The following notes are not intended to be a replacement for taking the course.
Not everything in the course or the book are in my notes.
These are my personal takeaways, influenced by my personal needs.
There is also plenty of plagiarism.
Tahini - ground sesame seeds
Tamari - salted fermented soybeans
Timani - Tina Margareta Nilssen
Creator of Timani
Founder of the Musician's Health and Movement Institute
Author of "Unleashing the Potential of the Musician's Body"
Please remember:
1. Learning about the body is a process; be patient and gentle
2. Developing new coordination uses a lot of brain power
3. Respect your body and take rests
4. Don't push yourself with these exercises; move slowly and feel what is going on
5. Be present; there are always new layers of discovery
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Timani Playing With Ease 6 Week Course
In this course, we will learn theory, anatomy, and practical exercises to optimize playing and realize our musical potential. We also want to play with ease, eliminating unnecessary tension, injury, and pain.
Timani lessons are circular:
1. Conversation
2. Observation & playing analysis
3. Anatomical explanation
4. Targeted exercise
5. Playing or singing
6. Review & summary
(Perhaps leading to a new conversation)
The musician's body demands:
1. Repetitive use of muscles; we practice movements (as opposed to notes!)
2. Small muscle endurance; must access parts of the body that give us endurance
3. Support and stability; can't just relax, or we'll be asleep
4. Mobility and expressivity; must know where to have support and where to have mobility
5. Healthy breathing mechanics
6. Static positions
7. Extreme coordination in the brain; must train sensory system to feel specific things
Sometimes we don't feel everything we are doing
In order to know what to look for, we need to learn about the body
It's not as simple as "relax," or everybody would do that
The concert artist, if he so chooses, may work as he will,
remaining his own problem, or, perhaps, finding his own solutions:
but the teacher, selling lessons in physiological mechanics
hour after hour, day after day,
should at least know the tools with which he works.
Otto Ortmann (1889-1979)
Some terms to study:
1. Diaphragm - thin internal muscle, primary muscle for breathing, opens up chest cavity
Contracts/flattens during inhalation; relaxes/becomes dome-like during exhalation
2. Intercostals - secondary muscles for breathing, primarily aid in inhalation
Located in between ribs, lifting ribs upwards and outwards
3. Spine - needs both freedom and support
4. Fascia - part of our connective tissue
Tendons connect muscles to bones; ligaments connect bones to bones
5. Extrinsic & intrinsic hand muscles
Extrinsic attach in forearm, intrinsic attach within hand
No muscles in the finger themselves!
6. Psoas major - connects deep breathing expansion into lower body
7. Serratus anterior - under shoulder blade, holds shoulder, supports breathing
8. Transverse abdominis - side wall of the abdomen, pulls navel to spine
Psoas Major
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Serratus Anterior
Bodyworks Prime
Transverse Abdominis
Bodyworks Prime
Active warm up creates the following physiological changes:
1. Increased speed of nerve signals - nerves from brain to muscles is faster
2. Less resistance in joints - oily lubricant (synovial fluid) is more fluid when warmer
3. Increased oxygen delivery to the muscles - blood vessels expand, blood flows more freely
Warm ups can be:
1. Passive or active - warm with water or use muscles to keep warm
2. General or specific - take a walk to warm up or engage in finger exercises
3. Mental - remove distractions, try relaxation exercises, breathing, grounding
Warm up exercises prepare your muscles so that you can think less. Try exercises every day at first; then focus on exercises where you need more awareness. The goal is to play or sing with the muscles/coordination you learn in this course. Exercises can be done between practice sessions to remind the muscles what you want them to do; after this course, you should have acquired an awareness for these muscles at all times, even when not practicing.
Week 1: MCP Tune-Up & Thumb Drill
We have many muscles that move our fingers. Pianists tend to overuse the muscles associated with flexion of the the middle knuckle (PIP joints) in a pulling or gripping motion. We tend to underuse the muscles that activate our bridge, or our metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints. The PIP joint muscles are extrinsic hand muscles, and the MCP joint muscles are intrinsic hand muscles.
In anatomy, the back or upper part is called "dorsal" and the palm is called "palmar" or "volar."
Four main groups of intrinsic hand muscles are:
1. Interossei muscles - begin between the bones of the hand, bend MCP joints
4 dorsal interossei muscles also help fingers spread apart
3 palmar interossei muscles also help pull fingers back together
2. Lumbricals - allow fingers to straighten and help bend MCP joints
3. Hypothenar muscle group - 3 muscles on the outside of the hand that assist 5th finger
4. Thenar muscle group - 3 muscles on the base of the thumb that assist the thumb
A separate triangular muscle, adductor pollicis, brings thumb back towards palm
In this exercise, we'll focus on the lumbricals and interossei muscles, which help us bend our fingers from the bridge. First, find the places marked with black x's below. With the palm of your working hand facing upwards, support or press into each x with your non-working hand as you flex the corresponding straight finger upwards towards the ceiling. You should feel tendons or muscles move in these spots; the 5th finger will be the most difficult to feel.
For the thumb, place it close to the second finger. Feel the bone to the side of the thenar muscle group, and press along the bone into the muscle. Lift the thumb up towards the ceiling. The thenar muscle group should become very hard. When the thumb is properly engaged, the hand should become very open, like it could hold a ball.
Next, turn your hand so that the palm faces downwards and repeat the exercise, maintaining fairly straight fingers. Motion should originate from the bridge. Repeat exercise on the piano keys, playing several notes using one finger, being very aware of which muscles are activating.
Once you have done this, rest your palms face up in your lap and feel what muscles have been used. Heavier reliance on these muscles allows the wrist to be able to move more freely.
For this and all following Timani exercises, it is important to rest or relax between sides and notice what your body feels like. Always be thoughtful, curious, and intentional!
Week 2: Muscles & The Nervous System
3 Types of Muscle Cells:
1. Skeletal muscle cells; these are the only muscle cells we can control
Responsible for breathing, moving, creating pressures and tension in the body
2. Smooth muscle cells
Governed by our autonomic nervous system; we do not choose how they contract
They digest food in the intestines
3. Cardiac muscle cells are in the heart and nowhere else
Skeletal muscle cells are elongated cells; they are not round in shape. They pull only against their length, not their width. Muscle fibers or cells have a specific direction. Once muscle cell can consist of many, many units called sarcomeres. The proteins in a sarcomere are myosin, actin, and tintin. When contracted, myosin grabs onto actin, pulling together to make a cross bridge, and the muscle bulges.
The nervous system is the part of the body that comprises the brain, spinal cord, and all of the nerves travelling outside of the skull and spinal column. It coordinates actions and sensory information by transmitting signals to and from different parts of the body. Every skeletal muscle fiber must be innervated by a motor neuron in order to contract. Motor neurons in the spinal cord have long axons that travel outside of the spine and connect to a muscle bundle. The group of muscle fibers in a muscle and the single motor neuron that innervates them is called a motor unit. Motor units bridge the central nervous system and the skeletal muscles.
3 Types of Contraction:
1. Concentric contraction - muscle produces force while shortening
Example - lifting a cup off a table
2. Eccentric contraction - muscle produces force while lengthening by gradually releasing
Example - placing a cup back down on a table
3. Isometric contraction - muscle generates force without changing its length
Example - holding a cup still in the air
Efferent & Afferent Nerve Signals:
1. Efferent nerve signals are sent from the brain to create muscle contraction
Nerve cells in the brain send electrical signals through the spinal cord
These move down to the body to the muscle cells, telling them to contract
2. Afferent nerve signals gather information about the body
The brain relies on afferent nerve signals to provide information on what we sense
This is how the brain knows our internal states or positions in space and time
The part of the brain that receives sensory signals needs a lot of information to provide accurate information about how and when a muscle should contract. This information is sent to the brain from many different nerve endings.
Sensory Systems:
1. Exteroception - sensing the external world
Seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, tasting, feeling the ground and the instrument
2. Proprioception - the body's GPS for spatial awareness
Orienting ourselves, information about body and instrument positions, and movements
3. Interoception - internal sensations within the body
Sensing arm weight, breath, emotions, tension, relaxation
4. Kinesthesia - sometimes used interchangeably with proprioception
Relates to the sense of movement and conscious body awareness
Can be thought of as a combination of exteroception, proprioception, and interoception
Perception is broader term - what we consciously experience and interpret. The interpretation and organization of sensory stimuli is personal because it draws upon memories. We may interpret the same situation differently than those around us.
Less relevant are:
1. Nociception - the sensory perception of pain
2. Chronoception - the perception of time
Week 2: Sitting Shuffle
Sit on a chair or a bench as you normally would. Reach your hands underneath to feel the sitting or sit bones. We want to align ourselves so that the flat part of the bone is supporting us on the chair. Begin by leaning forwards; then lean backwards until you feel the bones sticking out under you, into the chair. Then move forwards again until you feel you are sitting on the flat part of the bones.
From here, we need to explore how to get the weight properly into the chair and feel supported. From this seated position, push the right knee forwards until you feel that your weight is coming more onto your right sit bone. You should also feel the right side of your body lift upwards. Let your body follow this movement. Next, push the left knee forwards and feel for the same sensations. Shuffle, alternating the knees as they move forwards; this should feel like cross-country skiing. Can you feel your sit bones better than before?
Your body should feel like it has risen above the sit bones in a supported and relaxed way. You should be able to feel your sit bones more easily, and also be able to "rest into the skeleton." Play a chord and feel a connection all the way down into the sit bones. It should feel easier to make a bigger or heavier sound. The number one way to offload our arms is to ground ourselves properly.
Video Resource 6: Push-Off From the Floor
This exercise trains the brain to know which muscle to use to get push-off from the ground. Stand with a piano bench at your side. Lean towards this side so that the hip moves outwards and back as the weight shifts. Next, place one knee onto a piano bench so that you are standing on the knee. The toes of the opposite foot should maintain contact with the floor to maintain balance. Let the hip move sideways again over the knee in the direction of the bench. Push the knee down into the chair, rising the entire body upwards. As the knee pushes downwards, the hip will come inwards and straighten, and the distance between the lower ribs and pelvis will increase. Relax the knee and let the hip fall outwards again, all while maintaining the body weight in the knee. This trains the gluteus medius, which stabilizes the hip joint. Using this muscle prevents us from hanging out into the joint. The groin, hip, and quads should be free and able to move.
Hips should not push forward; to prevent this, move the shoulders slightly forward, making sure to bend from the hip rather than curve the spine. When we lean backwards, the diaphragm pushes the internal organs downwards and the 6 pack muscle (rectus abdominis) gets involved. This is unhelpful.
Stand on both feet and feel the difference; you should feel more grounded. Repeat this exercise on the other side.
Violinists must use the ground and the violin to push off, so there are two push-off points. Without a piano bench, pushing off the floor will give you power that you can use musically. You can shift your weight from one leg to another, pushing off the floor to get power. These grounding exercises are very helpful in freeing the arms and the shoulders.
For people without lower back pain, the transverse abdominis activates 30-40 milliseconds before lifting the arm with the shoulder muscles (deltoids). However, for people with lower back pain, the transverse abdominis activates up to 90 milliseconds after the arm is lifted. When the transverse abdominis is not doing its job, the diaphragm begins downwards bearing pressure, limiting breathing, collapsing the chest, and moving the head forwards. The transverse abdominis, on the other hand, creates an upwards flowing engagement instead. When the transverse abdominis is engaged, the belly button should move towards the spine as a natural effect of grounding.
Week 3: The Chocolate Covered Caramel
The chocolate covered caramel is a model of the body we can use to help organize and understand which muscles we need for free breathing, which muscles we need for playing or singing, and which muscles we can focus on for more relaxation. There are three parts to this model: a soft center (free and unrestricted breathing); a chewy caramel layer (muscles and tissues that offer stability and support); and an outer chocolate cover (free movement and weight).
The shape of the body is made from the skeleton and the tendons/fascia connecting muscles and attaching to the bones. The fascia can be thought of as a wetsuit around all the organs, muscles, and bones. Most muscles have multiple functions and can perform different tasks, but they always perform certain tasks best.
The soft center is free breathing, and we don't want to restrict the movement of the lungs. Both the diaphragm and the intercostals have the primary function of inhalation.
The chewy caramel muscles and tissues are a musician's best friend. They provide stability, support, endurance, timing, musical intention, legato, longer lines, and precision/accuracy. These muscles should not make us stiff, but rather help us to remain balanced and secure, uninfluenced by external forces. They provide endurance and effortlessness.
The chocolate coating are muscles that give a sense of free movement and weight. They also contribute to the sense of relaxation and ease when playing. We want this coating to melt; these are the muscles we want to relax. These are the outer muscles that often restrict our movements, such as the pecs, biceps, and rectus abdominis. If we are not effectively using muscles in the chewy caramel layer, we will overcompensate by overusing these less effective muscles in the chocolate coating.
Some important chocolate coating muscles:
Pectoralis Major & Minor
Bodyworks Prime
Biceps Brachii
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6-Pack, Rectus Abdominis
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Levator Scapulae
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Rhomboids
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The Soft Center
1. Review: diaphragm
Like a thin parachute inside the chest, attached to the front of the spine
2. Review: intercostals
Located in between the ribs, help to rotate the ribs open up and outwards to the sides
Ribs 1-5 (top) have a pump handle mechanism; they open from front to back
Ribs 6-10 have a bucket handle mechanism; they lift up and out to the sides
The two lowest ribs are floating ribs
External intercostals are inhalation muscles
Internal intercostals & innermost intercostals are exhalation muscles
During inhalation, the abdomen is pushed down and outwards
During exhalation, the abdomen moves up and into the chest
3. Review: psoas major
Transfers the movement of the diaphragm down to our lower body
The alignment of the spine and hips are important for breathing
4. Organs:
We're rarely aware of our organs, but connecting to their weight can feel relaxing
Tuning into our liver, heart, or lungs can give a sense of playing from a deeper place
The Chewy Caramel Layer (Often Underused)
1. Review: serratus anterior
Located under the shoulder blade, which is also called the scapula
Attached from ribs 1-9, assists in rotating the ribs out to the side during inhalation
Moves and stabilizes scapula, which helps keep shoulders and chest open
Should bear most of the weight of the arm, offloading muscles on top of the shoulders
2. Review: transverse abdominis
Sometimes called a corset due to shape and function
One of four large abdominal muscles, most important for musicians
Provides stability in lower back
If we push the belly outwards, there is a stability created by the diaphragm
However, this stability restricts free breathing
The tranversus abdominis should maintain intra-abdominal pressures instead.
We can access the tranversus abdominis by pulling the belly button slightly inwards
These deeper muscles tend to deactivate when we're tired, stressed, etc.
The transverse abdominis can also help support arms, neck, and shoulders
3. Review: intrinsic hand muscles
Intrinsic muscles in the hand mostly move the MCP joints
We want to use these instead of overusing the extrinsic muscles in the arm
4. Skeleton:
By balancing posture, we can release tension in compensatory muscles
5. Fascia:
Transmits forces from one part of the body to the rest
Chocolate Coating Muscles (Often Overused)
1. Review: pectoralis minor
Small chest muscle, attaches from the scapula to the front of our bodies on ribs 3-5
When we pull our shoulders downwards, this muscle activates
However, we want this muscle to lift the ribs rather than pull them down
Overactivation can block free breathing
Even worse, it can cause problems in nerves connected to hands and fingers
2. Review: pectoralis major
Sits on top of pectoralis minor
Attaches to the upper arm bone (humerus), moves the arm closer to the body
Can over-activate when playing large chords at the piano
3. Review: biceps
Flexes the elbow joint, flexes the shoulder joint, and supinates the lower arm
Tends to be overused
4. Review: rectus abdominis
Activates every time we lean backwards
The upper part attaches to the ribs; lower part attaches to the pubic bone
Can interfere with healthy breathing patterns
5. Review: levator scapula & rhomboideus major
Fibers from both attach to the inner edge of the scapulae
The levator scapula brings the top of the scapulae closer to the neck vertebrae
The rhomboideus major brings the scapulae closer to the spine
Together, they can cause a downward rotation of the scapulae
The bottom tips will rotate upward towards the spine as the shoulders lower
Pull your shoulders back towards your spine
Notice how this restricts rib movement, which restricts breathing
Now pull your shoulders upwards and move your arms vigorously
Notice that the levator scapula and rhomboideus major are providing stability
We want to find stability from the serratus anterior instead
6. Review: extrinsic hand muscles
Flexor digitorum superficialis - an extrinsic hand muscle of the fingers
One side attaches in the hand and the other in the lower arm and elbow
This flexes the middle knuckles (PIP joints) to to give us a strong grip
This is often overused
Flexor Digitorum Superficialis
Bodyworks Prime
Close Up
Bodyworks Prime
Week 3: Back Arm-line Push-Off
We must learn how to extend downwards into the key so that the forces going into the key return back into the arm. Often, pianists press downwards into the key, pushing the entire body downwards, which disrupts an upright posture.
In a seated position, use your non-working hand to grab the chest muscle in the front of the armpit. With the working hand, extend fingers straight out with the thumb facing upwards, and press downwards into the knee. This will push the shoulder and the body upwards. The opposite of this is pushing the body down with pecs muscle engaged, dragging the shoulder downwards with it. You are looking to release the chest muscle and lift the body with the tricep muscles instead. Once you can feel that the chest muscle is not engaged, feel the tricep activate as you push your body upwards. Check that both the chest muscles and biceps are not working very hard.
Triceps Brachii
Bodyworks Prime
Repeat this process with the piano lid instead of the knee, opening the hand into a curved position with the palm facing downwards. As you use the tricep instead of the chest, the elbow will extend open, and the shoulder will rise slightly. Practice with chords. The tricep is your "chord friend"!!
Remember that to play strongly, you must go into the key faster, and to play more softly, you must go into the key more slowly.
Video Resource 4: The Tent
Place your entire forearm on the lap. Keeping your wrist on your lap, pull your hand in such a way that the bridge pops out like a mountain peak, and the middle and outermost knuckle joints (PIP & DIP) stay fairly straight. With the opposite hand, feel the top of the working forearm to monitor that there isn't too much tension. Try playing chords with this "tent" position, keeping the wrist low and extending the elbow using the tricep. This is a way to play chords with as little energy possible in such a way that the fingertip goes more directly to the bottom of the key, making it easier to maintain precise timing.
Week 4: Fascia
Musicians need exact muscular use, while simultaneously requiring the support of the whole body for every movement. Fascia is the wetsuit that connects everything; we can think of a person as one fascia with 600 pockets of contractile fibers. Fascia surrounds muscles, bones, nerves, blood vessels, and internal organs. This means that engaging in movement pulls on an entire system. Sometimes fascia grows in large sheaths; for example, the rectus abdominis sits in a sheath of fascia. Similarly, the thumb and the 5th finger are connected by a sheath of fascia (palmar fascia) that slides over the tendons of the finger flexors.
To get a better idea of how fascia functions, we can compare it to the structure of an orange. If the rind of an orange is like our skin, the pith underneath represents superficial fascia, and the structures that create the orange slices represent deep fascia.
In Timani, we can also compare fascia to the frame of a trampoline, with each hook on the outer perimeter of the net representing a muscle. We want to connect the outer perimeter of the trampoline to its frame, and if we don't connect all the hooks, the trampoline won't work optimally. This is similar to having too little tension in some parts of the body, which forces more tension into neighboring areas than necessary.
Functions of Fascia:
1. Support & protection, provides a protective layer for muscles, organs, and other structures
2. Movement & flexibility, enables smooth movement by reducing friction between tissues
3. Force transmission, helps distribute forces generated by muscles across the body
4. Structural integrity, maintains the alignment and positioning of body parts
Types of Fascia:
1. Superficial fascia
Found just beneath the skin; contains fat and connective tissue
Helps insulate the body and provides a cushion for the skin
2. Deep fascia
This is the type of fascia that we focus on in this course
Denser, fibrous tissue, encases/separates/connects muscles, bones, and organs
Helps to transmit forces across the body and maintain posture
3. Visceral fascia
Surrounds internal organs, providing support and holding them in place
Some fascia structures are:
1. Tendons - muscle fibers gradually turn into tendons and attach to bones
2. Ligaments - located around the joints, keeping them together
3. Joint capsules - also hold joints together, protect joints, and hold synovial fluid
Fascia can become stiff, inflamed, or restricted from injury, overuse, poor posture, or dehydration. This leads to pain, decreased flexibility, and mobility issues. For fascia to stay healthy, it needs stress reduction/relaxation, hydration, and movement; it is healthy to move the body in new ways that aren't our habitual motions. Movement not only strengthens muscles; it strengthens fascia as well. Healthy fascia has a web-like structure that allows it to be elastic. On its own, it's primarily made of collagen fibers, which are about as flexible as stainless steel. Bouncy exercises help to create young and active fascia patterns. Both tendons and muscles are strengthened through resistance stretching. Conversely, strength training increases flexibility. Strength training can also provide more stability when fascia is too lax.
Mechanotransduction is the body adapting to what we do or don't do. This is something that is happening constantly because our cells are renewing constantly. Our fibroblasts are building and building and reacting to whatever we are doing. We are looking to develop elasticity and firmness with a lack of tension.
Week 4: Self Bottle Exercise
Pianists must have strong and flexible hands, supple wrists, and heavy arms, all at the same time. This exercise helps to coordinate these components.
Grab a water bottle with your thumb pointing upwards. The bridge should be engaged, while the PIP and DIP joints stay fairly straight. The base of the palm should be close to the bottle. This will ensure that the intrinsic hand muscles are squeezing the bottle.
From this position, rest the elbow of the gripping hand on a table, closed piano fallboard, or your knee. With the non-gripping hand, grab the top of the bottle and move it towards and away from your face, as the gripping wrist remains free and flexible, moving from side to side. The gripping hand should not be creating any of this movement, but only holding on.
Once that is established, increase the range of motion in the elbow. Repeat the exercise with larger motions so that the elbow opens and closes. The moving hand will be carrying the weight of both the gripping hand and its arm. Try this for about 30 seconds. Relax both hands and notice how they feel. Change hands and repeat.
Video Resource 3: Wall Push-Off
Facing a wall, stand slightly farther than arms-length distance away. Fall towards the wall, catching yourself with your hands on the wall and bouncing back to your original position as effortlessly as possible. Elbows should maintain a fairly extended position so that the motion is more of a bounce than a push-up. Between the bounces, release the arms so that they swing downwards and then back up. This should feel easy, playful, and child-like.
These are actually very quick movements, training the opening of the elbow, activating the tricep, releasing the shoulders, and training the bounce properties of the fascia. This is particularly helpful for piano octaves and chords.
Week 5: The Sensory Nervous System
Exteroception - the ability to sense stimuli from the external environment
If our fingertip touches something, different nerve endings tell our brain how intense the pressure is, if something is moving across the skin, and what the temperature of the external object is. In addition to touching an instrument, musicians must also be able to feel themselves in contact with the chair or the floor. Exteroception is used any time we use our eyes to look at the conductor, the score, or the piano, or any time we hear anything. Tasting and smelling are less important for us.
Proprioception - the ability to sense position and movement in space
This helps us maintain balance, position, and smooth movements of the body. Proprioception relies on sensory receptors in muscles, tendons, and joints that monitor muscle contractions, monitor joint positions, and detect movement. It's essential for smooth and precise movements that take place without relying on visual cues. Proprioception is used any time a person plays the piano without looking at the hands.
Interoception - the ability to sense internal states and conditions within the body
This provides an awareness of physiological processes like hunger, thirst, heart rate, and breathing. It also provides sensations of emotions and musical expression, such as the difference we feel when playing pieces by different composers. The mechanism relies on sensory signals from internal organs and tissues such as fascia. Examples include the idea that the arm is heavy, the weight behind the fingertips, feeling our heartbeats, feeling breath, and feeling tension/relaxation. We need interoception in order to sense the differences in our bodies before and after Timani exercises.
Perception - the process of interpreting sensory information (all our sensory input) to understand the external or internal stimuli based on our previous experiences. Perception is both selective and personal. It is critical for decision making, awareness, and interacting with the world. Examples include recognizing a friend's face or interpreting a loud noise as thunder. For musicians, examples include perceiving a performance or a certain type of music as pleasant or unpleasant, recognizing a piece of music or a genre, or sensing when the body is aligned and playing freely. Throughout the study of Timani, the perceptions of our bodies might change, allowing for more options.
In summary, the body has sensory nerves in the skin, around the muscle cells, and in the eyes, ears, tongue, nose, and fascia, that inform the brain what's going on inside and outside the body. These sensations are interpreted based on previous experience, and create our perception of our internal and external sense of reality. A clear perception of the body is important for creating accurate movements. What we don't feel, we cannot change or control. Playing an instrument requires a high degree of movement accuracy, and therefore a clear perception of the body. While most sensory information happens in the subconscious brain, we can enhance awareness skills through the appropriate exercises for our personal needs and our instrument.
Week 5: Bouncy With Fingers
Before we continue, let's take a look at the bones and joints of the hand.
The group of 8 bones towards the base of the hand is called the carpals. They connect to 5 metacarpals, which connect to 5 proximal phalanges. The proximal phalanges of the 4 long fingers connect to the middle phalanges and then the distal phalanges. The proximal phalanx of the thumb connects to the distal phalanx.
Hand Bones & Joints
Bodyworks Prime
What I have been calling the bridge are the four adjacent metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints. What I have been calling the outermost knuckle joints are the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joints, and the joints in between are the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints. The top joint of the thumb is the interphalangeal (IP) joint, and the lowest is the carpometacarpal (CMC) joint.
This exercise makes it more comfortable to come into the bottom of the key, release the arm, and become more flexible in the wrist. Place the fingertips of the four long fingers onto an elevated surface, like the top of an open fallboard. With firm DIP joints, hang your arm from the fingertips. Slowly, from the DIP joints, pull your heavy and relaxed arm upwards. The arm follows the fingertips.
Once you can do this, use the same muscles to bounce up and down. Check that all the knuckle joints are rounded, especially the bridge, and ensure that the full arm weight is released.
After this exercise, try playing octaves, repetitive chords, or scales.
Video Resource 4: DIP Tune-Up
With your non-working hand, stabilize a PIP of your working hand by placing the 2nd and 3rd fingers behind the joint and the thumb in front. Once the PIP is successfully braced, activate the corresponding DIP joint twice, as close as you can get to 90°. Go firmly all the way down, and come back up slowly. Repeat on all 8 long fingers. It can be helpful to be in touch with the DIP joints because we tend to over-activate the PIP joints.
Week 6: Applying Anatomy to Musicianship
Practicing your instrument is a neurological process that involves your brain and body.
1. Practice safety
Consciously practice reducing stress
Keep a solution oriented attitude
2. Practice compassion and understanding
Be mindful and patient while learning
3. Use your knowledge of what you're asking your brain and body to do
Collaborate with yourself rather than judge yourself
4. Practice awareness
Warm up your body by activating muscles instead of just thinking about it
Practicing is a neurological and physical process
5. Be a mindful and critical thinker to see what works for you today in your development
Week 6: The Transverse Abdominis
We need a lot of stability to have freedom. To free the arms and hands, we need a stable core. This exercise will highlight the specific muscle we need in the belly.
Find your sit bones, and make sure you are not leaning backwards, which activates the rectus abdominis. Find the bone sticking out on the front side of your pelvis. Place the bottom of your fist on this bone and push 2 fingers into the belly. With the other hand, passively monitor the lower belly. Relax the belly out, and then push the belly button towards the spine. If you go too far, your chest will rise. You want to activate the transverse abdominis only about 20-40%. Your two fingers should be able to feel that the transverse abdominis has become firm. Engage this muscle and breathe, feeling how the ribcage moves. You should feel an expansion of the ribcage with stability in the belly.
At the piano, repeat the process to find your transverse abdominis. Next, push your knee forwards and explore if the sitting shuffle can help you keep the transverse abdominis active. Relax your arms in your lap. Feel how the transverse abdominis supports as you lift your arms to the keyboard. Without this engagement, the shoulders must be more active when bringing the arms to the keyboard. This is the number one offloading exercise for the shoulders and arms.
Video Resource 1: Breathing & Adduction
In squeezing the bagpipe bag, you must pull the arm towards the body. (This is adduction; adduction always moves a body part towards the midline, and abduction moves a body part away from the midline). Many muscles activate in order to do this.
The most eager muscles are the front chest muscles, which you can feel by gripping the front of your chest from the armpit (pecs). To activate this muscle, push your hand into your knee. For most instruments, the pecs should be totally relaxed, but it cannot relax completely for the bagpipe or the accordion! Still, it is often overused by bagpipe or accordion players.
Pectoralis Major in Front
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Rotator Cuff in Back
Bodyworks Prime
Next, grab the muscles from the armpit towards your back. These muscles are both smaller/more accurate and built for more endurance. Once again, try pushing your hand into your knee, but by activating the muscles in the back - the rotator cuff. You should be able to feel an opening in the chest and also an activation of the serratus anterior, which will make breathing more effortless.
We can also practice the arm diamond, which creates a circle of tension that goes around the back and connects to the arms. Place your hands together with the fingertips pointing upwards, like a prayer position. Push both hands away from the body to get a more rounded shape in the arms, and then place them upwards in front of the face. If you press the thumbs together, you should be able to feel an activation of the pecs in the front of the shoulder. As you roll the pressure towards your fifth fingers, you should be able to feel that you're activating the rotator cuff in the back of the shoulder instead. Move one elbow upwards at a time so that the forearms are bobbing up and down like a little boat. This motion should allow you to feel that the shoulders are relaxed, while tension is maintained from the rotator cuffs and triceps.
Video Resource 2: Breathing Serratus Anterior
Place your hands under the armpits on upper ribs, making sure not to push the chest bones forwards. Breathe in such a way that you can feel this expansion into the side of the chest. This activates the serratus anterior, which stabilizes the scapulae and chest from below. Without this stability, the levator scapula holds everything up from above. When the levator scapula is released, the shoulders are freer for more effortless piano playing or bowing.
Video Resource 5: Breathing Psoas Major
Place one hand on your upper chest and one hand on your lower back. Breathe in such a way that you can feel these hands expanding away from one another at the same time. This diagonal breathing activates the psoas major. The psoas major is attached to the spine at the lowest rib, moves forwards from the vertebrae, crosses the hip joint, comes to the surface at the groin, and attaches to the inside of the upper thigh. It is the only muscle connecting the upper and lower body.
Psoas Major
Bodyworks Prime
On the front side of our backs, the psoas major is connected through fascia to the diaphragm. As you breathe in, feel a lengthening in the body. Your chest should rise, your lower back should be engaged, and you should feel connected to your legs.
The spine is a column of 33 vertebrae.
Cervical spine - C1-7, in the neck
Thoracic spine - T1-T12, in upper and middle back
Lumbar spine - L1-L5, lower back
Sacrum - S1-S5, links spine to hip bones
Gray's Anatomy
Interestingly, the lumbar spine is only supported by the psoas stabilizing the front and a muscle called the multifidus stabilizing the back. The thoracic spine is supported by the ribcage, and the sacrum is supported by the pelvis.
As we're closing with a discussion involving the back, I'd like to include two more large back muscles, which belong to the chocolate coating layer.
Trapezius
Bodyworks Prime
Erector Spinae
Bodyworks Prime
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UNLEASHING THE POTENTIAL OF THE MUSICIAN'S BODY NOTES
Chapters 1-2: Movement & Music
Chapters 3-4: Warming Up, Practice, Pain, Injury, & Self-Care
Chapters 5-8: Anatomy & the Brain
Chapter 9: Exercise Prep
Chapters 10-15: Exercises
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Chapters 1-9: Timani
7 Pillars of Timani:
1. Basic relevant anatomy & biology
2. Movement analysis, differentiation sustainable vs. straining movement patterns
3. Fascia system, provides elasticity and connection in our movements
4. Basics of breathing coordination, dependent on neck, jaw, shoulders, hips, legs, feet
5. Push-off with floor, chair, instrument
6. Brain-body connection, basic neurology
7. Body awareness - what we aren't aware of, we cannot control
Another core concept in Timani is that there's a constant feedback loop between:
1. The musical idea
2. The physical action and sensation of playing
3. The sound of the instrument returning
Timani is most focused on the second part of this loop. Timani exercises expand our movement repertoire. Being in touch with our body isn't the same as simply thinking about our body. Practicing new patterns initiate an integration process, which will become more and more natural the more it is practiced.
Each Timani exercise is constructed towards these six specific goals:
1. Control specific movements, enhance sensory input, refine coordination skills
2. Reactivate movements from childhood, avoiding excess tension and holding patterns
3. Become aware of specific muscles to re-train timing and coordination
4. Engage in fearless movements that instill confidence in body
5. Practice sensory stimulus exercises that activate neural pathways
6. Practice relaxation, flexibility, and self massage to downregulate the nervous system
Set a clear intention: how do you want to feel in the practice room?
1. Old goals: better, faster, stronger
2. New goals - calmer, more secure/supported, curious, patient
Practice tips
1. Only increase practice time by 20% per day
2. SMARTE
Specific - set precise/concrete goals
Motivating - inner motivation & outer motivation; one does not exclude the other
Ambitious - goals that are rewarding
Relevant - goals that are relevant to your life
Time - specific short & long term goals with time frames
Easy - goals should be very easy to understand
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Chapters 1-9: Anatomy
Body Facts
1. Our bodies comprise 30-40 trillion cells
2. We have about 650 skeletal muscles
3. The adult body has 206 bones; of these, 106 are in our hands and feet
4. There are 26 bones in each foot and 27 bones in each hand
5. There are 32 bones in the arm:
collarbone/clavicle, shoulder blade/scapula, humerus, ulna, radius
8 carpal bones, 5 metacarpals, 14 phalanges
Tensegrity
1. Architectural term for tension & integrity
2. Maximum stability achieved with minimum energy
3. Biotensegrity - applied to biological material
4. Biotensegral model - skeleton is suspended within a tensional web of fascia and muscle
Three important categories of tissue
1. Fascia - muscles cooperating, fluidity, & elastic/rebounding qualities
2. Muscle - pulls on fascia, which pulls on bone
3. Bone - firmest tissue, can create clarity when thinking about movement
The fascia system is part of our connective tissue, which is a category that includes bones and blood. Fascia is the soft and supportive part of the connective tissue. Fascia consists of fibres and fluid, and it ranges from densely knotted fibrous sheets to sponge-like structures. The main type of fascia cell is called a fibroblast, which produces and secretes the fiber and fluid that make up the fascial system. The fibers are mostly elastin and collagen proteins, and the fluid is called "ground substance." It is gelatinous mucus in which the cells and fibers are suspended. The molecular structure of the fibers and the way they're organized determine the degree of elasticity. Fascia also responds/adapts to the biochemical and physiological environment of the body.
The fascia we will study in this book is on the solid side, usually depicted as white tendinous material that appears as thin or thick layers covering the muscles, organs, and bones. It also surrounds the joints as tendons, ligaments, and joint capsules. One of the strongest tendons in the body is the Achilles tendon, and even this is 63% water.
There are 3 types of muscles - cardiac, smooth, and skeletal. Smooth muscle cells make up the heart muscle. When they contract, the heart pumps blood through the body. Smooth muscle cells are found primarily in blood vessels, organs, and intestines. When they contract, they move fluids and nutrients around. Skeletal muscles have varying degrees of voluntary control. When they contract, they enable us to move, breathe, maintain posture, and balance.
Each muscle cell contains thousands of units called sarcomeres. Each sarcomere has three types of proteins: myosin, actin, and tintin. During muscle contraction, actin and myosin bind bind to one another and shorten the sarcomeres within the muscle cell. Skeletal muscles are attached to the skeleton and provide movement by contracting and relaxing.
The main muscle performing a movement is an agonist. If surrounding muscles are helping the agonist, they're called synergists. These may be more efficient at other movements, but they can help with secondary movement tasks. A muscle that moves opposite to the agonist in the same joint is called the antagonist. Antagonists must relax and allow themselves to lengthen when their agonists contract.
Muscles can be divided into stabilizers and mobilizers. Stabilizers should be able to activate even before visible movement, respond quickly to feedback from sensory signals, and co-contract not too much or too little. In some theories, stabilizer muscles are defined as those that lie deeper and closer to the joint, crossing one joint only. They can move this joint with great accuracy. Stabilizer muscles are the muscles we need for good posture. Mobilizers are often closer to the surface of the body, and tend to extend past two or more joints. For example, the biceps extends across the shoulder joint and the elbow joint. These can be used in playing, but shouldn't be used as the primary source of stability. In the presence of pain, mobilizers tend to increase engagement while stabilizers decrease engagement. With the idea of the chocolate covered caramel, the soft and chewy layers are made of stabilizers, and the outer shell is made of mobilizers.
The skeleton provides support, produces blood cells, stores minerals, and contributes to hormone regulation. Some bones fuse shortly after after birth, such as the bone plates in the skull. Some are firmly attached by connective tissue and don't have much movement, like the carpals. Bones are connected by tendons which originate in the muscles, ligaments, and joint capsules. The degree of movement in a joint is determined by the shape of the joint, the joint capsule, the ligaments, and the opposing muscles around the joints. For example, touching your toes (or not) is largely determined by how limber your hamstrings are. The greater the range in the joint, the less stability within the joint structure, and the more stability required from the surrounding muscles. It's therefore no coincidence that musicians often have playing related injuries in the shoulder.
We have 6 types of freely moving (synovial) joints:
1. Ball & socket - ball fits into a cup-like socket
Allows widest range of motion
Ex. shoulder, hip
2. Condyloid/Ellipsoid - ellipsoid fits into ellipsoid cup-like socket
Allows for ball and socket motions minus rotation
Ex. wrist, MCP
3. Saddle - both bones are convex in one direction and concave in another
Allows for the same motions as a rider on a saddle
Similar to ellipsoid, but allows for greater range of motion and a little rotation
Ex. heel, CMC
4. Pivot - projection from one bone rotates within a ring shaped socket in another
Allows for rotation only
Ex. neck joint to rotate head, elbow from supination to pronation
5. Hinge - cylindrical-like shape fits into concave surface like a door joint
Allows flexion and extension only
Ex. elbow, knee PIP, DIP
6. Gliding/Plane - flat bone surfaces slide over one another
Allows for very limited motions in many directions
Ex. joints in the ankle or wrist
All movements are governed by the nervous system, which comprises the brain, spinal cord, and nerves emanating from the spinal cord. It has billions of nerve cells that can send electrical signals. Nerve cells are called neurons, and we have about 86 billion of them. Each neuron has a long skinny strand called an axon. A nerve is a cable-like bundle of axons. The axons split into tiny branches, each of which attaches to a single muscle cell.
Neurons communicate with each other by connecting to neighboring or distant neurons through structures called synapses. These synaptic connections can change and form new connections throughout life, which is why we can learn new things and new pieces. The central nervous system (CNS) contains the brain and spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system (PNS) contain the neurons that travel outside the CNS.
There are areas in the brain that receive sensory information from the body. Sensory neurons carry information from the skin, glands, organs, muscles, and joints to the brain with all sorts of information, like movement, temperature, pain, tactile, and auditory feedback. The right hemisphere of the brain mostly controls the left side of the body, and vice versa.
For a muscle to contract, it must be instructed by a nerve signal. The organization of movement is first prepared in the brain. Next, an electrical impulse travels down the spinal cord to a peripheral nerve that innervates a muscle, telling it to contract. Fast reflexes are controlled locally in the spinal cord.
Motor neurons carry signals from the CNS through the PNS to each muscle. One nerve sends a signal to contract as little as a few to over 1,000 muscle cells at the same time. For fine coordination skills, such as playing the piano, the nerve divides into just a few branches, sending signals to several to a couple hundred muscle cells. For gross motor action, such as walking, the nerve divides into several hundred or more than a thousand branches, and sends a simultaneous signal to all relevant muscle cells.
When we practice slowly, we give our brain time to receive the sensory information and make adjustments. As the movements become more automatic, we can play more rapidly.
We need finely tuned muscular control to coordinate which muscles should contract and which should release. In order to optimize this, we may need to overcome faulty movement habits, poor alignment, and compensatory movements.
Skeletal muscle cells are divided into two main categories based on the differences in their protein structures and movement qualities: type I or slow-twitch muscle fibers, and type II or fast-twitch. Almost all the muscles we need for playing an instrument or singing are slow-twitch. Slow twitch muscles have more endurance and can remain active for long periods. Type I muscle fibers need very little stimulus to activate. These are called slow-twitch muscle fibers because the motor neuron that conveys electrical signals from the brain to the nervous system fires more slowly. The muscles do not react more slowly.
Fast twitch muscles have less endurance and are best suited for an on-and-off pattern, making them ideal for tasks that require more force. Type IIA muscle cells have more endurance than Type IIx muscle cells. All muscles have a mix of type I and type II motor units, and each person has differences in the number of each type. This is why some people are more natural sprinters vs. long distance racers.
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Chapters 1-9: Preparing for Exercises
Timani exercises are designed to prepare the body for playing and singing. They engage muscles or chains of muscles that we don't necessarily automatically choose to use. Try to experience a new muscular engagement to transmit the same musical ideas you have. The goal is to communicate musical ideas with better sound while feeling more comfortable.
Areas of focus:
1. External focus - the sound we want, the audience
2. Near-external focus - sensations of the fingers when playing, sensing the chair or floor
3. Internal focus - how it feels to engage muscles or breathing
Goals of Timani exercises can be separated into these categories:
1. To control specific movements and introducing novel stimuli
Ex. thumb exercise, iliacus exercise
2. To reactivate movements that we used naturally during childhood
Ex. push-off, bird's dance
3. To become aware of specific muscles to retrain
Ex. popliteus, hand and foot muscles, transverse abdominis differentiation
4. To engage in fearless movements that don't require any thinking
Ex. bouncy exercises
5. To activate neural pathways through sensory stimulus exercises
Ex. sit bones, finger stroke, foot and ankles exercises
6. To downregulate nervous system through relaxation, massage, stretching
Ex. chest rest, shwoop, foot massage
Typical pianist co-contraction challenges:
1. Wrist - must be flexible instead of rigid in trying to help fingers
Neither a strong and rigid hand, nor a relaxed wrist with floppy fingers works
Try: bottle exercise
2. Shoulders - need differentiation
The shoulder has about 25 muscles attached to or around it; we need 9 to lift our arms
If we relax the shoulders too much, this inhibits muscles, nerves, and tendons
We need to relax specific muscles in the shoulder along with the pecs
When the pecs are more flexible, our shoulders and breathing open up
Try: shoulder exercise, bird's dance, & back arm-line push-off
3. Arms - need differentiation
The arms must release weight
Biceps and pecs are often unnecessarily co-contracting
We must be able to differentiate between the movements of the elbow and shoulder
Also, we must relax the biceps and chest to help free the arm
Try: differentiated arm-pulls, bouncy with arms, & elbow movements
4. Breathing - can feel tense and shallow
We must learn the cause of the restrictions
Try: posture exercises, shoulder & arm exercises, & breathing exercises
Some common ways of implementing new movements; none are right or wrong
1. Structured - wanting a steady regimen with clear instructions
2. Free - doing only a certain number of exercises for as long as it feels good
3. Understanding - wanting explanation, loving to understand technicalities
4. Experimental - not wanting much technical explanation, but interested in new possibilities
5. Sensitive - feeling overwhelmed by sensations and emotions
6. Needing time - having mental resistance to changing movement habits
7. Eager - feeling eager to do all the exercises a lot, but learning less is more
8. Less responsive - not feeling much difference but enjoying acquiring knowledge
9. Overtraining - staying focused on the same muscles without sufficient rest or variation
10. Thinking - thinking too much about doing the exercise "right"
11. Quick - wanting to do it quickly with too little awareness
Good posture and alignment don't just mean sitting and standing straight, but finding ways to sit or stand that supports the act of making music. As we move through postural exercises, it is important to remember that posture isn't separate from musical technique, posture isn't separate from musical intention, and function is more important than position.
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Chapter 10: Sitting Exercises
1. Sit Bones
2. Iliacus
3. Sitting Shuffle
4. Sitting Like a Mountain
The position of our neck and spine depends on our pelvis; our head wants to stay balanced over the pelvis. If we tilt our pelvises backwards and slouch, the head will move forwards to balance. To find a stable foundation, we must be able to calibrate where our center is, train the ability to find muscular stability in this position, and learn different ways of moving in and out of this position. Remember that it's healthy to put the spine into different positions during the day. It's best to create variety and avoid habitual, passive, resting positions.
Sitting exercises help to:
1. Prevent leaning back/slouching
2. Release tension while sitting
3. Eliminate excessive movement while playing
4. Release tension specific to the shoulders, arms, or hands
5. Produce more sound
6. Create long legato phrases
7. Breathe freely
8. Achieve clarity of sound
9. Finding mental security, feeling rooted to the chair
Sitting Exercise 1: Finding Your Sit Bones
As you find your sit bones (ischial tuberosities), imagine you're a concert pianist, gracefully flicking your coat tails back while taking your seat to remind you to extend the spine as your body approaches the chair. Make sure you have freedom of movement in the hip joints; it's important that your pants aren't pulling your pelvis backwards. Create more space for the sit bones by moving your glutes and upper thighs away from them. Tilt your pelvis back and forth and use your hands to feel how the sit bones shift. Make sure you're sitting slightly in front of your sit bones, and not directly on the boniest part. The aim is to feel firm contact; you may feel like you are leaning forwards when you are sitting straight. Sometimes proprioception needs recalibration; check in a mirror. Relax the breastbone downwards so you're not excessively tensing the back muscles. Remember that it's correct and natural to move in and out of this position.
Sitting Exercise 2: Iliacus
One of the body's main hip flexors is the iliacus. It lies deep in the body. When we lack control of our hip flexion, sitting in a good position can cause strain as the middle back attempts to hold us upright. The iliacus exercise develops hip flexion so it feels more natural to choose a better sitting position.
Iliacus
Bodyworks Prime
Sit on your sit bones with knees and legs parallel, feet flat on the floor, thighs pointing straight ahead, and hip joint at at least a 90° angle (chair not too low). Place your right hand on the right iliac crest, around the hip bone, and the left hand on your lumbar spine. Keeping your hands in this position to encourage a stillness in the spine and pelvis, slowly lift your left knee so that your thigh is at 30°. Repeat the lifting of the leg 3-5 times. Keeping your hands in the same position, lift the right leg. The legs should feel heavy. To build more strength in this muscle, use your hands to help passively lift the leg to the end of your range of motion. Release the hands and slowly lower the leg, strengthening the iliacus eccentrically.
Sitting Exercise 3: Sitting Shuffle
Many musicians experience mental benefits and less stress in concert situations when they get more signals from the body about its contact with a surface, which improves proprioception and exteroception. As explained in Week 2, practice the sitting shuffle 10-12 times. Afterwards, you should be able to feel more weight in the chair and more contact between the sit bones and the surface of the chair. When you move one knee forward, the sit bone behind it should dig into the chair. Lift your arms and feel the extra weight created. Play music, shifting weight every bar or so. See if you can use this movement to create the phrasing and sound you want. As this becomes more comfortable, allow your body to express the music with gestures and movements that start from the sit bones. Once this is available, focus on increasing the contact between the chair and sit bones without necessarily performing the full movement of pushing the knee forward. If you feel tension in the hip, loosen hip joints by swinging your knees out to the sides and back.
Sitting Exercise 4: Sitting Like a Mountain
In a seated position, have a friend place the back of their hand on the side of your shoulder and let them slowly start pushing. As they gradually increase the pressure, feel how you, as the mountain, respond and find stability. The force from the push will be transferred through the spine into the opposite sit bone. There should be no visible outer movement, but only an inner sense of strength. Taking a deep breath, and relax the ribs. Try to feel how this relaxation allows you to access more inner strength.
While you're playing, you can try having a friend push on your upper ribs under the arm, and notice the effect this may have on your sound. Feel the activation in the abdomen, through the spine, and into the opposite sit bone. It should feel like the spine is lengthening and strengthening. On your own, experiment with pushing your own ribs with your hand, searching for this feeling.
Sitting Experiments:
1. Use your sit bones and stability to help with sound control
Specifically notice how stability affects phrasing, legato, and longer lines
2. Sense how stability from the spine and torso provides relaxation and flexibility
Notice particularly how it affects the shoulders, arms, hands, and jaw
3. Notice how sitting in a grounded way affects your mental state
Try using this to make you feel less nervous on stage
4. Find the perfect degree of inner mountain that allows inner movement and flexibility
5. Notice which muscles activate to create musical intention
Replace the tension that's held in your shoulders, arms, neck, or jaw
Try finding intention in the sit bones and psoas major instead
Sitting Common Pitfalls:
1. Tilting the pelvis too far forwards to "sit straight"
2. Becoming too rigid in holding the spine and hip joints
3. Sitting too far back in the chair
4. Leaning back from the hips, which restricts breathing
5. Losing support or comfort in breathing
Sitting & Theory:
1. Both slumping and sitting too rigidly restricts breathing
2. When aligned, accessing a soft center is possible
3. Alignment allows for access to deeper muscles
4. Alignment allows the brain to receive useful sensory information
Sitting Piano Tips:
1. These exercises help to built comfort and security
2. The sitting shuffle is the powerful tool of push-off from the chair
3. Access movement and breathing all the way from the pelvis
4. Try playing some loud chords with push-off
Sense a chain reaction of force transfer from the fingers to the sit bones
Sitting Everyday Life:
1. The best way to sit is differently
Change positions, be creative, and explore more sitting positions
Avoid habitual passive resting positions, which limit our movement repertoire
Avoid too many positions where the head is forwards and the shoulders are rounded
2. Sitting checklist:
Your chair is level
You are sitting towards the front of it
You feel the surface
You feel that you can move using your legs and sit bones
You feel stable and secure in every sitting position
You can breathe freely and sense breathing down to the sit bones
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Chapter 11: Standing Exercises
1. Foot Massage
2. Foot & Ankle Twist
3. Spread the Toes
4. Foot Tent
5. Ankle Stretch
6. Popliteus
7. Gluteus Medius
8. Gluteus Maximus
9. Bouncy With Standing
10. Standing Like a Mountain
What we practice locally feels much easier when we engage our feet and legs. In addition to maintaining an upright position, musicians need to be able to move in different directions to achieve musical intentions. The most common alignment challenge for standing musicians is the alignment of the hips. Often, the hips will shift forwards to balance the weight of the instrument and arms. It is better to get the hips back so the pelvis is over the ankles.
Stability is the ability to return to equilibrium after executing a movement. By focusing on the function of our muscles, we will be able to make habits of healthy movement patterns. In addition to working with the feet, some of the muscles we will focus on are the gluteus maximus, the gluteus medius, and the popliteus. After trying foot exercises, sense any differences between each foot and its corresponding leg, or even farther up in the body.
Standing exercises help to:
1. Find stability when playing in a standing position
2. Improve coordination, proprioception, and awareness of the feet, ankles, knees, and hips
3. Train muscles for balance and alignment
4. Release tension specific to the neck, shoulders, arms, or hands
5. Remove a sense of feeling rigid or held
6. Produce more sound
7. Create long legato phrases
8. Breathe freely
9. Find mental security, feeling grounded
The joints of the foot are similar to those of the hand. The cluster of 8 bones at the base of the hands, the carpals, has a corresponding cluster of 7 bones in the foot called the tarsals. Above the tarsals are the metatarsals, and the joints that we call the ball of the foot are the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joints. The remaining joints have the same names as the joints of the hand; there's an interphalangeal (IP) joint in the big toe, and proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints and the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joints in the others.
To align the hips, it can be helpful to use a mirror. Many times when instrumentalists are holding their instruments, they end up leaning backwards from the hips. For ankle alignment, it is common to collapse the arch. To check if your ankle is properly aligned, the following parts of your foot should be in contact with the floor:
1. The heel bone
2. The MTP joint behind the big toe
3. The MTP joint behind the little toe
4. The outside of the foot
5. The toes
Standing Exercise 1: Foot Massage
Massage your foot with slow, deep movements. Press deeply with thumbs on any sore spots, and hold before moving on. Have the intention of broadening or widening the foot by spreading out the bones in the mid-foot (metatarsals).
Standing Exercise 2: Foot & Ankle Twist
Rest your heel on the floor. Lift toes towards the front of the ankle (dorsiflexed). Then twist your foot inward and outward (inversion and eversion). Feel the big toe turn the sole of the foot to face outward, and then let your pinky toe turn the sole of the food inward. This should create an active, twisting sensation in the foot muscles. Keep the toes slightly spread to target the small muscles inside the foot.
Standing Exercise 3: Spread the Toes
Keeping your ankle in a dorsiflexed position, spread the toes. Try to keep space between every toe, especially between the big toe and the pinky toe.
Standing Exercise 4: Foot Tent
Rest your foot on the floor. Keeping your toes from curling so that you can not longer see the toenails, bend the MTP joints until the arch of the foot lifts.
Standing Exercise 5: Ankle Stretch
Walk on the ball of your feet. Next, elevate your toes on something to stretch the back side of your calf. Last, kneel on top of your feet with toes pointing backwards.
Standing Exercise 6: Popliteus
To unlock the knees, we need to engage the popliteus muscle.
Popliteus
Bodyworks Prime
Normally, to unlock the knees, we may bend them too much, which leads to unnecessary tension in the quads. Training the popliteus can provide a sense of connection throughout the entire leg, which makes standing more comfortable. This exercise also helps orient the foot relative to the knee.
First, sit with hips and knees at 90°. Grab underneath the right knee with the left hand. Put your right hand on your shin bone (tibia), just below the right knee. Rotate the tibia inward, towards the midline, as far as you can, allowing the foot to follow. This ideally stops around 30°; don't go past 30° even if you can. Place your left foot next to the MTP joint behind the right big toe. Press your right foot into your left foot to train the popliteus. During this activation, make sure to keep the entire sole of the right foot connected to the floor, pressing into the floor with the MTP joint. The thigh should remain still. After activation, release the foot and rotate it outwards from the tibia, maintaining contact with the floor. Repeat 2-4 times. Repeat for the left leg.
Standing Exercise 7: Gluteus Medius ClamThe gluteus medius helps to stabilize the hips, and less directly, the knees.
Gluteus Medius
Bodyworks Prime
Lie on your side with your knees bent at 90°, with your feet, hips, and shoulders in a line. Hold your hand on your top hip bone and try to keep the pelvis and spine stable through the exercise. Slowly lift the top knee towards the ceiling; the feet will remain close together. Lift the knee as high as you can without moving the pelvis. If this is easy, try lifting top leg again, with it extended straight and moved slightly behind you. It's important to maintain stability in the pelvis and spine throughout.
Standing Exercise 8: Gluteus Maximus Heel Walk
This exercise helps to develop the connection between the heel and the deepest part of the gluteus maximus. Ultimately, you will want to feel the connection with both the forefoot and the heel grounded to the floor, but this exercise focuses on the heel only. It is described below in Q&A 2.
Gluteus Maximus
Bodyworks Prime
After trying this exercise, return to a normal stand posture, feeling that the gluteus maximus is still active and connected to the heels as they push into the ground. Pushing off the floor can create more muscular support in the pelvic region.
Standing Exercise 9: Bouncy With Standing
This exercise helps you find alignment and access healthy muscular engagement, creating tensegrity.
Stand straight and jump up and down 6-8 times. Try to land with a soft impact as you descend, aiming for less sound. You will be landing on the ball of the foot first before letting the heel descend. Look in the mirror to make sure that your knees don't move inwards while you're jumping. As you land, don't allow the knees to bend very much. After trying this exercise, maintain this posture, taking care to keep your hips from moving forward. Pick up your instrument and begin to play from this position.
Try to purposely move your hips forwards or jut your head forwards; these are both common bad habits. Jump 2-3 times to see what this feels like.
Standing Exercise 10: Standing Like a Mountain
This exercise helps with releasing tension in the breathing, shoulders, and arms. It helps to eliminate unnecessary movements and create musical intensity, legato, and long phrases. The stability from the legs and spine should feel powerful. Make sure you aren't holding your breath, but aiming for a sense of expansion, as if you're growing taller while remaining grounded.
Align your hips as you did for the bouncy exercise. The weight of your body should be centered over the rounded bones on the outsides of your ankles (lateral malleoli; one is a lateral malleolus). Have a friend place their fist on the side of your hip bone. As they push lightly, feel how your body responds as you resist that push. As the mountain, focus on your opposite side leg and imagine it lengthening down into the floor to receive the push, rather than pushing back towards the hand. Try with the other side. Have your friend push again when you are playing or singing.
Next, have your friend move their hand to the outside of your shoulder. Breathe and relax the ribcage and muscles between the ribs to release excess tension. This should provide an extra sense of power. Notice how the force is distributed through the spine and down to the opposite foot. Loosen and lengthen body parts to get a better sense of being a mountain.
Try again, with your friend pushing on the side of your ribcage. When your friend releases the push, encourage a deep sense of strength rather than tensing the chocolate layer or holding your breath.
Standing Experiments:
1. Notice what assistance your feet can provide while playing or singing
Sense relaxation, stability, or a resource to initiate musical intention
2. Notice an activation in your abdominal wall during the bouncy exercise
Notice a lengthening of your spine
Maintain this as you lift your arms at the piano
3. As you use push-off, feel the forces pulling you down into the ground
Feel the opposing forces that raise you up as you push down
4. Watch great musicians and notice how they use push-off
5. Notice which muscles activate to create musical intention when standing
Notice the tension in your shoulders, arms, neck, jaw or face
Can you replace this with sensing the musical intention from your feet or legs?
Standing Common Pitfalls:
1. Increasing the curve of the lower back to move the hips backwards
Instead, move the thighs backwards and bend the upper body forwards if necessary
2. Accidentally moving the pelvis forwards when lifting the instrument
3. Aiming for position rather than function; moving is good
4. Creating so much push-off that you lose a sense of weight
5. Forgetting to move, breathe, or feel the music
Standing & Theory:
1. Foot muscles, popliteus, glute meds, & glute max are chewy caramel
2. Training these muscles allows the brain to receive useful sensory information
3. Standing promotes push-off from the floor, rising up from the ground
Standing Everyday Life:
1. Try sensing your feet as you walk in the woods
2. Try sensing your gluteus maximus when walking up the stairs
Notice the heel-glute relationship
3. Notice the sensations in your legs, pelvis, and spine when you walk
Notice the spinal rotations that help the arms swing
4. Explore how the foot rolls through each step
5. Throughout the day, notice if you rest your weight on one leg
Throughout the day, notice if you tend to move the pelvis forward
These can be harmful habits to bring into the practice room
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Chapter 12: Arms & Shoulders Exercises
2. Differentiated Arm-Pulls
3. Back Arm-line Push-Off
7. Four Elbow Movements (Brachialis, Anconeus)
Pianists tend to find it easier to play after doing exercises that help with push-off from the key. (Wind players benefit from differentiated arm-pulls, and singers breathe more effortlessly after the shoulder exercise). The following exercises we will work more locally than before, but it's important to re-incorporate our foundational exercises as well.
Three areas of focus:
1. The ability to differentiate between what we need to activate and what we should relax
2. The ability to sense the transfer of forces through the arms
This activates muscles in a chain reaction through the arm to the back
3. Strength in the serratus anterior, which is often not in balance with other muscles
We need a lot of muscular control in the lower ends of strength and speed. We should be free and connected in the shoulders joints, our arms should feel weighted, and our wrists should be strong and flexible. Our sensory neurons provide information about the placement of our body parts, the sensation of holding and playing our instrument, the sound coming out of the instrument, and the visual feedback from the environment. From there, the brain's motor neurons calibrate muscles with the right speed, weight, stability, and pressure.
The serratus anterior attaches to the scapula at one end and ribs 1-9 at the other. It moves the scapula into different positions and affects breathing by helping the chest expand. It does not attach to the upper arm bone, so it doesn't affect the movement of the arm itself. The serratus anterior is one of the primary muscles in keeping our scapula in a healthy position, where it's not pushing down or raising too high.
The pectoralis major is eager to engage when playing loud chords at the piano, but it doesn't always produce the best sound. The upper part of the pectoralis major is engaged when we lift objects, the middle part engages when we press our palms together in front of the body, and the lower part engages when we perform climbing actions that require a downwards push from the arms. It should be engaged only when absolutely necessary. If it is over-engaging, it's likely that the brain is looking for power or stability. Too much tension in the pectoralis major negatively affects our breathing, sound, and sense of weight in the arms. It often engages when the serratus anterior isn't being used enough, or if we lean backwards when sitting on standing.
The pectoralis minor sometimes pulls the shoulder into a forwards tilt, rounding the shoulders forwards and down, in an attempt to have more stability. This can also contribute to the scapulae sticking out of the back. We must be very careful with the pectoralis minor because it lies over nerves that extend from the neck to the arms, hands, and fingers.
Arm Exercise 1: Bottle
As previously described in Week 4.
Arm Exercise 2: Differentiated Arm-Pulls
One end of the lats attaches to the upper arm at the shoulder, and the other attaches to the spine and pelvis through fascia. It contracts when you pull your arm downwards against resistance. When the lats are more active and the pecs are less active in our playing of large chords, the sound opens up!
Latissimus Dorsi
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Place the middle part of a resistance band over the top of a door so that both ends of the band are hanging down towards you from above. Grab both ends of the band at the level you play your instrument. Pull one arm downwards from the shoulder joint, using your lats. With the other hand, feel that the lats are activating. Consciously try to relax the pecs, also monitoring with the other hand. This muscle can activate a little bit, but most of the activation should come from the lats. While engaging in this exercise, keep the shoulder back, open and out. Most importantly, don't let the shoulder pull downwards. Repeat slowly 5-10 times, keeping the scapula in the same position.
As you do this, your serratus anterior will automatically activate; see if you can sense a more expanded or open feeling in your shoulder and chest.
Arm Exercise 3: Back Arm-line Push-Off
As previously described in Week 3. As you practice this exercise, try directing the forces so you can feel a connection all the way to your spine and down to your sit bones.
Arm Exercise 4: Bird's Dance
This exercise combines the push-off from the back arm-line push-off with a rotation of the arm inward and outward from the shoulder joint.
Cross your legs and rest one of your hands on your knee with the palm facing downwards. Hold the pectoralis major with your other hand. Make sure that the working shoulder isn't too low, and that the elbow is slightly bent throughout the exercise. Push away from the knee with up tp 20% maximum force using the lats, triceps, and small muscle on the outside of the elbow (anconeus), but make sure that the pectoralis major remains relaxed. The shoulder will lift a little bit. Contrast this push-off with a pressing down motion in which your chest muscle is activated.
Holding the push-off and monitoring a relaxed chest muscle, move the elbow (bird wing) out to the side and back down again. Alternate between focusing on the sensation of the weight in your arm and the push-off. Repeat the bird wing rotations 3-5 times and rest. Make sure your shoulder isn't pressed down, tilted forward, or protracted (in which the scapula juts out from behind). If you're unsure as to whether or not you are activating the chest muscle, press your hand into the thigh from the outside; this will certainly activate it.
Arm Exercise 5: Shoulder
This exercise engages the serratus anterior, and helps to differentiate between the pectoralis major and the serratus anterior. To strengthen the serratus anterior, you can hold a 10-15 lb weight. With weights, the chest muscle may activate and relax, and this is fine; you want to avoid a constantly activated chest muscle.
Lie on your back with the knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Move one arm straight up towards the ceiling with the palm facing the midline of your body. You should be able to sense that your scapula is touching the floor, and the shoulder shouldn't be too far from the ear. With the arm extended, use the non-working arm to grab the pectoralis major and try to relax it. You can move the lifted arm towards the midline or bend the elbow to assist in relaxing the pecs.
Continue lifting your arm towards the ceiling until the scapula comes off the floor. Then slowly move the scapula back down to the floor. Repeat 5-10 times, keeping the pectoralis major as soft as possible. Slowly relax the arm all the way down to the side of the body and feel the difference. Think of the scapula moving the arm rather than the arm moving the scapula.
Arm Exercise 6: Bouncy With Arms
As previously described in Video Resource 3.
Arm Exercise 7: Four Elbow Movements
The four elbow movements that are helpful to refine are flexion, extension, pronation, and supination. Flexion and extension are opposites, as are pronation and supination.
Memory trick: pianists primarily play in pronated positions (ppppp).
The brachialis is a muscle under the biceps. Along with several other muscles, the brachialis and the biceps help to create flexion of the elbow. While the biceps are also responsible for supination and flexion of the shoulder joint, the only function of the brachialis is the flexion of the elbow joint. The brachialis therefore creates a cleaner and clearer flexion of the elbow. Using the brachialis requires a lot of awareness. Compare the brachialis and the biceps below.
Brachialis
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Biceps Brachii
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Arm Exercise 7.1: Brachialis
Place one hand on the biceps of the working arm. Flex the working elbow, trying to relax the biceps as much as possible. Pronate to help the biceps relax. Try to sense this relaxation as you play your instrument. This was also explored in Q&A 2.
The anconeus muscle is a small muscle on the back of the elbow joint that creates extension of the elbow. It can help with greater stability in the elbow joint and an improved contact with the instrument. It's part of the fascial connection through the back of the arm from the outer edge of the hand, the outer arm, triceps, and up to the shoulders, neck, and head. This next exercise is about achieving more awareness, but feeling a clear activation of the anconeus is extremely difficult.
Anconeus
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Forearm Muscles
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Arm Exercise 7.2: Anconeus
Bend your working so that your palm is in front of your face. With your non-working arm, dig two fingers into the anconeus, which is on the working thumb side of the ulna, about an inch above the elbow joint. Very slowly, extend the working arm with inner resistance created from the biceps, brachialis, etc. Very slowly flex the elbow. Repeat 2-3 times.
Supination is caused by the biceps and the supinator. While the biceps muscle is the strongest supinator, the supinator muscle contracts to move the forearm into supination even when the elbow is fully extended. Of the forearm bones, the radius is located on the side of the thumb. It is shorter than the ulna. The ulna is larger at the elbow, and the radius is larger at the wrist.
Memory trick - 5th finger ulna, 1st finger radius; my ulnas stick out!
The supinator is a broad muscle located in the upper forearm towards the elbow, wrapping around the radius and connecting it to the ulna. Pronation is caused by the pronator quadratus and the pronator teres. For pianists, it can be helpful to visualize the stability offered by the pronator quadratus.
Supinator
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Pronator Quadratus
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Pronator Teres
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Arm & Shoulder Experiments:
1. Practice awareness of tension in shoulders, pecs, rhomboids, and levator scapulae
Check in on these even when away from your instrument
2. When relaxing, pay special attention to shoulders, pecs, belly, and breathing
3. When the serratus anterior is engaged, there is more space in the upper torso
The chest will expand slightly, and the shoulders will move upwards and outwards
Remember to keep your pecs relaxed
4. The upper part of the shoulders move backwards when scapulae tilt backwards
See if this something you can maintain with the back arm-line push-off
Arm & Shoulder Common Pitfalls:
1. Refusing to see a healthcare practitioner if in pain or discomfort
2. Trying to force the shoulders into new positions instead of engaging in these exercises
3. Isolating the shoulder position from the coordination of the arm and fingers
4. Forgetting that the pelvis, spine, neck, and head influence the shoulders
5. Thinking that the chest muscles must always be relaxed
You want engaged pecs when not engaging in low-threshold tasks like piano
Arm & Shoulder Theory:
1. Differentiate between the pectoralis major (chocolate) and the serratus anterior (chewy)
This can be practiced through the shoulder exercise and the bird's dance
2. Feel the connections through the arms from the back arm-line push-off
This is a result of muscles being connected through the fascia system
Arm & Shoulder Piano Tips:
1. There should be no tension or misalignment that interrupts the transfer of forces
These forces move to and through the spine
2. Playing the keys creates a chain of movement that goes all the way down to the sit bones
3. The bottle exercise can help achieve a sense of weight in the arm
4. It can also help determine how much push-off and latissimus dorsi activity is needed
5. Experiment with how to receive the weight of your arm in strong and flexible fingers
Arm & Shoulder Everyday Life:
1. For most people, shoulder tension is a sign of stress
2. Finding a healthier upwards and outwards shoulder placement releases the chest muscles
3. Our posture affects the position of our shoulders
4. Stretch the arms every day, put them behind your back, and reach them to the sides
5. When performing a task that requires unusual strain, take time to adapt to the movement
6. Arms checklist:
Your position allows for the best possible working conditions for the shoulders
You are not pressing the shoulders down or back
You let the shoulders find a relaxed and neutral position without hunching forward
You lift your arms without using the chest muscles
You can feel the back arm-line ready to connect you to your back
You have a sense of weight in the arms
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Chapter 13: Hands, Wrists, & Fingers Exercises
2. Extensor Carpi Ulnaris
8. Feeling in the Shoulder
Relative to most other body parts, a large area of our brain is devoted to the fingers. There are no muscles in the fingers themselves, only tendons attached to the muscles located in the forearm and hand. The thumb alone is connected to 9 muscles: 5 in the hand and 4 in the forearm. Each of these needs to be strong, available, and balanced. As you gain strength and independence in the hands and fingers, the aim is to achieve an increased freedom and expand our movement repertoire.
Intrinsic muscles are muscles that are fully contained within a specific body part, organ, or structure. Intrinsic hand muscles are therefore the muscles that don't extend across the wrist joint; both ends of the muscle are attached to points within the hand. Using these muscles well cannot contribute to wrist tension. Intrinsic hand muscles are responsible for moving the fingers sideways, flexing the MCP joints, and extending both the PIP and DIP joints.
The four main groups of intrinsic hand muscles are the lumbricals, the interossei muscles, the thenar muscles, and the hypothenar muscles. Here are illustrations of the lumbricals and interossei muscles.
Red - Lumbricals, LH Palmar
Green - Palmar Interossei, LH Palmar
Yellow - Dorsal Interossei, LH Dorsal
Gray's Anatomy
The lumbricals are located in the palm of the hand, directly beneath the layers of skin and connective tissue closest to the surface. They originate from the tendon of the muscle that flexes the DIP joint in the palm and insert into the tendons of the finger extensors along the back sides of the fingers. The lumbricals contain a large number of proprioceptors, so they contribute to the sensory input to the brain regarding the placement and movement of associated muscles and joints. Moving, strengthening, and becoming aware of this muscle helps to develop accurate movement. The interossei muscles lie between the metacarpal bones beneath the lumbricals. They help to spread the fingers out and bring them back together.
The thenar muscles are located at the base of the thumb and control thumb movement. The hypothenar muscles are found on the outside of the hand on the palm below the pinky. They move the little finger. Some of the thenar and hypothenar muscles are connected through a fascia structure called the transverse carpal ligament. They work together to create tensegrity and stability in the hand. The thenar and hypothenar muscles tend to be weak and need special attention to develop.
Extrinsic muscles are those that aren't fully contained within a specific body part, organ, or structure. For the hands, the extrinsic muscles are hand or finger muscles that have long tendons that cross the wrist. The bellies of those muscles are located in the forearm. On the palmar of the forearm are the flexors of the wrist, DIP, and PIP joints. On the dorsal side of the forearm are the extensor muscles for the wrist and all of the fingers. Fingers 1, 2, and 5 have their own separate extensor muscles.
Weakness in the 4th and 5th fingers can potentially lead to excessive thumb tension. It also can result in a poor connection through the back arm-line, which connects the little finger side of the hand through the fascia to the muscles at the back of the shoulders, neck, and head.
Musicians tend to be weak in the intrinsic hand muscles, especially the hypothenar (contributes to the movement of the little finger), lumbricals, and interossei muscles (contribute to the arch of the hand). This weakness often leads to overuse of extrinsic wrist and finger muscles and create tension in the wrist. The tent exercise can free the wrist and allow the hands and fingers to be more independent and secure.
Hands Exercise 1: Tent
Place your hand flat on a table, resting your wrist. Spread your fingers wide to activate the interossei muscles. Slowly pull your straight fingers towards the bones at the base of your palm. Pull your straight fingers as if you're dragging your fingers through mud to activate the interossei and lumbrical muscles. Your bridge will become defined and your thumb will shift inwards, lengthening and pressing into the table. As the fingers lengthen, make sure the wrist stays in contact with the table. Try to disengage the muscles in the forearm as much as possible. With a loose wrist, jiggle the hand from side to side. Sense an activation of using the muscles in your palm. Try further engage your intrinsic hand muscles, spread the knuckles wide so that there's extra space between them.
Hand Exercise 2: Extensor Carpi Ulnaris
This exercise also benefits the hypothenar muscles, the anconeus, and the triceps. Make sure you're trying to activate the Extensor Carpi Ulnaris, which attaches to the 5th finger, and not the Extensor Carpi Radialis Brevis, which attaches to the 3rd or the Extensor Carpi Radialis Longus, which attaches to the 2nd.
Extensor Carpi Ulnaris (5th)
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Extensor Carpi Radialis Brevis (3rd)
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Extensor Carpi Radialis Longus (2nd)
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Begin by resting your hand on a table and getting into the tent position. Continue the movement farther and lift the 5th finger and the outer side of the hand off the table. The 5th MCP joint should be as high as those of the 2nd and 3rd fingers. This motion should create a small crease on the outer side of the wrist. Focus both on lifting the outside of the hand and relaxing the other two wrist extensors. As with the tent, test the flexibility of the wrist by jiggling the hand from side to side. Relax your hands and try playing. When playing, continue to experiment with lifting the outside of your hand.
Hand Exercise 3: Bouncy With Fingers
This exercise trains both the fascia and the muscular coordination needed for strong fingers and a flexible wrist. It helps to train a natural and rhythmic way of relaxing and activating the hand. You will need flexible but strong fingers, including the MCP joints, open and relaxed wrists, heaviness in the arm, and a free shoulder joint. This will help pianists sense the bottoms of keys and play fast octaves or chords.
Find a piano or table. Place your fingertips on the edge of the surface with the elbow at the same height or lower than your hand. Bounce from your fingertips without letting the fingertips leave the surface. Maintain an arched position, keeping the knuckles visible and strong. It should feel like the fingertips are digging small holes into the surface each time they prepare for the next bounce; the muscular action should be happening in the fingers. Repeat 10-15 times per hand.
If this is easy, you can add bouncing with a jump. When jumping with the hand, think about bouncing on the ball of your feet; your calf muscles act as shock absorbers on the way down. Make sure that the landing of the fingers is soft like this.
Hand Exercise 4: Interossei
The interossei muscles spread the fingers apart and press them back together.
Take the 2nd finger of the non-working hand and place it between fingers 2 and 3 of the working hand. Squeeze. With straight fingers in the working hand, bend the MCP joints and repeat. Experiment with placing the 2nd finger of the non-working hand between the MCP and PIP joints, between the PIP and DIP joints, and above the DIP joints. Next, use the non-working hand to hold the fingers of the working hand together and work against this force to open the fingers.
Hand Exercise 5: DIP Tune-Up
This exercise enhances proprioception and awareness of the movements of the finger joints and strengthens the muscles controlling the DIP joint.
Place the fingertip of the working hand on a flat surface like a table. Have your non-working hand act as a brace for the PIP joint. Slowly flex the DIP joint to 90°, and slowly release the joint until it is straight again. It's best to keep the MCP slightly bent, as this ensures that the tendons maintain a healthier position.
Hand Exercise 6: Thumb Drill
First, review the CMC, MCP, and IP joint.
From a curved position and a stable MCP joint, flex and extend the IP. If necessary, stabilize the MCP joint with the non-working hand.
Second, with an extended IP joint, flex and extend the MCP joint. Stabilize the CMC joint with the non-working hand if necessary.
Third, we will isolate the CMC joint, which is the joint that works the most at the piano. Abduction is the movement of the thumb away from the 2nd finger, and adduction is when the thumb is in line with the palm.
Practice all three joint movements on each thumb slowly and mindfully. The thumb should always move in a way that it has created a 3D shape with the hand; the thumb does not stay straight and get pulled sideways from the palm. Make sure to practice these exercises with the fullest range of motion possible.
Hand Exercise 7: Finger Brush
All Timani exercises focus on awareness and sensory perception. The purpose of the finger brush is to get a better sense of our hands and fingers. This exercise trains us to feel the movement of our fingers and the surface of the instrument better.
Take the index finger of one hand and place it on the carpals at the base of the palm of the other. Brush along the skin all the way up to the tip of each finger. Close your eyes and sense the difference between your hands before repeating on the other hand.
Hand Exercise 8: Feeling in the Shoulder
There are connections from the fingers to the shoulders, neck, and pelvis. With your awareness in your shoulders, press your thumb into a flat surface, and release. Try again with your 5th finger. If you can feel the two actions in different places in the shoulder, continue experimenting with different fingers.
Hands Experiments:
1. Notice the difference in playing after trying these exercises
2. Notice the change in sound after doing these exercises
3. Instead of being on autopilot, focus on feeling what your fingers are doing
4. Imagine that your instrument is like your Pooh Bear and hold it with comfort and care
5. Feel the resistance of your instrument, particularly in slow motion
6. Relax unwanted tension in the shoulders, arms, neck, and jaw
7. Sense feeling the shoulder while you're playing
Hands Common Pitfalls:
1. Too soon, too fast
It's important to build resilience over time
2. Tension in the fingers
When strengthening fingers, you might also tense them up too much when playing
Evaluate and focus on strong flexible fingers
3. Tension in the wrist
When fingers start activating new muscles, mobility in the wrist may decrease
The bottle exercise can help
4. Too many exercises
Alternate exercises or create a rotation of favorites; don't do all every day
5. Becoming stressed if you don't notice a difference
In this case, observe your hand position instead of feeling it
Hands & Theory:
1. An advanced differentiation skill is needed to ensure string fingers and flexible wrists
This requires a lot of communication between the sensory and motor areas of the brain
2. When working on the intrinsic muscles of the hand, you're creating tensegrity
This is an even distribution of tension throughout the hands and fingers
The whole hand can support each finger with minimal effort
The hand can therefore move with less strain
3. The interossei muscles create tensegrity and expansion within the palm
They also help shape a stable bridge, which means the fingers can be more independent
Weak intrinsic hand muscles are weak - overuse of extrinsic muscles in arms and shoulders
4. The lumbricals contribute to proprioception and improve accuracy
They need to be developed in both strength and velocity
They can provide both stability and balance in the hand
5. Two dependent branches of sensory awareness:
The sensation of touch between the fingertips and the instrument
The sensation of sound coming from the instrument
Hands Piano Tips:
1. When the outsides of the hands slope downwards, we lose access to the hypothenar muscles
The extensor carpi ulnaris exercise helps prevent this
A more balanced position allows better access to the hypothenar muscles and pronation
2. The tent exercise helps maintain the bridge
A healthy bridge allows better access to the intrinsic muscles of the hand
3. The DIP tune-up enhances accuracy, control, and the ability to sense the keys
4. The remaining exercises contribute to:
Better differentiation of finger movements
Better differentiation of wrist movements
Distinction between intrinsic & extrinsic muscles
5. Fingers should be strong enough to bear the weight of the arms and connect to the keybed
6. It's important to honor the different qualities of each finger
They have different muscular and fascial connections in the hand and lower arm
Hands Everyday Life:
1. Using hands with awareness in everyday life can be enlightening
Try holding your cup of Crio Bru with awareness
Lift the cup, letting go of tension in the chest
2. When exercising, use all the knuckle joints when gripping objects
Engage the bridge when gripping objects
Engage fingers 4 and 5 as much as the thenar side of the hand
3. Brush your teeth by holding your toothbrush with fingers 1, 4, and 5
Feel the stability in the carpal area and the connection between 1 and 5
4. Hands checklist:
You have strong fingers that are free of unnecessary tension while playing
You are aware of the physical sensation of the keys beneath the fingertips
You can relax your wrist when using fingers and sense their independence
Using intrinsic hand muscles makes you feel closer to the instrument
Using intrinsic hand muscles allows you to relax the arm more
Using the intrinsic hand muscles provides a way to sustain a strong bridge
The DIP, PIP, and MCP joints look and feel balanced; the PIP is not overused
Your wrists and carpal areas are strong and flexible, creating stability and mobility
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Chapter 14: Spine, Core, & Support Exercises
2. Transverse Abdominis Differentiation
4. Spinal Rotation & Chest Stretch
5. Differentiated Cat-Cow
In this chapter, the core of the body will refer to the torso (including the spine and pelvic floor), belly, and back. Some of the exercises for the spine and core are traditional and used in other settings, such as yoga or pilates. The muscles of the belly and back are organized in layers. In the front and sides of the belly, there are four major muscles that contribute to movement, breathing, and stabilizing tasks. They are the transverse abdominis, internal & external obliques, rectus abdominis, and psoas major. All but the obliques should be review by now:
Transverse Abdominis
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Internal Obliques
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External Obliques
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Rectus Abdominis
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Psoas Major
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The transverse abdominis forms the deepest layer of the abdominal wall. It doesn't create movement in the joints or limbs, but supports the spine by creating intra-abdominal pressure. With help from other muscles, it supports healthy movement and breathing. The muscle fibers are arranged horizontally, so the muscle tightens around the belly like a girdle. It reaches up to the ribcage and down to the pelvis; connects to the spine through fascia, and reaches all the way around the front. A functional transverse abdominis anticipates all movements of the limbs and activates 30-40 milliseconds before the movement is visible.
Just outside the transverse abdominis on the sides are the internal and external obliques. The obliques help to contribute to exhalation (especially the internal oblique), rotational movements in the spine and torso, and stability in movements that occur on one side of the body (unilateral).
The rectus abdominis mostly operates as a single unit, bringing the ribs closer to the pubic bone. However, the lowest part is more engaged in creating stability while the upper part has more of a mobilizer role. The upper part can also restrict breathing, which is why it's best to sit straight or leaning forwards when at the piano instead of leaning back.
The psoas major, "the muscle of the soul," is difficult to find. Behind the rectus abdominis are intestines and organs, and behind them is the spine. The psoas major are the tenderloins - the most tender meat in the body. They attach to the vertebrae of the lumbar spine, extend to the pelvis, cross in front of the hip joints, and attach to the inside of the thigh bones. The psoas major is the only muscle that attaches to both the spine and the legs. Its main job is to stabilize the spine with the help of the erector spinae. The psoas major also contributes to flexion of the spine and hip joints, although the main hip flexor is the iliacus.
We need these abdominal muscles to work together to help maintain stability and optimal breath control. This area of the spine, the lumbar, is vulnerable to instability because the ribcage and pelvis have more skeletal structures for support.
Support Exercise 1: Belly Up and Down
This exercise helps us identify the transverse abdominis.
Begin in tabletop position with the fingers spread. Your weight should be supported by the entirety of the palms. Lift your spine so that it is in line with the scapulae. Keep the neck long, with the head extending forwards. Place one hand on the belly. Without moving your spine, draw the belly button up towards your spine and then release the belly entirely towards to ground. After doing this a couple of times, return to tabletop position. Tuck your toes under and lift your knees off the ground by about 2 inches. Feel the effect this posture has on the transverse abdominis. It is interesting to experiment with releasing the belly from this position. To add shoulder coordination, try this exercise with one hand on the pec major, seeing if it is possible to keep the pecs relaxed.
Support Exercise 2: Transverse Abdominis Differentiation
These exercises help the transverse abdominis regain its natural function, an anticipatory action, which contributes to better overall coordination. It also shows how to maintain good airflow, activation through both inhalation and exhalation.
Lie on your back with your knees bent. Find the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS), the most prominent bone in the front of the pelvis. Place two fingers in the soft area of the belly half an inch towards the midline and press. Rest the other hand below your navel. Relax the belly completely. Draw your navel towards your spine, gradually increasing the activation of the transverse abdominis. Starting around 40%, other abdominal muscles such as the rectus abdominis will become involved. Notice your breath, and keep breathing throughout this exercise.
Next, activate and release the transverse abdominis only to 0-30%, while breathing. It is also helpful to practice the higher end of the spectrum, 80-100%. From the same starting position, activate the transverse abdominis considerably and then lift one leg at a time, about 2-4 inches, with a stable pelvis.
This exercise can also be done sitting, with the sitting shuffle, and with the iliacus exercise from Chapter 10. Similarly, you can think about accessing the transverse abdominis through the back arm-line push-off and differentiated arm-pull exercises in Chapter 12. Any time you lift your arms, see if you can notice an activation of the transverse abdominis.
To try this exercise in a standing position, focus on the relationship between activating the transverse abdominis and pressing one foot into the ground at a time. You can also focus on the transverse abdominis while doing the heel walk exercise from Chapter 11.
To activate the transverse abdominis easily and quickly, try the whole body bouncy exercise from Chapter 11. For all transverse abdominis exercises, keep the navel towards the spine, make sure you're not sucking your belly in, check that you are breathing comfortably, and keep your hips aligned. If your ribs move down, your throat closes, or your neck tenses, you're overusing the rectus abdominis and the diaphragm. The transverse abdominis muscle often acts in coordination with the pelvic floor muscles.
Support Exercise 3: Core Power
This is one of the heavier exercises in the book. It's designed to build strength and stamina, which can provide stability when playing or singing. Lie on the floor with your knees bent. Place two fingers from one hand on the transverse abdominis and place the other hand on the belly. Slowly activate the transverse abdominis to 100%. As you hold this activation, lift one leg slowly until the thigh is at 90° from the hip. The pelvis and ribs should remain absolutely stable. From this position, lift the other leg with feet and legs remaining hip-width apart. From this position, push your left hand against your left knee while lengthening your spine and torso. Repeat with the right hand on the right knee. Bring your left knee closer to your body as you push the right knee away with your right hand, and alternate this motion. Make sure you are breathing the entire time. Slowly lower your feet down, one at a time, and notice how this feels. Stand up and notice how it feels to approach your instrument with more strength and stability.
There is a triangle of strength created by the thigh, arm, and spine.
Another variation of this exercise is to get into the position where both legs are raised, and place a yoga block between your knees. Squeezing the yoga block activates the hip adductors, which are often weak. Strengthening the hip adductors can increase the sense of centering in the body.
Support Exercise 4: Spinal Rotation & Chest Stretch
This exercise stretches the pecs and the intercostals while the spine rotates and the arm muscles and obliques lengthen. It is particularly helpful for people with sloping or rounded shoulders, tightness in the chest, rigid ribcage, or restricted breathing. We can always benefit from a more open chest, more relaxed shoulders, and more rotational flexibility.
Lie on your back with your knees bent. Keeping the legs together, lower them to one wide while stretching the opposite arm out to the other side and upwards. Rotate your head so that you're looking at this hand. Relax the ribs down towards the floor. Switch sides.
For another variation of this stretch, extend the legs so that they're straight. The bottom leg will follow the spine, and the top leg will continue the diagonal of the outstretched arm.
Support Exercise 5: Differentiated Cat-Cow
The spine consists of the tailbone (coccyx; 4 fused bones), sacrum (5 fused bones), and 24 vertebrae (5 lumbar, 12 thoracic, 7 cervical). The thoracic spine has 12 vertebrae to which 12 ribs are attached on both sides, so it is more rigid than the rest of the spine. This exercise allows you to become aware of our snake-like spine by exploring the small movements between the vertebrae and feeling the psoas major.
Begin in tabletop position with the fingers spread. Slowly move between cat and cow.
For the upper back version, begin in tabletop and sit back on your heels while keeping your arms extended in front with your hands in the same place on the floor. Proceed between cat and cow, focusing on your upper back and ribs.
For the lower back version, begin in tabletop and rest your elbows on the floor so that your chest is lower than your hips. Proceed with cat cow, focusing on your lower back and lower ribs. Sense each vertebra moving one at a time to create a wave-like movement in your spine. Visualize the psoas major while moving into the cat position, trying to sense the movement arising from deep along the lower spine rather than in the front of the belly.
Review - the lumbar spine is supported by the psoas in the front and the multifidus in the back. Return to the sit bones exercise from Chapter 10. From a balanced sitting position, place one of your hands on your lower back and gently push against the vertebrae. Feel that the spine and psoas resist the push like the mountain exercise. Breathe through this sensation. Your lower spine needs this strength and lengthening to create music from deep inside.
Support Exercise 6: Chest Rest
Many musicians hold a lot of tension in the spine and ribs from over-activating the erector spinae in an attempt to have good posture. This can block connections from the back side of the diaphragm to the psoas major, which makes breathing shallower (I definitely have this problem!). This exercise helps the relax the chest and access a deeper sense of breathing, especially in the back.
Lie on your back with your knees bent. Let your arms rest comfortably at your sides. But a small bolster or pillow under the pelvis and let your chest and spine relax down towards the floor. Imagine that your lower back is like a hammock in the air. As you breathe, imagine that your intercostals melt towards the floor on every exhalation. Close your eyes and allow the muscles around the eyes to relax. Stay in this position for a couple of minutes. Lift the pelvis, remove the bolster, and slowly release the spine down towards the floor, vertebra by vertebra. Feel the weight and relaxation of the body. Do your ribs feel heavier? Did you breathing become deeper? Try to maintain these changes as you approach your instrument.
Support Exercise 7: Neck Alignment
We tend to hang our heads forwards from the neck. To compensate, we may push the lower ribs forwards, which restricts the psoas-diaphragm connection, and therefore restricts breathing. This exercise trains you to align your head on the top of your spine.
The semispinalis along the back of the spine helps to balance the head on top of the spine. The longus colli, which sits at the front of the spine, is a deep neck flexor that has a similar stabilizing role as psoas major does for the lower back.
Semispinalis, Back of Spine on the Left
Longus Colli, Front of Spine on the RIght
Gray's Anatomy
Sit straight and comfortably on a level chair, taking extra care that the hips are not tilted forwards. Look up to the ceiling and notice how the neck extends. Imagine that someone is pulling you by the crown so that it moves upwards while your chin moves down. The forehead and chin should be in a vertical line. Rotate your head to shake no to loosen the neck from this position. See if you can feel this position when at the instrument. Can you feel a stability or a connection between the back of the head and the back arm-line?
Support Exercise 8: Jaw Opener
Many musicians struggle with jaw tension. Neurologically, the jaw and neck are connected, so the neck needs to be well aligned before working on the jaw. Neck alignment is dependent upon shoulder and hip alignment.
Find your cheekbone with your fingertip and move the finger back along the bone to the point just in from of the ear. Here you will feel the joint for the jaw.
Temporomandibular Joint
Gray's Anatomy
Do this exercise slowly, and only when the rest of the body is comfortable and aligned. Gently open and close your jaw. Try pushing your jaw forwards (bad) and see. how this changes the joint. With the jaw slightly open, move the jaw backwards towards the throat to relax it (also bad). From here, with the jaw slightly open, find the spot where the joint is most open. It might feel like a little hole is opening under your fingertips when you reach this place. Open your jaw farther and feel the hole getting larger.
When breathing in through the nose or mouth, picture the air coming in through the mouth and moving up along the cheekbones. This naturally opens the chest instead of the belly. Feel the difference when you relax the jaw inward, allowing air to go straight into the throat.
To massage the jaw joint, open the mouth slightly and place the tip of the 5th finger on the outside of the lower teeth. Find the bone at the back and follow it upwards to the back of the upper teeth. Massage farther up and back with gentle pressure for 5-10 seconds.
Core Experiments:
1. Find your sit bones if sitting; check in the mirror that you aren't leaning backwards.
Find the transverse abdominis and activate 20-30%
Ground yourself more into your foundation with the sitting shuffle
Let the sit bones encourage the transverse abdominis to remain active
2. Keep your torso aligned and lift the arms to play
Feel the initiative of the musical intention in the transverse abdominis and psoas major
3. Engage the spine in small movements that loosen up rigidity or habitual tension
Let these movements support your musical expression
4. Place your hand lightly on your lumbar spine
Push your hand to sense the stability of the the psoas major and erector spinae
This activates the transverse abdominis and makes your spine lengthen upwards
How does this affect your sound and control?
Feel the weight of your body in sit bones while feeling this upwards lengthening
Core Common Pitfalls:
1. Underestimating the importance of core control and power in music
2. Holding too much tension in the core, which restricts breathing
If we use too much tension, we can create too much pressure in the belly
3. Pushing backwards with the lower back to find stability
We want effortless stability from balancing the erector spinae and psoas major
Along with balance, aim for integrity, flexibility, strength, and endurance
4. Holding too much tension in the jaw; find the jaw position that makes it easiest to play
5. Not listening to your body when it hurts
Keep an explorative attitude rather than a forceful one
Core & Theory:
1. The transverse abdominis and multifidus are stabilizing muscles of the spine and torso
They belong in the chewy caramel layer
2. Connecting to the muscles of the abdomen increases tensegrity and more balance
3. Learn how to control the range of muscle activation like a volume dial
Core Piano Tips:
1. Support creates mental calmness as well as freedom of the arms
2. It's especially helpful for loud passages, jumps, intense sound, legato, or long lines
3. The main support for pianists are the sit bones and the transverse abdominis
4. Try the spinal rotation exercise to free the arms and open the chest for breathing
5. For a deeper sound, push against your lower spine and find the psoas major
You should be able to feel a slight activation, stability, and lengthening from this
Core Everyday Life:
1. Check head, neck, and spine alignment every now and then
2. Maintaining spinal health (spinal rotation, chest rest, cat cow) helps us as we age
3. We also want coordinated timing of the transverse abdominis
4. You can turn every day tasks into exploration of coordination
5. Always check that the belly isn't too tense, and maintain deep relaxed breathing
6. Core checklist:
You can clearly control your transverse abdominis
You can sense that activating the transverse abdominis is connected to lifting the arms
You can also relate it to push-off from sit bones or feet
You are aware it's part of a chain reaction of muscles that create stability
Your spine is strong but supple and never rigid
You can feel the front of the spine because the ribs are not forwards from arching the back
This helps open your chest when breathing
You remember to align your neck and open your jaw when playing
You can feel how musical intention and strength comes from the core
It does not come from tension in the shoulders, arms, wrists, or hands
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Chapter 15: Breathing Exercises
5. Total Breathing & Breath Awareness
We inhale approximately 20,000 times a day. Musicians need breathing to stay focused and balanced, as breathing provides natural flow, pacing, and energy.
The diaphragm is the main muscle used for inhalation. It is shaped like a large dome and separates the thoracic cavity (chest) from the abdominal cavity. Its movements are influenced by many factors, including muscle fiber orientation, push-off from feet or sit bones, abdominal support, and pressure in the chest or abdomen. The left side is slightly lower than the right to allow space for the heart, and the right side is higher to allow space for the liver. It is only 2-4 mm thick. The muscle tissue makes up the side walls for the dome, which attach to the roof, a large, flat tendon called the central tendon.
Diaphragm; View from Stomach Looking Upwards
Gray's Anatomy
Ribs; Intercostals are the Muscles Between
Gray's Anatomy
As the diaphragm contracts, we inhale. The central tendon is pulled downward, flattening the dome. Pressure in the chest cavity is decreased as pressure in the abdominal cavity is increased. The diaphragm is attached on the lower edge of the ribcage, and pulls on ribs 6-12. This, along with pressure shifts and the other muscles in the thorax pull the ribs upwards and outwards. Push-off from the hands, feet, or sit bones contributes to a natural and comfortable expansion of the chest because it encourages an activation of the diaphragm.
When relaxed, the diaphragm extends quite high into the chest as it domes fully at the end of exhalation. The rear of the diaphragm attaches all the way down to the lumbar vertebrae 1-3. The diaphragm is intimately connected through fascia to the transverse abdominis, the quadratus lumborum, and the psoas major. These muscles together form the innermost layer of the abdominal back and side walls.
Anterior Transverse Abdominis
Bodyworks Prime
Posterior Quadratus Lumborum
Bodyworks Prime
Anterior Psoas Major
Bodyworks Prime
Try revisiting the heel-walk exercise from Chapter 11. Then put the soles of your feet on the floor and stand tall with the hips and chest aligned. Give a. light push down into the floor using all the connection points of the foot. Can you sense any changes in the lower ribcage? The diaphragm has moved slightly downwards, and ribs have moved outwards.
To find where the diaphragm is situated, place one hand about 2 inches up from the bottom of the sternum, where the central tendon is situated, and place the other above the clavicle. The space between the hands is where most of the lung tissue is located inside the ribcage.
Take a deep breath and observe the expansion of your chest and your diaphragm moves downwards and your lower ribs move upwards and outwards. The intercostals assist in this expansion of the thorax as we inhale and decrease the space as we exhale. They function by creating a rotational movement in the joints where the ribs attach to the spine. Each rib attaches to the spine through three joints. These, along with the joints between the vertebrae, amount to about 100 joints in the thoracic spine alone, which are in constant motion through breathing. Without the intercostals, inhalation and diaphragm contraction would collapse the chest inwards and the head would be thrust forwards.
There are three layers of muscles in the intercostals: the external intercostals, the internal intercostals, and the innermost layer, called the intercostales intimi. Additionally, there's a muscle underneath the breastbone called the triangularis sterni or transversus thoracis. There are also accessory muscles along the outside of the ribs and in the neck and throat that contribute to breathing, such as sternocleidomastoid muscle and the scalene muscles (posterior, medius, & anterior).
Triangularis Sterni/Transversus Thoracis
Gray's Anatomy
Red - Sternocleidomastoideus
Blue - Scalenus Anterior, Scalenus Medius
Gray's Anatomy
Inhalation muscles:
external intercostals
front portion of the internal intercostals
scalenes
Exhalation muscles:
internal intercostals on the sides and back of the body
intercostales intimi
transversus thoracis
The action of the transverse abdominis pushes the abdominal organs upwards towards the diaphragm, contributing to exhalation. In controlled exhalation, the intra-abdominal pressure from the contraction of the transverse abdominis also creates a downwards push on the pelvic floor. If this pressure becomes excessive, it can affect bladder control and bowel movement. It also causes the belly to bulge and can prevent optimal air flow. Therefore, the upwards lift that happens from the contraction of the pelvic floor and transverse abdominis should be stronger than any potential downwards push from the diaphragm.
The pelvic floor, a thin layer of muscles in the shape of a basket, is often called the pelvic diaphragm because it has a dome shape similar to the (thoracic) diaphragm oriented in the opposite direction. They both move up and down at the same time, but their action is antagonistic, meaning that when one activates, the other relaxes. During inhalation, the diaphragm flattens and moves downwards as it contracts, while the pelvic floor relaxes downwards. On the exhalation, the pelvic floor flattens by moving upwards when it contracts, while the diaphragm relaxes upwards. Creating a good push-off from the floor or sit bones can help balance the activation of these muscles.
Sit in a chair and find your sit bones; your pelvic floor is located in between them. Breathe in and see if you can sense your pelvic floor relaxing downwards towards the chair. As you exhale, the pelvic floor contracts and moves upwards, which can feel like a lift or a zipper that begins underneath the coccyx and moves forwards up to the middle of the belly. It's important to train the activation of the pelvic floor together with breathing, and this training involves relaxing the pelvic floor downward on the inhalation to facilitate deep breathing. It's not helpful to cause excessive tension or lifting in the pelvic floor.
One of the most common ways we start holding our breath or creating our breath is through what's called the Valsalva maneuver, which increases pressure in the abdomen and chest by activating muscles in the throat, neck, chest, diaphragm, abdominals, and pelvic floor to increase pressure in the abdomen from all sides. In all of this, it also closes the throat. Place your palms on your belly and cough. Can you feel how the belly hardens and the throat closes right before coughing? The Valsalva maneuver involves the rectus abdominis and is usually done during a bowel movement or when holding your breath as you lift a heavy object. It's not recommended for playing the piano.
Pianists tend to hold the chest and ribcage too rigidly. It's important to try these exercises and be aware of breathing more three-dimensionally in the chest. Belly breathing doesn't support effortless arm movements. Instead, breathe deeply into the sit bones and sense a lengthening of the spine.
The following breathing exercises are designed to open up new possibilities; not to indicate how you should breathe.
Breathing Exercise 1: Caterpillar
This exercise helps us to become aware of how the spine responds to belly breathing. Belly breathing is breathing in which the diaphragm moves down while the ribs stay still, and the organs within the abdomen are pushed down and out, causing the belly to bulge. Because you're lying on the floor, the pressure from breathing cannot cause the belly to bulge, and it will be forced back towards the lower spine. Begin by lying on your back. Place one hand on your belly and the other on your chest. Breathe in slowly and gently, letting your belly expand on the inhalations. Allow the ribs to remain fairly still. Visualize how the diaphragm activates as you do this. Once this is easy, turn over and lie on your belly. Place the back of one hand on your sacrum and the other as far up the back as you can comfortably reach. Continue belly breathing. Notice the movement in your spine. Notice that your hands move farther away from one another when you inhale and closer together when you exhale. Repeat 5-6 times.
Next, sit on the floor or a chair. See if you can sense the same movement in an upright position. Stand and see if you can still sense this movement. It should feel like you're transferring the breathing along the front of your lower spine without bulging the belly but encouraging the pelvis and spine to respond more.
Breathing Exercise 2: Diaphragm Drill
This exercise is designed to differentiate between ribcage expansion and abdominal support, which normally happen together. The goal is to train the muscles to engage in a way that promotes better air flow, where exhalation is initiated from a deeper and lower area of the body. Rather than creating pressure in two directions, like squeezing a tube of toothpaste from the middle, look for the sensation of having a fountain inside the body, where forces work upward without creating any downward pull.
Wrap your arms around your torso, placing the palm of each hand on the lower ribs of the opposite side. Breathe into your hands. Release the arms and put your hands on the lower ribs on the same sides with the elbows sticking out, making sure to keep the same alignment in your spine (don't allow the lower ribs to shift forwards). Inhale three-dimensionally into your whole ribcage: up, down, sideways, front, and back. As you exhale slowly and evenly, keep the ribcage expanded for the first half. Sense how deep the abdominals activate to initiate pushing out the air. During the last half of the exhalation, allow the ribcage to relax and move inwards. Afterwards, see if you can keep some of this coordination while playing.
Breathing Exercise 3: Accordion
This exercise allows you to gain awareness of how the breath moves the spine like an accordion with space between the vertebrae, experiencing a lengthening during inhalation. Begin by lying on the floor in a fetal position with a cushion to support your neck. As you inhale, sense how the whole spine lengthens. The hips will move downwards and the shoulders will move up towards your head. As you exhale, sense how your body returns to its original position. Repeat 3-10 times. Lie on your back. Can you feel a difference between the sides of your body? Roll to the other side and repeat the exercise. Lie on your back and notice what you feel. See if you can feel any of this in while you play.
Breathing Exercise 4: Schwoop
This exercise is designed to achieve a flexible diaphragm. No matter how we breathe, the volume in our abdomen doesn't change. Our chest cavity, on the other hand, is constantly changing in volume. This exercise addresses the dynamic pressure between the abdominal and chest cavities, and requires little to no activation of the transverse abdominis.
Lie on your back with one palm on your belly and the other on your chest. Belly breathe in and out three times. Take a small break and then change to breathing into your chest without moving the belly. Take a break and repeat this process until it's easy to breathe into one part of the body without expanding the other areas.
Once this is easy, begin again. Lie on your back and belly breathe. After inhaling, hold your breath in and schwoop the expansion up into the chest. Exhale and repeat.
This time, belly breathe in, hold your breath, and shwoop up as before. As you continue holding your breath, shwoop up and down several times before exhaling.
Experiment with transferring this exercise to a seated position.
Breathing Exercise 5: Total Breathing & Breath Awareness
This is an awareness exercise in which you direct the expansive effects of your breathing into different parts of your chest, abdomen, and spine.
Whole body breathing, or total breathing, is breathing in which the diaphragm is in the center of the action but the entire body is affected. For musicians, total breathing is most beneficial because it expands the chest and allows a transfer of forces through fascia that connects the abdomen and back.
For the sitting exercise, begin by finding your sit bones. Breathe in and out a few times, feeling your sit bones pushing into the chair with each inhalation. Feel your chest expanding and receiving air effortlessly forwards, backwards, and to the sides. If you feel restrictions, try to release them. Visualize the diaphragm and sense the initiative for the inhalation coming from deep within the center of your chest like a jellyfish opening.
For the standing exercise, stand with your hips aligned with a relaxed chest. Sense the contact between your feet and the floor. Breathe into your chest and tune into the back of your diaphragm, sensing its connections to your psoas major along the front of your spine. As before, feel your chest expanding and receiving air effortlessly forwards, backwards, and to the sides. Feel the pull through your psoas major that transfers the breath downward to your pelvic floor and all the way down your legs to your heels. Try to sense that every breath is grounding you, and that your feet push into the ground with each inhalation.
The diaphragm and psoas major pull on the anterior longitudinal ligament, which is a fascial structure that runs along the front of the spine and creates a sense of lengthening in the spine.
Longitudinal Ligament
Cross Section of Two Full Vertebrae
Gray's Anatomy
Make sure the breathing doesn't take place too high in the chest, but feel the initiative for inhalation coming from the center of the chest and transferring downwards to your feet. Again, if you can find restrictions, see if you can release them.
Breathing Exercise 6: Belly Breathing
This exercise is excellent for releasing tension in the abdominals. Belly breathing is not an optimal way to breathe when playing, as too much downward abdominal pressure can make the ribs rigid and weaken the intercostals. However, belly breathing is a great option to do before performances to calm the nerves or relieve stress.
Begin by lying on your back. Inhale, releasing your belly so that it expands outwards. Keep your ribs fairly still. For deeper relaxation, breathe in on a count of 5, hold your breath for a count of 5, and exhale for a count of 5.
Breathing Exercise 7: 3D Chest Breathing
The chest must expand freely in all directions to achieve the maximum breathing capacity and greatest use of our lungs. Although total breathing is recommended for playing, many peopel are afraid of breathing too high, which can cause tension in the shoulders.
Stand with a scarf tied around your ribcage. Breathe in and feel how your ribcage pushes against the scarf as it expands in all directions. Your shoulders should be free to rise slightly. As you exhale, notice how your ribs move inward to their original position. Make sure you're not building tension in your throat or neck, and maintain a good alignment in the body. Try moving the position of the scarf to feel the different areas of your ribcage and how they expand and contract.
Breathing Experiments:
1. Try moving your lower ribs forwards so that your sternum lifts and your spine arches
Do this in an exaggerated way and imagine the diaphragm
It must push downwards and forwards instead of straight downwards to the pelvic floor
Notice how your spine and ribs become more restricted in this position
Now correct your posture to access breathing more optimally
2. Stand in a banana shape by moving the hips forwards
This position stresses the psoas and restricts the transfer of forces of breathing to the legs
Inhale and try to feel the breathing and expansion all the way to the floor
Now correct your posture and try again
3. Connect to the natural movement of inhalation
Wait for the body to initiate inhalation on its own
See if you can direct that reflex by gently encouraging an expansion in the lower ribs
Imagine you're receiving air and not forcing it in
4. Visualize your diaphragm and imagine keeping it soft and supple
Breathing Common Pitfalls:
1. Breathing too high when practicing the expansion of the chest
Remember to sense breathing down into the pelvic floor, the sit bones, or the feet
2. Overmanipulating breathing
Take a few minutes to focus on the breath with curiosity without control
3. Forcing breathing
You enable breathing by creating and allowing an expansion
4. Moving the ribs separately from breathing
You should be able to hold your breath and move your ribs without inhaling
However, when inhaling, make sure the ribs are coordinated
Imagine the diaphragm initiating the impulse to breathe with the ribs following
5. Creating breathing habits that can sabotage your playing
Connecting the breath to music in a conscious way should be done carefully
These habits can alter posture and technical control
Breathing & Theory:
1. Breathing provides oxygen to muscle cells and the brain
Breathing creates constant movement in the organs and fascia
Breathing is connected to musicality, interoception, and body awareness
2. The movement of breathing affects the whole body through fascia
Tensegrity is central to breathing, which is not localized only in the lungs
3. Breathing occurs in the soft center for the chocolate covered caramel
We should feel that we're being breathed rather than pulling air in
It's vital to allow air to come into our lungs by sensing the intercostals and diaphragm
There is a transfer of forces through the psoas major
There is a natural release (inhalation) and contraction (exhalation) of the pelvic floor
The muscles of inhalation need to be in control at the beginning of exhalation
The muscles of exhalation are in control at the end of exhalation
Breathing Everyday Life:
1. Try breathing through your nose as much as you possibly can
2. Lie down and practice noticing your breath
Notice it getting calmer and deeper
Deep breathing every day is calming and centering
3. Inhalation checklist:
You can sit and stand well, avoiding leaning back, rigid positions, and slouching
You are aware of the connection between the back of your diaphragm and your psoas
You can access expansion in this area when breathing
Your posture is stable as you raise your arms to play
You can breathe into your chest while visualizing the movement of the diaphragm
You can sense your lower spine transfer forces to your pelvic floor and sit bones
Your transverse abdominis doesn't relax completely but remains slightly engaged
4. Exhalation checklist:
You can use the natural upward engagement in the pelvic floor
You can coordinate that movement with the transverse abdominis
You can release tension in the diaphragm with the shwoop exercise
You can train your chewy caramel muscles
You can eliminate excessive tension in your throat, neck, or jaw
5. Breathing checklist:
You remember that posture is the key to accessing good breathing
You remember that leaning the torso backwards restricts breathing
You remember that lifting or lowering the breastbone too much restricts breathing
You aim for the sensation of being breathed
You keep the soft center available and flexible
You keep the chewy caramel layer ready and engaged
You practice feeling the breathing throughout the entire body
You remember where your lungs and diaphragm are located
You keep these areas gently expanded and available for movement while playing
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Q&A Zoom Sessions
Q&A 1: 01 Feb 2026
TIMANI INTRODUCTION
Put most simply, Timani is the connection between the body and making music.
It bridges the gap between body awareness and music technique.
1. The opposite of unwanted tension is not relaxation
Timani seeks to destroy the myth of relaxation
The opposite of tension is to put the tension where it is healthy
While relaxation is important, it's not the only answer to unwanted tension
2. We warm up to wake up the nervous system so that our brains can coordinate better
3. In Timani, there's an emphasis on the "push-off," in which we rise up against gravity
This is the opposite of bearing down, where everything goes in the same direction
When babies first sit up, they are practicing push-off
Timani has 100 exercises, but they all build on the same principles
Once coordination is established, it becomes the norm, and exercises are no longer needed
4. Another core concept of Timani is the chocolate covered caramel, as described above
Q&A 1: 01 Feb 2026
The question I posed was how to be quick, or how to get more speed in the fingers.
In order to be quick, we need to practice quickness! We need to both press down and lift up very effectively. Because I play with a curved hand position, I do have my intrinsic hand muscles available. We need to practice the quickness of going down and up.
If you have any actual pain in the forearm, do not do this exercise. Listen to the body and don't overdo this exercise. It can be done for warming up, and it can be done a few times throughout the day, but not for more than 30 seconds at a time.
Rest the hand on a flat surface. Preparatory exercise - extend all of the fingers lightly but quickly so they're flying upwards. The fingers extend with the arm following.
Next, to practice the fast finger extension, we will repeat this motion while one of the 4 long fingers presses straight down into the table top at the same time. Go from a relaxed position to this position as quickly as possible. The wrist should stay below the bridge, and all fingers should be fairly straight. The hand will appear to be standing on one finger.
Once this feels natural, the next step is to practice this same exercise with a fast finger release, in which the extended position is both attained and also released very quickly, one finger at a time. Check that the wrist always remains below the bridge and that all fingers are straight. For the first iteration, pause after the fast finger extension. Then repeat with the extension and immediate release. Relax your hands in your lap and feel that your intrinsic hand muscles have activated. You might feel warmth, tingling, or fatigue.
Separately, the exercise for the thumb is called the peacock. The thumb extends straight downwards while all other fingers extend upwards. The angle between the thumb and second finger should be very opened. We are practicing the quickness of the muscle so our hands don't get stuck hovering with tension. We don't want to hit the key from above, which doesn't give us the control of the key. Doing this exercise is a step towards walking along the bottom of the key with releasing the weight of the arm.
Before I did the exercise, my hands were too loose, with more motion coming from above. This makes it difficult for the finger to know where the bottom of the key is. After the exercise, I had more activity in my fingers, I stayed closer to keyboard, and the movements were more efficient.
Q&A 2: 01 Mar 2026
The first lesson was in regard to a violinist who experienced biceps fatigue in the left arm from prolonged use, and forearm fatigue in the right arm specific to shifting with double stops. Tina approached this both globally and locally. To offload the arms, we learned to engage the core and standing (chewy caramel). It's easy to notice where there is too much activation, but difficult to know where we are too loose.
Globally, we worked on getting push-off from the floor with the Heel Walk. From a seated position with parallel thighs, push one heel downwards and feel the corresponding glute activate. Repeat with the other side. From the same seated position, alternate heels so that it feels like a seated walk. Once the engagement of the glutes is easily identified, pull both legs closer towards the chair, and push off through both heels to approach a standing position. Stay slightly squatted with the torso leaning forwards, and take a small walk around the room on the heels only, keeping the toes up. The knees and feet should remain pointing forwards, parallel to the hip joint, and the goal is to access the deep muscles of the gluteus maximus. With every step, feel your body pushing the floor away, as opposed to stomping. Continue extending the knee in order to rise up, finding power from the floor.
This exercise is most helpful for standing performers, but it can be used also for very active sitting performers, such as animated chamber violinists. For pianists, who use the pedal, it is more helpful to think of push-off as coming more from the sit bones. Although it is not yet scientifically proven, it seems to be that the music is expressed more deeply from using deeper muscles.
Locally, we reviewed the MCP tune-up and discussed the biceps. The biceps causes flexion of the elbow, flexion of the shoulder, and supination. Because violinists need all three of these movements in the positioning of their left arm, the biceps can become too eager.
To partially offload this muscle, we need to engage three muscles that do these jobs more specifically. We tried to build awareness around these three muscles. The brachialis is another muscle that causes flexion of the elbow, the supinator aids in supination, and the front deltoid causes flexion of the shoulder. The deltoid is divided into three sections: the anterior, middle, and posterior. The front deltoid is the anterior.
To find the brachialis, feel the biceps tendon at the flexion of the elbow. The brachialis is across the elbow joint underneath the biceps tendon. Pronate to help deactivate the biceps and deliberately try to feel the activation of the brachialis through the flexion of the elbow.
To find the supinator, hold your hand in pronation, and slowly move towards supination with the other hand on the biceps. See how far you can rotate without activating the biceps. The goal is to do as much supination as possible with a reduced joining of the biceps.
To find the anterior deltoid, find the bone that sticks out at the top of your shoulder, find the spot right outside that bone, and trace about 3 inches straight downwards in the front of your body. You will be in the front of your upper arm. Straighten the working arm, lift that arm, and feel the anterior deltoid activate. We don't want the shoulder to be in too low of a position for the beginning of this motion. To explore exercises for vibrato, the DIP tune-up and elbow extension exercises can be useful.
To relate the study on biceps more specifically to pianists, it can be useful to simply hold the biceps with the opposite hand while playing, trying to release the muscle so that the others will take over. This will also allow greater weight in the arms.
For my lesson, I asked about posture due to the fact that my thoracic spine often feels stiff; my RH 5th finger PIP joint, which I injured about 20 years ago; and the concept of prolonged tremolo in general. Regarding my spine, Tina explained that sometimes the spine can be hanging in the ligaments instead of having an activity at the front of the spine; in this case, it would look good, but perhaps be a little bit too straight. Rather than sit and lean into the spine, the spine needs a little bit of activity. She directed me to place one hand on the spot in the middle of my back and one hand on the front of my chest. Then, I released the front of my chest downwards, just a little bit, so that this area was free for the expansion of my breathing. In releasing into a tiny bit of a slouch, it was important to keep the lower part of myself stable so that I was not moving backwards. When breathing, there should be both anterior and posterior expansion. With my previous posture, I had no posterior movement!!
Regarding my faulty PIP joint, I got a simple exercise. Similarly to how the opposite hand braces the PIP in the DIP tune-up, use the opposite hand to brace the DIP. Use the PIP to pull the finger inwards, towards the motion of making a fist. The bracing hand not only stabilizes the DIP joint but also provides resistance against the working PIP joint, extending the finger straight. Repeat as necessary. For me, it is probably better to play octaves with the fingers rather than to drop into the octave, which causes my PIP to flatten.
Both quick movements and strong movements require more stability. We can get stability from pushing properly away from sit bones and engaging the transverse abdominis in the belly, which will offload the arm a little bit in general. Because my tremolo excerpt was in the bass, we pushed the left knee forwards (sitting shuffle) to ground the left sit bone and get the feeling of rising up from it. Then we activated the transverse abdominis (Week 6 Exercise). This freed up the arm to be heavier, and the tremolo to be faster.
To work locally, we warmed up the related tissues by holding our hands upwards, keeping our elbows stable, and quickly loosening up from pronation to supination. The wrists rotated back and forth, loosely, and quickly. This motion should feel like bouncing back and forth without using much muscle activation. Then take a break (because you actually did have to use muscles).
In addition to thinking about the biceps, the sit bones, the transverse abdominis, and the looseness of the tissue, it is also helpful to think about having places of rest in the piece where the focus is release, even while continuing to play tremolos. Last but not least is the fact that it's necessary to put in the practice to actually build up stamina - the muscles need to get fast. It's important to never push beyond your tiring! Take many mini-breaks when practicing physically demanding passages. One final point - simplifying orchestra reductions is allowed! We need to repeat new patterns to make them into habits for the body, but never to the point of overworking.
Q&A 3: 01 Apr 2026
The first lesson addressed a violinist who was using too much of the thenar side of the hand and not enough from the hypothenar side, specifically in the bow hand. We're much stronger on this side; these are the muscles we use to hold pencils, open water bottles, etc. To review, the extensor carpi ulnaris attaches to the 5th finger, the extensor carpi radialis brevis attaches to the 3rd, and the extensor carpi radialis longus attaches to the 2nd. Notice that we have no muscle attached to the 4th finger, so the thenar side is of course more supported. Next, we practiced the Extensor Carpi Ulnaris Exercise from Chapter 13 of the book.
Review: Extensor Carpi Ulnaris
Bodyworks Prime
In extending the tent position, we want to focus on lifting the hypothenar/outside of the hand. If we simply lift with the wrist to get into the tent position, we will be using the thenar parts of the hand. One trick to get into the right position, activated by the extensor carpi ulnaris, is to focus on turning our thumbs downwards. We can also begin in ulnar deviation and rotate "up and out" into the tent position. For a bow hand, the aim is to achieve a free wrist, meaning that the wrist has stability while simultaneously being able to perform fast, bouncy movements.
I asked four questions in my lesson. The first question I asked was about the sitting shuffle and specifically how to use it. Instead of simply experimenting randomly with shuffling the right and left sides, it seems that the forwards motion of the right knee would be more associated with the right hand moving into the treble, and the forwards motion of the left knee with the left hand moving into the bass. This was confirmed as a general principle, but occasionally movements like crossovers would require the forwards motion of the other sit bone. All in all, I have taken the revision to rotate my body in a more natural and circular arc than before, when I was simply leaning towards the right or the left in a straighter line parallel with the bench.
My second question was how to approach pieces that had prolonged ulnar deviation positions like the LH part in this excerpt of the Kabalevsky violin concerto.
We first talked about the fact that playing with the thenar parts of the hand in ulnar deviation isn't so bad; what would cause injury would be playing with the hypothenar parts while extended. Secondly, we addressed the fact that my wrist was coming not only to the right to play the chords, but also up. By further engaging the thumb to move downwards on its own, the wrist can simply shift towards the right. To practice activating this muscle, we first supinated, aligned the thumb with finger 2, and lifted the thumb upwards like the Week 1 Exercise. Then we pronated, placed our hands in the tent position, which raised the hand in relation to the wrist, and repeated the thumb motion. We also discussed the importance of getting the wrist behind the fingers very quickly in fast passages.
My third question was about seeking security in jumping chordal passages. The first answer for jumping chordal passages is to make sure that the body is providing stability (transverse abdominis). The more stability, the freer the arms can be. More locally, we worked on playing the thumb alone for all the chords, activated with the finger instead of an arm drop. The next step would be to practice the 5th finger alone in all the chords, again playing with the finger and not the arm. When the hand feels where the fingers want to go, the chords are much more stable. If we move with the arm alone, the muscles that control our movement at the keys are very far away, which is very difficult. It was an excellent lesson!
My fourth question was about fast repeated chords. Instead of playing from above, it's easier to play from below, bouncing upwards. We put our hands in fifths and bounced. Interestingly, my right hand could do this and my left hand was inconsistent.
This is not a Timani exercise, but the way I would practice this new movement is to sit at a table, allowing the table to support both forearms below the wrist. This is the position I am in right now, typing notes. Place both hands in a tent position, and together, play an imaginary fifth with the hands releasing upwards. Once that feels easy, play two consecutive fifths in this way, bouncing between, and releasing upwards. The fingers should be very engaged as the wrist remains still. The table prevents the movement to switch to a downwards release with high wrists. The ideas behind this new movement are finger activation, bouncing from the bottom of the key, and upwards release.
Q&A 4: 01 May 2026
I had all sorts of questions!
My first question was about the fact that when I play 4342 with either hand at a reasonably fast speed, both the 4th and 5th fingers pop upwards when I play the 3. Nothing like this happens if I plan 3231. Tina told me not to worry about it too much, but that there is an exercise we can use to get a better sense of finger independence. We looked at the interossei muscles and lumbricals to determine that the fingers are individually supported, but that require a lot of stability in the carpal area. The carpal bones have a lot of connective tissue keeping them quite firmly still; we cannot really move those bones. We want to feel this stability behind our fingers so that the fingers can feel more free from the hand and more independent.
To begin the hand centering exercise, raise your elbows to your sides around the height of your shoulders and place your RH thumb into the LH carpal region. Push the thumb into the carpals in the middle of the palm, where it feels like a good, stable base. You should be able to feel a ring of tension connecting the arms through the back; this circular connection is particularly helpful for violinists. Next, extend the LH forearm towards the RH thumb and bring the LH thumb downwards. At this point, the hand should be placed at an upwards angle, the bridge very pronounced, and the LH fingers extending in the same direction of the LH forearm. It ends up looking a little bit like a wrench. You should feel that you could push into the carpals very strongly and that there's power, strength, and stability in the carpals. At the same time, the fingers should be light and able to move, and the wrist should feel flexible.
Make sure that when checking the many ways the LH wrist can move, the LH elbow remains stable. The wrist can move up and down and sideways; sideways motion is not pronation, but looks like a duckling looking around. This is the combination we're looking for all the time - to feel super strong with flexibility and no unnecessary tension. You want to feel the back arm-line (triceps, rotator cuff, latissimus dorsi) and relax the pecs. You should be able to visualize all the joints connecting through the back arm-line: from the elbows to the shoulders to the scapulae. You can also test that the elbow is free by moving the elbow up and down while keeping the scapula stable.
After the hand centering exercise, we found the 4th finger lumbrical with the MCP tune-up. Then starting on the key and playing firmly down to the bottom of the key, we played one note with the 4th finger. The brain needs to know the weight of the key and the bottom of the key, so it's important not to start the motion too high above the key, and it's also important to play all the way down to the bottom of the key. Once we reviewed the hand stability from the carpals and the lumbricals together, I repeated the passage to feel the differences. To observe pianists who have mastered stability from the base of the hand, we can watch
Martha Argerich,
Grigory Sokolov, and
Arthur Rubinstein, among others. When we are not able to speak with the fingers, or they are not strong and with clear communication with the brain, we end up creating tension in the arms and shoulders. Staying free in the wrist is not the same thing as needing to move the wrist. It can be beneficial to move the wrist to check that it's free, but once the wrist is released, it doesn't need to always be moving. Sometimes excess motion disturbs what we're trying to do; Tina mentioned
Daniel Barenboim and Vladimir Ashkenazy playing the Mozart Double Concerto as an example of world class pianists who don't use excess wrist motion.
My next question was about exploring the intrinsic hand muscles, specifically as they relate to the chromatic scale. We did the thumb drill from Week 1, focusing on the abductor pollicis brevis. It's high time we went into more detail about the thenar and hypothenar muscles. The names make more sense if you know that opposition in anatomy is the movement that brings the tip of the thumb together with the tip of another finger, such as the 5th.
LH Palmar
Superficial Thenar & Hypothenar Muscles on the Left
Deeper Thenar & Hypothenar Muscles on the Right
Gray's Anatomy
Thenar Muscles:
Green - Opponens Pollicis, rotates and opposes the thumb (touches 5th fingertip)
Dark Blue - Abductor Pollicis Brevis, abducts the thumb (chromatic scales)
Red - Flexor Pollicis Brevis, flexes the thumb (curls up)
Turquoise - Adductor Pollicis, draws thumb towards palm/2nd finger (cross under)
Hypothenar Muscles:
Orange - Flexor Digiti Minimi Brevis, flexes the 5th finger (bridge)
Purple - Abductor Digiti Minimi, abducts the 5th finger (spreads out, platypus)
Pink - Opponens Digiti Minimi, rotates and opposes the 5th finger (touches thumb fingertip)
When we flipped the hand back over, we positioned the thumb in line with the lower arm so that the hand was one again in the wrench/lightning position. Keeping the non-working 2nd finger on the abductor pollicis brevis, play with the thumb. It's okay and natural for the rest of the fingers to rise slightly as the thumb moves downwards. Once I was encouraged to "stand" on my thumb, I was asked to relax my working arm. The thumb needs to stand, but not press, and it needs to carry the arm weight. If the wrist lowers, it's not from pressing the wrist down, but from using the right muscles to play with the thumb. We rise up onto the thumb; we don't push it downwards. This technique relies on push-off of the thumb while relaxing the arm.
My next question was about specific warm-ups that follow the Timani method best. But the Timani method is more about isolating a muscle, feeling the muscle, and then playing with that muscle. If we can only make sure we are using the right muscles, then they will get strong. You can apply this to any warm-up. I asked about a warm up I sometimes use that takes me through the chords C6, c6, cdim, Ab7; repeat a half step up, etc. Tina simply explained, "If it feels good, it's good."
To make a good exercise better, isolate the hand, feel your strong carpals, feel that the arm is relaxed, feel that you're using the abductor pollicis brevis to move the thumb away from the hand, feel that you're standing in the key, etc. Slow down and investigate the fingers.
Q&A 5: 01 Jun 2026
We started this session with three of of my questions. The first question I had was whether or not extrinsic hand muscles are always in use. The answer is that you can't really move the fingers with absolutely no extrinsic muscles; however, if you feel tension in the forearm, something is overworking. It could be overuse of extrinsic muscles, and it could be wrist tension. If the problem is overuse of extrinsic hand muscles, there's a good chance that the fingers are staying too curved while lifting. There are wrist muscles on both sides of the forearm, and they are quite active when we are playing, so they musn't be fixated or chronically tight.
To review extrinsic hand muscles, the muscles that activate the DIP joint go into the forearm, and the muscles that activate the PIP joint even cross the elbow. This design is helpful for the times we need to carry something heavy. The forearm also has the pronation and supination muscles.
The intrinsic hand muscles have a lot of proprioceptors (telling the brain where the fingers are), so they are important for accuracy, ease, and speed. A research paper by Werner Goebl published the finding that pianists at rapid speeds play with a downwards motion from the MPC joint followed by a slight extension of the DIP and PIP joints. In other words, the finger actually extends slightly as it approaches the bottom of the key, which is the opposite of curling or pulling with the extrinsic muscles.
On the dorsal side of the hand, there's one common extensor, and it attaches to the outermost joint. An unsustainable way to lift the fingers is to keep them curved while lifting. This motion uses flexors underneath, which gives resistance to releasing them away from the key. Instead, they must be lifted from the fingertip with extensor muscles. Lifting while curved will tire the forearm very quickly and also collapse the bridge.
The thumb has 9 muscles: 5 in the hand and 4 in the forearm.
Intrinsic thenar muscles:
Opponens Pollicis
Abductor Pollicis Brevis
Flexor Pollicis Brevis
Adductor Pollicis
First Dorsal Interosseous
Extrinsic thenar muscles:
Abductor Pollicis Longus
Flexor Pollicis Longus
Extensor Pollicis Brevis
Extensor Pollicis Longus
LH Dorsal
Superficial Extensors on the Left
Deeper Extensors on the Right
Gray's Anatomy
Superficial Extensors:
Yellow - Extensor Digitorum
Green - Extensor Digiti Minimi
Blue - Extensor Carpi Radialis Longus & Extensor Carpi Radialis Brevis
Purple - Extensor Carpi Ulnaris
Other Muscles:
Red - Brachioradialis
Orange - Anconeus
Deeper Extensors:
Orange - Extensor Pollicis Longus & Extensor Pollicis Brevis
Blue - Extensor Indicis Proprius
Other Muscles:
Red - Abductor Pollicis Longus
Yellow - Supinator
My second question was how to practice trills, especially trills involving the outer fingers. Tina's advice was to practice in small but quick segments, and not to overpractice. If you're practicing a 24 trill, try 242, then 2424, then 24242. Practice the quickness, because you have to practice the quickness, but practice in very small units so that you feel you can relax after each unit. The problem arises from adding more and more tension over time.
My third question was how to practice chains of octaves. Tina's first comment was that this will always be easier with people who have bigger hands. It is important to create a "3-dimensional hand" in which the thenar and hypothenar muscles create a structure rather than sit flat on a plane. The thumb should be positioned from the CMC joint, and the 5th finger should be positioned from the MCP joint. Once that structure is in place, you can rely on that very stable and intrinsic structure, so it's possible to release the wrist. Movement and bouncing can be initiated with the anconeus.
The next student was a pianist who had tension in the right wrist. Tina noticed that he already had a wonderful hand position and was making good use of his intrinsic hand muscles. The lesson returned to posture. The transverse abdominis is tested in the lab with quick arm raises; it's interesting to realize that this abdominal muscle is tested with arm movement. When we are holding our arms in front of us, we need a strong core with the appropriate coordination. If we do everything with the arms, hands, wrists, and shoulders, it becomes very straining. In addition to having the core engaged, it is important to make sure we're not leaning backwards. Once the transverse abdominis is somewhat engaged, try breathing and notice that the expansion of the lungs will happen more in the chest. When the pianist played again, he was encouraged to focus on his abdomen. He felt much more connected to the keyboard, and his entire body became more engaged in the playing. His arm became freer and heavier, and he no longer felt tension in the wrist. Tina explained that when you throw a ball, the entire body is behind the throw, and not just the hand; in fact, you will push off from the ground and create a chain reaction. Playing the piano is like this. Feel the rhythm in your belly, play from your gut... these pieces of advice can be taken more literally.
The next student, a violinist, explored arm vibrato. To extend the elbow joint, we need to use the triceps and the anconeus. The anconeus is a small muscle, which is excellent for fine motor skills and stability, as well as for offloading some of the work for the biceps. We spent some time finding the anconeus from the exercise in Chapter 12 by holding our hands in front of our faces in a supinated position and extending the forearm away. Pianists use the same muscle to extend the forearm away in a pronated position to play chords. The violinist's vibrato instantly became much more pronounced and fluid.
Q&A 6: 01 Jul 2026
We went through a Timani introduction, which I understood better than before because most of the information no longer felt so new. A few notes on the lumbricals, specifically.
1. The lumbricals contribute to fine motor skill and dexterity
2. They may function primarily as proprioceptive organs instead of force-generating muscles
3. The human lumbricals contain about 138 muscle spindles
Lumbrical 1 - 54, lumbrical 2 - 40, lumbrical 3 - 23, lumbrical 4 - 23
4. Muscle spindles are stretch receptors within the body of a skeletal muscle that detects change
Upon learning this, I tapped my fingers, and indeed, felt more feedback in the 2nd and 3rd fingers when compared to the 4th and 5th! That was interesting. We also discussed the 3-year certification program I've enrolled in. This year begins September 11th, 2026. Certified Timani teachers sometimes teach music physiology, and they are anatomy & movement conscious teachers and performers.
1. Lifetime access to all course material, which is about anatomy and movement for musicians
2. Monthly live online classes, open to questions
3. 6-8 individual sessions per year
4. 20 online modules per year
5. 2 live intensives in Oslo, Norway in years 2 and 3
Today, I brought in two songs from the 1920s, each of which require plenty of jumping. (They were Where's That Rainbow, 1926 and You Are My Rain-Beau, 1922). Globally, we returned to the sitting shuffle & transverse abdominis. From this point of stability, we monitored relaxing the pecs, and somehow, this magically softened my biceps, which had been working against me. After we explored with that, we activated the thenar muscles and practiced right hand jumps with simple movement of the thumb. We also explored using the sitting shuffle to make more room across the front of the body for LH playing in the C4-C5 octave.
Violinist free wrist
