by Apex » Sat Mar 12, 2016 9:57 am
Just heard the news, a real shocker. We can only express our condolences.
I have the April 1994 issue of Keyboard magazine, Keith Emerson is on the front cover, the byline there reads, "Will Emerson Ever Play Again?. The article inside describes his hand or right arm problems in some technical detail, he had major surgery back then, his then orthopedic physician in Los Angeles described the condition as "It's probably due to the fact that Keith has been playing so hard for so long . . . three months after surgery he does not have a whole lot of recovery."
The physician's diagnosis as "playing hard" has some substance. According to the Keyboard mag article, for a year before his surgeries, he went to a classical piano teacher for piano technique instructions. Keep in mind this was after he had been playing all his life. The first words out of her mouth were, "It's your posture. Stand up, look at yourself in the mirror, obviously you are going to have problems." She went on to say, "I want you to play with less arm weight. Loosen your wrist. Do this and there will be no more problems."
I believe it's fair to say that by then the damage had already been done and was essentially irreversible by conventional means. All pianos are basically formidable; their keybeds are not like organs or harpsichords with constant velocity requirements, they invoke the F=MV physics equation, whereby it takes downward Force with Mass (your hands and fingers), combined with Velocity, to produce a sound. Tinkling on a piano is easy, but actually playing it can get physical. (If you've seen little kids playing with ease, it's because they have been properly trained from Day One.) Even Glenn Gould at one time in his career had playing problems, fortunately, not serious.
Serious hand & arm problems can be very psychologically traumatic for a musician who dedicates him/herself to the art. We invest huge time in practicing and advancing ourselves, and for super high level pros like Emerson, or Gould, or Van Cliburn, their lives revolve around their music, it is the first priority of every day.
RIP Keith, and thanks for giving us great music. We will miss you.
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