PianoWell: Mental Practice for Injury-free Performance

The PianoWell System

recovery program

books

Legato

EXTERNAL approach

Traditional Teaching

The PianoWell System

Create the FEELING

Imitate the EFFECT

INTERNAL approach

Legato
Traditional Teaching - “Imitate the Description”
The Description of the Experience Play smoothly. Release the fingers slightly overlapping notes. Imagine your fingers sinking into soft butter or dough. Let one note naturally blend into the next. Play as if you were singing. Play like bel canto singing. Gently enter the key without force. Sing! Feel the depth of the keys as you play.
The PianoWell System - “Feel the Experience”
How the Experience is Created 1. Imagine the notes in the right quality & direction of the sound. 2. Convey the imagined sound and its direction through aligned wrist motion. 3. Internally sing the space between the notes with glissando and resistance. 4. Transfer free energy within your body (arm weight) to the instrument through internal singing. 5. Your hands don’t exist: they are simply a channel for expressing sound imagination & internal singing.

"Technique is the ability to produce what you want. The presupposition is that you want something. So before going to the piano and practicing, training your muscles which is a waste of time [...] because it's not in the muscles, it's in the brain, it's in the inner ear. Artur Schnabel used to say it - 'Hear before you play. If you play before you hear what you’re going for, it’s an accident, and everything is built then on an accident'. So, want something, hear it, go for it"

Leon Fleisher

Workshop at Carnegie Hall 2010

Daniel Barenboim

masterclass 2005

"If you have in your ear the sound of the oboes, or the sound of the violin, or the sound of the chorus, or the sound of the flute [...] it doesn't have to be that hard Beethoven's orchestra [...] the mere fact that you have that in your ear, and you have that sensitivity and the understanding of how that flute sounds in that register, will allow you - if you have the necessary manual control - to produce a sound that is much more interesting and more imaginative than the sound that is produced by simply bringing the keys down".

Articulations
Traditional Teaching - “Imitate the Description”
The Description of the Experience There is a difference between fingers sand wrist staccato. Too unclear... and now too harsh! Sharper, brighter and more clear! Imagine playing as if your hands are on a hot stove! Active fingers, active fingers!!! Active fingertips, but avoid a static wrist! Hold tenuto longer, with more weight! Accent must be sharper, but still round and rich! Do you know which articulations are written here??!!
The PianoWell System - “Feel the Experience”
How the Experience is Created 1. Imagine the notes in the right quality & direction of the sound. 2. Convey the imagined sound and its direction through aligned wrist motion. 3. Adjust your upper arms and elbows to support position changes, keeping your hand naturally closed and tension-free. 4. Internally sing the space between the notes with glissando and resistance. Use the correct singing technique for the given articulation, alternating the speed and weight of your singing as needed. 5. Transfer free energy within your body (arm weight) to the instrument through internal singing. 6. Your hands don’t exist: they are simply a channel for expressing sound imagination & internal singing.

György Sebők

masterclass 1987

"When you control things you play then you can create the illusion of playing a glissando on the piano [...] then you dream every note between the notes. That is kind of a hypnotic thing, because people are going to hear those glissandos, if you do hear it.

They will say themselves that it doesn't exist, you can not play glissando on the piano. But somehow I hear it, from where I sit it sounds like a glissando. It will be like a rainbow: the rainbow doesn't exist, the rainbow exists only where you are".

Relaxed Hands
Traditional Teaching - “Imitate the Description”
The Description of the Experience Relax your hands. Find the sections where you can relax your hands. Hands are breathing. Don’t tense up! You are so stiff, just relax! Shake your hands, make them loose. But not too much, because now you’re not able to play anything! Relaxed, but not too loose, just flexible and firm.
The PianoWell System - “Feel the Experience”
How the Experience is Created Shift the control over playing from a state of compulsive tension throughout the body to a focus in the mind and vocal cords. This allows you to play with relaxed and loose hands, engaging only the small, invisible muscles in your palms, arms and body that are necessary to create the desired touch and tone: 1. Your hands don’t exist: they are simply vessels, a channel for expressing your musical intentions (sound imagination and internal singing) at the piano. 2. Imagine the notes in the right quality & direction of the sound to activate fingertips. 3. Convey the imagined sound and its direction through aligned wrist motion to avoid static energy and create a breathing pattern when playing. 4. Adjust your upper arms and elbows to support position changes, keeping your hand naturally closed and tension-free. 5. Internally sing the space between the notes with glissando and resistance to control fingers muscles in the palm. 6. Transfer free energy within your body (arm weight) to the instrument through internal singing to maintain free energy while playing.

"I tell the young people 'Sing! Sing inside'.

You have no voice - that doesn't matter. The best voice - if you feel singing in you".

Arthur Rubinstein

at 90' interview

"You must sing if you wish to play”

Frédéric Chopin

Chopin: Pianist and Teacher as Seen by his Pupils' 1986

Flexible Wrist
Traditional Teaching - “Imitate the Description”
The Description of the Experience The wrist shouldn’t be static. Let your hand breathe! Relax your wrist. It shouldn’t feel too loose or too fixed. The wrist should sing! Find a natural angle. Avoid tension. Move your wrist more freely, but not too much.
The PianoWell System - “Feel the Experience”
How the Experience is Created 1. Imagine the notes in the right quality & direction of the sound. 2. Convey the imagined sound and its direction through aligned wrist motion. 3. Adjust your upper arms and elbows to support position changes, keeping your hand naturally closed and tension-free. 4. Internally sing the space between the notes with glissando and resistance. 5. Transfer free energy within your body (arm weight) to the instrument through internal singing. 6. Your hands don’t exist: they are simply a channel for expressing sound imagination & internal singing.

“All this should be better structured. I think the more a piece of music has many different characters, colours and attributes, the more it's important to think of it strategically. In other words, to know that because of this and that I am going here. So you never find yourself in the situation where suddenly you are manipulated by the music. When you have a clear, new beginning of a sequence, like when you write and you start a new paragraph, it has to be very clearly enunciated".

Daniel Barenboim

masterclass 2005

Active Fingertips
Traditional Teaching - “Imitate the Description”
The Description of the Experience The fingertip should feel engaged and connected, almost as if it's "clinging" to the key, while the arm remains completely loose and relaxed, allowing it to stay in contact with the keys without any tension. The tone lacks depth and color.
The PianoWell System - “Feel the Experience”
How the Experience is Created 1. Imagine the notes in the colors of harmony, dynamics and voicing, adding the direction of the sound. 2. Convey the imagined sound and its direction through aligned wrist motion. 3. Your hands don’t exist: they are simply a channel for expressing sound imagination & internal singing.

Good Posture
Traditional Teaching - “Imitate the Description”
The Description of the Experience Be mindful about your posture. You're holding too much tension in your neck and shoulders. Look up! Sit higher for octaves. Sit lower for runs and passages. Relax your back—don’t stiffen up! Release tension in your lower back and hips.
The PianoWell System - “Feel the Experience”
How the Experience is Created Connect your posture to inner singing with arm weight to maintain it while playing. This way, when you focus on the musical expression, you won't lose awareness of your posture and vice versa: 1. Feel your posture - lightly slouched and loose back naturally pulled upwards from the crown of your head; loose shoulders and thighs. 2. Internally sing the space between the notes with glissando and resistance. 3. Transfer free energy within your body (arm weight) to the instrument through internal singing.

“The next step would be not to phrase in a childish way. Child phrases are short. Like children recite poetry. Instead of separating the phrases, now connect them".

György Sebők

masterclass 1987

Daniel Barenboim

masterclass 2005

"Sometimes I am missing a pulse. You have the beginning element, which even though it is pianissimo and it's only an arpeggio, it must have already a substance. There is a basic pulse which you can alter as the music requires, but I think if you find it in a strict sense than all the expressivity will be even stronger".

Phrasing
Traditional Teaching - “Imitate the Description”
The Description of the Experience Keep going! More! Less!! Shape the phrase! This phrase flows endlessly. Break it here—pause, then continue! A comma here, a period there! Breathe with the music! Small units build a larger story. Identify tension points! Lead the phrase forward! Too choppy—connect it! Imagine a conversation unfolding. Softer… and now more! Add a touch of rubato here! Phrasing must breathe, not stagnate! Soar above—let it fly!
The PianoWell System - “Feel the Experience”
How the Experience is Created 1. Map out the shape of phrasing in the score - the length and contour of smaller and larger units. 2. Internally sing the space between the notes with glissando and resistance. Use the correct breathing technique for phrasing, gradating the nuances of energy and arm weight in your inner singing. 3. Transfer free energy within your body (arm weight) to the instrument through internal singing. 4. Your hands don’t exist: they are simply a channel for expressing sound imagination & internal singing.

Storyline (musical form)
Traditional Teaching - “Imitate the Description”
The Description of the Experience Tell me a story. Everything feels a bit static, play again with more movement, let me feel the development of the story. It’s the climax here, more, more, more!!! You can’t repeat this part with the same energy, it has to be different! Too much! Too less!
The PianoWell System - “Feel the Experience”
How the Experience is Created 1. Map out the structure of form in the score - beginning, development, rising and climax parts. 2. Internally sing the space between the notes with glissando and resistance. Use the correct singing technique for form, gradating the nuances of energy and arm weight. 3. Transfer free energy within your body (arm weight) to the instrument through internal singing. 4. Your hands don’t exist: they are simply a channel for expressing sound imagination & internal singing.

"You think that you have to play the piano with your fingers. That's a big mistake. You play the piano with your hand. That [playing with fingers] is very difficult, it's like driving the car very fast in first gear. So switch gear.

Playing the piano has to have some kind of dynamic feeling, The motion of the music has it, it has the same kind of dynamic feeling like things moving in space [...] like the wind blowing, coming and turning".

György Sebők

masterclass 1987

Steady Pulse
Traditional Teaching - “Imitate the Description”
The Description of the Experience You’re losing your tempo! Tem-po! Tem-po! Clapping the pulse... Tapping with a pencil... Walking...Marching... Practice with a metronome at home. Playing louder doesn’t mean playing faster! There is ritenuto written here! Slowing down doesn’t mean playing softer. Play in 4, feel the pulse! It’s too slow. Not too fast! This was rushed, find the right tempo.
The PianoWell System - “Feel the Experience”
How the Experience is Created Feel the pulse as a heartbeat integrated into the musical image and form, so the pulse won’t be lost when playing. as it is not disconnected from the musical idea: 1. Identify how many beats are in each bar. 2. Decided which beats are stronger and lighter. 3. Choose the heartbeat (tempo) that associated with the emotion of music.

Forte
Traditional Teaching - “Imitate the Description”
The Description of the Experience You're playing everything mezzo-forte. Do you know which dynamics is written here? It’s not enough! It’s too harsh! Not banging!! Engage your back! Keep your wrist flexible. More!!! Don’t hold back! Play with a round, rich and full tone, not flat.
The PianoWell System - “Feel the Experience”
How the Experience is Created 1. Imagine the notes in the right density & direction of the sound. 2. Convey the imagined sound and its direction through aligned wrist motion. 3. Adjust your upper arms and elbows to support position changes, keeping your hand naturally closed and tension-free. 4. Internally sing the space between the notes with glissando and resistance. 5. Transfer free energy within your body (arm weight) to the instrument through internal singing. 6. Your hands don’t exist: they are simply a channel for expressing sound imagination & internal singing.

Piano
Traditional Teaching - “Imitate the Description”
The Description of the Experience Too colorless, bring out the tone! Everything is mezzo-piano, where’s the contrast? Shhh... softer! No ghost notes! Control your tone. Prepare your fingers before each note. Enter the keys slower. Keep your fingers closer to the keys.
The PianoWell System - “Feel the Experience”
How the Experience is Created 1. Imagine the notes in the right transparency & direction of the sound. 2. Convey the imagined sound and its direction through aligned wrist motion. 3. Adjust your upper arms and elbows to support position changes, keeping your hand naturally closed and tension-free. 4. Internally sing the space between the notes with glissando and resistance. 5. Transfer free energy within your body (arm weight) to the instrument through internal singing. 6. Your hands don’t exist: they are simply a channel for expressing sound imagination & internal singing.

Voicing
Traditional Teaching - “Imitate the Description”
The Description of the Experience The melody is colorless. Project this voice more! Where is the Melody?!! Melody is louder and everything else is softer! Show me a hidden voice here. I cannot here the main theme! Too less! Now too much!!! Bring out the melody.
The PianoWell System - “Feel the Experience”
How the Experience is Created 1. Imagine the notes in the right distance & direction of the sound. 2. Convey the imagined sound and its direction through aligned wrist motion. 3. Adjust your upper arms and elbows to support position changes, keeping your hand naturally closed and tension-free. 4. Internally sing the space between the notes with glissando and resistance. 5. Transfer free energy within your body (arm weight) to the instrument through internal singing. 6. Your hands don’t exist: they are simply a channel for expressing sound imagination & internal singing.

Harmony
Traditional Teaching - “Imitate the Description”
The Description of the Experience Show me this harmony. Show me different colors. This is resolution. Highlight this surprising harmony. This chord is more tense.
The PianoWell System - “Feel the Experience”
How the Experience is Created 1. Imagine the notes in harmony quality & direction of the sound. 2. Convey the imagined sound and its direction through aligned wrist motion. 3. Adjust your upper arms and elbows to support position changes, keeping your hand naturally closed and tension-free. 4. Internally sing the space between the notes with glissando and resistance. 5. Transfer free energy within your body (arm weight) to the instrument through internal singing. 6. Your hands don’t exist: they are simply a channel for expressing sound imagination & internal singing.