Piano lessons for Pianists Recovering from injury

Pianists with Injuries Retraining Lessons

I am now offering Consultation lessons via the internet (in English, French, Italian or Mandarin) for pianists anywehre in the world recovering from injuries, including RSI (repetitive strain injury), tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Having suffered from Repetitive Strain Injury around 1990, I have patiently retrained over the past 25 years, with much help from Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais, my piano teachers in Paris and London, and have done extensive reading on the subject.

I am now in a position to assist others looking for a more healthy and comfortable way to recover and play music at the piano. I can guide you as you retrain at your own pace, and as you learn underlying principles behind playing musically, with suppleness, while avoiding injuries in the future.

Background Reading For You
1. “What every pianist needs to know about the body” by Thomas Mark.
2.  “Artistic Piano Playing as Taught by Ludwig Deppe”, by Elisabeth Caland, translated by Evelyn Sutherland Stevenson
3. “Chopin: Pianist and Teacher, as seen by his pupils”, by Jean-Jacques Eigeldinger.
4. The Potent Self by Moshe Feldenkrais

Your Technical requirements
Unless you can visit me in my Taipei studio, we will need to set up simple and reliable channels for exchange. Don't panic, the following list may seem long, but you may have most of it in place already. If not, most teenagers could help you set up the following in less than an hour (probably less time than it would take you to travel to a piano lesson in most major cities)!

• A Skype account (for our conversations)
• A YouTube channel (to upload short videos, these can easily be set to 'private' so that only you and I can see them )
• A PayPal account (to pay me securely, knowing that you will be fully refunded if you do not get what was promised)
• Smart phone, or Camera, to record very short videos of you playing the piano.
• Tripod to support your camera (optional)
• Technical know-how to upload your videos to YouTube, so I can view them.

How to proceed
Please email me at matthewkoumis@gmail.com  and we will make an appointment to have a Skype telephone conversation, at which time you can explain to me your situation.

Once we have agreed a plan of action together that meets your needs, we will exchange videos. My teaching video will be uploaded to YouTube (private channel, only you can watch it) within 4 working days of my receiving your video. You will receive a 5 minute personalised coaching video containing demonstrations, simple exercises and instructions on how you should practice them, together with a short email giving you instructions plus page reference(s) to the above book(s).

Meanwhile you can check out my own videos on YouTube recorded in the past 12 months.YT link, Rachmaninoff played by Matthew Koumis

I look forward to the opportunity of being able to help you play comfortably and safely again!

Chopin, Frostbite, his Nose

"Fraulein Heinefetter is almost completely lacking in feeling; everything sung well, every note accurately performed; purity, flexibility, portamenta; but so cold that I almost got frostbite on my nose, sitting in the front row near the stage".
Chopin, letter to Jan Matuszynski, 26 Dec 1830 (p130, Dover Edition, Chopin's Letters)

Ha! Luckily, this would not happen had Chopin had the pleasure to listen to the legendary pianist Samson Francois (1924-1970).

In this video clip, he is shown with habitual cigarette in hand, at first in rehearsal and then in concert. The attentive piano student will admire the way in which the back of his hand is kept "light as a feather", with his fingers dropping down without effort to the keys. The arms are in constant movement to carry the hands above the notes, with fluidity. (Some resemblance to the technique of Sergio Fiorentino, and indeed Francois studied in Italy for a time). The technical ease enables the spontaneous flow of emotions and of the music, giving overall a warm and fluid impression.
"Music is for me a quest, something mysterious", says Francois. Chopin would definitely have agreed!