Singing will serve to keep the piano playing rhythmic and up to tempo. The student at the piano should be trained, if a mistake is made, to find the place at which the teacher is singing and join in with the song rather than to stop the song to agree with the error of the pianist. This training in keeping the music going is extremely important. The student should only be sent to the piano when the piano teacher is reasonably sure that he is able to play the music correctly, and then he must be required to keep the performance going at the correct tempo from beginning to end. If a mistake occurs, let it be corrected later and the difficult spot drilled upon until mastered, but avoid stopping in the middle of a piece to make correction. This is also a vital exercise in sight reading sheet music.
So-Fa Syllables. The use of so-fa syllables is recommended. The syllables are valuable in expressing the tone relationships within the scale, and offer the simplest means for tonal ear training. A difference of opinion exists between the advocates of the movable do and the fixed do systems. Once a system is selected, however, it is best to follow through with the methodology.
For more information about piano lessons NJ, contact Barbara Ehrlich Piano Studio.
Showing posts with label Gladstone piano lessons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gladstone piano lessons. Show all posts
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Early Movement
It is helpful for a piano teacher to have books of games and fingerplays in her library that develop muscular control in playing piano without stiffness. This means having ample material handy for progressive selection to suite the age and ability of students.
The earliest pieces establish free, rhythmic arm movement. This could include material for developing alternation in muscular tension involved in lifting the arms, and the immediate relaxation in the natural drop of the arms. It helps the student learn an activity that shows the tensions used in actual playing, and shows that between the tensions there is relaxation in the brief intervals resulting from rests or other breaks in the music.
Following pieces learned for rhythmic arm control, the teacher can offer a combination of arm and finger activity. In these pieces children use both rhythmic arm movements and the use of finger support, in that the relaxed weight of the arm is brought to rest on the various finger tips in turn. These are designed to lay the foundation for correct hand position, and after these would follow pieces for more particular development of finger movements.
In the first months of study it is good for students to learn arm and finger control with the least possible conscious attention to the muscular movements involved. Calling attention to hand position, or the specific manner in which fingers should be raised or knuckles arched, etc., is likely to induce the stiffness and inhibitions we try to avoid. The value of finger plays lies in having students so absorbed that they acquire the desired movements and positions without feeling self-consciousness or constrained.
We all know that technique progresses from unformed beginnings gradually to more and more finely controlled movements. To begin with, children are naturally relaxed because their nerves and muscle movements have not yet been disciplined. To avoid strain and stiffness, training for keyboard mastery should be gradual and careful. Good piano teachers want to lay a solid and steady foundation for a permanent skill. So, advancements are progressive to get the results, but slow enough to avoid strain - and frustration on the student's part.
The early pieces serve as an introduction to the formal technical drill of later years, such as in finger exercises developed by Czerny.
For more information to learn piano NJ, contact Barbara Ehrlich Piano Studio.
The earliest pieces establish free, rhythmic arm movement. This could include material for developing alternation in muscular tension involved in lifting the arms, and the immediate relaxation in the natural drop of the arms. It helps the student learn an activity that shows the tensions used in actual playing, and shows that between the tensions there is relaxation in the brief intervals resulting from rests or other breaks in the music.
Following pieces learned for rhythmic arm control, the teacher can offer a combination of arm and finger activity. In these pieces children use both rhythmic arm movements and the use of finger support, in that the relaxed weight of the arm is brought to rest on the various finger tips in turn. These are designed to lay the foundation for correct hand position, and after these would follow pieces for more particular development of finger movements.
In the first months of study it is good for students to learn arm and finger control with the least possible conscious attention to the muscular movements involved. Calling attention to hand position, or the specific manner in which fingers should be raised or knuckles arched, etc., is likely to induce the stiffness and inhibitions we try to avoid. The value of finger plays lies in having students so absorbed that they acquire the desired movements and positions without feeling self-consciousness or constrained.
We all know that technique progresses from unformed beginnings gradually to more and more finely controlled movements. To begin with, children are naturally relaxed because their nerves and muscle movements have not yet been disciplined. To avoid strain and stiffness, training for keyboard mastery should be gradual and careful. Good piano teachers want to lay a solid and steady foundation for a permanent skill. So, advancements are progressive to get the results, but slow enough to avoid strain - and frustration on the student's part.
The early pieces serve as an introduction to the formal technical drill of later years, such as in finger exercises developed by Czerny.
For more information to learn piano NJ, contact Barbara Ehrlich Piano Studio.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)