Who was the "Taubman" of the "Taubman Approach" to piano playing? In this introduction to his 7-lesson course on the Taubman Approach, Robert Durso talks about the remarkable life of Dorothy Taubman, what inspired her to spend decades unlocking the secrets of piano technique, and how she helped legions of pianists realize their physical and expressive potential at the instrument.

A pianist's road to a virtuoso technique begins with a single note. Although one note might seem easy enough to play, this seemingly simple act already requires a series of coordinated motions. In this lesson, Taubman-expert Robert Durso breaks down the principle of alignment, showing how to turn the finger, hand, and arm into a single unit, and use it to generate a sound with ease.

Once a pianist has experienced the sensation of playing a single note with a unified mechanism, the next challenge is to move to other notes. In this lesson, Robert Durso clarifies Taubman's often-misunderstood principle of forearm rotation and shows how this movement is the most natural way for human hands to move with a minimum of strain and a maximum of balance and control from key to key at the piano.

A pianist can learn a great deal from observing how they walk, shifting weight effortlessly between feet in an effortless, coordinated series of planting and swinging the legs. In this lesson, Robert Durso teaches the so-called "walking hand and forearm" – Taubman's principle for moving laterally at the keyboard – and shows how it integrates with the other principled movements to allow even greater facility.

Piano teachers often urge their students to "shape" their phrases, but this musical goal can only be achieved through a coordinated physical act. In this lesson, Robert Durso shows how the musical shaping of groups of notes in passages of repertoire correlates with a process of physical shaping – curvilinear "waves" that give expressive contours to phrases.

Chords and octaves are ubiquitous in piano music. Across eras and styles, composers drew on these fundamental musical building blocks to create vast and diverse repertoire. In this lesson, Robert Durso shows how to approach chords and octaves by drawing on Taubman's core principles.

Every piano student has to face the challenge of building speed in their exercises and pieces. In this lesson, Robert Durso shows how fast playing is not something achieved by incrementaly increasing the beats of a metronome, but is in fact the norm achieved through the successful integration of the principled movements Taubman discovered.

On Rotation

Rotation is an important principle in many theories of piano technique, but it has become most closely associated with the Taubman Approach. Indeed, throughout Dorothy Taubman's seven decades of teaching and research, forearm rotation assumed a pivotal role in the understanding of how pianists develop healthy, agile techniques. Join one of the heirs to Taubman's pedagogical legacy, co-founder of the Golandsky Institute Robert Durso, as he helps tonebase Head of Piano Ben Laude practice rotation at the piano. Part interview, part master class, Durso clarifies misconceptions about rotation and elaborates on the great utility of this movement while reflecting on the continued relevance of Taubman's teaching.

While the opening of Ravel's Gaspard de la nuit may sound haunting to listeners, it terrifies pianists for a different reason. The repetitive accompanimental figure in the right hand is a veritable "tendonitis machine" when approached carelessly. In this master class, co-founder of the Golandsky Institute Robert Durso employs concepts derived from Dorothy Taubman's decades of research in piano technique to help Ben Laude achieve a more shimmering, luminous effect in his performance of the passage.

Pianists of all backgrounds and ability levels are drawn to the 'Moonlight Sonata,' but only a few venture past the slow first movement and brave the presto third movement. In this master class, co-founder of the Golandsky Institute Robert Durso works with Ben Laude on choreographing the turbulent right-hand figurations, showing how Dorothy Taubman's concepts of shaping, in-and-out motions, and the walking hand and arm can facilitate the awkward arpeggios and broken interval passages that define the piece's technical landscape.

It is often said that Glenn Gould's interpretations are meant to be admired, but not emulated. Much the same can be said of his technique. In this short master class, co-founder of the Golandsky Institute Robert Durso shows Ben Laude how his hero's low sitting position and active fingertips contribute to strain and injury, while concepts derived from Dorothy Taubman's analysis of octave playing reveal a healthier and more efficient approach at the keyboard.