A Resource for Pianists

Dedicated to free, expressive piano playing and the elimination of pianists' injuries.

Created and maintained by pianist/teacher Thomas Carson Mark

 

Summer Workshop Schedule

Japanese Edition now available of

What Every Pianist Needs to Know about the Body

Click here for information.

Pianists Use Their Whole Bodies

Many people think that we play the piano with our fingers alone. In fact, piano playing combines movements of the fingers with movements in the arms, the torso and throughout the body. The movements involved are as complex and refined as those of any dancer or athlete. If the body is balanced and free, technique functions well and playing is secure, expressive and fluid. If the body is tense and out of balance, playing suffers. Unfortunately, the subtle involvement of the entire body in playing the piano is rarely taught. But pianists and teachers need to understand it in order to improve their own and their students' playing, and to prevent or cure injury.

Benefits of Full Body Awareness

Almost all pianists, whether they are beginners or advanced players, experience a dramatic improvement in playing when they become aware of the contribution of the entire body to piano playing. They learn to release tension, difficult passages become easier and more secure, playing is more expressive. Because they play without tension, they are not at risk of injury.

Pianists' Injuries

Although playing the piano should not and need not be painful, many people do experience pain. Injuries like tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, back and shoulder pain are common. The pain can be mild, a mere annoyance, or it can be excruciating. But it should not be ignored. If the poor habits that caused the injury are not corrected, permanent damage can occur. Some pianists have had to give up piano playing entirely. Fortunately, pianists' injuries are preventable and, in almost all cases, curable; but, unfortuately, not many piano teachers or health care professionals are trained to show injured pianists how to recover and play without problems.

Article

All pianists, but especially injured pianists, should read the article "Pianists' Injuries: Movement Retraining is the Key to Recovery." It provides an overview of the subject and explains why many so-called "treatments" are ineffective or temporary. It also describes the concept of movement retraining and shows why movement retraining must be a part of any permanent cure.

Lessons

Thomas Mark, creator of this website, lives in Portland, Oregon. He is available for private lessons, consultations, or workshops. Click here for more information.

Book

Much of the information pianists need about improved quality of movement is presented in Thomas Mark's book, What Every Pianist Needs to Know about the Body, published by GIA Publications and described by Barbara Lister-Sink as "The best book on the market in its field." The book includes special information for organists by Roberta Gary and Thom Miles. A video companion to the book is also published by GIA.

Click here to read Barbara Lister Sink's review of What Every Pianist Needs to Know about the Body

To order the book or the video from GIA Publications, call 800 442-1358 or 708 496-3800, or Click here to order online from GIA. The book is also available from Amazon:


Course

Thomas Mark offers a 6-hour course, also entitled "What Every Pianist Needs to Know about the Body," which can be given anywhere in the United States or Canada. The next offering of the course will be in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday, July 12, 2008. Click here for more information

Octave Workshop

Thomas Mark offers a 4-hour Octave Workshop devoted to common problems associated with octave playing: pain and fatigue from playing octaves, small hands, and others. Almost all pianists and intermediate or advanced students will find that the workshop improves their octave playing. The next offering of the workshop will be in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday, July 26, 2008. Click here for more information.

Email

Click here to send an email to Thomas Mark