Dorothy watched her for a short time and said, "You need to rotate more," lack thereof was her seminal issue. My rotation has gotten better and better, now it is a seminal part of my technique, not an add on for specific passages. Using it in virtually all navigations and position changes. Like your comments.
This happens to me when I have to play octaves or arpeggios, especially right in front of my body with both hands. Any advice on how to deal with that? Think of Bach Prelude in C Major.
Thank you. Nice video. It would be nice to have your thoughts on avoiding ulnar deviation when playing arpeggio exercises. This hurts my wrist more than any anything else at the piano.
