A great way to improve posture and technique consciously

[wongk]

Get a mirror I just got two and am starting to have some interesting epiphanies.

Another teacher I know (probably the only one I know), not only has wood blocks under the legs of the bench to gain 1.5 inches, but she also has 3 or 4 mirrors at different angles on both pianos in the studio.

We see from a mono perspective, which is why it's helpful to have a teacher, but using a mirror can make us conscious of how we're sitting and using our arms.

[kashi]

I recently had a discussion with my Alexander Teacher who suggested that a mirror was actually bad for me because it causes me to focus too much on what my posture/hand position looks like rather than what it "feels like".  I thought it was an interesting observation.  What do you think?

[Terry]

Hi you guys,

Reader's Digest answer: I think information is good, but we shouldn't become too reliant on any one sense.  If a person can use mirrors to inform the kinesthetic sense, great.  If they can't ever get something without staring into a mirror, that won't translate well into a performance situation!  I did have a friend who could make adjustments only if she used a mirror, but she taught herself to pay more attention to how the adjustment felt and then the mirror wasn't such a crutch any more.

More complex answers are all over the forum!  I just did a search in "mirrors" to find what I remembered as one entry, and there were a bunch.  Check it out!