I have been in love with the piano for as long as I can remember, and, though my parents repeatedly promised me lessons, they never came through and I had to teach myself. I devoured every bit of musical knowledge that came my way. Two years ago for my birthday, thanks to my marvelous husband, I finally got the piano I had waited for all my life. It is just as much a part of me as my arms and legs. I am now 70 years old, and I think this is the best video I have ever seen. Thank you.
I had a similar experience, Stephanie. We are of a similar age. My family could not afford a piano, so I began on a spinet in a kind neighbor’s house. I was passionate from the beginning. We finally got a cheap upright and I paid for a few lessons by babysitting. I even tried to major in piano at my local university, but it was hopeless with such a background. My teacher focused on more advanced students. Fast forward to the present. I decided to try again during the pandemic and finally could afford a very nice piano. I joined tonebase and am learning a lot. However, this video is by far better than anything I have ever seen. I am overjoyed. I can do each motion and they make playing so much easier and fun! Watch out Chopin Ballades, here I come!
Stephanie, congratulations that you were able to fulfill your lifelong dream to own your own piano. I am 73 and just purchased a piano as well. I am excited to start studies again and have so many music compositions that I want to learn. I am sure you feel the same, I am so happy for you. Just curious, what kind of piano did you get? Mine is an Ebony 1982 YAMAHA (YUX) upright.
Good for you. I always say you are never too old to learn an instrument. I teach piano virtually as well as in person perand I have several adults. I personally started violin lessons when I was in my sixties. I am proud of you.
@@davidwhittaker9511 My piano is a Boston GP-156 PE. Unfortunately, I can't play it right now; three weeks ago I had thumb joint reconstruction surgery. It is going to be wonderful to be able to play octaves without pain!
I am 54 and and I always played guitar and dreamed of playing piano. Now I am learning. I'd like to watch a video of you playing. Congratulations for you and your husband from Brazil.
A beginner / intermediate here, and I never have thought about nor did my childhood piano teacher talk about technique, arm and hand movement, etc., to allow for easier access which ultimately allows for smoother transitions. Thanks!!
I have played for years. I became a mom...no time to practice...then kids grew up and I had to find myself ....so I picked up piano again. Thank you. I have never had the opportunity to learn these essential mechanics. I just had a lesson by an incredible teacher. Thank you!!!
When I was a first year student at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor I had the opportunity of playing for Professor Sandor the Chopin G Minor Ballad in a Masterclass. Although feeling somewhat intimidated by him he gave me several wonderful ideas. His Bartok is legendary!
Thanks a million! This is truly invaluable. I’ll be re-watching this 1001 times so that all the lessons sink in. Nothing helps me more than knowing the anatomical reason why it is so.
Fascinating! These concepts were never taught to me. I have been playing now for over 40 years and while I haven't yet experienced hand pain or tendon issues (thankfully!), this makes me want to really analyze how I'm playing to make sure I'm not wasting motion and/or not using enough motion, rotation, etc., to ensure that I DON'T get fatigued or get tendon issues. Thanks so much for your time!
Dear Marian. You cannot imagine how important and useful is being to watch your super class on piano basic motions. Must confess, I never saw this subject being exposed so clearly! THANK YOU, SO MUCH! God bless you. Greetings, from Brasil. Prof. Roberto Sion.
Dr. Lee, I have just subscribed your channel after watching your tutorial. I have learned these motions during my seven years of study with my teacher. But you broke them down in such clear categories along with their applications, which is particularly helpful. I hope you can share the applications more with a more extensive score example when possible. Thank you for your generosity. By the way, it's exciting to know you were maestro Sandor's pupil. I was exposed to his artistry a long time ago when I acquired his recordings of the complete Bartok piano music, which is a special part of my prized collection. Thank you for passing his wisdom down to us.
I've recently had to take a break from piano practice as I caused a bit of a wrist injury (self taught so I was unaware of the basics of form & technique) and this is such a valuable resource. I'm resting my wrist so that it can heal up but when I'm back this will help immensely to set my form and technique on the right path. Thank you kindly! I look forward to future videos :)
hope you have recovered well :) would you mind telling what were you doing wrong that caused injury and what signs to look for. I am also self teaching and this would really help many others like us. TIA
Your teaching is so clear when you are demonstrating a certain technique that I can actually take it in and remember it not just watch only to be left wondering, "Now what did that teacher tell me to do?" Also, you are so sweet and soft-spoken that your personality does not get in the way of what you are teaching. Thank you so much for sharing this.
I just lucked onto this in my feed and it has already changed my life! I cannot thank you enough. Identifying these core motions and explaining them in a concise and simple way takes deep insight. You have solved a million problems I was having that would never have been resolved by repetition and experiment. WOW!
I'll add my own and echo CC's comment. I'm 7 years in next month and these kinds of questions have been a source of deep consternation for me. I'm an older student - with a grappling background - and these kinds of details in gross body movements (BJJ, judo, wrestling) have many analogues to the piano techniques being mentioned by our good doctor. You can learn "moves," but it can help (some) students save significant time by understanding "principles" that have broad application across the whole keyboard. **Double bonus that these techniques can be used to reading music and helping us have a head start on understanding passages and having TOOLS to dissect them!!** Bless you, doctor. This is a great tutorial. Excellent information.
I can't thank you enough for not only sharing this info with us but presenting and demonstrating it the way you did. I was able to follow you so easily and wow what a difference. I've been playing for years but this is the first time I've heard this. You're a really good teacher. Many thanks💛
Wow... I'm 48 and just starting my music "career". I say you're never too old. I'm up at 2:45am... learning. I'm on the isle of man on a farm owned by my piano instructor. Thank you for the time you put into this video. 💙🙏💙
This is a well-produced and thought out demonstration of the basics of solid piano technique. The clear explanations, musical examples and variety of camera angles kept the lesson interesting all the way through!
It is most definitely one of the more fundamental cores that’s just not emphasized enough. Should be like the first thing any program should do before busting the piano. This knowledge was natural for me to get but only bc of my concurrent passion for physiology and anatomy and from Martial arts. My hands and fingers are still healthy and not suffering from arthritis. I’m not a professional but I can easily see how, without mindfulness on this aspect, many pianist can direct themselves towards a career death sentence if you grind it through. The essence of proper warm up, range motion.. or general proprioception.. that should be like the first thing to instill in any students joe or pro. I’m very glad to watch a video on this and I wish there were more of this on RUclips bc we have many potentially great pianists who otherwise could harm themselves without the understanding. Subscribed.
Thank you Marian, it’s really useful being able to categorise certain passages of a piece when learning or even listening to it. This is a superb reference that I’ll keep for myself and share to anyone looking! Thankyou!!!
Abby Whiteside in her book on playing the Chopin etudes in the 1950's also revealed this important foundational fact that all piano playing is connected to the bigger body arm ,torso and diaphragm .And great playing itself comes from the whole personality .Rhythm in particular was enlivened by this connection . Finally ! Information about movement necessary for thumb repositioning ! This basic was never made clear to me in my many decades .It has always been more difficult descending in Chopin first study :now this should help.Wrist is really key in no.4 and 5 . Whiteside talked about torso and stomach in no.7 . This video is really an excellent foundation for technique !
I've been self-teaching piano and when you talked about alignment in the 5-finger scale, that removed so much tension from my playing that I couldn't identify before. Thank you so much for making this! It has been a life saver!
This is the type of explanation I was looking for, explanations that I don't get by paying for private lessons. I'm canceling my classes that have been frustrating me for some time and I'm going with you and other pretty serious piano teacher on youtube.
Its too bad that I hear this often from students who I end up having to help "fix" their technique... explaining these 5 aspects help perfect any piece you may learn. hope you found a good way to progress in your studies
Hello Marian, I want to thank you very much for offering this video, which is so instructive and valuable - by far the best video I have seen on piano technique. I started playing piano at age 70, teaching myself from the Faber series. I am now 75 and still practising almost every day, still excited about learning to play this beautiful instrument. Your generosity in sharing this information with me and all aspiring pianists is deeply appreciated.
This masterclass was absolutely amazing! I learned so much and gained valuable insights into piano technique and expression. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and passion it’s truly inspiring!
This video is educational, informative, and interesting to watch! Thank-you for the efforts of your team, and your passion to put this together in memory of your teacher. Teachers and students alike can benefit. Thank-you!
Thank you for this. In the rotation section, you looked for a word and arrived at a good explanation of bow an arrow, or a baseball pitcher both drawing back to gather momentum. In ballet we call this a preparatory movement, and these movements not only serve that same purpose, but they add grace and plasticity to the movement. 🙂⭐🙏🏼
Hello Marian, thank you só much for sharing your knowlege with us. You are such a kind person and i love to learn from you. I started playing on my simple Yamaha keyboard. I started with clássical pieces during The pandemic. First time that i had contact with the piano i was 6 years old. My mum brought me to a teacher and i had only 2 lessons. We moved tô another town and then i never saw a piano again. But i always knew that i wanted tô learn playing. Now i am 39 and i already read notes and i am playing simple pieces from bach e Beethoven. My dream is tô buy one day an acústic piano. Thank you, and i am sure that you will be succesfull with your vídeos
Amazing! I’ve studied the Sandor’s technique in Italy with teacher Christine Meyr and continue to dig it till now, I was looking for a long time to some video about this technique but couldn’t find much material. I’m happy that finally I’ve found someone who is explaining this great why to use our body to play the piano
Thank you so much Marian, I have learned so much from you! Love how you explain everything so clearly and easy to understand. Would love to see more videos like this from you in the future
I don't "belong" here. as a non pianist and a low skill level guitar play I was lured in by the title. But I watched the whole presentation with delight. it was fascinating. Reminded me a bit of the movie "Talent has Hunger" The techniques were understandably new to me. but it captured my imagination. The ball really illustrated your points. As a non note reader I could see the patterns of the music on the paper and could grasp what you were saying about knowing the rotation . I could go on but I'll spare you. It was a fun viewing. I wish I had seen this when I was 7-8-or 9 ( instead of 73. ) One more thing is the pieces you selected had such beautiful phrases and awesome chords and melodic combinations. You have inspired me. I am grateful. I am now going to listen to Chopin's Prelude in c minor opus 28. Awesome.
I read his book part 1 and 2 and tested the 5 techniques on piano keys, and I applied it to some notes I struggled with. Set proper rotational axis, check alignment, raise fingers before playing, move slightly up and forth before playing a black key and prepare whatever needed.. Bam my finger just flies on a keyboard. With the thrust motion I made a huge sonority without an effort and a strain. My 10+ years piano playing now makes sense. Spent many many time to play fast and with a few second got tired and though "my practice is not sufficient, I should repeat it more and more". But now I know I was wrong. that was futile. This video have to reach at least 10m+ views, I think it's unfair some ppl know it and others don't. How critical the information is. I am thankful I could learn English and you made the video. 10+ years piano technical problems are just resolved under 7 days of learning these new basic techniques. I am very shocked and feel strange...
Gyorgy Sandor ! Great teacher and player ! I went to UMich when he was there teaching Samuel Perez and many Brazilian, Asian, American, Russian players of incredible talent. He played the Chopin Sonata with me (cellist) for fun when I was recovering from an arm injury, and his advice was exactly correct ! I will always appreciate his greatness, and i'm very happy to MEET another of his "off-spring" !
Great lessons. I find the way you repeatedly mention Sandor's name heart warming. Hope this is the start of a great channel with a wealth of good information!
i am 69 years old -male - Chinese origin living in Austria. I'll soo get a Keyboard from my son. this video appears timely on my screen. thank you Dr Lee.
I’m just a guitar player. I wish there were videos like yours for us… Very systematic tutorial, that helps to understand the multi-dimensional interplay of muscles, senses and the brain to produce what we call music, far beyond the two-dimensionality of sheet music. Bravo!
Hi! It's good to see another teacher use free fall. I, as a piano teacher use the technique but mine is more like free fall in parachute because shoulders and upper arms have control to some extent. I don't drop my fingers from that high and I use it in playing super fast music too. That's actually my main technique for my entire piano performance. If I use it right I can enjoy effortless playing in full relaxation.
Thank you so much. I’m not a pianist and still learned enough to get me interested. You explained and demonstrated with so much mastery, elegance and generosity. May your tribe increase. Learning from a great teacher is a gift and a blessing. No other short cuts - need to put in the work. 🙂
I’ve been playing the piano for year by ear for many years. For the past years I’ve been struggling to advance my playing or learning new songs, so I decided on going back to the basics. And it made me realize how I never really learned any basic techniques on how to play. Finding videos like this makes it so much more fun to practice and learn. Thank for you a brilliant video!
I'm so grateful I stumbled upon your content! Your piano lessons are truly exceptional, among the finest I've ever come across. I'm eagerly looking forward to more of your informative videos that can aid individuals in honing their piano skills and mastering advanced techniques.
3:53 Your comment about "the feet" echoes my own piano teacher's dictum that "We play the piano with our feet." He was Viennese, a student of Leschetitzky.
Thank you. I have just completed grade 6 - classical Australian Music Exam Board, I’ve returned to lessons in my 50’s. I am so thankful because you have explained this so well and beginning grade 7 I can consciously analyse the new pieces in this way, something I have never done before. My teacher was describing a rotation movement and said to think of turning a door handle - the analogies are very helpful. Thank you for your clear teaching and care ❤
First time Ive heard that there are piano exercises that one needs when playing piano. Im 70 and at 69 i taught myself. I now compose and play my own tracks. Ive uploaded two such tracks on my YT channel. But thsts my style of playing. Thanks for this video. Very humble to introduce your great teacher.
Thank you so much, for this. I am a piano teacher, having taught for many years. I do and teach what you went through here except I did not know how to explain it so well as you did. Thank you from the depths of my heart for this.
2 года назад+1
Piano ist das Instrument, des Körpers Musik zum Ausdruck zu bringen. Sehr beeindruckendes Video. Es hat einige Kosmen des Klanges geöffnet! Danke...
What a precious knowledge and and experience you give there. Thanks for your passion and generosity. Extremely clear explanation. You are a master Madame ! 👍❤️☮️
You are an excellent teacher. Very easy to understand and comprehend your concepts and techniques! Wish you would create more helpful videos for those wishing to learn and develop sound piano skills and techniques. Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much ❤ I’ve been struggling with techniques for many years. Your video opened up my understanding of different techniques and how to apply them correctly
Thank you so much, your clear explanations of the five motions and your insightful analysis of scores are most helpful. I appreciate all the effort that has been put into this video.
Thank you very much Dr. Marian Lee for this wonderful and incredible free video on piano technique, it is very difficult to find professional professors who share the art of playing the piano in a pedagogical way (free) , the best piano video I have ever seen, greetings from colombia.
That staccato motion got me. I have been asking myself how pianists play octaves so fast and as soon as I got it from you and tried the c major octaves on my piano it was like wow!!! Thank you for this!
Wow, thank you so much! I'm learning Bach - Prelude in C Major and went on YT to listen to reference, stumbled upon your video and immediately tried second motion, especialy raising my hand on the end of a phrase. I was shocked how much difference it did make. Not only it helped me with wrist tension, but my dynamics and timing was way more accurate. Again thank you so much for sharing this with us.
Hello, I am 22 and been playing piano for a year now. These days Im mostly focused on making a (at least) proper piano technique and yesterday my teacher actually reminded me about the active fingers, but also corrected my wrist and I was like okay wow, but you also have the rest of the arm and I just didn't understand why and whats the theory behind it. Just came back from job, turned on some youtube for a little chill before I practice and BOOM the first thing I see is this lesson just fell from the heavens haha. Can't thank you enough Dr. Lee, amazing examples, the most important thing I try to avoid now are bad habits and I can't think of how many I could potentially make if I hadn't watched this video. I think it's gonna be such an improvement now combining it with for example Hilary Hahn practice strategies. Much love and Thank You again!
Thank you for your comment! Your teacher though is also right - active fingers are SO important. The combination is really key to sound and control. I'm hoping to talk about it in my next video.
THANK you so much!! I heard George Sandor once..live...in the big hall ...in the Philippines...where he played Rachmaninoff's Paganini Variations...MAJESTIC , GORGEOUS beautiful playing..it was ENORMOUS and i recall that the examples you showed reflect HOW he moved at the piano. no extraneous movements ..nothing "ballet" like many nowadays do...but just NATURAL and fluid at the piano..but notes were like pearls that shine..and with the big sections...it was like he was BIGGER than the orchestra at full strength. volcanic even in the richness of tone. i will NEVER forget it. THANK YOU for explaining so clearlly.
Such a great video Marian. I’m new to piano playing but i know enough to realize about the value and many layers of this video. It goes right away to my list of reference videos. Thanks a lot!! 🙏
Thank you so much for sharing this! It was very useful information for me and I really appreciate how this video was clearly made with a lot of love and care :)
Great video! I took five years of piano lessons in my teens, learning pieces like moonlight and pathetique and have played on and off my whole life (mostly ON for the last three years, without nearly the progression I would like). Recently retired and trying to get reasonably more disciplined. All that to say, this was great information, none of which was ever presented or taught to me so clearly as you did. The free fall, staccato, rotation and thrust seem straightforward to incorporate into my playing, partially because you explained it so well and so intuitively and how it fits in. However, the concepts of motion for the scales and arpeggios seem less intuitive (while you explained each of them exceptionally well for the time alotted), those motions probably have much more nuance depending on hand size, strength, etc., that would probably require some more depth evaluation and time to explain. I appreciate the suggestion of Gyorgy Sandor, I will definitely get that, but are there other videos in more detail by other folks that you find helpful for your students that you could suggest to get that more depth on the scale/arpeggios motions? I will be watching this video a few more times in front of the piano in my practicing. Thank you again!
I'm not sure how I found this, but I'm grateful. At 69, I've never practiced these techniques. This looks like a way to extend my playing life on these hands, maybe even improve, as I've been holding back in response to pain. Even at my desk, this all makes sense. Bravo and thank you!
Marian, this has helped me a lot! Thank you! Congratulations on a video with so many views and so many subscribers... your content is great and you deserve it.
I loved seeing the sheet music notation used for phrasing, rapid down and up positions per type of key, the groupings etc. Your use of the ball to explain the motion was great.
Less than five minutes into the video and I am so impressed that I hit the subscription button. Thank you for your generosity, sharing such invaluable lesson. I look forward to learning more.
Well as a person suddenly intrigued by the piano - and having covered many Guitar styles I have recognized the importance of techniques supporting phrasing and execution - much of the nuances is driven by physiologically naturally supporting movement. - applied a few ideas surrounding some absurdly non-beginning pieces - revisited Daniel Barenboim's Clair de Lune and fortunately now there is more fluency and expressiveness in the recorded results - thanks for the additional focus.
When I saw this video's title I thought, "Oh, just like the book On Piano Playing". I read it almost 20 years ago and got so much out of it. Thank you for sharing your knowledge & insight as a professor and former student of Gyorgy Sandor.
thank you very much. I am very happy i watched your clips, really!!!. 40 years ago i learned piano as a hobby for one and a half year, i can reach grade 4, then frustrated with difficult pieces. I stopped since then. Now at the age of 50, I decide to play piano again. Thanks for sharing these precious techniques.
Thanks you for passing on what you learnt♥️ Amazing lesson. I usually zone out in 10mins. But you made me sit and watch the whole 35mins. Looking forward to more videos from you. You are an amazing teacher. Special credits to the camera man too and editing. ❤️
Thank you for this video! After getting back into piano after several years away I'm finding myself trying to be much more conscious and deliberate about my technique, and I love how you've broken down the movements. I'm excited to apply these to the pieces I'm working on, and rediscover new elements in pieces I've played for years!
Thank you so much for generously sharing this knowledge. I am a beginner and this information is so important when starting out and setting habits. I think these techniques will save me from much muscle cramp. ❤
I really enjoyed this! I knew a little bit about rotation but I didn’t know that I should apply it to arpeggios. I appreciate the other motions as well, and alignment makes so much sense. Thank you for sharing how everything is connected, and thank you for kindly sharing all this wisdom!!
Thankyou for your kindness, first time hearing these techniques. Been playing for 8 years, You are very talented and knowledgeable. Thankyou for the valuable information that i can now file and use for the future. ❤️
Studied piano for 18 years. Nobody told me this. Very informative. Thanks a lot
14 years of study here, most of these are new to me as well. The forearm technique I learned. Thank God!
I have been in love with the piano for as long as I can remember, and, though my parents repeatedly promised me lessons, they never came through and I had to teach myself. I devoured every bit of musical knowledge that came my way. Two years ago for my birthday, thanks to my marvelous husband, I finally got the piano I had waited for all my life. It is just as much a part of me as my arms and legs. I am now 70 years old, and I think this is the best video I have ever seen. Thank you.
I had a similar experience, Stephanie. We are of a similar age. My family could not afford a piano, so I began on a spinet in a kind neighbor’s house. I was passionate from the beginning. We finally got a cheap upright and I paid for a few lessons by babysitting. I even tried to major in piano at my local university, but it was hopeless with such a background. My teacher focused on more advanced students. Fast forward to the present. I decided to try again during the pandemic and finally could afford a very nice piano. I joined tonebase and am learning a lot. However, this video is by far better than anything I have ever seen. I am overjoyed. I can do each motion and they make playing so much easier and fun! Watch out Chopin Ballades, here I come!
Stephanie, congratulations that you were able to fulfill your lifelong dream to own your own piano. I am 73 and just purchased a piano as well. I am excited to start studies again and have so many music compositions that I want to learn. I am sure you feel the same, I am so happy for you. Just curious, what kind of piano did you get? Mine is an Ebony 1982 YAMAHA (YUX) upright.
Good for you. I always say you are never too old to learn an instrument. I teach piano virtually as well as in person perand I have several adults. I personally started violin lessons when I was in my sixties. I am proud of you.
@@davidwhittaker9511 My piano is a Boston GP-156 PE. Unfortunately, I can't play it right now; three weeks ago I had thumb joint reconstruction surgery. It is going to be wonderful to be able to play octaves without pain!
I am 54 and and I always played guitar and dreamed of playing piano. Now I am learning. I'd like to watch a video of you playing. Congratulations for you and your husband from Brazil.
Seriously, one of the best piano lessons I've seen on RUclips. Thank you so much.
Learnt more in 3 mins 46 secs than 54 years of piano playing, playing being the operative word. Thanks a lot.
I see that this is your only video on your channel. I hope there are more awesome master classes in the near future
That's the plan! Probably shorter ones on specific topics:-)
Thanks
Thank you so much!
A beginner / intermediate here, and I never have thought about nor did my childhood piano teacher talk about technique, arm and hand movement, etc., to allow for easier access which ultimately allows for smoother transitions. Thanks!!
“Start with the breath”. This is literally piano yoga.
Thank you. This is genius.
I have played for years. I became a mom...no time to practice...then kids grew up and I had to find myself ....so I picked up piano again. Thank you. I have never had the opportunity to learn these essential mechanics. I just had a lesson by an incredible teacher. Thank you!!!
he was a good teacher...i studied with him at his home privately while he was at julliard...i miss him...thanks for posting this
When I was a first year student at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor I had the opportunity of playing for Professor Sandor the Chopin G Minor Ballad in a Masterclass. Although feeling somewhat intimidated by him he gave me several wonderful ideas. His Bartok is legendary!
Thanks a million! This is truly invaluable. I’ll be re-watching this 1001 times so that all the lessons sink in. Nothing helps me more than knowing the anatomical reason why it is so.
Thank you so much!!!
Fascinating! These concepts were never taught to me. I have been playing now for over 40 years and while I haven't yet experienced hand pain or tendon issues (thankfully!), this makes me want to really analyze how I'm playing to make sure I'm not wasting motion and/or not using enough motion, rotation, etc., to ensure that I DON'T get fatigued or get tendon issues.
Thanks so much for your time!
Dear Marian. You cannot imagine how important and useful is being to watch your super class on piano basic motions. Must confess, I never saw this subject being exposed so clearly! THANK YOU, SO MUCH! God bless you. Greetings, from Brasil. Prof. Roberto Sion.
Dr. Lee, I have just subscribed your channel after watching your tutorial. I have learned these motions during my seven years of study with my teacher. But you broke them down in such clear categories along with their applications, which is particularly helpful. I hope you can share the applications more with a more extensive score example when possible. Thank you for your generosity. By the way, it's exciting to know you were maestro Sandor's pupil. I was exposed to his artistry a long time ago when I acquired his recordings of the complete Bartok piano music, which is a special part of my prized collection. Thank you for passing his wisdom down to us.
I've recently had to take a break from piano practice as I caused a bit of a wrist injury (self taught so I was unaware of the basics of form & technique) and this is such a valuable resource. I'm resting my wrist so that it can heal up but when I'm back this will help immensely to set my form and technique on the right path. Thank you kindly! I look forward to future videos :)
hope you have recovered well :) would you mind telling what were you doing wrong that caused injury and what signs to look for. I am also self teaching and this would really help many others like us. TIA
Your teaching is so clear when you are demonstrating a certain technique that I can actually take it in and remember it not just watch only to be left wondering, "Now what did that teacher tell me to do?" Also, you are so sweet and soft-spoken that your personality does not get in the way of what you are teaching. Thank you so much for sharing this.
I just lucked onto this in my feed and it has already changed my life! I cannot thank you enough. Identifying these core motions and explaining them in a concise and simple way takes deep insight. You have solved a million problems I was having that would never have been resolved by repetition and experiment. WOW!
Thank you for this. As a 40+ year violist recently starting on piano, it’s invaluable. ❤. Posture is everything.
Agreed! Good luck on your piano journey!
I'll add my own and echo CC's comment. I'm 7 years in next month and these kinds of questions have been a source of deep consternation for me. I'm an older student - with a grappling background - and these kinds of details in gross body movements (BJJ, judo, wrestling) have many analogues to the piano techniques being mentioned by our good doctor. You can learn "moves," but it can help (some) students save significant time by understanding "principles" that have broad application across the whole keyboard. **Double bonus that these techniques can be used to reading music and helping us have a head start on understanding passages and having TOOLS to dissect them!!** Bless you, doctor. This is a great tutorial. Excellent information.
I can't thank you enough for not only sharing this info with us but presenting and demonstrating it the way you did. I was able to follow you so easily and wow what a difference. I've been playing for years but this is the first time I've heard this. You're a really good teacher. Many thanks💛
What a lovely person and fabulous teacher. Where were you when I was growing up? I'm going to look at the Ballades with fresh eyes now. Thankyou!
Wow... I'm 48 and just starting my music "career". I say you're never too old. I'm up at 2:45am... learning. I'm on the isle of man on a farm owned by my piano instructor. Thank you for the time you put into this video. 💙🙏💙
This is a well-produced and thought out demonstration of the basics of solid piano technique. The clear explanations, musical examples and variety of camera angles kept the lesson interesting all the way through!
Thank you for your thoughtful comments!
It is most definitely one of the more fundamental cores that’s just not emphasized enough. Should be like the first thing any program should do before busting the piano. This knowledge was natural for me to get but only bc of my concurrent passion for physiology and anatomy and from Martial arts. My hands and fingers are still healthy and not suffering from arthritis. I’m not a professional but I can easily see how, without mindfulness on this aspect, many pianist can direct themselves towards a career death sentence if you grind it through. The essence of proper warm up, range motion.. or general proprioception.. that should be like the first thing to instill in any students joe or pro. I’m very glad to watch a video on this and I wish there were more of this on RUclips bc we have many potentially great pianists who otherwise could harm themselves without the understanding. Subscribed.
Thank you Marian, it’s really useful being able to categorise certain passages of a piece when learning or even listening to it. This is a superb reference that I’ll keep for myself and share to anyone looking! Thankyou!!!
Wonderful! I'm so glad you find it useful and thank you for sharing it with anyone you think would be interested.
Abby Whiteside in her book on playing the Chopin etudes in the 1950's also revealed this important foundational fact that all piano playing is connected to the bigger body arm ,torso and diaphragm .And great playing itself comes from the whole personality .Rhythm in particular was enlivened by this connection . Finally ! Information about movement necessary for thumb repositioning ! This basic was never made clear to me in my many decades .It has always been more difficult descending in Chopin first study :now this should help.Wrist is really key in no.4 and 5 . Whiteside talked about torso and stomach in no.7 . This video is really an excellent foundation for technique !
I've been self-teaching piano and when you talked about alignment in the 5-finger scale, that removed so much tension from my playing that I couldn't identify before. Thank you so much for making this! It has been a life saver!
This is the type of explanation I was looking for, explanations that I don't get by paying for private lessons. I'm canceling my classes that have been frustrating me for some time and I'm going with you and other pretty serious piano teacher on youtube.
Its too bad that I hear this often from students who I end up having to help "fix" their technique... explaining these 5 aspects help perfect any piece you may learn. hope you found a good way to progress in your studies
Hello Marian, I want to thank you very much for offering this video, which is so instructive and valuable - by far the best video I have seen on piano technique. I started playing piano at age 70, teaching myself from the Faber series. I am now 75 and still practising almost every day, still excited about learning to play this beautiful instrument. Your generosity in sharing this information with me and all aspiring pianists is deeply appreciated.
This masterclass was absolutely amazing! I learned so much and gained valuable insights into piano technique and expression. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and passion it’s truly inspiring!
This video is educational, informative, and interesting to watch! Thank-you for the efforts of your team, and your passion to put this together in memory of your teacher. Teachers and students alike can benefit. Thank-you!
Thank you Dorene! I'm so glad you found it beneficial! Thanks for taking the time to comment!
So amazing - simplifies everything!!!
Oh and I love how you "have a ball" while teaching 🙂
Thank you for this. In the rotation section, you looked for a word and arrived at a good explanation of bow an arrow, or a baseball pitcher both drawing back to gather momentum. In ballet we call this a preparatory movement, and these movements not only serve that same purpose, but they add grace and plasticity to the movement. 🙂⭐🙏🏼
This was an excellent demonstration; I eagerly forward your future content.
Hello Marian, thank you só much for sharing your knowlege with us. You are such a kind person and i love to learn from you. I started playing on my simple Yamaha keyboard. I started with clássical pieces during The pandemic. First time that i had contact with the piano i was 6 years old. My mum brought me to a teacher and i had only 2 lessons. We moved tô another town and then i never saw a piano again. But i always knew that i wanted tô learn playing. Now i am 39 and i already read notes and i am playing simple pieces from bach e Beethoven. My dream is tô buy one day an acústic piano. Thank you, and i am sure that you will be succesfull with your vídeos
Amazing! I’ve studied the Sandor’s technique in Italy with teacher Christine Meyr and continue to dig it till now, I was looking for a long time to some video about this technique but couldn’t find much material. I’m happy that finally I’ve found someone who is explaining this great why to use our body to play the piano
Thank you so much Marian, I have learned so much from you! Love how you explain everything so clearly and easy to understand. Would love to see more videos like this from you in the future
I don't "belong" here. as a non pianist and a low skill level guitar play I was lured in by the title. But I watched the whole presentation with delight. it was fascinating.
Reminded me a bit of the movie "Talent has Hunger" The techniques were understandably new to me. but it captured my imagination. The ball really illustrated your points. As a non note reader I could see the patterns of the music on the paper and could grasp what you were saying about knowing the rotation . I could go on but I'll spare you. It was a fun viewing. I wish I had seen this when I was 7-8-or 9 ( instead of 73. ) One more thing is the pieces you selected had such beautiful phrases and awesome chords and melodic combinations. You have inspired me. I am grateful. I am now going to listen to Chopin's Prelude in c minor opus 28. Awesome.
I read his book part 1 and 2 and tested the 5 techniques on piano keys, and I applied it to some notes I struggled with. Set proper rotational axis, check alignment, raise fingers before playing, move slightly up and forth before playing a black key and prepare whatever needed.. Bam my finger just flies on a keyboard. With the thrust motion I made a huge sonority without an effort and a strain. My 10+ years piano playing now makes sense. Spent many many time to play fast and with a few second got tired and though "my practice is not sufficient, I should repeat it more and more". But now I know I was wrong. that was futile. This video have to reach at least 10m+ views, I think it's unfair some ppl know it and others don't. How critical the information is. I am thankful I could learn English and you made the video. 10+ years piano technical problems are just resolved under 7 days of learning these new basic techniques. I am very shocked and feel strange...
That's amazing and wonderful to hear!
Gyorgy Sandor ! Great teacher and player ! I went to UMich when he was there teaching Samuel Perez and many Brazilian, Asian, American, Russian players of incredible talent. He played the Chopin Sonata with me (cellist) for fun when I was recovering from an arm injury, and his advice was exactly correct ! I will always appreciate his greatness, and i'm very happy to MEET another of his "off-spring" !
Great lessons. I find the way you repeatedly mention Sandor's name heart warming. Hope this is the start of a great channel with a wealth of good information!
i am 69 years old -male - Chinese origin living in Austria. I'll soo get a Keyboard from my son. this video appears timely on my screen. thank you Dr Lee.
I’m just a guitar player. I wish there were videos like yours for us… Very systematic tutorial, that helps to understand the multi-dimensional interplay of muscles, senses and the brain to produce what we call music, far beyond the two-dimensionality of sheet music. Bravo!
Hi! It's good to see another teacher use free fall. I, as a piano teacher use the technique but mine is more like free fall in parachute because shoulders and upper arms have control to some extent. I don't drop my fingers from that high and I use it in playing super fast music too.
That's actually my main technique for my entire piano performance. If I use it right I can enjoy effortless playing in full relaxation.
Thank you so much.
I’m not a pianist and still learned enough to get me interested.
You explained and demonstrated with so much mastery, elegance and generosity.
May your tribe increase.
Learning from a great teacher is a gift and a blessing.
No other short cuts - need to put in the work.
🙂
I’ve been playing the piano for year by ear for many years. For the past years I’ve been struggling to advance my playing or learning new songs, so I decided on going back to the basics. And it made me realize how I never really learned any basic techniques on how to play. Finding videos like this makes it so much more fun to practice and learn. Thank for you a brilliant video!
I'm so grateful I stumbled upon your content! Your piano lessons are truly exceptional, among the finest I've ever come across. I'm eagerly looking forward to more of your informative videos that can aid individuals in honing their piano skills and mastering advanced techniques.
3:53 Your comment about "the feet" echoes my own piano teacher's dictum that "We play the piano with our feet." He was Viennese, a student of Leschetitzky.
What a valuable, valuable lesson! Thank you so much for it. Look forward to more videos like this. You are a wonderful teacher!
You are a great teacher! I ❤ the way you explain and demonstrate each skill.
Thank you! 😃
Thank you. I have just completed grade 6 - classical Australian Music Exam Board, I’ve returned to lessons in my 50’s. I am so thankful because you have explained this so well and beginning grade 7 I can consciously analyse the new pieces in this way, something I have never done before. My teacher was describing a rotation movement and said to think of turning a door handle - the analogies are very helpful. Thank you for your clear teaching and care ❤
First time Ive heard that there are piano exercises that one needs when playing piano. Im 70 and at 69 i taught myself. I now compose and play my own tracks. Ive uploaded two such tracks on my YT channel. But thsts my style of playing. Thanks for this video. Very humble to introduce your great teacher.
Thank you so much, for this. I am a piano teacher, having taught for many years. I do and teach what you went through here except I did not know how to explain it so well as you did. Thank you from the depths of my heart for this.
Piano ist das Instrument, des Körpers Musik zum Ausdruck zu bringen. Sehr beeindruckendes Video. Es hat einige Kosmen des Klanges geöffnet! Danke...
What a precious knowledge and and experience you give there. Thanks for your passion and generosity. Extremely clear explanation. You are a master Madame ! 👍❤️☮️
I was surprised how simple and informative this was.
You are an excellent teacher. Very easy to understand and comprehend your concepts and techniques! Wish you would create more helpful videos for those wishing to learn and develop sound piano skills and techniques. Thank you in advance!
Thank you so much ❤ I’ve been struggling with techniques for many years. Your video opened up my understanding of different techniques and how to apply them correctly
Thank you so much, your clear explanations of the five motions and your insightful analysis of scores are most helpful. I appreciate all the effort that has been put into this video.
Thank you very much Dr. Marian Lee for this wonderful and incredible free video on piano technique, it is very difficult to find professional professors who share the art of playing the piano in a pedagogical way (free) , the best piano video I have ever seen, greetings from colombia.
You're very welcome!
Please keep educating us. Amazing knowlege and such a calming voice.
That staccato motion got me. I have been asking myself how pianists play octaves so fast and as soon as I got it from you and tried the c major octaves on my piano it was like wow!!! Thank you for this!
Awesome!
This is outstanding! Thank you. I would like to give you a million likes! I hope we will see more videos from you.
Wow, thank you! I will work on it!
Wow, thank you so much! I'm learning Bach - Prelude in C Major and went on YT to listen to reference, stumbled upon your video and immediately tried second motion, especialy raising my hand on the end of a phrase. I was shocked how much difference it did make. Not only it helped me with wrist tension, but my dynamics and timing was way more accurate. Again thank you so much for sharing this with us.
Hello, I am 22 and been playing piano for a year now. These days Im mostly focused on making a (at least) proper piano technique and yesterday my teacher actually reminded me about the active fingers, but also corrected my wrist and I was like okay wow, but you also have the rest of the arm and I just didn't understand why and whats the theory behind it. Just came back from job, turned on some youtube for a little chill before I practice and BOOM the first thing I see is this lesson just fell from the heavens haha. Can't thank you enough Dr. Lee, amazing examples, the most important thing I try to avoid now are bad habits and I can't think of how many I could potentially make if I hadn't watched this video. I think it's gonna be such an improvement now combining it with for example Hilary Hahn practice strategies. Much love and Thank You again!
Thank you for your comment! Your teacher though is also right - active fingers are SO important. The combination is really key to sound and control. I'm hoping to talk about it in my next video.
Can't wait to see more!
You produce a beautiful piano sound and are very informative! Excellent.
I love this video, and will certainly be returning to re-watch to help with my own practice. Looking forward to hearing more from you!
THANK you so much!! I heard George Sandor once..live...in the big hall ...in the Philippines...where he played Rachmaninoff's Paganini Variations...MAJESTIC , GORGEOUS beautiful playing..it was ENORMOUS and i recall that the examples you showed reflect HOW he moved at the piano. no extraneous movements ..nothing "ballet" like many nowadays do...but just NATURAL and fluid at the piano..but notes were like pearls that shine..and with the big sections...it was like he was BIGGER than the orchestra at full strength. volcanic even in the richness of tone. i will NEVER forget it. THANK YOU for explaining so clearlly.
Thank you for sharing that memory - it means a lot to me!
Such a great video Marian. I’m new to piano playing but i know enough to realize about the value and many layers of this video. It goes right away to my list of reference videos. Thanks a lot!! 🙏
Thank you so much for sharing this! It was very useful information for me and I really appreciate how this video was clearly made with a lot of love and care :)
Great video! I took five years of piano lessons in my teens, learning pieces like moonlight and pathetique and have played on and off my whole life (mostly ON for the last three years, without nearly the progression I would like). Recently retired and trying to get reasonably more disciplined. All that to say, this was great information, none of which was ever presented or taught to me so clearly as you did. The free fall, staccato, rotation and thrust seem straightforward to incorporate into my playing, partially because you explained it so well and so intuitively and how it fits in. However, the concepts of motion for the scales and arpeggios seem less intuitive (while you explained each of them exceptionally well for the time alotted), those motions probably have much more nuance depending on hand size, strength, etc., that would probably require some more depth evaluation and time to explain. I appreciate the suggestion of Gyorgy Sandor, I will definitely get that, but are there other videos in more detail by other folks that you find helpful for your students that you could suggest to get that more depth on the scale/arpeggios motions? I will be watching this video a few more times in front of the piano in my practicing. Thank you again!
I'm not sure how I found this, but I'm grateful. At 69, I've never practiced these techniques. This looks like a way to extend my playing life on these hands, maybe even improve, as I've been holding back in response to pain. Even at my desk, this all makes sense. Bravo and thank you!
I’m so glad you found it informative!
Very educational. I've watched it several times, and I am still thinking about it. I will be watching it again. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Just watched this and you are an amazing teacher. I’m new to piano and will be saving this for future reference. Thank you very much.
This is the information I've been looking for my entire piano-playing life. What!! Thank you! So many blessings to you!
Marian, this has helped me a lot! Thank you! Congratulations on a video with so many views and so many subscribers... your content is great and you deserve it.
I loved seeing the sheet music notation used for phrasing, rapid down and up positions per type of key, the groupings etc. Your use of the ball to explain the motion was great.
These techniques are amazing and super well taught! Thank you so much.
Incredible! Free lesson which I never learned from expensive lessons during 15 plus years of lessons.
This is a great resource for the inquisitive student who wants an overview of something that is so difficult to summarize.
Thank you!
Great lessons G Sandor is one of the pianists I admire
Less than five minutes into the video and I am so impressed that I hit the subscription button. Thank you for your generosity, sharing such invaluable lesson. I look forward to learning more.
Thank you for your kind comment! I plan to come up with more. So glad you are enjoying it!
Excellent lesson, thank you!
Well as a person suddenly intrigued by the piano - and having covered many Guitar styles I have recognized the importance of techniques supporting phrasing and execution - much of the nuances is driven by physiologically naturally supporting movement. - applied a few ideas surrounding some absurdly non-beginning pieces - revisited Daniel Barenboim's Clair de Lune and fortunately now there is more fluency and expressiveness in the recorded results - thanks for the additional focus.
When I saw this video's title I thought, "Oh, just like the book On Piano Playing". I read it almost 20 years ago and got so much out of it. Thank you for sharing your knowledge & insight as a professor and former student of Gyorgy Sandor.
Really helpful video, thank you so much Dr. Lee for sharing such wisdom.
thank you very much. I am very happy i watched your clips, really!!!. 40 years ago i learned piano as a hobby for one and a half year, i can reach grade 4, then frustrated with difficult pieces. I stopped since then. Now at the age of 50, I decide to play piano again. Thanks for sharing these precious techniques.
Very informative and very helpful! Thank you for sharing this information!
I’ve been studying piano since the last month (on my own) and this is golden material to me. Thank you for this.
I'm so glad it's been helpful!
Thank you so much Marian, excellent helpful teaching. I really appreciate your time and sharing.😊
Charming tuition given so generously. I wish my early lessons had been like this!
Thanks you for passing on what you learnt♥️
Amazing lesson. I usually zone out in 10mins. But you made me sit and watch the whole 35mins.
Looking forward to more videos from you.
You are an amazing teacher.
Special credits to the camera man too and editing. ❤️
Thank you so much Miss Lee, I just delighted your amazing lesson! Greetings from Mexico City!
Muchas gracias!
This is such an incredible video! Thanks so much for sharing these precious information with us for free. I am so grateful for your help! ❤️
Thank you for this video! After getting back into piano after several years away I'm finding myself trying to be much more conscious and deliberate about my technique, and I love how you've broken down the movements. I'm excited to apply these to the pieces I'm working on, and rediscover new elements in pieces I've played for years!
Thank you so much for generously sharing this knowledge. I am a beginner and this information is so important when starting out and setting habits. I think these techniques will save me from much muscle cramp. ❤
Good luck to you, Alan. :)
I really enjoyed this! I knew a little bit about rotation but I didn’t know that I should apply it to arpeggios. I appreciate the other motions as well, and alignment makes so much sense. Thank you for sharing how everything is connected, and thank you for kindly sharing all this wisdom!!
1. Free fall 5:10
2. Five fingers, scales & arpeggios 8:40
3. Rotation 18:05
4. Staccato 23:23
5. Thrust 27:19
Thank you.
@@joycefry4664 thank you!
Thanks. All her inarticulate talking is painful. Just get to the techniques.
@@CS-uc2oh I find her narration helpful, I just made the index to review.
Thankyou for your kindness, first time hearing these techniques. Been playing for 8 years, You are very talented and knowledgeable. Thankyou for the valuable information that i can now file and use for the future. ❤️
Glad to hear it helpful!