3.3 Rotation bodily-kinaesthetic preparation and keyboard exercises

This video collection comprises six demonstrations illustrating a progressive approach to developing forearm rotational movement in piano playing. Rotational sensation is first introduced through familiar off-instrument imagery and preparatory actions that mirror everyday movement patterns, such as turning a key (Bernstein, 2020), opening a book, and Rae de Lisle’s (2022) metaphor of a “Māori or Polynesian dancer,” which employs gentle shaking motions to promote rotational awareness and flexibility in the shoulder and elbow joints. The demonstrations then transition to on-instrument applications, showing how the arm is brought into a horizontal playing position through controlled forearm rotation at the keyboard. Practice progresses systematically from single-note rotations to melodic intervals and grouped notes, following principles exemplified in Fit 4 Piano (de Lisle, 2022). These exercises are further developed to include both radial (thumb-side) and ulnar (little-finger-side) rotations, allowing adaptation to varied repertoire demands. The final demonstrations bridge technical exercise and musical performance by applying these rotational gestures to repertoire passages. A comparative presentation of a Carl Czerny exercise performed with and without forearm rotation illustrates how integrated rotational movement reduces physical strain while enhancing tonal clarity.This video forms part of a broader research project investigating the development of coordinated movement in piano performance, with applications in piano pedagogy, injury prevention, and performance enhancement.