Monday, April 30, 2018

180430 April = Piano Fitness Month

Piano Fitness includes 3 Balances:

1.  Mind/Body - connects through breath
2.  Man/Music Machine - connects through fingers
3.  Sound/Rhythmic Time - connects for music

1.  Connection to the earth:  Balanced hips on the bench, a braced core, and an elevated heart, maintain wide scapula with thoracic spine extended and slightly retracted shoulders to “sit like a king”.

Allow outward rotation in the upper arm to maintain a neutral elbow. Let the forearm supinate slightly, promoting a 5 orientation.  The wrist remains neutral side to side, while the hand/elbow allow the wrist and upper arm to circle freely from the shoulder.  (Circles = the balance of the 3 ways the body moves).  The fingers connect either on the key surface (space) or the key bed (earth).  How light or heavy the fingers rest on the key surface is intended through the sterno-clavicular joints at the heart center.  Rest on the key bed is ALWAYS light.

2.  Through the fingers, connection is made to the most complex human powered machine on earth. The beloved piano is a music machine.  Once connection is mindfully observered, the pianist intends the sound for every note.  Intention includes how the light/heavy fingers will deliver their mass through the point of sound to the key bed light resting. Options for delivery include:  the finger, the hand, the forearm, upper arm and shoulder. Intention also includes the slow/fast acceleration through the point of sound to the key bed. (F = M x A)

3.  Music is sound in rhythmic time.  Sound balanced in time includes dynamics, phrasing, melodic line, harmonic rhythm, voicing etc.

When all 3 balances are present, intended sounds, heard in time, connect to the part of the musical mind that observes yourself playing the piano.

All month long, clarity continues with the 2 map.  The Mind/Body connection with  L is the fundamental essential for promoting ease when playing.  Still learning to listen.

180405 Piano Fitness History

Piano Fitness History

June 2012

The origins of piano fitness from obtaining “What Every Pianist Needs to Know About the Body” by Thomas Mark

September 27 2014

Mapping the Mind/Body Connection is developed

Thursday, April 5, 2018

180401 Piano Fitness Day

Piano Fitness Day is April 1, 2018

The most significant awarnesses for mind/body harmony and sound technic have occurred within the last year:

May 1, 2017

Braced neutral spine insights- a strong core maps, from Stable hips, connects Creativity to Power !

July 3, 2017

Comments rom my Facebook post in Piano Technic Discussion group of Chopin Opus 53, brought improved awareness of finger activity and the releasing of the right leg for pedal improvement.


October 2017

Epiphany for mapping from the Heart to the fingers. Connection of Leader and 2nd, through hand corner alignment of their bridge knuckles, strenghens the map through the arms, shoulders and sterno clavicular as awareness of ease is finally observed.

February 17, 2018

Neutral wrist insight from a post in the  Facebook Piano Technic Discussion group- the inside and outside of the soft wrist must remain balanced as possible when playing.

April 1, 2018

First EVER consistent observation of Mapping  the Mind/Body connection to the 2nd  throughout Chopin Opus 10 No.3

2nd has been my problematic lynchpin for as long as I can remember.  Even as a 12 year old beginner, I intuitively knew my fingers didn’t “feel” right.

Significance of Number 2 in my life:

2nd boy in my family
2 head truamas in 2nd grade result in 2nd cervical vertebral misalignment and reversed cervical spine
(Improvements began about 20 years ago, practicing headstand on the intuitive mind’s eye) & lead to
2nd fingers frozen bridge knuckles with unconsciously elevated frozen shoulders.
No 2nd life-partner - living 87% of my life as a single man shapes my “odd” life perspective:
                   
                                                  my life partner is the piano