The Ten Commandments of Piano Playing

by Eric Ainsworth

1. Sit on pelvic sit-bones, not tailbone. Sit tall.
2. Breathe naturally. Avoid holding breath through difficult passages.
3. Use more gravity and less muscle power to generate force, while allowing natural rebound from keys to assist in getting to new notes.
4. Move wrists and elbows in circular patterns to follow through from note to note(s).
5. Move upper body (from the waist), in, out, or side to side to keep wrists aligned with hands as much as possible.
6. Find moments to re-relax throughout your performance.
7. Don't play louder than necessary. Get big dynamic contrasts by exploring p, pp, and even ppp.
8. When away from the piano, meditate on and visualize effortless playing.
9. In trill and tremolo figures, rotate wrists and forearms around the fifth finger axis, not the thumb-side of the hand.
10. Have your piano tuned often!
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