Piano technique can be a controversial topic in the world of music education. Ask ten piano teachers how to teach “proper” hand position, finger independence, or tone, and you’ll get ten confident but different answers. TopMusic isn’t here to tell you the “right” or the “best” way to teach technique.
Piano technique can be a controversial topic in the world of music education.
Ask ten piano teachers how to teach “proper” hand position, finger independence, or tone, and you’ll get ten confident but different answers.
TopMusic isn’t here to tell you the “right” or the “best” way to teach technique.
We’re not here to celebrate or shame specific methods.
We’re here to open your eyes to all the possibilities and ideas out there that you may never have considered.
A particular phrase or exercise may give you an “aha!” moment for a certain student.
Or you may be reassured that you’re doing things correctly.
Table of Contents:
We teach how we were taught. It makes sense. It’s what we know.
Piano technique used to be taught like a set of rules:
These principles came from respected classical traditions – teachers wanted students to build stability, finger independence, and control.
A lot of students benefited from this traditional way of teaching technique.
As we moved into a new era of people not thinking they have to fit into a certain mold, teachers and musicians started questioning things.
Things like,
“Is my student’s hand supported, aligned, and free of tension?”
“Do my students understand how arm weight is more important than finger strength?”
“Are my students practicing technical drills with musical intention rather than just because?”
We’re not saying ignore everything you ever knew about teaching technique.
There are things that have remained the same:
If we put it all here, it’d be a very long blog.
So instead, we’ve collated various methods, ideologies, and ideas for teaching technique into a free digital magazine.
You’ll learn about
Download it here:
Asim Siddiqui says:
I really like how you emphasized the importance of building technique gradually, it takes the pressure off both teachers and students. The practical exercises you mentioned feel approachable and remind me that good habits at the keyboard make all the difference in the long run.