5 Best Ways to Kill your Hands in Piano Playing

In this lesson I will share with you most frequent reasons why people get health issues caused by piano playing and how to avoid them.

Want to build a solid and safe piano technique, avoid bad habits, and improve your musicality? Check out my comprehensive courses:

To 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻-𝘂𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻:

TOP 5 DANGEROUS HABITS:
00:42 Lifting up the fingers
05:20 Unnecessary pressure on the key
07:27 Wrist Tension
10:50 Static Tension in the hand palm
12:34 Avoiding Modern Playing Efficiency Strategies

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[EL-vymh]

Such an underrated channel! This gentleman is a goldmine of knowledge for piano players hope you get more and more success on this channel!

[piano.is.a.language]

Notes for myself:
1.Release fingers instead of lifting high

2.Avoid unnecessary pressure on the keys, especially when you play loud chords, don’t keep pressing once you’re down at the bottom of the keys, you need to just leave enough strength to keep the note down!

3.The main purpose of the wrist if flexibility, it’s not made to hold a tensed position for a long time. Don’t hold your wrist too high or too low.

4.Don’t hold up fingers that are not moving. You work with all 5 fingers, even if you only use one of them.

5.Don’t only use fingers, use the arm as well.

Thank you Denis!

[MarkHopewell]

I just want to say, Maestro, thank you for taking the trouble to record your presentations with studio sound quality as a consideration. This helps tremendously with concentration and engagement with your presentations.

Your presentations have helped breath new life into my practice. I feel fortunate to have come across your tutorials here on YT. I just wish I wasn't such a novice and could make more of your input. However, my wife, who is a Grade 8+ pianist, says your presentations are excellent - she's enjoying them too!

I'm thinking about subscribing to your courses and tutorials as I feel for the first time in my learning journey, your teaching style gives me a greater level of confidence than elsewhere so far.

Thank you.

[marymissmary]

Thank you! I’m a software engineer who spends all day typing without any pain or discomfort…but as I’m getting more into piano and practicing more I’m struggling a bit with wrist and forearm issues….I’m sure it’s just poor technique on my part! This is helpful!

[willowisp_]

Excellent video! Luckily I was not victim of any of these pitfalls, but I think this is definitely a useful video particularly for beginner to intermediate level students. Efficient, ergonomic technique looks and feels incredibly effortless and beautiful.

[ruotui]

#1 0:45 Lifting up the Fingers
#2. 5:22 Unnecessary Pressure
#3 7:27 Wrist Tension
#4 10:51 Holding Tension in the Fingers
#5 12:35 Not Using the Whole Arm as A Unit

[s.n.b]

Thank you, Denis. I’m struggling with LH Arpeggios of the passage from Mozart K545. I will implement your advice👍 subscribed, and look forward to follow your posts!

[ianhaines]

Hurry up with those Brahms exercises! I can’t wait.

[bluepearl]

You play everything so wonderfully!! You are not only good teacher but also a wonderful virtuose!!!

[vgx]

Your channel is amazing. I am an adult trying to get back into piano after many long breaks. I wish YouTube was around when I was a kid taking piano lessons. My teachers never really taught much technique so I have a lot of bad habits!! My hands especially my 5th finger have also gotten weaker/floppier from not playing. Your videos are so insightful and explain movements so well.

[jase]

I'm so glad you made this video, I always see lots of pianists make these mistakes, its nice you made a video to highlight these

[derekschafer]

That phrase you are playing, is that from an ANGRA song? Or does that original from somewhere else?

[brandonhawksley]

Excellent video you deserve more views!

[VladimirPopov.]

I like very much your videos and explanations, thank you!

[rodrigogb]

Very generous, insightful, and true concepts you share. They certainly make a great difference in playing the piano. All the best!

[kyledevers]

This video is wonderful, thank you for posting! I played with bad technique for the first 3 years and experienced a lot of health problems because of this. It took months of physical therapy (and years of private lessons) to fix my hands/ bad techniques. These lessons are so very important for all pianist!!!

[backtoschool]

I LITTERALLY JUST LEARNED ITEM 1 YESTERDAY FROM AN OLD BOOK IN MY LIBRARY!! When I went to practice that evening, I played in this "new" way without lifting fingers and setting metronome to 40, and I frlt my arms feeling heavey. But there was no tension in the arms!!

I look forward to developing thia.

[greatmusicchannel]

Hello Denis, Could you make video on about Chopin Op 10!Complete etudes?

[anesthesiabeyond]

Wow🤩 👍
Enjoy your video. First time I understand the importance of releasing fingers. I love that you teach viewers some exercises beside piano to strengthen fingers especially.
Thank you so much 🙏🙏🙏

[Louise-Sibourd]

11.14‘ he tells thé contrary relativ to Argerich playing in another vidéo about her technique