In this session, we will talk about an absolutely crucial physical movement for playing and enjoying piano. An action so crucial yet so little understood by pianists of any level and any age So, let's build a step by step process for placing the hands on the keyboard without perturbing any unnecessary muscle We find ourselves sitting at the piano with the hands resting on the upper legs, and now is time to lift them and place them over the keyboard. But soon, the relaxed pianist will notice that the hands, when lifted from that position, remain as a dead weight while the forearm do most of the work. The knuckle of the 2nd finger is on top, and the rest of the fingers follow downwards. How can this be? Let's observe the action again, and also notice that the only flexor muscle of the forearm that reaches this far is the bracchioradialis. The bracchioradialis originates back in the arm, and inserts at one side of a distal radius. Therefore, when activated, this muscle will lift the forearm from that side. For a pianist, this is an excellent opportunity to assess tension, and whether any articulation in the body is blocked! Tightness is probably there before even sitting at the piano. Some of it originates in non-piano related physical and psychological tension. Now is time to rotate the hands to set them on the keyboard. But here comes puzzle number two: the hands hardly ever rotate by themselves at all. Again, it is the forearm the one that rotates in a manner of major importance to any pianist. The forearm rotates inwards along one axis. Here, it is the radius bone the one that rotates around the ulna, and not the other way around. Rotation of the forearm is accomplished by two muscles other than the already discussed flexor bracchioradialis. These two muscles are the pronator teres and the pronator quadratus. The teres is like a ribbon that originates at the medial elbow, it surrounds the forearm, and pulls the radius up during pronation. The pronator quadratus, neglected and often mistreated, is frequently found shortened and weak. A short pronation is detrimental for the development of a correct articulation in fingers 4 and 5. While assessing pronation, it is a good opportunity to study the action of fingers 4 and 5. At all times, please remember that a pianist aims for a longer and stable pronation, and not to overgrow nor overwork any muscle! The elastic limit of pronation is due to several factors, including membranes and other muscle accommodations. Keeping a good comfortable pronation limit should always be a delicate but constant exercise in any pianist. Of concern, a short pronation can also induce to rotate the shoulder outwards, exposing what can be seen as a "pianist wing" posture ... ... one that is costly. Here, the pianist bypasses a proper sequence of muscle activation, and the act of placing the hands over the keyboard recruits muscles of the shoulders to assist in setting the hands parallel to the keys. For example, this arm abduction uses the deltoid muscle and muscles of the scapula. It tenses the rest angle of the scapula, bringing other muscles at the back to keep a steady state. Please note that perceptual motor-skills in piano playing becomes memory. This memory will store individual muscle contraction and the plane of the keyboard by means of tactile receptors. If the plane of the keyboard is memorized together with incorrect positions, correcting to a proper position will be resisted by the corresponding tactile memory from the fingers on the piano plane.
