When we conflate technique with skill, we trap ourselves in a narrow pedagogical space where skill acquisition is taught like a recipe to be memorized.
Piano pedagogy is obsessed with technique. Piano teachers talk endlessly about “proper technique,” constantly urging students to “improve their technique.” World-class pianists are praised for their “sublime technique.” But few ever stop to ask what the word technique really means—or what role skill plays in the mastery they seek.
Colloquially, there is a tendency to conflate technique with skill. When we hear the phrase “good technique,” we often picture a highly proficient pianist who plays with finesse and ease. We implicitly assume it implies both correct and effective movement mechanics and high-quality execution—smooth, efficient, intuitive, and natural. But without making a clear conceptual distinction between the two notions—the how versus the how well—it becomes difficult to recognize that the way one learns technique (the how) differs from the process of mastering skill (the how well). Understanding this distinction has deep implications for pedagogy.
A useful analogy comes from a French macaron baking class I once attended at a local culinary school. “The recipe gives the technique,” the chef explained, “but the skill is in being able to produce successful macarons.” Notoriously finicky and easy to misjudge, macarons often end up hollow, lopsided, deflated, cracked, or footless in the hands of inexperienced bakers.
Learning technique in isolation is like memorizing a recipe, whereas skill comes only from baking, tasting, and adjusting until you can reproduce great results in any kitchen. If technique is how, and skill is how well, then the missing link between them lies in how effectively one transforms technique into mastery.
When we conflate technique with skill, we trap ourselves in a narrow pedagogical space where skill acquisition is taught like a recipe to be memorized. Learners left to their own devices resort to aimless repetition and rote mimicry, and skill mastery seems like a mysteriously elusive unicorn tamed only by the “talented” few—when in reality, what we call talent often reflects the learner’s resourcefulness in devising more effective learning systems for themselves.
How, then, are pianistic skills learned—if not through rote memorization? The answer lies in motor learning theory: the science of transforming knowing what to do into being able to do it intuitively. Whether we are teachers or learners, we must engage the cognitive and motor processes involved in learning the piano as an intrinsic skill—not as a set of instructions to be recited like a recipe.
Wrist Rotation Technique Skill
Take wrist rotation as an example. Countless instructional videos do an excellent job of showing the technique: “rotate the wrist like this and turn it like that.” But merely mimicking a video won’t allow you to execute wrist rotation fluently within a larger musical context, nor will it teach you the intuition for when and how much rotational force to apply. The learning process requires additional structural components:
- Having a clear goal to be achieved by using wrist rotation (redistributing physical tension, achieving an even tone, shaping phrasing and voicing, etc.)
- Establishing feedback mechanisms to evaluate progress (monitoring physical comfort, listening critically, recording oneself, etc.)
- Making targeted corrections for unsuccessful attempts (through devising self-corrections or as guided by a teacher.)
Only through consistent practice within this framework can one develop the ability to continually assess their playing and instinctively adjust their motions with a clear objective in mind. This adaptability—independent of specific technique—is the essence of skill.
The Devil is in the Details
Even within a goal- and feedback-based learning structure, some learning strategies work better than others. Research shows that imagery and an external focus of attention are among the most effective principles for learning new movement patterns. (They can also function as learning goals or feedback mechanisms.) If you’re just beginning to explore wrist rotation, try this simple external focus tool using my Wrist Band Tool (link). Other strategies such as variation learning (link), contextual interference and mental practice are also powerful and widely studied. As neuroscience and motor learning research continue to expand our understanding of skill development, I love exploring and writing about what these findings mean for us as pianists. If you find these perspectives helpful, you might enjoy following my blog as I continue to share my insights and practical applications from this growing field.
Learning the piano as a skill demands a new mindset—one that values functional adaptability over formulaic rigidity. Furthermore, pianistic skill is multifaceted, extending far beyond movement mechanics to include auditory abilities, visual coordination, and musical imagination. It therefore requires a holistic approach.
Hence, the obsession with technique, in the narrow sense of the word, misses the pedagogical point. Because, ultimately, it is skill that defines mastery.
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