Imaginary Piano

An imaginary piano is not really a piano. It is a make-believe piano.

To practice on the imaginary piano, we must know:

• the pitches and which fingers to play them
• the rhythms
• Chopin form
• Correct amount of muscle use and body weight

Here is how to practice on the imaginary piano.

1. Lie down on the mattress or whatever can support the entire body weight.
2. Head, back, waste, legs and feet should be on the mattress.
3. Place the hands flat next to our body.
4. Raise the wrist, feeling rested down.
5. Finger pads (2, 3, 4, and 5) or inner side of the thumbs remain on the mattress.
6. Imagine that your hand is already at the appropriate position on the piano even when there is more than one position to play.
7. Imagine that the mattress is the keyboard that requires very little to make sound.
8. Slight depression will be all we need.
9. Depress the mattress with the playing fingers in a very small amount.
10. (Sort of) Hallucinate sound as the fingers depress the mattress.
11. It is OK to believe it ideal - imagining that smallest amount of finger depressions create even strings of sound.

The goal is not to depress the mattress as much as possible - the goal is to master efficient amount of muscle use (not too much, not too little).

Lying down will make us sleepy, and if we fall asleep, let's not feel bad about ourselves. It can reduce excessive amount of muscle use that would be used when we are standing or even sitting from the other parts of the body. Then, we apply small amount of muscle from the playing apparatus (fingers, hand, and forearm).

This can be used to optimize/minimize some of the forearm movements - forearm rotation, vertical walking arm & hand, and shaping.