another one about hands and fingers and things - from a beginner

My newly found teacher who is quite excellent is teaching me to press the keys using only pressure and weight from the wrist and arm and not to use pressure from the fingers at all, he states that it is a more 'natural' way of playing, and we have had various discussions on how fingers actually work in the 'real world' which backs up his theory quite well.

Just wondering if other players use this technique and I'm not doing anything wrong or is this just one way of playing?

He also states that Hanon et al is to be avoided at all costs and frowns even on scale practice, I don't mind not playing scales except when I won't be able to do my scale rectical at the Royal Albert Hall

This is a new one on me. I learned

Yeah but I can get independent finger movement with this technique.

The negligence of controlled tension is the main weakness of the relaxation school (Bernstein, 1981).

Mechanical practices should be avoided; this has nothing to do with scales per se: for instance you could add a light crescendo to an ascending scale to make it musical.

How fortunate that you have such an informed teacher. Compare Ms Whiteside's reference to the fingers being only bony extensions of the arms. Also, If you're in NYC go to the library and read 'the Vengerova System of Piano Technique' by Robert D. Schick. Unfortunately for me I didn't learn these things until I was past 60.

I also discuss (and mostly agree!) the points you bring up in my internet book
http://members.aol.com/chang8828/contents.htm

go to sections that describe arm weight method (gravity drop, section II.10), and Hanon, section III.7h.

(Sorry, for those who know my book, but his email doesn't work). C. C. Chang

Thanks for the book reference is it obtainable elsewhere? I don't forsee myself in NYC for quite a while.

I have not found it anywhere else. You might get lucky at one of the used book stores on line though. Regarding wrists, Claudio Arrau has lots to say too. In the book

I don't agree with that. If we were meant to use our fingers dependently then we wouldn't have seperate tendons and muscles for each of them or we only had a thumb with one large finger (or anti-thumb) on the other side.

Yes.

Yes, you don't do it wrong.

Yes, it depends on the notes you have to play, the notes your hands come from and go to, the loudness you want to create, etc. You need several techniques to be able to play everything. I am sure your teacher will show you all the other useful ones by and by. If not, I

If not, I am curious to hear/read how you play fast trills without moving your fingers or a scale like passage without creating a pause when shifting the hand sideways.