Piano Exercises For Dummies, 2nd Edition

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Two Piano Exercises for One Hand on Top

Try these two piano exercises, which give you some practice with top/bottom hand positions. The exercises are fun to do on the piano and provide a visual treat, yet they can be tricky and challenge your hand independence. Your hands should be in a nestled position, with some air space in between to allow independent movement. Play these gently, with a lightly rocking rhythm.

Right hand on top exercise

Left hand on top exercise

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How to Breathe Fluidly during Piano Exercises

Breathing is an integral part of piano exercises — after all, it's the model for fluid motion where the end of an inhalation is the beginning of an exhalation. When you play the piano think of the music, your body, and your mind as part of this constant, fluid motion.

To create the smoothest, most luxurious breathing cycle you can imagine, follow these steps:

1. Stand with your shoulders and arms relaxed at your sides as you develop this slow cycle of inhalation and exhalation.

2. Inhale through your nose slowly and evenly, deeply filling your lungs over a smooth arc of time.

3. Turn the inhalation into an exhalation without holding your breath, like a swimmer reverses direction in a pool, always in motion.

4. Exhale fully, without pushing, and let go of all the air until you're ready to begin another inhalation.

5. As you develop this slow cycle, let all your muscles relax and let go in the same rhythm.

Allow the breath to widen your upper body, back, shoulders, and neck so that you feel as if you're loosening and lengthening throughout your body.

Piano Articles

How to Warm Up Your Wrists for Piano Exercises

Before you begin piano exercises, warm up your wrists, shoulders, and other body parts. Doing so helps the physical component of playing the piano by heightening awareness of your body and the way you move. After a few stretches and warm-ups, you can bring a relaxed awareness to the piano when you practice.

Follow these steps for an effective wrist warm-up:

1. Hold your hands in front of you, palms facing away, as if you are pushing against a wall with both hands.

2. With a loose wrist, slowly circle your hands both clockwise and counterclockwise.

3. Bring your hands together in front of you like you're praying, palm-to-palm, finger-to-finger, and extend your elbows out to the side.

4. Slowly rotate your wrists so that your fingers point toward you, and then away from you, and finally down to the ground.

5. Repeat a few times as you loosen your wrists.

Physical tension can easily become incorporated into your playing through the necessary repetition of practicing. So it's very important to develop a pattern of releasing your muscles as you play and building this pattern into your playing. Doing this also becomes a way to unify the physical and mental components of music making, because staying comfortable while you play requires constant monitoring for areas of discomfort.