Want to learn the correct technique for playing chords? You don’t need to be gripping them for dear life! Watch me demonstrate what works and what doesn’t, try out my exercises to improve the mobility and suppleness of your wrists, and find out what playing cricket or baseball has to do with playing chords… Let’s get started!
0:16 Introduction – common issue of students tensing up when playing chords
1:02 Analogy No1 – death grip on handlebars of bicycle
1:28 Analogy No2 – Holding a ball
2:00 Only use as much effort as needed – use of body and arm weight behind chords and release of weight after notes have sounded
2:55 Weight for the creation – not the duration. Demonstration
4:28 ‘Sinking’ of weight into keys rather than ‘Hitting’
4:50 Analogy No3 – cricket or baseball player hitting ball – follow through of movement
5:27 Wrists and arms are your shock absorbers
5:55 Exercise No1 – ‘playing’ on body parts - learn how to feel weight and release
7:20 Introduction to wrist suppleness and mobility
8:01 Exercise No2 - ‘Up and Down’ action with wrist – extend range of motion
9:34 Exercise No3 – ‘Circles’ with wrist – clock face, and pay attention to contribution of elbow in movement
10:58 Exercise No4 – Practising playing chords on keys
12:58 Concluding Summary