I have been spending at least an hour every day meditating, using Holosync® by Centerpointe. One of the unexpected discoveries I have made is how weak my left hand piano playing was. My left wrist was injured years ago, and my left shoulder has been tense and sore ever since. I have tried many therapies and exercises to ease the tense muscles, Holosync® meditation has been the most help. Now, my left hand and arm feel the same flexibility as my right! I am working very carefully at the piano to develop left hand technique, using Bach 2 part Inventions. Sometimes I go over a short phrase many times with the left hand to get the right feeling. I want to make sure that I am always releasing are weight into the keys from the shoulder, and never reaching for the keys with the fingers. I am discovering many new sensations in the left hand, especially at the bridge, the base of the fingers. I must have been holding my arm and hand very rigidly. I have been looking through music to find left hand sections to use to practice. One of them is from Debussy’s 1st Arabesque: In the past, I was holding the bottom note and reaching with stiff, straight fingers, and was always struggling with this section. Starting with the 3rd bar, I concentrate on moving the whole arm to the first note of each phrase, and lifting at the end of each. I make sure that I am moving the hand and arm to reach the keys as I hold the half notes. I make sure that my fingers are curved under as the hand rolls back and forth through each phrase. I have worked on improving left hand technique for many years, but with little success. Now my left hand feels like it is waking up. I can’t know for certain, but I am sure that Holosync® meditation from Centerpointe has made the difference.

I have some computer problems so am not able to make recordings, but am playing as much as I can. I am working on Debussy’s Dr Gradus from the Children’s Corner. I have not been satisfied with the video I posted of that piece. The challenge in Dr Gradus is to play the rapid notes evenly (no lumps) and with lots of dynamic shading…elements my recording is missing! The problems I have had with hand position are either a tense arm and wrist or flat, floppy fingers. My recording shows the floppy finger problem. I am working on keeping my hand position relaxed but firm, and moving the hand right over the keys with the arm. There is a really strong feeling when the coordination works, I feel totally in control, but am not scrambling to get the notes. The metronome has helped a lot by keeping the pulse. All the little notes fit in when the pulse is strong.

One of the most common mistakes piano players make is to reach for the keys with the fingers. Of course, the fingers are “playing” the notes because they are in direct contact with the keys, but the fingers must be supported by the arm and hand at all times. When practicing, ask yourself: Are you holding the arm and hand rigidly and striking the keys with the fingers? Watch this video of Daniel Baremboim, notice the hand position. The hands are always moved over the keys by the arms, the fingers are never reaching to hit the notes: