How to Play More Expressive Piano

While anyone can learn to play the piano through repetition and practice, an expressive technique sets one piano or keyboard player above the rest. Think of Tori Amos straddling her piano bench or Jerry Lee Lewis attacking his piano like a man possessed. Technical expertise gets a piano player on the stage, but an expressive playing style makes people remember them.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Put your whole body into your performance. If the body is balanced and relaxed, with the arms and torso moving in time with music and releasing energy, your piano playing will be more expressive. This doesn't mean you should throw your entire body into the performance in an exaggerated manner. Instead, let the body's natural balance subtly add expressive power when you play.
2. Balance your weight evenly when you sit or stand at the piano. If you have poor posture, this will throw your playing off and can cause injury to your hands or back. By aligning the body at the piano properly, you free yourself to concentrate on expressive and emotional play instead of technique.
3. Buy the correct piano for your needs, or adjust the one you have to fit your playing style. A piano that's too big, too light or too cumbersome will drain your energy and impede your playing style. Check out the Piano World forums for discussions on this subject.
4. Stand for all or part of the performance. A piano player who does this puts more bodily energy into his or her playing, and results in a more exciting show for the artist and audience alike. This lends a more "athletic" feel to the performance. Even if you're recording or practicing, standing will give you more energy regardless of the type of music you play.
5. Coordinate your hand movements for better tone when you play. By maintaining control over your left hand functions and conquering two-hand coordination, your playing will be clearer, more powerful and more expressive.