That makes me happy that you found it useful! I look forward to hearing how it goes with other material. Happy practicing!

I have huge hands and struggle in the same way. Some of the best piano players I know have small hands.

@@darykinnaman2319 Does size really matter? I've heard Keith Jarrett had a huge hand span. My early teacher, Mary Field, had fairly small hands, but was a formidable bebopper! But in the end, it's all about our awareness, and using what we have to our best ability. Pianist/Harpsichordist Wanda Landowska had serious hand issues (Focal Dystonia), that distorted her fingers. Yet she is considered among the greatest in her field. Thanks for watching!

@@Dharmajazz Size does matter !! also when playing the Piano (pun intended)😉I have kinda big hands, chubby fingers but about avg. reach. can max reach the 13'th comfortable. Recently watched a video about how many Pianists would have a much easier time learning new pieces if you could get a custom made Piano with slightly narrower keys so we all could comfortable reach 14. Was kinda interesting with an interview with a guy that actually did make custom made Piano Keybeds in his business in his spare time.

@@mrdali67 I did see an article about alternate scale (size) keyboards. Something about the "tyranny" of the modern pianoforte dimensions. But alas, we have what we have. Thanks for chiming in.

Just trying to be respectful of other folks time. So much YT content now! Thanks for watching.

My pleasure! You can't go wrong with solid fundamentals. It's surprising that so many players - even at more advanced levels - neglect cleaning up such fundamental skills. Congrats on your piano journey. Thanks for watching.

Thanks for watching - I'm glad to know you found it useful. Yeah, the "errant pinkie" syndrome. It's pretty common, but so easy to clean up. Let me know if there's another topic you'd like to see a post about. Happy practicing!

Me too now i can stop crying in a corner all nite🤣🤣🤣

Thanks for watching. I'm not familiar with Marek, but the concept is familiar. I'll look for his exercises. Thanks for the tip.

Thanks for watching! I was talking with two drummer/teacher friends about teaching/lessons and we all agreed: the best focus is on fundamentals! One of them shared about going to a lesson with some famous drummer (Peter Erskine or ?), expecting to get some inside 'Ninja' skills, but all they talked about was stick control! I show this exercise to even advanced pianists and many of them struggle with it at first. You can't go wrong with fundamentals.

Thanks for the affirmation - yeah, as I was shown, it's from a Russian Conservatory type approach. Powerful tools!

Yep, Chic was not wrong. Sometimes though, we need to play very fast with a steely, hard tone when the music requires it. For that, it is helpful to train the hands/fingers to operate with relaxation and independence. That's the aim of this video. (The relaxation/independence, not the "steely" part.)

yeh, also work on fav licks or fast runs or sequences and have them ready miliseconds before the changes they will be played over.. workout especially fingerings for them.

Thanks for sharing! Could you provide a reference to the source of that quote? I want to check out the full version if possible

@@csm-csm chapter 4 making time, being a musician, a work in progress.

Thanks! This video seems to have really resonated with folks. I've got more in the works. Thanks for watching.

@@stevesnelling7615o

Glad you enjoyed my video. Yes, "simple" is frequently the best approach. Thanks for watching.

Glad it worked! Thanks for watching.

I'm glad you find it useful. It's so simple, yet so powerful in helping clean things up. Thanks for watching.

Apologies for the late response - glad you found it useful. How has your progress been these past few months?

The proof is in giving it a try. Everyone who has worked with the concept a bit reports that it helps. It's so simple, yet so effective. Thanks for watching.

My pleasure - glad you found it useful. That "bird beak" finger angle is something I've stumbled on quite recently, and it really affects my tone! Thanks for watching.

Thanks for the sub. Did you get the Scale Workout Checklist? There are a bunch of simple concepts like this one that can save us lots of time and improve the efficiency of our practice - I'm working on more posts. Thanks for watching!

Thanks for your comment. I have shown this to many professional pianists and they have also found it challenging! It's a nearly universal problem. Thanks for watching.

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching.

Let me know how it's been going with your return to piano. Would love to hear how the relaxation technique has helped. Thanks for watching.

Thanks for the feedback, Joshua. Yeah, a lot of other instrumentalists have confirmed the importance of relaxation. Typists! Of course. Thanks for watching.

Thanks for your comment. Yeah, turns out this is a universal challenge, regardless of instrument. As you can see in the comments, addressing the factor of tension/relaxation has value for all musicians. I'm glad you found it helpful. Thanks for watching, and let me know if there's a musical topic you'd like to see a post about.

Thanks for your kind words. I viewed some of your videos - what a lovely channel you have! Thanks for watching.

That's very kind. Please let me know if there is a topic on which you'd like to see a video-maybe I'd have something to offer. Thanks for watching.

Glad you found it useful - thanks for watching!

Thanks, George. Several instrumentalists have also made similar comments about the universality of the approach. And kudos for digging into improv'! I meet so many string players who can otherwise play well, but don't improv' one bit. Thanks for watching.

Thanks for sharing that. It's amazingly simple, but, as you've found, leads to immediate results. Thanks for watching!

Congrat's on expanding your keyboard awareness. This relaxation exercise will help with everything you practice! I've got tons of free content I can share with you if you're interested. Send me a DM or visit my website and use the contact page to let me know what you are interested in and I'd be happy to send you some useful stuff to help you move forward. Thanks for watching.

Trying to bring some light to the topic. Thanks for watching.

I'm glad you found it useful. Check out some of my other vids - feel free to let me know how they work for you, I value feedback.

Funny, I've found meditation is like this too: relaxation, weeding out the tension, not grasping with the mind, is important. Thanks for watching.

Most welcome. So simple, yet such a powerful concept. Thanks for watching.

Thanks! It does seem to resonate with a lot of folks. It's often the simplest things... and thanks for watching.

Let me know how it goes! Thanks for watching.

Thanks for the kind words. My goal is simply to be helpful - glad you found some value in the video. Thanks for watching.

Thanks - it could have been shorter if I didn't tend to ramble so much 😊 but some things benefit from deeper explanation. Thanks for watching.

Thanks. I've always thought "gnarly" applies to Prokofiev and the real knuckle-buster stuff - Rachmaninov, etc - but I appreciate the thought. This particular exercise is surprisingly challenging though. Let me know if you any questions or comments about your piano journey, and thanks for watching.

Simple is good! Thanks for watching.

You bet. Thanks for watching. Never can go wrong focusing on the basics.

Grazie! Thanks for watching.

Appreciate the comment - and thanks for watching.

Megtiszteltetés számomra. Köszönöm, hogy megnézted a videót // It's my honor. Thanks for watching the video.

Tiszteletem..@@Dharmajazz

Thanks for watching.

I teach this as the first lesson at the keyboard for all my new students. Happy practicing!

@@stevesnelling7615 I’m 6 months into lessons and my teacher is the same. However, 6 months in I still have tense thumbs. It’s incredibly frustrating.

My pleasure. I've got a new post almost ready on getting healthy tone. Please check back. Thanks for watching.

glad you found it useful. Remember, this exaggerated "lift" in this exercise is about learning finger relaxation and independence. Once you feel progress with that, make sure to stay relaxed as you play your other exercises and pieces. Thanks for watching!

My pleasure - thanks for watching.

Most welcome. Thanks for watching!

Which actually comes by relaxing. If you haven’t, study Effortless Mastery. Works on all instruments. It’s about letting the motion become it’s own source of energy by moving in smooth effortless center of the motion. I learned about it on piano, first figured it out guitar and bass and discovered the secret on drums and hand drumming. It’s a well known discipline that goes by various names and methods of discovery and application. I’m not a believer, I’m a practitioner. I play almost with out any effort for hours on end, without tension in my limbs and without having to think about it. I can think about almost anything including musical strategies while playing furiously. It feels like I’m almost just willing the motion, and my hands, arms, legs, and feet play by themselves with me simply directing the motion. The secret of smooth tensionless motion is amazing.

Correct! Independence of motion is the key. Thanks for watching.

@@epiphanydrums5427 A little different for fingerstyle guitar. The fastest players have well trained extensor muscles- the flamenco players are a good example. The rasquedo technique is an example of pushing against the resistance of the strings, not just “relaxing”. The balance of flexors and extensors leads to speed. Of course, this is done without straining.

@@Dharmajazzonmo oko. Ok ok oo kon okoommomomomomom pnompmom oonmpnomoko. Pnompmo mo m oj. Ccdxa we're mc see m ov jl P nga FCC D.C. ych you hhuy g y yyuyugugggggguuguugggugguugguguguyuyu

Thanks for the comments. I've got several things ready to edit, and tons more content in the wings! Please click the bell for notifications for new posts. Thanks for watching.

Most welcome! Thanks for watching.

Thanks for your comment, Tom. I've been pondering how the concept of "relaxation" can apply to so many areas of our lives. Good luck with your tennis skills! And thanks for watching.

Thanks for watching - glad it worked for you. Feel free to let me know how it goes with other material. Happy practicing!

@@Dharmajazz Thanks ! Finally the answer ! 😊

My pleasure. Thanks for watching! Let me know if there is a topic you would like to see covered - I'll do my best to provide useful content.

Happy to offer the encouragement. Remember to start these exercises slowly and be sure to stay as relaxed as possible. Speed always comes with repetition, so just make sure the mechanics are clean before letting it pick up speed. Also, make sure to only do the initial preparatory "finger lift" exercises in small doses, and just until you have the finger isolation consistently. Then let that go. (Mission accomplished.) Happy practicing!

Wonderful~

Nice! It does seem to have universal applications. Thanks for watching.

Thanks for watching. This simple exercise can help so many things so more smoothly. Happy practicing!

Feel free to let me know how it goes! Thanks for watching.

Great! Keep chipping away at it and the technique will come. Thanks for watching.

That's what my guitar teacher friend says! He calls them "fly away fingers." That's before applying a relaxation exercise like the one in the video. Thanks for watching.

You're helping so many people who don't have formal teachers and saving our hands from pain later too! :) @@Dharmajazz

I'm glad you found it useful. I'm really encouraged by how much this simple exercise has resonated with so many people. Thanks for watching. I've got many more videos in the works and will resume posting after Easter - please subscribe and watch for future content, and do let me know if there is a topic on which you would like to see some fresh perspective!

Yeah, it's the first thing I go over with all my new students, regardless of level. It sets up everything that follows. Thanks for watching.

It's a quick remedy for what is a really common problem. Thanks for watching!

My pleasure - thanks for watching!

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Would you care to share what you noticed when doing the exercise? Thanks for watching.

So glad to hear! Thanks for watching.

Glad to hear it, and thanks for sharing that. I'm kind of amazed at how many people are finding real value in this concept. Thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching. Let me know how it goes with the concept.

Thanks. It seems to apply to so many instruments too. Thanks for watching.

It's worth a try. Many people have found this simple practice technique quite useful. Once you begin to weed out the tension, the hands/fingers/wrists can flow much more freely. Good luck, and feel free to share about your experience with the exercise. Thanks for watching.

Glad you found it useful. Thanks for watching!

Do you know Gonzalo Rubalcaba? Another giant. Thanks for watching.

@@stevesnelling7615 I certainly do. I was fortunate to meet a lot my musical heroes when I ran technology for ASCAP

Thanks for watching. Let me know how it goes. Once you have the basic exercise comfortably, notice how it affects your other playing. Happy practicing!

Yes, "flyaway fingers" is a common issue. This exercise really helps clean that up. Thanks for watching.

That's great! Feel free to let me know how the progress goes with it. Thanks for watching.

Thanks, i hope you find it useful. Thanks for watching.