Taught by renowned pianist
Seymour Bernstein
In this segment from his lessons on Schumann's "Happy Farmer," Seymour Bernstein reveals an exercise he uses to help his students develop hand independence away from the piano. He then applies the sensations gained from this exercise to the Schumann example, showing how to achieve proper balance bewteen left and right hands. Schumann then presents a further challenge, requiring you to achieve independence between fingers within the same hand. Bernstein demonstrates how to differentiate the amount of weight between fingers, which alters your stroke and allows you to play both lighter and heavier notes in the same hand, simultaneously. Try this exercise yourself, and apply the feeling to your own pieces to achieve better balance between hands and fingers.
Practicing Hand and Finger Independence
In this segment from his lessons on Schumann's "Happy Farmer," Seymour Bernstein reveals an exercise he uses to help his students develop hand independence away from the piano. He then applies the sensations gained from this exercise to the Schumann example, showing how to achieve proper balance bewteen left and right hands. Schumann then presents a further challenge, requiring you to achieve independence between fingers within the same hand. Bernstein demonstrates how to differentiate the amount of weight between fingers, which alters your stroke and allows you to play both lighter and heavier notes in the same hand, simultaneously. Try this exercise yourself, and apply the feeling to your own pieces to achieve better balance between hands and fingers.
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Unlock Course →An illustrious performer and now, a world-renowned pedagogue, Seymour Bernstein's incredible life is the subject of the critically acclaimed documentary "Seymour: An Introduction" directed by the actor Ethan Hawke.
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