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Have you been told that you need to play “more relaxed”, to let your arms “go heavy” at the piano, or to “let go of your tension”? What does this mean? Does this often feel difficult to execute?
When looking at the biomechanics of musicians through the eyes of a physical therapist, I often contemplate if we ought to change our definition or goal of ‘relaxation’ at the piano. Our goal may not be to play with floppy heavy arms, but to be a balanced efficient machine. It takes muscle efficiency to achieve movement, posture, dynamics, control, stability, and grace.
Where can we begin to build this efficient piano playing machine? The answer may be off the piano and in the gym. As a health & wellness expert I cannot emphasize enough the importance of cross training. Not only does exercise make you a healthier human, it can also make you a better musician! The hours of playing that are entrenched in the lives of many musicians may overshadow time that could be dedicated to exercise. Ultimately, this can lead to a deconditioned musician. When your instrument is an extension of your body, exercise should not be secondary, rather a prerequisite. 1, 2
Playing piano is an endurance event! A deconditioned body would struggle to run a 5K compared to a conditioned body that can complete it effortlessly. A deconditioned body playing piano for one hour may be ‘tense’, whereas a conditioned musician could easily be ‘relaxed’. For endurance tasks, whether it is running a race or playing a concert, we rely on slow twitch muscle fibers fueled by oxygen, so remember to breath! Our muscle fibers can be trained for low levels of force and fatigue resistance. When the slow twitch muscle fibers cannot generate enough force for a piano specific task, the fast-twitch muscles take over which can feel like “tension”. The fast-twitch muscles are appropriate to be used at the piano; however, it is their job to turn on and turn off for bursts of activity and not to be used for prolonged periods. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Training of body awareness through forms of exercise such as Pilates, barre, or yoga translates to the piano as well. Playing requires stability of the posture muscles to hold ourselves upright against gravity while seated at the piano for prolonged periods. Additionally, our play demands dynamic stability of our trunk to aid the sequential flow of energy and momentum through the shoulder down to the hand for a whiplike motion. Without a stable base the body is unable to share the load increasing the demand in the forearm and hand. This can make it extremely challenging to ‘relax’ the arm. Body awareness training also helps hone our proprioceptive muscles. Proprioception is the body’s ability to know where it is in space, to take action, to locate the piano keys by sense only. In our upper extremity, the rotator cuff in the shoulder and the lumbricals in the hand are important proprioceptive muscles. These proprioceptive muscles work at a low-level of activity to provide ease of placement of the arm and should be alert and warmed up to play. 10, 11, 12
Strength training can contribute to relaxed play as well. Building bigger muscles will make a task take less effort. For a body builder a 20lb dumbbell may feel like a feather, but compared to a body with low muscle mass this may feel like holding the weight of the world and increase “tension”.
Physical work should also be balanced by recovery time. Active recovery exercise such as light walking can carry oxygen saturated blood to a musician’s overworked muscles. This can help remove lactate for recuperation from extensive play. Resting recovery is important in fitness as well as in music. Taking a couple days off per week from activity allows your muscles to have time to recover and to re-build themselves better and stronger. 13, 14
Spending more time on our fitness may sound like working harder but it is actually an example of working smarter. By maximizing the hours in our day with diligence we can find a balance between physical fitness, nutrition, sleep, and metal health. By building an efficient machine we can focus on quality-over-quantity and we may actually be able to spend fewer practice hours at the piano. With muscles that are strong, conditioned and aware we can become better musicians. This can allow for greater focus on a new piece, improved ease to proprioceptively find the keys, and decreased fatigue to reach higher performance goals. By turning our bodies into efficient machines, we can make the work at the piano feel relaxed and effortless.
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