Technical Exercises and Regimes


Octaves (7)

It almost does not matter what sort of octave work is used in a general technical regime, as long as some is included. I recommend scales and/or arpeggios in octaves, using thumb and 5th finger, played in three different ways: Quasi-legato - hold each octave as long as possible. The touch will be tenuto, the wrist firm and unbending. Plucked - use the finger tips and the wrist to pluck each octave out of the keyboard. Wrist staccato - a springy wrist, the finger tips firm and active. Forearm staccato - a bouncing movement generated from the forearm, the...

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Jailbreaking Hanon

Should the exercises of Charles-Louis Hanon be consigned to the dustbins of history or can they be useful if done mindfully, with choreography based on modern thinking about piano technique? In this lecture series, Graham Fitch shows many applications for Hanon's exercises, including how they can be used as a... Read >>


Graham Fitch Technique

Piano Technique Lecture Series

In this series of video lectures, I explore aspects of technique one by one. My approach is based on using the body in the most natural ways possible, with emphasis on healthy technique and correct alignment. While I recognise that exercises, such as Hanon, are out of favour with some... Read >>


Graham Fitch Technique

The Art of Piano Fingering

A thorough understanding of the principles of good fingering is a vital basis for good piano playing. Without comfortable, musically appropriate fingerings, we can waste hours of practice time trying to remedy a problem which could have been averted much earlier. In this series of articles, author Penelope Roskell... Read >>


Penelope Roskell Technique