Focal dystonia (also known as Task-specific dystonia or Musician's dystonia) is a distressing condition in which the hand experiences involuntary muscle spasm leading to abnormal movements. Typical symptoms in pianists are involuntary movements of the fingers or thumb (either curling under the hand or sticking up in the air) and tremor. This can occur in one or more fingers. It usually tends to affect more advanced players, professional or amateur.
Focal dystonia tends to be task-specific. In pianists it is likely to occur mainly, or even exclusively, when they play the piano. It may only manifest itself in certain types of passage work, such as scalic passages. Initially the symptoms may just appear as unevenness or lack of control, which may later lead to more obvious involuntary movement (however, if you have unevenness or lack of control, there are many other possible causes for this. Dystonia is rare, and it is extremely unlikely that you have the early stages of dystonia).
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Penelope Roskell is equally renowned as a performer of international calibre and as an inspirational teacher and professor of piano at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. She is the author of The Complete Pianist: From Healthy Technique to Natural Artistry and is the leading UK specialist in healthy piano playing. She holds a clinic at the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine for pianists with injuries and her guide to preventing and recovering from injury is available here.
Author profile >>A thorough knowledge of scales and arpeggios is an absolute necessity for all serious students of the piano. Western music is built on the major/minor tonal system, and to attempt to study the instrument without scales (or basic theory) would be as nonsensical as learning language without the alphabet or... Read >>
In this excerpt from her online course, Teaching Healthy Expressive Piano Technique, Penelope Roskell shows how to approach practising and playing grace notes, mordents and turns.... Read >>
William Westney demonstrates his unique approach to scales for pianists of all levels which uses a simple exercise that can be applied to any fast passage in the repertoire.... Read >>
Having great octave technique is an essential hallmark of virtuosity, but what’s the secret to developing it? In this module Graham Fitch provides a comprehensive guide to developing octave technique using numerous examples from the repertoire, video demonstrations and exercises.... Read >>
Do you feel that your left hand is weaker than your right hand, and is holding you back in your piano playing? In these videos, Graham Fitch shows how a selection of studies and exercises from Berens's The Training of the Left Hand (Op. 89) can be used to develop... Read >>
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 >>
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 >>
Scale playing is an area of piano study that is often neglected in lessons and undertaken only half-heartedly in practice sessions. And yet scales and arpeggios can be approached creatively, and practised in a variety of different ways! This series of resources on scales and arpeggios begins with the current... Read >>
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 >>
Based on motions that are natural to the body, this introductory module explores the basics of piano technique, through a series of videos demonstrating how to move in ways that are natural the body to achieve physical freedom for playing that feels and sounds good. It serves as a starting... Read >>
Mastering core piano techniques is essential for the freedom to successfully express musical ideas. Based on her personal experience and the traditions of the Russian School, Ilga Pitkevica shares insights into approaches and strategies for achieving “pianistic fitness” and developing a balanced piano technique.... Read >>
In this lecture series, Ilga Pitkevica gives a tour of Czerny’s Practical Method for Beginners (Op. 599), explaining how and why these etudes should be used for developing and teaching both musical and technical skills. Ilga provides detailed suggestions for each of her favourite etudes from the collection practising, avoiding... Read >>
Forearm rotation is a way of coordinating the arm with the fingers in very specific and controlled ways. Tiny movements in the forearm share with the fingers the job of putting down the keys and can yield significant benefits, including improved coordination, reduced tension and a feeling of greater strength... Read >>
In this collection of videos, Penelope Roskell demonstrates clearly and concisely how yoga principles can be applied directly to instrumental playing, and how playing can be more fluid, powerful and emotionally expressive. Suitable for musicians of any age; from beginner to professional; Classical, jazz, folk and pop, the exercises demonstrated... Read >>
Peter Feuchtwanger was an important teacher who created a series of exercises designed to encourage healthy, natural and relaxed movements at the piano. In this module, Graham Fitch and Daniel Grimwood give their takes on Peter's exercises and share anecdotes from their experience in working with him.... Read >>
Carl Czerny’s works are often thought of as a ‘necessary evil’ that will magically further a pianist’s technique. As with all repertoire, outstanding results can only be achieved by working better, not harder. Fred Karpoff shows how Czerny’s Eight-Measure Exercises, in particular, are an excellent vehicle for quickly addressing specific... Read >>
Some of the most difficult pieces in the piano literature involve double notes. This series explores how to develop the technical skills needed to play them at the advanced level. It provides detailed advice on how to practise scales, exercises and studies, along with some suggestions for studies you might... Read >>
This module follows on from the introductory module to explore the fundamentals of scale and arpeggio playing, featuring close-up video demonstrations of the movements involved. It provides suggestions and exercises for mastering technical challenges such as thumb passage and gaining speed, with further tips on how to structure scale and... Read >>
This series of videos provides a comprehensive treatise on the subject of pedalling, starting with a brief history of the sustaining pedal and a video on finger pedalling. This is then followed by an indepth look at various aspects of pedal technique and types of pedalling, including: direct, legato, fractional... Read >>
Pianists at the intermediate level should know all major and minor scales (one form of minor), and all major and minor arpeggios in root position. There are several scale manuals available, but this manual is different in that it offers exercises and suggestions for practice, together with short, easy-to-use video... Read >>
This section provides an introduction to what will ultimately be an extensive library of technical exercises and provides an overview of exercise regimens for aspects of playing such as warm-ups, finger exercises, chord playing, octaves, double notes, repeated notes and trills.... Read >>
A thorough knowledge of scales and arpeggios is an absolute necessity for all serious students of the piano. Western music is built on the major/minor tonal system, and to attempt to study the instrument without scales (or basic theory) would be as nonsensical as learning language without the alphabet or... Read >>
In this excerpt from her online course, Teaching Healthy Expressive Piano Technique, Penelope Roskell shows how to approach practising and playing grace notes, mordents and turns.... Read >>
William Westney demonstrates his unique approach to scales for pianists of all levels which uses a simple exercise that can be applied to any fast passage in the repertoire.... Read >>
Having great octave technique is an essential hallmark of virtuosity, but what’s the secret to developing it? In this module Graham Fitch provides a comprehensive guide to developing octave technique using numerous examples from the repertoire, video demonstrations and exercises.... Read >>
Do you feel that your left hand is weaker than your right hand, and is holding you back in your piano playing? In these videos, Graham Fitch shows how a selection of studies and exercises from Berens's The Training of the Left Hand (Op. 89) can be used to develop... Read >>
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 >>
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 >>
Scale playing is an area of piano study that is often neglected in lessons and undertaken only half-heartedly in practice sessions. And yet scales and arpeggios can be approached creatively, and practised in a variety of different ways! This series of resources on scales and arpeggios begins with the current... Read >>
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 >>
Based on motions that are natural to the body, this introductory module explores the basics of piano technique, through a series of videos demonstrating how to move in ways that are natural the body to achieve physical freedom for playing that feels and sounds good. It serves as a starting... Read >>
Mastering core piano techniques is essential for the freedom to successfully express musical ideas. Based on her personal experience and the traditions of the Russian School, Ilga Pitkevica shares insights into approaches and strategies for achieving “pianistic fitness” and developing a balanced piano technique.... Read >>
In this lecture series, Ilga Pitkevica gives a tour of Czerny’s Practical Method for Beginners (Op. 599), explaining how and why these etudes should be used for developing and teaching both musical and technical skills. Ilga provides detailed suggestions for each of her favourite etudes from the collection practising, avoiding... Read >>
Forearm rotation is a way of coordinating the arm with the fingers in very specific and controlled ways. Tiny movements in the forearm share with the fingers the job of putting down the keys and can yield significant benefits, including improved coordination, reduced tension and a feeling of greater strength... Read >>
In this collection of videos, Penelope Roskell demonstrates clearly and concisely how yoga principles can be applied directly to instrumental playing, and how playing can be more fluid, powerful and emotionally expressive. Suitable for musicians of any age; from beginner to professional; Classical, jazz, folk and pop, the exercises demonstrated... Read >>
Peter Feuchtwanger was an important teacher who created a series of exercises designed to encourage healthy, natural and relaxed movements at the piano. In this module, Graham Fitch and Daniel Grimwood give their takes on Peter's exercises and share anecdotes from their experience in working with him.... Read >>
Carl Czerny’s works are often thought of as a ‘necessary evil’ that will magically further a pianist’s technique. As with all repertoire, outstanding results can only be achieved by working better, not harder. Fred Karpoff shows how Czerny’s Eight-Measure Exercises, in particular, are an excellent vehicle for quickly addressing specific... Read >>
Some of the most difficult pieces in the piano literature involve double notes. This series explores how to develop the technical skills needed to play them at the advanced level. It provides detailed advice on how to practise scales, exercises and studies, along with some suggestions for studies you might... Read >>
This module follows on from the introductory module to explore the fundamentals of scale and arpeggio playing, featuring close-up video demonstrations of the movements involved. It provides suggestions and exercises for mastering technical challenges such as thumb passage and gaining speed, with further tips on how to structure scale and... Read >>
This series of videos provides a comprehensive treatise on the subject of pedalling, starting with a brief history of the sustaining pedal and a video on finger pedalling. This is then followed by an indepth look at various aspects of pedal technique and types of pedalling, including: direct, legato, fractional... Read >>
Pianists at the intermediate level should know all major and minor scales (one form of minor), and all major and minor arpeggios in root position. There are several scale manuals available, but this manual is different in that it offers exercises and suggestions for practice, together with short, easy-to-use video... Read >>
This section provides an introduction to what will ultimately be an extensive library of technical exercises and provides an overview of exercise regimens for aspects of playing such as warm-ups, finger exercises, chord playing, octaves, double notes, repeated notes and trills.... Read >>
A thorough knowledge of scales and arpeggios is an absolute necessity for all serious students of the piano. Western music is built on the major/minor tonal system, and to attempt to study the instrument without scales (or basic theory) would be as nonsensical as learning language without the alphabet or... Read >>
In this excerpt from her online course, Teaching Healthy Expressive Piano Technique, Penelope Roskell shows how to approach practising and playing grace notes, mordents and turns.... Read >>
William Westney demonstrates his unique approach to scales for pianists of all levels which uses a simple exercise that can be applied to any fast passage in the repertoire.... Read >>