Piano playing is fundamentally a life-enhancing, rewarding activity. It exercises the mind as well as the arms and hands; it’s a powerful emotional outlet and brings us into close contact with the work of the great composers. However, it is relatively common for pianists to experience a hand problem at some time in their life, especially those who practise a lot alongside also using their hands extensively for typing, texting or other activities. It can be very upsetting for any pianist to find their enjoyment of piano playing curtailed in this way. In this article, I will suggest some strategies which will help you keep your hands healthy for years to come.
What is ‘healthy piano playing’?
Firstly, I just want to reassure you that ‘healthy practice’ is not something weird or alternative. It is about balance, coordination and freedom of movement – and all of these are the qualities that are at the heart of good piano playing. A healthy approach to piano technique not only helps to avoid injury – it also helps us achieve greater agility, faster progress, a more beautiful sound and greater artistic freedom.
Warming up
Before doing any strenuous activity, an athlete does stretches and some gentle warm-ups to bring blood to the muscles and tendons. Pianists are like hand-athletes and we also need to warm up before playing.
