Returning to Rotation — but at a New Level

I recorded a close-up video this week on a piece called Your Song, and it made me think about how things change once adult learners reach the latter stages of the course.

From the very beginning, we work with simple rotational movements — small, natural turns of the wrist that help the hand move from one finger to the next without stiffening. It’s simply showing the hand that it doesn’t need to stay fixed in one position, and that the fingers don’t have to work in isolation. Most adults find this surprisingly freeing, especially if they’ve spent years unknowingly tensing up when they play.

What Starts to Change in the Middle of the Course

By the time we reach a piece like Your Song, those early movements have settled. They’re familiar now. Instead of learning rotation for the first time, we refine it and use it in slightly more musical ways.

For example, the wrist might tilt a little to support a melody, or help the hand move comfortably between notes. The foundations are the same, we are just applying them with more confidence.

How This Feels for Adult Learners

This is usually the point where students tell me things suddenly feel easier.
Movements become smaller, more natural, and less conscious. It’s not a leap in difficulty, it’s simply building on skills they already have.

Other Small Skills We Explore Here

Alongside rotation, we also look at:

• joining notes even when the hand can’t physically stay on them
• letting the pedal take over quietly when needed
• deciding when to lift or pivot the hand
• keeping the wrist relaxed when the tempo increases

These aren’t presented as big technical hurdles. They’re small adjustments that gradually shape your playing.

A Perfect Piece for This Stage

Pieces like Your Song work beautifully here.
They’re expressive without being overwhelming, and they give learners a chance to explore movement, sound, and musical shape in a manageable way.

More Lesson Insights to Come

I’ll be sharing more short moments from these lessons soon. They show how the course builds skills step by step , from the first gentle rotation to more complete, confident movement at the piano.

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