Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-11
FOR PLANO PLAYERS.
Tense Muscles Are Not Conducive TO
Good RAsults

AoAs0 AUSc4e8 arc MOI GouQuc1Ve 20
Good Results.
The first advice would give to you, or
any other person wishing to play the piano,
Is to relax-not your practicing, but your
muscles. This sounds, I expect, quite SIM
PIE, and perhaps even foolish. but as q
matter OF fact 1t is most difficult thing
for many individuals to do. Yet without 1t
suppleness Is impossible and a good tone
cannot be had from the keys
"Anxiety's" writing shows that her mus
eles are tense. and this Is therefore the first
ching she must strive to overcome.
wish it were possible to tell another
precisely how to ''devitalize," how to make
different parts Of the body limp and life
less. But there is no way other than to say
that the part becomes quite lacking In any
strength-it is dead. II an arm devitaiized
were raised by another person 1t would fall
Immediately to the side again, 1t is dead, '
and this is the condition a pianiste must
get her fingers and wrists into II she would
play well. 1t is not expected that one Will
play with devitalized fingers, but being
able to do this she will have limberness
and muscular control that many lack. All
too frequently the tendons control the
player, instead Of the latter being master
Of them, and this one fact accounts for a
good deal of the hard, unsympathetic music
one hears.
Practice devitalzing whenever and as
few minutes in which to doit
Begin by raising the arms directly in
front Of one from the elbows. That Is to
say. from the elbows to the wrists let the
arms be straight to the front Let the
hands hang loosely from the wrists. II
they do this you have already unconsciously
devitalized the wrists, and it remains to do
the same with the fingers. Try to make
them limp also. I canI-ot be any more eX-
plicn than that, but you will know whether
or not You have succeeded by the result of
the next movement. This consists in shak-
Ing the hands as fast as one can up and
down from the wrists. The hand itself
should be as limp as q handkerchief when
being waved. and the fingers. devitalized,
will be shaken and exercised. 1t Is. prob
able that minute Of this shaking will tire
the wrists, in which case one should rest
before repeating. g~-
To change little hold the hands so that
the thumbs are uppermost, and again
shake from the wrists, always remember
ing that you are not trying to shake your
fingers, but to let them shake themselves.
They are bound to do this II you have
towel If you topped 1t from the top. It is
precisely the same theory. The lower part
of the towel moves itself. That Is what
your fingers are to do. The whole secret
lies in muscular relaxation. .'
Another exercise that will be beneficial,
but not as much so as that already given,
is to place the finger tips upon table as
though upon piano keys, and raise the nm
This may be done over and over again, and
is less wearing to the nerves of others as
it is soundless, but the effect is quite as
good for the musician.
Rubbing the fingers with oils will some
times aid in limbering and it will do no
harm to use almond oil at night Rub each
finger vigorously, especially at the knuckles,
and then draw on a pair of old kid gloves.
A French preparation of oils Is made for
the use of dancers whose mucles it is said
to timber, and the same would apply to the
fingers. 1t is compounded of one ounce Of
orange flower waters one gill of white
brandy, four ounces Of mutton tallow, three
ounces of olive or almond oil, one and one
half ounces of white wax and a half grain
of musk.
Put the wax, oil and tallow into a china
or glass basin and set into a pan of boiling
water. Mix the orange flower water and
brandy and put this, drop by drop, into the
melted oils, beating all the time with a sill
yer fork. When thoroughly mixed add
the musk. Keep in small glass jars and
rub the fingers thoroughly at night.
1t is taken for granted that a person who
plays the piano knows the hands must al
ways be kept warm, otherwise they will be
stiff. To do this, in winter, a muff should
be carried, and even If one Is not playing
the fingers should still be kept warm.