When hands hurts

So i have problem... I am currently practicing very fast piece(tempo 200). It's pretty easy one, but i needed lot of time to play it at that speed correctly. However, there is one problem. When i practice this song, my hands start to hurt me. And if i practice it longer than 30 minutes, i got so tired that i cant play even most easyer pieces without mistakes. Does any one of you know what can i do to get rid of this problem?.

I aprecciatte any help:)

What type of pain are you experiencing exactly?

And what instrument do you play? Piano?

You need to relax your hands while playing.

I had this problem when I started playing seriously again after 18 months of messing around.

There are a few things that you can do, for example exercises that strenghten and flex the specific finger muscles you are using for that particular piece.

Another thing you can do is to play the piece in a different manner that relaxes your wrist and hand, but without knowing what the piece is and what hand movements are required, I can't tell you any specifics like which exact exercies are best for your situation!

Generally this problem is due to lack of strength in the specific fingers or required action, because your fingers and wrist/forearm tend to tense up to maintain position as you push through the piece.

And what instrument do you play? Piano?

Yes, Piano

What type of pain are you experiencing exactly?

Well i dont know know how to describe it...But its simmilar to pain you feel if you tottally stretch your fingers

You need to relax your hands while playing.

I had this problem when I started playing seriously again after 18 months of messing around.

There are a few things that you can do, for example exercises that strenghten and flex the specific finger muscles you are using for that particular piece.

Another thing you can do is to play the piece in a different manner that relaxes your wrist and hand, but without knowing what the piece is and what hand movements are required, I can't tell you any specifics like which exact exercies are best for your situation!

Generally this problem is due to lack of strength in the specific fingers or required action, because your fingers and wrist/forearm tend to tense up to maintain position as you push through the piece.

Thanks for advice... i think that general problem is that my tehnique is very poor. Cause in 5th and 6th grade i barely practise more than 1 hour weekly and after i finish 6th grade i didnt play for almost 2 years...

I read somwhere that the real progress is not in what you play, but in how you play... i didnt completly understand this... i mean if you play harder songs, then your tehnique is automaticly improving, isn't it?

Beside, what counts as tehniqe? Except that you play with wrist instead of hand and that you are correctly holding fingers?

Stupid questions for someone who finished 6th grades, but as i said, i didnt play piano for long time.

And thanks for all answers:)

i think the best way to avoid pain when playing piano is to feel as if the power is coming from the finger tips only. and its the wrist thats moving along with the fingers, not the wrist thats dragging the fingers along.

Ask your teacher.

No, really. A good teacher will know what you should be doing and how, and if you want to deal with this, it's in your best interest to find one. Many of the answers you'll get here are likely to be way inferior to the advice a good teacher can give you. Are you absolutely sure you can tell the good advice from the bad? If not, and I assume not since you're asking, you really ought to find someone you can trust to give you good advice.

This is really the best thing I can tell you. I think it's the best thing anybody here will tell you.

Eldkatt gave the best.

From waht I read, you are doing too much too fast. You said you are unsure what "smart" practicing is about. Here is some idea -

a) Practice session need to be anywhere from 30 - 60 minutes (depends on your skill level and age) without resting or stopping. As a beginner, 30 minutes a day is plenty the first few months. But even professional pianists, average 4 hours a day WITH rest breaks in between.

a) You cannot play a piece at performance tempo consistently -- or too fast. If you are concerned about getting up to speed, work first on accurate rhythmns, pitches, with correct articulation at a slow tempo building slowly to a moderate tempo ( in your case 70 - 120). COUNT QUIETLY and ACCUATELY- but not only every quarter in a 4/4 bar. Count the 16ths, 8th,triplets as well and move back and forth among. Then count emphasizing the strong and weak beats. Use words like tah to count pieces with more movement and detached articulation. Use pom for slower pieces with more legato, lyrical lines. Counting quietly with a variety of methods so you have a feel of the beat but can hear your playing helps you focus on hearing yourself.

2) While doing 1) check your hand position -- does it feel relaxed? Or do you feel like you are trying too hard to get a passage right --- if the latter this means you are contorting your hand or stiffening you arm and shoulders. This is the part of piano study which requires a teacher to assist.

b) When you are able to play your piece with correct rhythmn, notes and articulation at a somewhat moderate tempo, stop to study very carefully the phrases and the direction of the music (singing lines helps SOOO much). Conduct the piece, in quarters then in larger beats (usually the half or dotted half note at most), add dynamics.

c) When you can play the piece moderately with all of the above, you can increase the speed of your performance goal. Play it at the desired tempo once through with only a little time beforehand to BRIEFLY review any tough spots. DO your best not to stop! After that play the piece at half speed or less. Then work on those parts you had difficulty - slowly and very relaxed. Depending how close you are to the performance date determines how often you play your piece at performance tempo. Overall, this is done toward the late stages of learning and never more than once every 1 - 2 days.

Good luck. But do go to a teacher with excellent ears and technique (PS, technique is not gained from just "playing' Hard pieces. There is the difficult way and a correct way to play an octave or scale. The latter results in a much more beautiful sound )

And I thought his Beard made him invincible :(....

Hmmm.

You need to relax your wrist. VERY important. Get extra class in tecnique. In South Africa, we pay almost $30 per hour for technique class (piano). Ouch! Pauline Nozzell.

What piece are you playing? Liszt?

Relax your hands in warm water and wear gloves before and after practise to keep your hands warm while they warm up or after playing. Wearing gloves after playing is very important! Note! It will help you muscles to relax.

Then again... don't practise for too long and do permanent damage to your hands.