Master Pianist Educates College Students
Caitlin Garman
Staff Writer
The Piano Master Class with Roy Bogas, held on September 28, 2006
in the music department here at Shasta College, helped student pianists learn
how to improve their playing skills.
Students came to hear what the master pianist had to say.
ÒThe most important thing is to play musically!Ó Bogas stated. Ò
The technical part is important too, but not as important,Ó he added. The volunteers at the workshop each
played a song of their choosing as Bogas listened and watched carefully to give
out advice critiquing their movements and playing skills to better their
abilities.
ÒYou do not play the
piano with your fingers, you play with you hands!Ó Bogas constantly emphasized
through out the class.
Bogas stressed that itÕs a trick that will help make pianists play
for longer periods of time without wearing out their arms as opposed to someone
playing with your fingers. He said
actual injuries can occur if one were to play with their fingers instead of
their hands, such as straining a tendon. Bogas even gave a brief anatomy lesson of the human
arm to explain the importance and reasoning behind playing with hands instead
of fingers. Though he was there to
critique, Bogas made the atmosphere in the class a little more fun by cracking
jokes, and it seemed to make the students a little more at ease about playing
in front of an audience.
The first volunteer Faith Dubke said, ÒThe idea of rolling the
wrist really helpedÓ (something Bogas demonstrated with help of a fake orange
by holding it in his hand and just twisting his wrist without moving his
fingers). ÒWhile your playing,
your hand has to move around,Ó Bogus stated, Ò You donÕt get speed from playing
your fingers faster. The faster you play the less movement you get from your
fingers.Ó
Throughout the class Bogus not only gave helpful tips to piano
players seeking his help, while at the same time making the whole workshop fun.
Beautiful music, a laugh, and important lessons learned, all in an hour and a
half!