How Far I'll Go from "Moana" (Jazz Swing Version) - Lin-Manuel Miranda

[@DavidMiller-bp7et]

First on the scene today. Soooo nice. This music gives you a chance to work on technique as you produce enjoyment. High, strong wrists, arm weight on the drop, standing on finger tips, fingertip contact AMAP, finger choices and hand positions that are economically energy saving, keeping pretty perpendicular to the keyboard, good stuff. I haven't started using my page turn pedal; it is a whole new set of stuff to learn and incorporate. You are comfortable with yours, I see.

[@elenafortinmusic]

I LOVE keeping perpendicular to the keyboard--I've always thought that was the most efficient!! You are always in "ready" position. I even do my arpeggios like this--a combination of sideways wrist motion, tucking the thumb very little, and moving my arm sideways quickly. The page turn pedal isn't that hard to incorporate--I don't have a soft pedal on this piano so my left foot is free to do the page turning. For some pieces that have a big skip back to a "segno" or far ahead to a "coda", I will sometimes just take a screenshot of the piece and insert extra pages in the pdf so I am only tapping forward....

[@DavidMiller-bp7et]

@@elenafortinmusic Thanks for the pedal tip. I am developing a similar technique which invloves me doing as little ulnar deviation as possible; means that I don't always stay perpendicular to the board, but rather, no matter where my hands are playing, my hands stay parallel aligned with/in front of the forearm. No one teaches this; I am developing it on my own; ultra efficient but, as you say, it involves a lot of forearm lateral movement to get into position; I am position changing a lot, with minimal thumb tuck under, lots of rotation going the over the thumb, hand rotates a lot as extension of forearm, turn over the wrist toward thumb as I move to catch the new note with 2-3-4, even sometimes 5, when that is the best choice; I will often play successive melody notes with the same finger, usually pinky going toward that side, sometimes thumb when moving toward that side. Easier than always getting in position for sequential finger runs; learning how to do it on arps, super efficient and comfortable. Always mediate touch with some sort of arm, elbow, hand weight impulse; Imagine the guiding principle for not running out of fingers is lateral forearm movement, while keeping the forearm and hand in (near) perfect parallel alignment; I do it with such little ulnar deviation that it's in no way a twist, one of the biggest tension builders there is.. Anyway, I have seen all kinds of really good players do rather unique things, worked out by themselves because it works for them best. God bless the guy who invented the pedal. My playing is unique to me, built for my personality and hand physiognomy. I didn't get it from him but noticed that Thelonius Mond plays like this. We must have come upon it on our own after getting gaslighted by a bunch of different teachers who say confusing and even contradictory things.

[@elenafortinmusic]

@@DavidMiller-bp7et Have you heard of Alexander Technique or Dorothy Taubman's work with pianists? You might find it interesting. I am still learning with the pedal--now and then m foot twitches and I double tap instead of single tap and find myself on the wrong page! I should have a blooper reel....

[@DavidMiller-bp7et]

@@elenafortinmusic Takes some getting used to. I'm very familiar with Taubman; so many I see are stiffer than I like. Alexander is relaxation work; I'm sure you would agree, the deeper the relaxation the better the learning and playing.

[@elenafortinmusic]

@@DavidMiller-bp7et I went to a Taubman workshop and watched the "certified" individual proceed to work with a performer and make things worse--I wasn't impressed, but I did look up her videos and find some stuff that worked for me. I used to always get conflicting advice--I guess you learn to work it out for yourself. Definitely I agree with you about the relaxation comment--whenever people ask me specifically about how to sight read well, one of my key principles is to be relaxed! (You take in more)