Staying loose while practicing piano?

Question

Hi, I'm playing Fantaisie Impromptu by Chopin for a recital, but the only problem is I tend to tighten up around the ends of the fast sections. Afterword, my right arm hurts. Beautiful music should not be painful! Any suggestions for staying loose?

Answer 1

I agree with the previous poster. The pain you're experiencing is coming from your shoulders. Playing a particularly fast or tricky passage causes us to breathe unevenly and tighten the shoulders. Try to keep your shoulders down, and in your mind, try to direct your breath into the notes, as if you were singing instead of playing them.

Think of yourself as Glen Gould! (;?)

Answer 2

Naturally, when one tightens up anywhere, especially around the shoulders, not only pain results, but rhythmic stiffness as well. Flexibility is very important! You may be workling awfully hard without creating the corresponding effect in communication. A FREELY dropped arm, without a lot of tension in upper arm and elbow will get more sonority and actual volume than tightness. It will take work. Bon Chance!

Answer 3

Well, first off, and just for future reference, play some Prokofiev. Nothining is harder on the hands than Prokofiev. My teacher was a hardened pianist, and she got carpal tunnel from the Third Concerto. But for you recital, try to play from the FLOOR. Keep your heels on the ground, play using your full body weight instead of muscles of your lower arms. Make mental notes of the places where you become tense and practice them slowly enough that you can relax, then work them up with a metrenome. There's always room for metrenome work.
Since your playing a Chopin piece, I'll pass on a little wisdom imparted to me and a small hall full of pianists by Garrick Ohlsson himself about Chopin (Paraphrased a bit by me for relevance issues) ; When you become tense, remember that you can slow it down a little bit because it's romantic. In slow sections, take your time to become completly relaxed by forgetting your tenseness and concentrating on the musical emotion.
One more Chopin-related idea; watch 'The Pianist' by Roman Polanski with Adrien Brody. His pianist stund-double has very good form when he plays (or pretends to). It seems that he is relaxed but always properly arched and positioned. Brody does a real good job of mime-playing.

Answer 4

Try reading effortless mastery and the inner game of music. They both really helped me.

Answer 5

i'm also a piano player...and i feel your pain! my teacher used to hae this problem and she said during an easier portion of your piece, discreetly pull your shoulders back and slowly let them down forward. also, pull them up and let them back down.

Hope i helped!

Answer 6

dont think about anything. clear your mind. it always works.