<![CDATA[Piano Gym and remedial practice]]>I put myself out there in the piano gym arena not as a paragon of perfection but as a work in progress. The growth process counts most to me, along with the joy of fine tuning it.

That’s how I approached a set of warm-up arpeggios that needed remediation as snags arose.

A few big constellations that assist practicing:

Do Slow, build-up practice in gradated rhythms.

Use physical motions that are musically EXPRESSIVE

Starting quarters, for example, should feel like you’re drawing handfuls from a deep vat of CLAY…

Then transition to dip-rolls for two-note slurred groups of 8ths (shown in video) These follow the quarters.

Play with SHAPE, expression AND DON’T forget to BREATHE deep, but natural breaths.

Think LONGER lines over the 16ths and 32nds (faster note values)

Have a nice, round, relaxed turnaround on the highest note and back down in the arpeggios (same is applied to scale practice)

Use Rhythm practice where needed to tidy slip-ups (dotted-8th/16th or LONG/short/Long)

Or play deeper into one hand and lighter in the other, if the LH feels weak, for example.

Keep a journal of what WORKS, including mental images that improved performance, fluidity.

Use BIOFEEDBACK: Note how you FELT/BREATHED when the passage Worked!

Bottom line: Playing beautifully through warm-ups or pieces, is more than fingers, wrists, and arms. It’s your whole being that’s invested when you play even one note.

Here’s a more basic tutorial re: the arpeggios previously explored:

AND BLOCKING with Special EFFECTS

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