[78-L] Older musicians

[Joe Salerno]

> The size of a pianist's hands.

Helps to have large hands, or long fingers, a la Rachmaninoff. But 
Alicia Delarocha, small hands, played the Rach 3 anyway.

  Should pianists and vibraphonists sit/stand erect or bend over
> their instruments?

Pianists have been known to do either, but I would think it would be 
particularly difficult for someone standing over a vibraphone. After a 
while the muscles just get tired of supporting that much weight.

  Do pianists need to look at the keys?

Helps, but blind pianists prove that they do not need to. In some 
schools, sight reading is taught by placing a screen over the keys so 
the student is forced to look at the music, thus breaking the habit of 
looking at the keys

joe salerno