Issue #3 Notes from The Music Hub January 2, 2025

Can You Recognize Bad Form?

Happy New Year!

If one of your New Year's Resolutions is to start learning piano or improving, I've got you covered! If you are not yet a paying member with full access to The Music Hub and you want to start, see the details below or simply respond to this email and let me know you want to get started!

When I was a kid, I played two sports: softball and basketball. And like all physical activities, there were safe and unsafe ways to play.

I actually broke a finger playing basketball. In 8th grade, I was warming up before the last game of the regular season and caught a rebound wrong. The ball bounced right off the end of my finger, and I heard the crack in my knuckle. One of the most disturbing sounds I've ever heard...

What do I mean when I say I caught it "wrong"? Well, if my fingers had been "softer," my knuckles bent and my fingers not so straight, the impact from the ball would not have broken my finger. I did know better, because my coach had taught me well, but in that moment, I wasn't paying attention to the shape of my hands.

Sports of all kinds require "good form." Part of the purpose of good form is to maximize one's capacity for playing well and winning the game. But another purpose of good form is to prevent injury.

Playing an instrument also requires good form, for the same reasons. Good form allows you to eventually play faster and more challenging music. It also prevents a lot of injuries. (Injuries from overuse can still happen, but that is for another day and doesn't normally affect those who aren't professionals or pre-professionals.)

Why am I bringing up form?

The other day, when I was doing some market research, I came across some videos on YouTube put out by a company that makes some really high-production, highly edited, fancy videos about learning piano. After watching 2-3, I was shocked to repeatedly see demonstrations that did not use proper form. I'm not talking about "classical" technique versus "jazz" technique. I'm talking about the physical nature of playing things like scales and arpeggios, which can be applied no matter what genre of music you're playing.

Arpeggios using the wrong fingering and overextending the pinky. Scales using awkward fingering and contorting the wrist instead of moving the hand parallel down the keyboard. These bad techniques may not hurt in the moment. But, overtime, they can cause injury.

Did you know that the 4th and 5th fingers share a tendon? Overextending the pinky can lead to tendonitis. Did you know that the median nerve goes through the wrist? Contorting the wrist could eventually cause inflammation narrowing the passage for the median nerve, leading to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Both of these problems can seriously impact the quality of your life, not just your ability to play the piano.

It is extremely important to watch your form when playing.

But do you know what good form is? Would you have been able to watch these YouTube videos and pick up on what they were doing wrong?

I want to make sure that you learn how to play in a safe and effective way that will allow you to enjoy playing piano long-term, even when you are very old.

That's why, in the 1st lesson in Beginner Level 1, I talk about posture and how to sit at the piano, what height your bench and arms should be at, and how to keep your shoulders dropped. As I add lessons to the intermediate level on playing scales and arpeggios, I will not talk only about the notes. I will also explain how to move up and down the keyboard in a way that not only prevents injury but also helps you "memorize" the keyboard and tap into proprioception, knowing where you are on the keyboard based on how far your elbows are from your body.

This is all part of learning piano. It's not just about notes, rhythms, and style. It's about establishing a foundation that you can confidently build upon.

Let me help you get started!

What's new inside the app!

This week, I've added Lesson 14 - videos and PDFs of 8 songs - in "Beginner Level 2".

Lesson 14 is all about starting to move beyond 5 notes/5 fingers. All the songs include 6ths, and in the demonstration video I go into detail about how to stretch to 6ths with your thumb and pinky, as well as adjusting fingerings here and there to smoothly reach these new notes in legato lines.

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*Arrangements of songs that are still under copyright must be purchased separately to ensure that I comply with legal regulations and that royalties are properly sent to the right person.

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Happy Music Making!

Heather Niemi Savage, composer, pianist & educator

Founder of The Music Hub

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