32

Exercise no. 2: Change of position

Right hand:
A A A

12 2 1212 212 1212 2 2 212 2 2

12 3 1213 213 1213 2 3 213 2 ?

12 4 1214 214 1214 2 4 214 2 4

12 5 1215 215 1215 2 5 215 2 5

Left hand:

2 2 12 2 212 12 2 212 12 2 1212

2 3 12 3 213 12 3 213 12 3 1213
2 4 12 4 214 12 4 214 12 4 1214
2 5 12 E
215 12 5 215 12 5 1215

lnversion
Right hand:
A
^

12 2 212 2 2 2 2 2 2 12 2 1212
12 3 213 2 3 2 J 2 3 12 3 1213
12 4 214 2 4 2 4 2 4 12 4 1214
12 5 215 2 A 2 5 2 5 12 5 1215

Left hand:

12 2 1212 2 2 212 12 2 2 2 2 2
12 3 1213 2 J 213 12 3 2 3 2 3
12 4 1214 2 4 214 12 4 2 4 2 4
12 5 1215 2 5 215 12 5 2 5 2 5

Purpose Starting33

The point of this exercise is to learn how to At the beginning the arm hangs freely next to the
get'from one place to another on the keyboard body. An imaginary thread that is fastened to the
without overexerting and straining ourselves wrist brings the otherwise completelyfree arm up
and without unnecessary movements. lt is an to the keyboard in a calm and even movement.
exercise in "positioning the hand',32 that is to say The hand and the thumb hang freely and loosely
an exercise in which we learn to move the hand up to the last moment. The exercise figure is
as a whole whilst maintaining as far possible its included into the movement without any prepa-
natural form. The exercise is performed in one
single unbroken movement, whereby the hand
retains its natural pose the whole time where
possible and is felt as being part of movement 32
Peter Feuchtwanger in conversation.
as a whole. The short notes before the leap are 33 This way of starting is the same for all subsequent
performed as in a baroque ornament. exercises.
5
+
33

F
P
ration and without fixing the hand in advance.3a
This happens with a small elliptical movement
whilst the hand and the arm sink downwards.
This is important: the finger and the hand remain
lying there where they land, even if this isn't the
planned point of arrival, and we take this as the

F
F
One figure (one bar of the exercise) is always
to be seen as one single unified action which
comes from one single impulse.
point of departure for the next movement. This
is a basic rule which applies to all the following
exercises.

tr
?
Neutral position

We take care to finish up with the hand in the

We can compare this to the art of archery.36The
archer has no influence on the arrow once it is
has left the bow. Once the arrow is in the air

?
?
"neutral position". This means that there is ten-
sion only in the finger that sustains the note. This
finger "grows into the key" so that we have the
feeling that the finger is intimately connected to
one cannot correct its flight in any way. lt flies
where it flies! ln the same way we should let the
hand fly on unhindered in its complete elliptical
movement until it reaches the long note, without
Ea the key. We hang from the key with this finger. interrupting the flow of movement.
7
rF
+n All the other fingers are at this point free. (You
can check this with "quick release".) They float
on the key surface like oil on water. lf we raise
one of these fingers with the other hand it should
ln order that the fingers end up lying on neigh-
bouring keys in the neutral position, we can use
the other hand if necessary to carefully correct
E-
e- follow lightly and easily. We let go inwardly and their position afterthe end of the movement, just

+. sense the energy only in the finger end joint that

is lying on the sounding key. Now we can feel
as if someone else were doing this.

+.
r
= the forearm hanging from this finger. That means
that we aren't pressing the key down actively;
Listening

F
F
rather, the wrist, elbow and arm are completely
passive - they are in a state of balance. This
position is a "comfortable starting position for
the hand" or a "rest position".3s
At the end of each figure we listen intently to
the long note at the end, and in listening we
connect this with the sound of the next figure.
Peter Feuchtwanger says that "in this exercise it
is almost more important to hear what happens
#
=ia
The finger which plays the long note (fermata) between the notes (the intervals)than the notes
E=4 lies in a straight line with the forearm, and at the themselves. When we do this exercise with the
end of the movement the thumb just hangs freely left hand, the bass notes produce overtones,
E-
:- down. We can test the looseness, softness, and the perception of which we also cultivate with
E=a uncramped state of the thumb by tapping it lightly this exercise."37
: with the other hand: it should give way freely.

tr
F
Accepting/Correcting
Gontinuation of the exercise

The impulse for the next figure comes from the

+
F
We don't let any wrong notes hinder us from
completing the movement once it's begun. We
carry the movement through to he end, without
trying to improve any particular note. After com-
end joint of the finger that is lying on the key. lt
comes from this finger alone (not from the arm or
the wrist) and is accompanied by calm breathing.
The energy comes from spine.
::iI pletion we can repeat the whole figure if we want.
'a It is inevitable that we play wrong notes at first,
but we just accept them. This applies both to the
Once again we pay attention to the elliptical
movement. "We get onto a conveyor belt, the
=- ornamental notes and to the long sustained note. movementof which neverends, justasthe Earth
=
: always keeps turning. Some small movement
is always present."37 Thus we play the figure
3a Neither the fingers nor the hand should make a prepa-
in one single movement, the impulse for which
ratory/anticipatory movement. lt can often be observed
that the hand "snaps" upwards at the last moment: this stems from the finger end joint. The notes of the
is a mistake.
35Willy Bardas, Zur Psychologie der Klaviertechnik, Berlin 36
Cf. Herrigel2000.
37
1927 (reprinted Düsseldorf 2002), p. 35. Peter Feuchtwanger in conversation.
34
JJ
figure are simply included on the way. We don't from underneath the keyboard. The arm is
:1
FI
begin afresh, but throw the hand back. ln this passive, merely following in compensatory _t
FI
way, instead of starting the second bar from C5
with a new movement, we play the whole new
movement and not making any evasive move-
ments. "Everything comes from the fingers; l]
FI
figure with the same single impulse which began the arm remains loose like a piece of string,
and I simply reach for the keys, taking the J
-
FI
atthe end of the previous figure. ln otherwords,
we don't prepare the note by placing the thumb notes with me."38 The shoulders, too, hang tl
t-l
to the C5 and then go on to play the figure as a
second step. lnstead of this, we take the C5 and
all the following notes with us in one movement.
down passively, remaining free and flexible:
we take care not to raise them unconsciously. :f
FI
Going to the note and playing the note are one Here again it is important to listen. One shouldn't
be able to hear a gap between the end of one
-l
F
and the same thing. All in all this produces an
figure and the beginning of the next one. We -.l
El
elegant, smooth and rounded movement; this
movement is anti-clockwise in the right hand, connect these notes by including them both l
FI
clockwise in the left. ln this way we learn to play
notes combined in groups instead of as single,
separate notes.
in one continuous movement. "l compare this
movement with the bow changes of a string
player, who does this without lifting the bow from
:lFI
the string."38 ___l
-Frl
One can describe this movement as a slinging,
throwing or catapulting movement; we "throw Variations -1
F
l

the hand to the new position".38 There is a chil-

dren's game in which a child throws its arm at Apart from the diatonic version described above,
-a-
someone, touches him briefly, and then pulls it we can also do this exercise chromatically (in the
-
F
back so quickly that he can pretend innocence, original form descending, or in the inverted form
while the other is left wondering who did it. One rising). We can also use the following alterna- -i-
could compare the movement in this exercise to tive fingerings: (for bar 1): 1313, 1414, 1515 or
this. Peter Feuchtwanger says that we should 1321, 1432, 1543. --
behave at the piano as we do in real life - for
example, we can compare the exercise with the N.B. On the video this exercise is played one
--
following "real life" action: we go past a shelf in octave higher than it is notated here for reasons -=.
-t
a supermarket shop and without stopping we of sound quality. Likewise we can play the exer- i-t

reach out and take something from it in passing. cises in different octaves, depending on the kind i-
{t
Normally such a movement is natural, flowing, of sound that we want. ln this case we should
and certainly not artificial. ln fact usually it is adjust our sitting position appropriately - in the 7-
{t
done without thinking. ldeally our movements example given in the book we should sit in front
at the piano should just like this: spontaneous, of the middle of the keyboard, so that the arm i-
impulsive, direct and unified, as opposed to extends in a straight line from the white keys. -
hesitating, pondering or cut up into portions. -
"l never prepare myself physically, only men- It is recommended to simplify the exercise at -
tally."sa This is basic principle that applies to all first by playing just the first and last notes (what
Abbey Whiteside calls "outlining"), observing of
=
the exercises and to piano playing in general. J-
ln keeping with this, the thumb goes to the C5 course all that has been said above. The notes -
free and unprepared; in fact it arrives almost in between can be added later. ln the right hand
-
the exercise would then goes as follows: -
38 Peter Feuchtwanger in conversation. -
-
A A A A A A A =
--
E
12 12 2 2 12 2 2
-
13 13 3 J 13 3 3
14 14 4 4 14 4 4
--
15 15 5 5 15 5 5

-
<

--
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