Welcome to LivingPianos.com. I’m Robert Estrin. If you’ve watched my videos, you know I’m not a big fan of doing endless exercises. In fact, I often suggest turning your music into exercises. That approach can solve many problems while also solidifying the pieces you actually play. But today, we’re going to talk about four essential exercises that can elevate your piano playing. Anyone serious about playing the piano should include these four things in their practice routine. You’ll get tremendous benefits from them.
1. Scales
It’s not just about playing scales. It’s how you practice them that makes the real difference. Did you know that it’s much harder to lift fingers off the keys than to push them down? I’ve demonstrated this many times. Try it yourself. You’ll notice, especially with your fourth finger, that cleanly lifting it is more difficult than pressing it down. The best way to develop control is with slow practice, raising your fingers deliberately while keeping your hands relaxed. Use only your fingers, not your arms. Let the power come from the fingers themselves. As you practice slowly, keep your thumb tucked under in advance of when it needs to play. This is crucial for fluid thumb crossings. For example, in the right hand, the thumb should be tucked under the whole time except when it plays. This preparation avoids awkward movements when playing fast. The same principle applies in reverse for the left hand. Focus on raised, rounded fingers, with no up-and-down arm motion. You’ll start to feel strength and independence building in your fingers through this deliberate approach.
Interestingly, slow practice builds more muscular benefits than fast playing. Do four repetitions slowly at a tempo like 60 BPM, or whatever is comfortable for you. Once you’re confident, move on to two notes per beat, then four notes per beat. At faster speeds, lighten up and stay close to the keys to develop fluency. There’s no time to raise your fingers at that pace, so listen carefully for evenness and consistency. There are many ways to vary your scale practice, such as changing the phrasing, articulation, or dynamics. But before exploring those variations, it’s essential to first master the fundamentals. Learn all the major scales thoroughly and with intention.
2. Arpeggios
Arpeggios are just as important as scales, and they’re practiced in a similar manner. One complication with arpeggios is that thumb crossings are wider, so you might run into issues where your hands feel cramped or awkward. Just like with scales, tuck the thumb under in advance, but also incorporate a slight hand rotation. This lets you avoid raising your shoulders or adding unnecessary tension. Your right hand rotates slightly as the thumb passes under, and in the left hand, it’s the same idea in reverse. Always prepare the next note in advance.
You can also break down arpeggios into shorter groupings, which can help develop control and accuracy. There are many ways to approach this, and I’ve made plenty of videos on the subject. If you visit LivingPianos.com and type “arpeggios” in the search box, you’ll find a wealth of material to explore!
3. Developing the Wrist
Finger technique is only part of the story. Your wrists are also instrumental in piano technique, particularly for staccato, octaves, and chords. One of the best ways to train the wrist is with a simple exercise in thirds, using just the wrist for motion. It’s important to isolate the wrist from the arm. The arms are heavy and clumsy and simply can’t move fast enough. The goal is to identify and isolate wrist motion. In the exercise, your arms should not move up and down. Instead, let the arms guide your hands over the correct keys, and strike from above with a quick, sudden motion from the wrist. If this is new to you, you’ll feel it in your forearms. These are muscles you don’t typically use, so that’s a good sign. However, if you find yourself using the whole arm to generate motion, stop. That’s not the technique you’re going for.
This might seem like a simple exercise, but it’s all in the execution. Just go through this routine a few times a day and you’ll be amazed how much it helps with control and clarity in everything from staccato to dense chordal passages. When you see someone playing crisp staccato or powerful chords with ease, much of that control is coming from proper wrist technique. Take a piece like Beethoven’s “Waldstein” Sonata, which is filled with repeated chords. If you try to play that with your arms, you’ll tire out quickly and lose articulation. Wrist technique allows for speed and lightness, which are critical in such music.
4. Octaves
The final exercise is octaves. This builds directly on the wrist technique we’ve already explored. This uses the same wrist principle but adds the strength of the hand’s arch. Why is the arch important? Because it equalizes the power between the strong thumb and the weaker pinky. Without the arch, your thumb would dominate and the sound would be uneven.
Start with a metronome at 60. Strike from above with the wrist, preparing each octave position in advance. Be sure to keep your second finger curled. That maintains the structural integrity of the hand. Use the wrist to balance the pinky and thumb so both land evenly. If you don’t do this, you’ll get a heavy, uneven sound where the thumb overpowers everything. Relax your shoulders and focus all the motion in the wrist. Imagine bouncing a ball. The energy comes from a quick, natural release, not a forced push. If you try to play octaves with your arms, you’ll quickly hit a wall with speed and stamina. The wrist allows for quick, fluid motion and prevents fatigue. Do as many repetitions as you can while maintaining proper form. Over time, this will dramatically improve your endurance, clarity, and control with octaves.
These Are Four Essential Exercises
Spend just a few minutes on each of these every day and you’ll see real improvement in your playing. Learn all the major and minor scales and arpeggios, and take your time. There’s no rush. You have a lifetime to enjoy the piano and develop your artistry! Thanks for joining me here at LivingPianos.com, Your Online Piano Resource.