Offering your child the best opportunities is our main goal as parents. Sometimes, these opportunities involve disciplines we do not understand. This article is meant to shed some light on the mysteries of piano learning. And the importance of enrolling your child in a school that teaches a serious piano technique.
What is a “piano technique?”
A piano technique is a musical education paradigm. It is a way of structuring the knowledge related to how to play the piano. To study under a defined piano technique is fundamental. It allows both teacher and student to share a clear educational code in common. A proper piano technique will define clear goals for the student. And will give a precise method to achieve it.
The ambiguity of piano technique
Piano teaching is a poorly regulated or standardized academic discipline. For that reason, it is common to encounter professionals making false claims. If a professional is teaching a precise piano technique. Then the way the lessons are carried out will be very structured.
A piano technique provides certainty to the student. The student learns precise movements which are applied to resolve specific musical challenges.
What could be considered a proper piano technique?
To say a piano technique is useful or not, we should find out how successful its users are. The Scaramuzza piano technique, for example, is a technique used by the best pianists in the world. Like Martha Argerich, Daniel Barenboim, Bruno Leonardo Gelber, Nelson Goerner, Karine Lechner and Sergio Tiempo.
These people have been taught purely through this piano technique. And the results speak for themselves. They have led and redefined the way people play the piano in the XX century. Also, they have continued to mesmerize the audiences of today.
The Scaramuzza piano technique: The best piano technique in the world
The Scaramuzza piano technique is probably the only piano technique which can be proven to be the best in the world. There are several reasons behind this statement. But these are some of the unique points about this technique:
- Maestro Vicente Sacramuzza first perfected the Scaramuzza technique. He was teaching the technique himself only. Therefore, it is easy to spot who his students were and are.
- As opposed to the Russian technique, for example, or the Italian technique, the Scaramuzza piano technique is precise, consistently documented and refers to the work of one single person: Maestro Vicente Scaramuzza
- The Scaramuzza piano technique origins are close to us in time.
- The Scaramuzza technique is both a clear way of gymnastically approaching the challenges of piano playing and the philosophy of piano performance.
No other piano technique in the world is as homogeneously taught, expertly applied and so clearly identifiable. The level of ambiguity around this technique is close to zero.
A complete approach to learning music: body and mind
The main reason why this technique is so successful, is that it covers a lot with a great deal of in-depth. The physical aspects of piano performance and the spiritual and philosophical elements of music and performance.
The body: The five Scaramuzza movements
The maestro devised and taught five unique and differentiated “piano movements”. These movements -in their pure form or in combination- represented the main focus of his attention.
“Finger movement”, “forearm movement”, “arm movement”, “wrist movement” and “rotation”. The goal is clear: “perfect these five movements and conquer the art of piano playing”.
The fact that the maestro successfully channeled his students’ attention into resolving these distinct and consistent physical challenges, ensured no effort was wasted into inefficient practicing.
The tasks are easy to understand, the results quick and educationally profitable. As opposed to the Russian piano technique, in which students are encouraged to play for more than eight hours a day. Scaramuzza students are encouraged to practice thoroughly.
The goal is clear: “learn to use these movements to the best of your possibilities. And you will be able to play any piano piece you wish”.
The precision of the Scaramuzza piano technique allows the student to become properly technical. The student is motivated to understand the mechanics of the “musical challenge” as opposed to try out many different approaches to solve each passage thoughtlessly.
The Scaramuzza piano technique clearly defines which movement to use in each case. The only thing the students need to do is perfect the movements themselves.
The mind: The philosophy of playing the piano
The maestro based his approach on two major philosophical and educational aspects of playing:
1. The awareness about the possibilities of the instrument itself;
2. The awareness of the performer’s possibilities.
The awareness about the possibilities of the instrument
The maestro would say: A student needs to be aware of the abilities and limits of each instrument. A piano becomes an extension of the performer. It is the responsibility of the performer to adjust their expectations and musical planning to the instrument possibilities.
The awareness about the performer’s possibilities
The supreme management of a piano technique is achieved when a performer becomes fully aware of the power and color each piano movement can develop. For example, if we want to play forte using “finger movement”, we should know how “forte” fingers can play.
Scaramuzza technique successfully defines the boundaries of each movement. It therefore, provides the performer with a vibrant color-pallet based in the five Scaramuzza movements.
The Scaramuzza technique arises as to the best and most effective piano technique in the world based on:
- Uniqueness
- High level of systematization
- Consistency
- Complete approach to the performance as a philosophical discipline
These achievements and the trajectory of its devoted students -current international concerts pianists- allow us, teachers, pianists and critics to establish this piano technique as, arguably, the best and most complete piano paradigm in the world. Learn more about the famous Scaramuzza piano technique at WKMT.
Author
Juan Rezzuto is a rare artist with a great deal of intellect and an in-depth understanding of piano, composition and music technology. He has been passionate about the piano since he was three.
Ever since, he has been a regular performer throughout the halls of Argentina, the United States of America, Spain, Portugal and the United Kingdom.
His approach to piano pedagogy is very unique, one which simultaneously combines music technology, playing, reading and writing.
