Playing Piano » Ways to Play http://www.yunglingpianostudio.com/pianoBlog A Piano Teacher's Lifetime of Play Sat, 05 Jun 2010 05:49:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Injury Sheds New Light on Old Topic….Practicing Hands Separately http://www.yunglingpianostudio.com/pianoBlog/2010/01/28/injury-sheds-new-light-on-old-topic-practicing-hands-separately/ http://www.yunglingpianostudio.com/pianoBlog/2010/01/28/injury-sheds-new-light-on-old-topic-practicing-hands-separately/#comments Thu, 28 Jan 2010 06:19:49 +0000 lyungling http://www.yunglingpianostudio.com/pianoBlog/?p=68 I’ve been playing the piano for 28 years. I grew up with teachers showing me how to practice hands separately. I learned the value of isolating difficult spots playing one hand at a time and I know it produces amazing results. But then I cut my thumb! While improperly using a paper cutter for a piano studio project, I cut the top of my thumb down to the fingernail….OUCH! And playing octaves….well, pretty much anything….with that hand was impossible.

So I began working on my music with just the left hand. And I am energized at the progress and solidity I am achieving. I’m working on Chopin Scherzo Op39 in C# minor. And the clarity and confidence I feel is…well, not new, but somehow new because I can’t use my left hand even if I want to!

May your hands always be safe and free from harm. However, I can’t emphasize enough the importance of encouraging your students to play hands separately. Of course, making a fun game out of it will most likely make it attractive to the younger students.

Happy practicing!

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