The "Flop" Exercise - Increase Speed, Reduce Tension, & Improve Accuracy

[@kingyerghin7025]

So weird that I can just watch this for free, god bless you.

[@lakep7798]

Oh, king, please don’t say that out loud! Lol. I agree that Josh’s tutelage is an absolute TREASURE. Thanks a million, Josh!

[@davidennis5118]

John Wright's gift to us is that he is comfortable making mistakes and adjusting for them. It informs us how these mistakes are a major source of feedback. There is no evidence that he ever get tense. Very heartening!

[@Joules3.14]

You're such a nice teacher! Please never stop making these videos

[@chaz.o]

I second this opinion.😁

[@enricopascucci4802]

I've tried your exercise and I've noticed that not only works well for the speed, but improves also touch and evenness in fast passages. I'll keep it in my daily routine.Great video, many thanks.

[@DimitrisSpiridonidis]

Very humble musician. Rarely I see in our days persons like him. Great technique and great artist. Wish u all the best from Russia, Dimitris!

[@isaiahadamsvlogs5309]

I love the little tips you give because they are not just piece-specific and can be applied to general technique practice, etudes, and pieces!

[@allenleslie5513]

Very helpful for me, as I have arthritis in both thumb joints. The flop helps me to accomplish the crosses with less pain. Thanks!

[@genesis631]

Thank you so much for the free content! 🖤

[@wuchen1712]

i thought ive seen it all but this takes things to a whole new level

[@thehoustonexperiment6363]

I played the Chopin Polonaise in C# minor when I was in college and I was never felt comfortable or confident playing it because of my poor piano technique. Years later after watching your video, I revisited the piece again and I now have a much easier time playing it. Thanks again for this video and many others you have made.

[@dougblanding8791]

Wow! I just love your tips and exercises. When I find myself in a rut, I just like to turn away from whatever I am practicing and immerse myself in your advice. Next thing I know, I discover that it benefits me in a lot of places where my progress has slowed. Thank you!

[@rhfactor2106]

Such a humble , yet a great artist !! Thanks so much Sir ! Greetings from India !

[@HongPS18]

Thank you Josh. God bless you.

[@Cookerab]

This has helped me with the last run in Chopin's Nocturne in C# Min

[@beaugarza4940]

I'm finding the flop exercise to be very helpful with my d flat major scale. I feel like the flop method is a very natural mode of being, which is where my best playing comes from. Thank you for your useful and detailed videos Josh!

[@dmitrynesterov2880]

Thank you Josh for your videos! You are such a good human being! You share generously valuable tips with the world. I am sure many have already benefited from your channel. All the best to you and your family!

[@keyboard3545]

Thank you Josh. Your videos are always very helpful. 👏It's a pity you're so far away. Give me your fingers. 😊 Have a nice day.

[@learningvillage6328]

Your videos are so helpful for me. Thanks a lot man

[@buganini912]

Best piano teacher on YT!

[@wolfie8748]

Best teacher in youtube not kidding

[@christophejavon3509]

Awesome! Will add this to my scale warm ups and strategies! I have put on an emphasis on rotation so this feels right in line with that concept. Thanks for the demonstrations and inspiration with your beautiful sound!!!

[@dimitrovboeleepianoduo]

Very nice video thank you! This is an advice I give my students regularly, even though they are often impatient to make the stop. (I call it a stop, but I like how you call it a flop) Love also how you emphasize the natural feeling of technique. That's something I'm still striving for myself as well.

[@jorgerivas1424]

Josh, thanks so much! I'm going to be incorporating this into my studies.

[@mariannaschreiber2349]

Thank you Sir, your videos are so helpful for me.❤

[@flobenzo4897]

Very helpful for Chopin’s F minor ballade, on the transition into the chordal section. Tough to get the that fluent, ethereal feel I hear in so many interpretations

[@elizeumonteirooficial]

Estou vendo o seu vídeo do Brasil e estou maravilhado com o seu ensino ..merece muitos inscritos e todos os likes ..eu já me inscrevi e dei o like você merece

[@alexeykomissarov6655]

Many thanks! Very useful!

[@rogerpianoking1945]

Great tip. Thanks Josh. 😊👍

[@olekiilerich4191]

Great lesson! I will definately try this. Thank you, Josh.

[@makistudio1592]

Thank you.

[@roblyndon5267]

This would be a great exercise for Moonlight Mvt III.

[@mdoane62]

Excellent! Thank you!

[@stathiszoulakis9599]

Helpful!

[@frankeisele383]

I think this is similar to what Fred Karpoff teaches on his site. Just he calls it "The Throw" 🙂

[@ericastier1646]

i've been struggling years with etude Op 10 no 1 and this flop approach really suprised me. But your flopping note target really is critical. Depending on the note chosen to flop to, it can make the arpegio impossible or possible and it is not that easy to find the right note to flop to. I am struggling with thumb tension in that etude. So flopping to a thumb note really helps avoid that. Watching you play comfortably that fast without tension still baffles me as i don't understand how i fail to do that. I just know that it feels like my hand does not feel comfortable like your appears to.

[@cyba9774]

3:23 I was wondering exactly about that the last days and weeks XD If you had to touch every key of the new position before starting to play them. Thank you for the great video!

[@cyba9774]

Edit: thanks a lot for your Pro Practice course on op. 25 no. 12! I first struggled with walking in before watching that video and your tips helped me a lot. The voicing and also with the fast tempo; the technical exercises and the tips on how to move are gold. The last months until last week I improved from the 80 bpm (which was roundabout my maximum the first 6 months I practiced the piece) up to 130 bpm per quarter note. First thought it was the keys of my old grand piano which moved too slow, but it was my movements and fast position changes I had to work on. That's a huge improvement for me and I'm satisfied with that tempo. Thanks again, Josh :)

[@yahyakhazbak4713]

0:36 but basically what the fu**

[@johanssoncisneros1489]

Hi Josh! Hope you doing great, i wanted to share something with you hoping you or someone else can give me some advice: Sometimes i feel my side job is not letting me progress in my piano as I would like to, I basically spend 8 hours (thsts my shift) + 4-5 hours of being on the road! Its insane, i leave 5 am and I'm home at 8 pm, along with my other home activities etc... That leaves me with 1 hour probably a day, without saying I'm very mentally tired, and to play the things I want to I feel I need to practice more than that. I accepted time ago I can't be a professional pianist or have a professional piano career, however I still want to play huge piano works but I don't want to give up because the technique is not good enough and I feel i don't have too much time for that! And i don't want to feel discouraged haha. Thanks for reading me guys.

[@bjornviir3333]

this might just help me with the challenging Alkan scherzo diabolico.

[@xuexy222]

Can I ask what the specific meaning of "flop" here is? Means fingers stop in a natural way to release tension?

[@RUT812]

I need your suggestions for people with small hands (can barely reach an octave). Thanks

[@prysadabeats4142]

deadlly

[@williammacko9302]

Jumped from initial demo to 100 mph. A bit too fast for me to see exactly what you were doing.

[@nandovancreij]

any tips for not accenting the notes you land on?

[@glauberglousger6643]

Honestly it’s just repeated notes, polyrhythms, and this that’s difficult for me/I haven’t learnt Which became a problem with Hungarian Rhapsody No.6

[@forever2005]

Sir I am struggling at the bar 22-23 of the piece Un Sospiro Liszt …the cross hand part … I cannot make it smooth and gain enough speed with appropriate rhythm Can I use the same method (flop exercise) to practice and make improvement here ?

[@Stashi1808]

I am a complete beginer. I have been playing simply by hitting the key for 3 years. I need to actually learn from scratch... I really can't even play a scale. Where on earth should I start?

[@aallpprr8998]

I think you didn't stress enough on the relaxation that you need to get before playing the notes of the next position. Everything from your shoulder to the tip of your fingers should be relaxed before playing the next note, I suggest "wiggling" your arm and fingers to release every tension between positions

[@sigmaxball]

Hi Josh, do you have any tips for dealing with pain in the wrist and forearm. And how many pieces would you work on at once. I am 15 years old and just finished primary school

[@joshwrightpiano]

Yes I have many videos regarding reducing tension (including this one) which will help. I also have a video about tendinitis if you are experiencing that. I wish you all the best

[@frazzledude]

Pain is your body telling you that something is not right. For some people it could be an indication of tendinitis, arthritis, or carpal tunnel syndrome. Because you are 15 years old it is less likely to be a medical problem for you. Very often pain in the wrist, forearm, or even shoulders is a sign that a pianist is tensing up or using an awkward, unnatural position of their hands and arms. Make sure that you are relaxed and comfortable when you play. Also, people tend to tense up when they try to play too fast on the piano. So, don’t try to play a piece or passage at a rapid tempo before you are ready. Relax, make sure you are using the best fingering for you, and then the speed will just come naturally later on.

[@sigmaxball]

@@joshwrightpiano Maybe you can do a video about bach sinfonia number 15. I am stuck because of the crossing of the hands in bar 28. Please it would help me a lot. Good regards Jony

[@sigmaxball]

@@frazzledude Thank you for your advice. I wish you a good day

[@015-n1c]

Are there situations where you would deliberately avoid this method? Or is it good 24/7.

[@joshwrightpiano]

I don’t find it particularly necessary in slow tempos, although it certainly doesn’t hurt. The exercise is promoting a reduction of tension, which is something you should always be striving for. There are many exercises/thoughts/methods to achieve this. This is just one that I’ve found helpful and that has worked well for my students too

[@Alexander-kh2rc]

Goldmine

[@louispearson8306]

what is the piece he plays at 4.50???

[@santiago.galante]

Ravel's Jeux d'eau M.30

[@louispearson8306]

@@santiago.galante thank you so much

[@colinjames2469]

Don’t play thumb under. Practice practice practice.

[@WBkeyboardist]

Sir i'm feeling very sad because you are getting older, the last 7 and 8 years ago I have seen you in the video, you were much younger 😭😭😭😭😭😭😢😢😢😢😢😢

[@Klet-p4d]

Who cares?