I've recently completed my music degree with my beloved cello. Now I have a little more time on my hands I'm trying to get my piano playing up to something that might pass for adequate. I don't have a teacher at this point, and I've been working on scales and general sight reading. Now- I've reached a point where I can feel the difference in my hands. They feel much stronger and movements are more even and fluid. Even the way I sit at the keyboard is changing and I'm aware of how those little shifts of balance are affecting what I'm doing. All in all I'm quite pleased with the improvement I can feel and hear myself making.

Now - I'm about to go away. I'm quite able to cope with a break away from my instrument. I have lots of strategies in place to keep the musical momentum going. However I don't want to lose that new found hand strength and flexibility. (Such as it is). Does anyone have any suggestions for exercises I can do just to keep that new strength (or even build on it)? All I can think of at the moment is continuing to play against a hard surface (the table !) as if I'm at the keyboard.

Thankyou.

Hi Iona,

I'll PM you with some exercises I learnt at a dance summer school. They 'belong' to another teacher so I guess I shouldn't explain them in detail on here