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Avoiding Tension With Movement

by Bob Hinz

We often hear that staying relaxed is a high priority when playing the piano. Nevertheless, it is often difficult to understand exactly what that means, particularly when challenging pieces make that requirement seem difficult. While there are many ways that we can think about relaxation, one area where we can exercise choice for a tangible result is through the use of fingerings that avoid stretched fingers and tense wrists. Nevertheless, this sometimes requires more movement, and moving also presents its own particular set of challenges.
How a pattern is organized in one’s thinking can make a difference regarding how easy the grouping feels to the player and how accurately it is played in performance. Note groupings that involve large leaps and extended hand positions can sometimes be made simpler by conceiving them in the setting of smaller intervals and hand positions. In the example below, a right hand arpeggio is thought of according to its metric organization: as a series of groupings, each of which spans a tenth or greater:

 

 

In this case, it is easy to be concerned about the wide interval that each arpeggio encompasses. Since each four note pattern is thought about in relation to the thumb, moreover, it is easy for the thumb to lag behind until the next arpeggio is played.
            If, on the other hand, the arpeggio is organized differently—according to an octave grouping that also encompasses four notes, the same passage feels easier to play:

 

 

Since each grouping is conceived in relation to a position defined by the thumb on B (as opposed to G), the hand moves to set up a hand position that uses a movement of the hand that is guided by octaves. This organizes the movement of the thumb in a way that is guided by the octave descent from the note played by the pinky. Since the player is more aware of the octave connection between the B down to B (the 4th and 5th eighth notes) as the boundary of the pattern, the thumb moves into position more quickly. As a result, the hand concentrates on movement rather than stretching.
            In the second example, moreover, the distance between the thumb and the pinky is not only smaller; it remains consistent. In the original grouping, the boundaries of the first two groupings are tenths, while the boundary of the third grouping is an eleventh. In the second example, the boundary remains unchanged as an octave.
The same arpeggio, played with a different note order, also benefits:

 

This:

Not this:

Find a way, if possible, to take advantage of this technique in every instance wherein large intervals require that the hand stretch uncomfortably beyond the octave. Even if you find that the approach doesn’t significantly approve your ability to play large interval figures, it is still a valuable practice technique to apply to these types of passages.
In general, don’t let the metric organization of any figure automatically determine how you organize it at the keyboard with respect to hand position and movement. Experiment with different ways of thinking about a figure. This may lead to insights about other aspects of the passage such as fingering, phrasing, articulation, and other elements of musical expression.
Similarly, exercise 30 from Hanon reveals a similar application. In this case, the right hand position is easily associated with the measure and is spread out over a sixth:

 

 

The hand moves up in the second measure when the thumb moves to D. The hand position is coupled with the measure with the upward movement of the thumb in the second measure. Accordingly, there is the tendency to want to stretch up to the A. By conceiving of the passage slightly against the grain of the meter, the hand position encompasses a more easily negotiated fifth and there is no loner the sense of a stretch; the thumb moves easily with the pinky when the pinky moves up:

 

 

Grouping the note with a smaller hand position lessens the tension in the hand.
An illustration of this principle from the piano literature can be seen in Chopin's Sixths etude, Opus 25. No. 8. In measure eight, the right hand plays pairs of chromatic sixths that resolve upward. Normally, this half step relationship would likely determine how the hand negotiates the keyboard. If you pair the sixths according to this musical relationship, the keyboard relationship is easy to discern, organize, and remember, but the sixths seem difficult to play, particularly for a small hand. This is because the thumb and index finger, and the fourth and fifth fingers are both a half step apart, and this places a lot of tension in the hand:

 

 

If, however, you conceive of the sixths in as the example below, the thumb and index finger, and the fourth and fifth finger are a whole step or a step and a half apart:

 

The relationship between the each pair of sixths in this grouping is less obvious, but as a result, the hand is a lot more relaxed, and the movement of the hand to accommodate each new hand position (to put 2 and 5 in place) helps to avoid the tension created in the first example. Here, when the hand moves the 2 & 5 into position, the lower pair (1 & 4) moves with the upper pair. Since the hand is less tense, the hand is free to toggle back and forth generating throw to assist the fingers.
The point is not so much that the above example will be experienced the same way by all players (everybody's hand is different), but that you'll want to think about the issues explored above, such as how the hand moves and whether there is a solution to any tension in the hand that a particular hand position or passage may create. A good guiding principle to consider is that when given a choice between fingerings and hand positions that promote rhythm or legato, making rhythm a priority is almost always a better choice, particularly with faster tempos. Often fingerings that promote legato create more tension, and the benefit is rarely noticed by the listener. Rhythmic disturbances are much more salient.
Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu reveals another case where moving the hand up slightly rather than stretching up from a fixed position ultimately makes the passage easier to play:

 

 

It is easy to want to keep the third finger anchored to the D#6 (second beat) when reaching for the B (third beat). Practice the passage in a way that releases the third finger from the D# when your hand moves your fifth finger to the high B.
This will help you to avoid the difficulties associated with the stretch from a fixed hand position. First, you'll avoid the late arrival of your fourth finger on the A (just after the high B). If the third finger remains on D#, the fourth finger is over G. Moving the entire hand upward allows pre-positioning of the entire five note block from B down to E on beats three and four. Second, as the hand moves to play the high B, there is a certain amount of throw generated. This may be appropriate given the B is the highest note of the phrase. Consider also that the slight movement of the hand from the third finger on D# to the fifth finger on B is small compared with the movement of the hand up one octave from beat one to beat two.
One of the best examples of moving to avoid tension can be found in the left hand in two different Chopin Etudes. In Op. 10 No. 10, below, the left hand fingering is most often found in the first fingering (#1) In this case, the thumb must reach up for the highest Eb:

 

 

This is the fingering that I have always used for this piece. In learning the piece again recently, however, I've practiced with the second fingering (#2). Although the hand must travel farther with this fingering, once it is in position, it is comfortable. Moreover, when the hand moves up, 1 and 5 set up an octave which helps to ground the hand into a manageable grouping of notes or block. (See, for example, measures 37-42 and 62-64). Additionally, the use of 5 on Eb3 (on beat 2) allows one to apply rotation easily for emphasis on this note if desired. There are many instances throughout this piece where this technique can be applied contrary to the fingerings often given.
            A similar instance is found in the left hand of Op. 25 No. 3:

 

Here again, the fingering most often given is the first (#1), where the hand is stretched and tense. This is the fingering that I used when I first learned the piece. When I revisited the piece recently, I wanted to apply the principle of movement over stretching, so I worked with the second fingering.. At first, it felt insecure, since I was giving up a feeling of stability or "holding on" to a position. Now it seems as though there is no other way to play it. For my hand, which is not too small, the first  fingering now feels tense, awkward, and rigid. For a smaller hand, I imagine this fingering would be even more uncomfortable.
Speaking of etudes, another example of a fingering change that provides less tension with
slightly more movement is the right hand of the Etude in F minor Op. 25 No. 3:

 

 

The first fingering (#1) was what I was given many years ago by a teacher. Although I could play the piece fairly comfortably with it, I recently tried the second fingering (#2). Although the hand moves a little more, my hand is easier to keep relaxed and is no longer reaching for the last two notes in each measure. The second fingering does require more control, but that is something you will always want to work to develop.
In each of these cases, the second fingering may present more of a challenge for maintaining accuracy, but this improves with time and practice. The relaxed position of the hand, however, promotes clarity and evenness in the rhythm which is worth the effort required by the movement.
Most of the bad habits that students have result, in part, from a sense of fear of giving up the hand position and not allowing the hand to move where it needs to go. There is a sense of wanting to stay anchored to the keyboard, and in many cases this is not a bad idea. But when you need to move, just move the hand and practice the movement, and don't stretch or reach for the next key. Use various techniques that allow for accurate movement. Eventually the accuracy will improve and not being tied down to the previous note will produce greater speed connected with the movement. Moreover, there is more power because the finger is supported by the throw generated by the movement of the hand, wrist, and forearm.
In general, think about a hand position in a way that allows you to keep you hand relaxed. Remember that your hand moves your fingers and positions them on the keys, rather than remaining in a fixed position with the fingers reaching for the keys from it. This idea is summarized by Thomas Mark in "What Every Pianist Needs to Know About the Body":

Moving the fingers up and down while holding them spread apart, in arpeggios, for example, cannot be (i.e., it is anatomically impossible for it to be) as fast and easy as motions with the fingers close together. It generates tension and courts injury. An efficient, safe technique will not attempt to move the fingers rapidly up and down while holding them spread apart, nor will it use spreading or stretching the fingers as a means of covering distances in single-note playing. Instead it will train the arm to move sideways to cover distances while keeping the fingers in the neutral position from which they can move freely.¹

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About the Author

A jazz pianist and composer, Bob Hinz received his Bachelors degree in Music Theory from SUNY Stony Brook, his Masters in Music Education from the Eastman School of Music, and his Doctorate in Jazz Studies from New York University. He has recorded two albums as a leader: Instead of Words and Flying Colors. His composition, "Chemistry," from the recording Flying Colors, was selected for the 1998 National Association of Recording Merchandisers jazz sampler compact disc. This recording appeared and remained at number one on the Billboard jazz chart in the summer of 1998. In December of 2000, Bob was featured in full length Sunday New York Times Article titled "Jazzman Sets Tin Ears Ringing". In June of 2001, he was a featured Guest on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz, a National Public Radio Broadcast.

Active as an author and educator, his books of jazz piano transcriptions, The Artistry of Bill Evans, Vol. 2 and The Artistry of George Shearing are published by Warner Bros. Upcoming books that are currently completed-though unpublished-include The Improviser's Guide to Melodic Embellishment (a collection of studies that immerse the jazz musician in vocabulary for improvising melodies and introduce the player to the concept of embellishment), The Jazz Compositions of Bud Powell (a collection of 46 Bud Powell originals arranged in lead sheet format and transcribed directly from Powell's recordings), and Studies in Technique for the Jazz Pianist (a collection of exercises that orient the jazz pianist in techniques that necessary and appropriate for playing jazz piano). Currently, Bob is working on another CD, Send It In, eleven original compositions for jazz quintet.

Bob's articles have been published in Clavier, Music Educators Journal, Jazz Educators Journal, and Teaching Music. He has taught piano, music theory, and jazz improvisation at the State University of New York, and has been teaching piano since 1975. He also works as a pianist performing solo and with his trio in the New York area.