Piano Kinematics

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Piano Kinematics Mind Map

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KINEMATIC INTEGRATION

American pianist Doug Johnson is fascinated with the phenomenon of movement in music performance. He has completed a training in Body Mapping, and has now developed his own approach called Kinematic Integration. This was the inspiration for Alan Fraser naming his developmental approach to the science and art of pianistic movement Piano Kinematics.

PIANO KINEMATICS

The seemingly complicated structure of Piano Kinematics stems organically from a few basic principles. First and foremost, any physical approach to piano technique must grow out of the requirements of the music, and must feed back into those requirements, enhancing and expanding the possibilities in pianistic expression. The table below illustrates the main foci of Piano Kinematics and their localized branches. Eventually, links to lesson or lecture excerpts will illustrate each thread.



PIANO KINEMATICS TABLE


Musical Content

Musical Expression

Musical SOUND

Means of Sound Production

"MAKE IT SPEAK": PHYSICAL/MUSICAL STRUCTURAL INTERFACE

  • Rhythmic Structure <-> Hand/Arm Structure
  • Melodic Sculpting <-> Arm & Hand Function
  • Hyper-Orchestration <-> Hand Arch Structure
  • Finger Articulation as a colouring tool in Debussy:
    • The Ankle, Knee & Hip Joint
    • Needle
    • Hammer
    • Pad
    • Entire Underside

    "MAKE IT SPEAK": FINGER/PIANO MECHANISM INTERFACE

  • Treat escapement like harpsichord plectrum
  • Obsessive finger substitution to “tunnel through” keys instead of depressing them
  • Sense “synovial fluid” under the key
  • Play “on the escapements”

    THE HAND’S ARCHES

  • The Hand As A Mini-Body
  • Lay the Hand Down
  • Grow the Arch Organically – “the monster”
  • Standing: the Anti-Gravity function
  • Solid Arch shapes for resonant chords
  • Walking: Legato generates the arch
  • Unstable Equilibrium: the moving arch
  • Integration point for finger & arm function
  • High Elasticity: full vs. partial arch

    THE THUMB

  • Thumb Opposition
  • Move Thumb Metacarpal
  • The Arm-Thumb
  • In Scales & Arpeggios
  • The Flying Buttress

    THE WRIST

  • Function: neutral transmission of forces
  • Avoid “inverting” wrist and MCP joint
  • Overactivity indicates weak fingers

    THE ARM

  • Triceps stabilizes hand
  • Principle means of shaping phrase
  • Possessing mass but not weight
  • Weighted touch anti-musical and anti-health, can lead to fallen hand arch and performance disability.

    ROTATION

  • Eliminates the sense of leaping
  • Replaces swivelling in scales
  • Equalizes fingers to smooth out walking
  • Empowers thumb opposition

    THE SHOULDER

  • Wrist=ankle... elbow=knee... shoulder=hip joint
  • Engaged, not over-relaxed

    THE BODY

  • The Pelvis
  • The Airport ATM
  • The 3 Cardinal Directions of Movement
  • The Sacrum-Sternum Connection
  • The Collarbone

    PERFORMANCE DISABILITY

  • Tendonitis
  • Focal Dystonia
  • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
  • Performance Anxiety

    SKELETALITY

  • Bones produce tone
  • Play from inside the key = constant skeletal connection
  • Elasticity